Sealing your ends is one of the most important things you can incorporate into your regimen for length retention, whether you are natural or relaxed. To retain length successfully, and keep it from getting shorter, you want to find ways to ensure that your fragile ends are well protected.
Sealing your ends is the process of moisturizing and then adding a oil or butter to trap the moisture protecting your ends from the outside elements. In addition to sealing we also try to keep our ends from becoming dry and split with protective styles.
How do you seal?
First, you have to moisturize your ends with pure water or a water based product, then add a barrier to your moisturized hair in the form of an oil or butter. You can choose whatever butter or oil you like, if your hair likes a heavy oil then you can choose to use one, however if your hair gets limp with heavy oils*, then use a lighter option instead.
Next you can choose to weave a style to make sure your ends are not manipulated for at least a day. The most common styles for helping your ends are braids, cornrows, buns, twists, or anything where your ends are tucked away securely and comfortably.
Your ends are the oldest part of your hair, growing older as your hair gets longer. Because of that, they need more care and love than the thick growth you receive from your roots. Without sealing your ends, they become susceptible to the outside elements like rubbing against your clothes without a break.
This is where the nutrients from your hair follicles can slip away, causing your ends to become dry and split. Without moisture and being protected from these harsh conditions, your ends are not going to hold up!
Girls who like to wear their hair down and in twist-outs or other styles, might notice their ends getting crunchy or weak after a lot of these styles.
The first time I went natural I didn’t know anything about sealing your ends and my hair was health. I used a leave in and kinky curly curling custard.
The second time I went natural I seal everyday…once I had some length they were dry and crunchy. I would trim an months later they were back again.
I like the curling custard but it made my hair look like a jerry curl.
So the second time I went natural a leave-in,oil, cream and Jane Carter wrap n roll (style).
I don’t think it was the products just the nature of my hair. So back to a relaxer I went. But I like change so in the summer I may cut it off agin.
Eeeeh.
I haven’t sealed “just” my ends in years. I do the LOC method. It works so I ain’t finna try nothing else.