Do you find that your natural hair is dry all the times? Dry hair is a common natural hair problem. In this article I will share 11 tips on how to moisturize natural hair.
Here is how to moisturize natural hair:
1. Stay Hydrated
The most basic and simplest thing to do to ensure your natural hair is moisturized is to stay hydrated.
Water is vital for many body functions and in this case for your hair because it makes up a huge percentage of the total body mass.
An effective hair routine is one that starts from the inside out. This means in addition to having a healthy diet, you should drink as much water as you can daily. The recommended quantity is 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.
If your hair is extremely dry, it could be an indicator of dehydration. Since our bodies are made of 75% water, if you are dehydrated, your hair will definitely be dehydrated too and this will be reflected on your hair.
If you forget every other thing in this article, just remember to stay hydrated. Your hair will thank you.
2. Pre-poo
Pre poo is an important step in your natural hair routine as it plays a key role is ensuring your hair stays moisturized before the shampoo process.
Pre-poo is an abbreviation for ‘Pre Shampoo’. It is the process of applying an oil, conditioner or a combination of both before washing the hair with a shampoo.
Inherently, natural curly hair loses moisture very quickly due to the structure of the hair strands.
Pre-poo helps you get back the moisture that has been lost before you shampoo your hair because most regular shampoos actually strip your hair of important oils/sebum and leave them dry.
A pre-poo treatment will give you the extra moisture your hair need and it also restores the moisture that has been lost because of other external factors such as weather.
3. Deep Condition Properly
Deep conditioning is something you need to do regularly especially if you want to infuse moisture into your hair.
To achieve an intensely moisturized mane, you need to deep condition as this allows the hair shaft to get in moisture and absorb it as well hence leading to healthy hair.
Additionally, it keeps the hair looking shiner and smoother. Deep conditioning natural hair not only helps your hair with moisture but protects your scalp as well from being dry.
How long you leave the deep conditioner on may vary. The longer the duration for the deep conditioning the better but adding heat to the deep conditioning process can also fast track it.
For the deep conditioning to work best you need to use tips that will guide you on the frequency and the best hair state to deep condition. Read this article to learn more.
4. Use a moisturizing shampoo
Most naturals are usually wary about using shampoos because of the fear of the shampoos drying out their hair and rightfully so as most of them contain sulfates which strip moisture from hair.
While this is the case and experience for a number of people, it not the case with all shampoos as there are some that are moisturizing shampoos.
There are moisturizing shampoos that are designed for hair types that need ultra-nourishing formulas.
These moisturizing shampoos have ingredients that provide a lot of hydration and seals the hydration in the strands.
Using these moisturizing shampoos will leave your natural hair manageable, looking beautiful and most importantly looking hydrated.
5. Use the LOC Method to Moisturize
The LOC Method is a very popular hair moisturizing technique used by many seasoned naturals and most will agree and testify to it being a very effective method.
This method uses a three steps technique to ensure moisture retention and lock in the hydration.(1)
LOC is an abbreviation for Liquid, Oil, Cream.
LOC method is a guide on how to apply products to your hair to ensure that the moisture stays in for long and to maximize moisture retention.
It entails moisturizing your hair with water as the first step. You then need to apply natural oils like olive and avocado. These natural oils have the ability to penetrate the hair shaft and this increases the hair’s ability to hold on to the water molecules.
Lastly, seal the hair cuticle/ strands and lock in moisture with a cream to help prevent loss of moisture.
This is a very good method to moisturize natural hair but it works best and is more suitable for people with high porosity hair.
This is why you first need to understand what type of hair you have, more importantly your hair porosity as this plays a big role on the technique you use to moisturize your hair.
Related Article: LOC Method in 4C Hair
6. Maximum Hydration Method
The maximum hydration method has in the recent years proven to be of great benefit to natural hair that suffers from dryness.
It should be a top priority if you are looking to keep your natural hair moisturized.
This is a four to five step process that works best for people with low porosity hair. If your hair remains dry in spite of you moisturizing it then the method is designed for you as it is made to keep the moisture locked in. This Max Hydration Method article goes into the details of the technique.
For this method, the first step is to cleanse & clarify the hair. This is followed by co-washing & detangling. Step 3 is to do a clay rinse. The final step is to apply a leave-in conditioner and a botanical gel.
7. Use the Baggy Method
The Baggy Method is a creative and very popular moisturizing technique that can significantly reduce dryness of the hair if done properly.
This method softens the dry ends of the hair and allows moisture to penetrate into the hair.
This method entails adding moisture to your hair either through water or the hair oils and then covering the hair with shower cap or any other cover.
This method makes use of the moisture that would have otherwise evaporated in normal conditions.
8. Steam Your Hair
Steaming is another method that helps moisturize natural hair especially for people with low porosity hair.
For low porosity type of hair, getting moisture to absorb in the hair is usually a challenge because the cuticles are technically closed and do not open easily. Steaming comes in handy in this case because it opens up the cuticles and therefore lets the moisture in.
Once the hair follicles are opened up, there is easy absorption of hair products and moisture to the core of the hair. Steaming softens your hair and strengthens it leaving it feeling hydrated and looking moisturized.
9. Wear Low Manipulation Protective Styles
You could be doing everything by the book and following a moisturizing regimen that has worked for others hoping that your hair will stay moisturized, but your hair still feels dry most of the times.
Chances are high you are manipulating your hair way too much.
Excessive manipulation of the hair is one of the most common hair mistakes that many of us are making.
When you constantly touch your hair to install or uninstall different hair styles, chances are high your hair is losing moisture.
A great way to ensure low manipulation of your hair is wearing your hair in a low manipulation protective style.
This way, your hair will not lose moisture very fast and will not suffer from dryness. Protective styling prevents moisture loss in natural hair as well as minimize the hair breakage so it is always a win.
10. Protect the hair when sleeping
An important way of taking care of your hair and ensuring your natural hair stays moisturized is by covering it up when sleeping.
Satin bonnets are highly recommended because they protect your hair while you sleep.
A satin bonnet has a good material, and this helps to reduce the friction when you are in bed that can damage hair. Importantly, the nonabsorbent material is great because it ensures that the moisture in your hair is actually retained and does not soak up the moisture like a cotton material would.
11. Spritz your hair with water
If you notice that your hair loses moisture too quickly, an easy fix is to get into the habit of using water to lightly spray the hair whenever it feels dry.
When you spray or spritz your hair with the water, ensure that you pay a lot of attention to ends.
Be very wary of how you will style your hair because if you are wearing your hair down you should not spray a lot of water because if you do, your hair will suffer from frizzing.
Doing this every so often will moisturize your natural hair significantly.
