You have to take good care of your Afro hair to keep them looking healthy, supple and tender. Proper care for your Afro hair will allow you to achieve the best results for your hair. Your thick, curly and textured Afro hair needs special treatment and techniques to prevent dryness and damage.
Afro hair are relatively brittle and require due patience and hard work for its upkeep. We have listed certain do-it-yourself hair care tips under the following headings for maintaining your Afro hair.
Essential Hair Care Tips For Afro Hair
Afro Hair Needs Proper Cleaning
Afro Hair are prone to dryness, damage and roughness. Hence, you should shampoo your Afro hair at least once in a week. You can select a shampoo that has enough moisture elements to keep your hair hydrated. Sulfate-free shampoos strip lesser moisture off your hair. However, daily washing and rinsing your hair will help retain moisture and highlight the natural Afro curls of your hair.
Use a conditioner, rich in moisture elements, after shampooing your hair. Afro hair needs to stay damp to avoid tangling. Also, choose a conditioner designed for thick and curly hair. After conditioning you hair, use a dampener or leave-in conditioner to prevent hair knots.
Groom With Care
Select a wide-toothed comb and tardily browse it through your hair. Hair picks are also favorable for combing. If you wish to use a brush, select one with natural bristles. Comb your Afro hair carefully, making tuft partitions in the front, two on both the sides, one on the top of your head and a few strands at the back.
You may also use your fingertips to gently caress your hair till the hair-tips. You may use a rat-tailed comb for parting your Afros, in the sidelines. The rat-tailed comb would be perfect for days when you wish to let your hair loose and kinky.
The scalp secretes natural oil that imparts the wet look to your Afro hair. Try to comb as gently as possible to evenly spread this natural oil. You must avoid combing dripping wet hair as wet hair is more susceptible towards shedding.
Take Steps To Reduce Knots And Breakages
Afro hair has the significant tendency of curling with adjacent strands, when it becomes old and worn. This results in knot formations and breakages, which hinders the length and growth of your Afro hair. It is your responsibility to prevent hair loss. You can keep your hair ends, tucked inside by tying your Afro into a braided bun, a regular bun or twist them into braids. This will scale down hair damage and allow your Afro to grow with vigor.
Give Your Afro Hair A Necessary Oil Treatment
Oil treatment assist in hydrating your otherwise dry Afro hair. Afro hair are predominantly dry and it needs regular oil treatment for remaining humid and damp. Use standard pomegranate seed oil and softly massage your hair strand to its tips. Use your fingertips to evenly spread the oil over your scalp, the hairline and the hair-ends. Cover your hair with a plastic cap and mildly heat them, using a hair dryer. Leave it for quarter of an hour and then rinse all traces of excess oil. This stimulates and nourishes the hair, leaving behind soft, silky and lustrous Afro locks.
Wrap Or Drape Your Afros At Bedtime
Friction is not a friend of Afro hair. When you go to sleep and rest your head on the pillow, your Afro hair comes in contact with the fabric. While you move your head sideways over the pillow, your hair strands continuously brushes against the fabric. This friction makes the hair snap off its roots, resulting in more hair fall. To avoid such calamity, it is recommended that you wear a silky scarf , covering your Afro and protecting them from falling off.
Covering your Afro hair, while sleeping, also reduces loss of elementary hair oil. As discussed before, Afro hair needs enough dehydration as they easily become dry. The fabric of the pillow (especially cotton) absorbs the natural oil of the hair strands. If your keep your hair covered with a silk scarf before going to school, it will help in retaining crucial hair oil.
Take good care of your Afro locks with these hair care tips. Afro hair needs proper care for its sustenance as knots and tangles are common issues faced by them. However, if you follow the above-mentioned Afro hair care tips you will see substantially reduction of your hair woes and feel proud to flaunt your Afro locks.