Dry hair is something that doesn’t go unnoticed. Even someone who doesn’t know a thing about natural hair can look at it and in two seconds tell if it’s lacking moisture. Though some might be too afraid to say anything, oh don’t worry, they notice! And I’m sure you do too. This is why we, especially as naturals, must do everything we can to maintain moisture and a nice appearance of lustrous coils.
Don’t think that just because your issues with the porosity of your hair where moisture has problems either penetrating or staying within your strands that you have to suffer continuously. Though your problems will not be fixed over night, there are many practices that you can implement in your weekly routines to ensure that you are retaining as much moisture as possible in order to avoid the appearance of dry hair.
Here are 5 in particular:
Hot Oil Treatments
Hot oil treatments are powerful. It’s something about heated oil that assists in its penetrative abilities for your strands and getting in all of those twists and turns of your coils. It’s especially vital to perform these treatments as a pre-poo prior to shampooing as the process strips your hair from its natural oils*.
To perform this treatment all you have to do is bring a cup or two of water to a boil and set the bottle of your favorite oil in for a few minutes to allow it to warm.
Then apply a generous amount of the oil to your strands and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. You can cover your hair with a cap if needed to add extra heat to ensure that the oils* are getting well within your strands.
ACV Rinse
Another type of pre-poo routine that is vital in my natural hair routine is the implementation of apple cider vinegar* rinses. I mainly use this rinse as a way to clarify my scalp when I need an extra push due to excess flakiness or whenever I co-wash because I find that my scalp needs to always be properly cleansed.
In addition to this, I find that it leaves my hair super soft and shiny, thusly adding life back into it and relieving the appearance of dry hair.
To make the rinse, all you need is equal parts ACV and water and add a little olive oil* for an extra boost. Prior to shampooing, on dry hair, pour the rinse over your hair and gently massage into your scalp. You can either choose to continue with shampooing/co-washing right away or allow it to sit for 20 minutes first.
