I’m a black girl with Afro Dominican and Afro Caribbean roots. My hair has been relaxed for as long as I can remember. In December, I decided to chop it all off and go natural. To my surprise when it started growing back, I discovered that I had very curly hair and I’m in love with my natural hair. I can’t wait until it grows long.
It’s growing kind of fast but I’m concerned about the products I’m using. I used to use Dominican products but I don’t think they’re doing my natural hair justice (I probably just haven’t found the right one). I use Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding for styling (I love this stuff) and Miss Jessie’s Baby Buttercream. My hair always looks dry and dull (although it feels soft thanks to the buttercream and my curls are perfect, thanks to the pudding). No matter how much oil sheen I put on it, it’s just not vibrant and pretty looking. I fully wash my hair (shampoo, conditioner, the works) once a week and water wash about every two days. I noticed that my scalp isn’t itchy and my hair’s growing faster, which I think is from water washing. I just want my hair to look well moisturized.
Does anyone have any advice on what kind of products I should use? Especially shampoos and conditioners. Also if you know any sights that focus on curly, natural hair, that would be great. I’m addicted to reading up on this stuff!
I want to thank you you all for the answers, they were all really helpful!
i have natural hair and my hair is also very curly due to the fact that i have a lot of scottish blood in me but anyways
only use product that say organic on the bottle or have alot of oil like olive oil in it.
my everyday use is all these products
http://www.organicrootstimulator.com/products/oliveoil.htm
hope i helped;)
and you can purchase these products @ your local drug or hair stores
Congratulations on going natural! I went natural last summer and before I did I did a lot of research about going natural so I could learn how to maintain my natural hair. Most blacks will probably be surprised that “nappy” hair is hair that is tightly curled – naturally curly.
Firstly, you might have to throw away all the products you used for your relaxed hair because they probably won’t work well on your natural hair because you’re dealing with a completely different hair type and texture and it requires a completely different way of maintaining. I don’t use any of the products I used on my relaxed hair. In fact, most of those products have ingredients that aren’t good for the hair like petroleum, mineral oil, and lanolin. Throw away the product that contain petroleum, especially if it’s the first ingredient on the list. Petroleum does nothing more than coat the hair and clogs the pores, if you put it on your scalp, which hampers hair growth. Learn which ingredients are bad for your hair and start getting used to reading the ingredients list of the products you buy. Most of the products I used to use on my relaxed hair makes my natural hair hard or causes too much build-up.
Secondly, if you need to oil your scalp then you can oil your scalp by doing hot oil treatments. I use extra virgin olive oil and warm it in the microwave and then massage it through my hair and scalp for about five minutes and then wash my hair with conditioner (no shampoo). This leaves my hair extra moisturized, super shiny, and very curly, and there are other benefits you’ll notice once you begin using it on a regular basis.
Natural hair has sheen rather than shine, which is why it will not shine like straight hair unless you use a product to give it shine. Light reflects off straight hair but absorbs in curly hair which is what gives the straight hair shine. What gives my hair shine are the daily mosturizers I use. I also use natural coconut oil, which is supposed to give soft and shiny hair, but I notice my hair has extra sheen than shine when I use it and it makes my hair extra soft.
Having your hair look well moisturized will depend on the products you use. I have moisturizers that will moisturize my hair, and you can tell from touching it, but will leave my curls *looking* dry even though they aren’t. I also have moisturizers that will not only keep my hair moisturized, but keep my curls looking hydrated all day too. Before I take a shower I add some coconut oil to my hair, so the warmth of the shower/water can give it a mini hot oil effect and then I add my Giovanni Direct leave-in while it’s still wet and seal with a pure olive oil and leave, and this helps keep my curls looking moisturized all day. It’s kind of funny and annoying when people think I have a jerri curl in my hair.
There are many natural hair websites and message boards over the Interent, and people who have natural hair journals and weblogs. Here are a few.
http://www.motowngirl.com
http://www.nappturality.com
http://forum.blackhairmedia.com
http://www.longhaircareforum.com
Some hair journals:
http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/dreamy...
http://www.wakunaonline.com/
http://naturallyscandalous.blogspot.com/
http://public.fotki.com/olablessings/
http://www.biracialhair.org
There are many, many more where these came from and they give tips and advice, too, about being natural.
I use Laminates shampoo…. I wear my hair naturally, and people LOVE IT!! I LOVE IT!
I tend to stay away from gel, and activators…and water washing your hair in b/w shampoos is a great idea…
I tend to NOT put too many chemicals in my hair, just letting it be, just what i want it to be…NATURAL…
I use Darcy’s Botanicals products, and my hair is soft, moisturized and shiny. To strengthen, I use henna and I also Deep Condition with Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment and steam weekly.