2014 was big for natural hair. We were seeing more women going natural along with relaxed hair companies jumping on the bandwagon with new products almost every month! You are hearing more about natural oils, creams and every nut from here to Uganda that will give you stronger and healthier strands. All of that has been a direct result from the natural hair movement regardless of what some may say or think.
For years there have been staple products that ruled the natural hair world when natural hair became big business. Miss Jessie’s, Kinky Curly, Shea Moisture* or even Curls but as more companies emerge we are seeing amazing lines like Darcy Botanicals, Curl Junkie and Obia Natural Hair Care that are taking the natural hair world by storm.
Just like with natural hair products we have some staple oils from the beginning of this movement that were pretty popular, oils like Coconut oil*, Olive oil* and Castor oil* were all everybody was talking about. They were all the rage and got the most love from Bloggers, Vloggers and naturals all around because they were the wonder oils that could do anything for everybody despite your hair type, porosity or age.
Well, some time has passed and as more women continue to go natural our knowledge has grown and the tried and true has not always worked for everybody.
Take me for instance. I had bought into the hype about the great benefits of Jamaican Black Castor oil* and how wonderful it is for growing your edges, strengthen your tresses and moisturize like no other!
All it did for me was give me little bumps all over my forehead whenever I tried to use it in my hair. I was switching up facial cleansers and moisturizers like a mad woman but I finally figured out the problem after I did some research and came across others who also had issues like mine with castor oil*. The lesson of the story is that not everything is going to work for everybody.
Another lesson we learned is how amazing our world is with natural resources that benefit our hair. What nature has supplied us with that does not do wonders for you may only be a minor setback because there is something else that will gladly take its place.
As a matter of fact, I have listed four not so popular oils a few years ago that made a huge splash in 2014:
Red Palm Oil
Red Palm Oil, aka crude or Virgin Red Palm Fruit Oil is different from Palm Oil, but often gets mistaken for it. Red Palm Oil comes from the fruit of the Oil Palm Tree or Elaeis Guineensis. It is one of the most nutritious edible oils in the world and gets its rich red color naturally.
Red Palm Oil was put on everyone’s radar after Dr. Oz was praising it but it rightfully deserves the glory with its high concentration of carotenes and because it is rich in vitamins* A and E. Actually, it contains the highest amounts of vitamins* A and E of any plant- based oil.
This potent oil has been used for body and hair for over 5000 years and it is great for our hair because it promotes cell growth at the hair follicles and this means stronger longer hair. It prevents the hair from becoming weak and brittle and it is the perfect moisturizer for our skin and hair.
