10 Tips To Maintain A Beautiful Natural Crown. Natural hair is definitely the in thing. We all want to be proud and flaunt our natural crowns. There is a problem though. Taking care of natural hair is not as easy as many assume. Many have given up along the way because they have no idea how to maintain it. Check out the following tips that will help you on your natural hair journey
1. Hair Steaming
Just like our bodies, our hair thrives when being supplied with water. To maintain a clumped curl, lasting hairstyles, retain moisture, overall health, and manageability, every Natural should be steaming. You can conduct hair steaming by going under a hair steamer with your conditioner for 20 to 30 minutes. Add steaming to your hair regimen by going under the hair steamer every two weeks.
2. Pre Detangle
Sadly not many people do not detangle their hair every day. Hundreds of strands try to shed off freely but they are getting caught in our natural styles.On wash day, it may be easier to detangle your hair before you shampoo it. Detangling before shampooing will get rid of most of the tangles.
3. Moisturize
A moisturizer will have water as the first ingredient. If you look at the definition of moisture, water is present; water opens up the cuticle to allow the other ingredients to penetrate and work on a deeper level. Using oils and butter as moisturizers are not going to be as effective. Oils will nourish, seal and even soften the hair temporarily and so will butter. Using a moisturizer will give you long lasting moisture, even after you cleanse your hair.
4. Cut, Trim, Shape
Sometimes the only thing holding your hair back from being as healthy as possible is getting a professional trim or by cutting off what is damaged. Keeping your hair shaped is important too if you wear your hair out often. Split ends will happen to the best of us which is why trimming your hair 4-6 times a year is recommended for healthy hair.
5. Treat Before You Protect
If you are thinking about doing a protective style, doing the proper treatments will ensure your hair health coming out of the style. A steam hydration treatment and a protein treatment are a great start to prepping your hair for a style that will last longer than two weeks. You want to protect healthy hair not damaged hair.
6. Coloring Your Hair
Using this treatment in your color and lighteners (bleach) has given Naturals confidence to try something different. Before coloring your hair, you want to prep it. You also want to go to a Salon that uses a treatment called Olaplex in the color formula and as a step after the color is applied to ensure the integrity of your hair.
7. Take A Break From Wash n Go’s
Taking a break is a tip for those that wear this style often. The reason you should take a break from wash n go’s is because this is a style where your ends are always exposed, and it’s nearly impossible to moisturize every strand. You can not visibly see when your hair is breaking. Hair that is trying to shed off freely gets caught in the curls stealing moisture. Try twists or other styles that are more controlled and that you can moisturize efficiently.
8. Inside Out
We all know that keeping yourself healthy will translate into your skin, scalp, and hair. Drinking more water, taking a multivitamin, eating healthy, and avoiding stress are the best things you can do for your body and your hair.
9. Using Bonnets and Shower Caps
Protecting your hair is as important as what you put on your hair. You want to use a silk or satin head covering that is not too tight around the hairline. Silk and satin lock in moisture, whereas cotton or other fibers steal the moisture from your hair. Even protecting your hair in the shower with a shower cap is essential if your bathroom gets steamy and you take hot showers.
10. Straight Natural
If you are a Natural but prefer your hair to be straight or blown out it’s all good! Wearing your hair straight does not mean you aren’t a real Natural or that your hair is damaged. Just like your hair can be trained to curl it can be trained to be straight making your silk press last longer and not requiring much heat to achieve your styles.
