Rethinking Old Hair Habits
It’s easy to become a creature of habit with beauty regimens. Most of us read tons of blogs and watch countless hours of Youtube videos, yet rarely try the products or techniques suggested. It’s almost like we fall into the daily trance of being a part of the natural hair community but are actually pretty resistant to change. And this is understandably so, considering how much information is out there.
Taking into account that no two heads are alike and the usual disclaimer of “what works for some will not work for others”, it can often be a guessing game deciding which technique is worth trying. Of course there are exceptions. Some naturals, particularly the newer ones, jump on every bandwagon in search of this flawless regimen. Then you have the veteran naturals who know every oil, every mixture and the Trichologist break down of the hair follicle, who will tell you, “No thanks. I know what works for me.” and yet their hair hasn’t grown in years!?
At the end of the day, we have to come to terms with the fact there’s no natural hair rulebook. Yes, there are scientific facts supporting a lot of our methods. But even those don’t always hold true for all of us. I’ve come to understand that the winning formula is to be a sprinkle of the wide-eyed newly natural combined with a dash of the “set in my ways” veteran. Here are a few of our usual methods that I’ve willingly and recently modified with much success:
Deep Conditioning
Most of us shampoo and condition (or just co-wash) our hair and then deep condition afterwards. We either plop on the DC under a cap while still in the shower or we sit under our steamers, hooded dryers or heat caps. Either way, we’ve been accustomed to the idea that our hair should be squeaky clean before a deep treatment. Not just me, right? A few weeks ago, while doing my usual treatment, a friend of mine asked, “When you put on a face mask, do you steam first and then apply the mask or do you apply the mask and then steam?” I looked at her like she was crazy and responded, “The steam opens your pores so you can then apply the mask and have its nutrients penetrate. Who puts on a mask and THEN steams?” and she cleverly retorted, “the same person who is now steaming their hair after washing it.” Wow.Why did I wash my hair to then re-open the cuticle with steam, to then close it again with more products and a cold rinse? Why not simply steam first with the deep conditioner and now lifted cuticle, then effectively cleanse and close? Not only is it logical but also one less time your cuticle needs to be opened! I tried it and it made a world of a difference! Our goal with natural hair is to be as low manipulation as possible, right? My hair was shinier and had a lot more fullness and bounce to it. Almost as if the strands had finally been properly cleansed and were less weighed down. What was the lesson? Stop doing as you’re told and actually think about what you’re doing to your hair.
Sealing
I’ll be honest; I just started sealing my hair a few months ago. I was always under the impression that sealing “wasn’t for my hair type”. My hair isn’t fine but it also isn’t very thick. I assumed adding butter or oil on top of my leave-in was going to leave me with super flat hair. I’m a volume-holic so this was a no go. And I was right. My hair looked like I had just washed it for the entire week. One day, I was in the kitchen drinking my usual early morning glass of alkaline water. Why do I drink this? Because a lot of the foods/beverages we tend to consume are quite acidic. Drinking alkaline (the opposite of acidic) water keeps my internal pH-balanced. When neutralized, my energy is high and my skin glows.This got me thinking about the pH of my hair. A lot of us hear about it all the time but don’t really do anything to balance it. With all of the chemicals in our products, it would make sense to want to fix that! I did my research on what would serve as the “alkaline water” for my hair and Aloe Vera popped up. It’s one of the most neutral products you could possibly use on your hair: not too acidic and not too alkaline. I immediately ordered some and started sealing my hair. It was light enough to allow for my usual volume yet effective enough to seal in the moisture of my leave-in. The moisture, shine and definition sealing provides is incomparable. Now? You couldn’t get me to stop sealing if you paid me. The method is encouraged for a reason! What was the lesson? Stop being so quick to say certain techniques “are not for my hair type” and try to find the right products, instead.
Detangling
When I first started doing my research on how different textures cleansed their hair, I came across tons of videos of naturals washing their hair while in twists. They would detangle and chunky twist their hair before cleansing, for easier manageability. It was new to me because I’ve always just jumped into the shower and detangled with my fingers and some conditioner. But these naturals were on to something. I realized that I was cleansing my hair while it was all tangled and matted up; as opposed to jumping into the shower with already detangled hair and allowing the cleansing agents to more naturally glide down the strands. I mean that makes all the sense in the world! But, once again, I had thought that technique wasn’t for my hair type. Now I finger detangle the night before with a spray bottle of water and some oil or cream, and then jump into the shower with easy breezy hair for a much simpler wash day. Not only does it make it easier to cater to my scalp and save on time but also minimizes breakage! What was the lesson? Stop assuming what won’t work for you and just try it!All in all, the point is to not be so quick to assume about hair typing and techniques and to not be so resistant to change. This doesn’t only go for your hair and beauty regimens but in life as a whole. You’ll never know what’s for you or not for you until you try it!
What old hair habits have you re-thought?
Fran is the author of HeyFranHey.com. She dispenses hair advice on Black Girl with Long Hair every Monday. Follow her on Twitter @heyfranhey.
*****Check her out! She knows her stuff******
No comments:
Post a Comment