Treat Hair Like a Precious Fabric & See Great Results!!

Often, I have seen natural experts compare natural hair to a precious fabric. This is an excellent analogy and allows those of us "hard headed" naturals to think clearly about how to automate our hair care. It perturbs me to hear people complain about how difficult it is to care for natural hair. I have seen blogs and forums  posting comments after comments about how hard it is to care for curly, kinky, and/or extra dry hair. Moreover, some naturals are so frustrated by their hair that they find that it is easier to chemically straighten and/or wear hair extensions and weaves. While I believe that each person must do what is best for him or her, I also believe that natural hair is not that difficult to maintain. Treat your natural hair like a precious fabric and you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.

How are natural hair and special fabrics alike?

1. Both natural hair and special fabric have to be HAND washed. This means that the cleansing process has to be thorough yet gentle. Twisting or tugging can cause permanent damage resulting in tears, splitting, and shedding. Think of your best hand wash only fabric. ONLY gentle washing by hand keeps the fabric from becoming to stretched or mangled. The same is true with natural hair. Cleansing hair in sections (the use of butterfly clips, loose twists or braids) keeps hair from being tangled. I always cleanse my hair in loose twists and this reduces any unnecessary breakage and shedding.

2. Both natural hair and special fabric require SPECIAL PRODUCTS. I will not start the natural vs. commercial product debate, but my point here is to use products that are tailored especially for YOUR hair. Every head of hair is different, so this means using products that agree with your scalp and hair. Be mindful of ingredients that works well with your hair's special needs (hair type, porosity, etc.). For example, I use primarily products that contain shea butter, castor oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, aloe vera, etc.

3. Both natural hair and special fabric are AIR DRIED. Typically, special fabrics do not get arbitrarily tossed into a dryer. But, rather, they are air dried. Heat styling should be kept to a bare minimum. Why? Because excessive heat styling can break down the bonds of natural hair causing irreversible damage. Opt to air dry natural hair. Use a soft white tee to speed the drying process. This is called "plopping". Plopping safely dries natural hair. I "plop" my hair every time I cleanse it and my hair always dries fluffy and soft.

4. Both natural hair and special fabric need to be protected. Imagine you know that it will be a rainy day and you are wearing  your best suede fabric. What do you do? You spray a protectant spray over it to protect it from weather damage. The same is true for natural hair. Protect your hair from nature's elements. On windy days wear a scarf or hat to keep your hair from being blown causing breakage. Wrap your hair on fiercely cold days to keep the moisture from escaping and causing excessive dryness. Even hot, sunny days can cause damage. Taking special precautions can save your hair in the long run.

Sometimes we do things to our hair that causes cumulative damage. Likewise, it is the little things that can result in length retention. I have learned to approach length retention one step at a time. This means that every single thing that I do can either cause length retention or excessive shedding and breakage. I choose to treat my hair like a special fabric and just as a fabric can be preserved, so can my hair. I hope these tips were just as helpful to you as they have been for me.

Dear Reader, what other tips can you share?