Whether transitioning to a natural hair lifestyle or learning how to give your afro curls more moisture, understanding how to care for your strands is a lifelong process. Unfortunately, all of us would have made some mistakes along the way as the process of maintaining afro hair is often about trial and error. With this in mind, we’ve gathered the top 10 mistakes that could be made to damage your afro curls and how you could prevent these harmful habits down the line.
Applying Too Much Product To Your Kinky Hair
If your hair lacks moisture, it can be tempting to slather many products on your afro curls. However, using too much product on hair could cause it to seem weighed down and greasy. For instance, you only need to apply a small amount of our Everyday Curl Refresh With Coconut And Jamaican Black Castor Oils to keep it moisturised daily.
This is because both these ingredients are incredibly hydrating, and too much can often affect your moisture levels due to the leave-in process. Additionally, if you have low porosity hair, you do not need a lot of heavy oils like coconut and castor oil to be applied. Always follow the instructions for a particular product to know what is best.
Constantly Using Heating Tools To Style Your Hair
While we understand the need for your afro hair to be blow-dried or straightened into a particular style, too many of these tools can damage your curl pattern in the long term. So, if you are using these tools, opt for them sparingly and apply a heat protectant spray before use.
On the other hand, you can enhance and embrace your natural curls by using our Curl Elongating Gel With Flaxseed Oil And Rosewater. This formula can stretch your afro curls naturally and give you the definition you deserve. You can also use this gel to touch up your afro hair in between washes.
Not Trimming Your Afro Hair Every 6-8 Weeks
If you avoid trimming your afro curls regularly, you will prevent them from growing longer and faster. This is because a lack of trimming can increase the occurrence of split ends and breakage. So instead, get your ends trimmed every 6 to 8 weeks to ensure your afro hair remains healthy.
Not Using Shampoo To Cleanse Your Kinky Curls
As your afro hair can get dry quickly, there might be a tendency to co-wash your strands and scalp to cleanse without gently stripping your natural oils. However, a gentle cleanse could still leave product build-up and dirt on your afro hair, leading to conditions like dandruff, fungus, and eczema. To clean and nourish your hair correctly, use a sulphate-free shampoo like our Hydration Shampoo With Manuka Honey which can also prevent hair loss and improve the growth of your curls.
Using The Wrong Accessories
Using the wrong tools to handle your afro hair, like tight clips, hair bands, or a small-tooth comb, can cause further breakage. Instead, use a hair tie not made from an elastic material, which will not cause additional tension. In addition, use a wide-toothed comb to detangle from your ends to your roots.
Adopting Products With Harmful Ingredients
Our products use plant oils and ingredients to moisturise your natural curls. This means that our range does not contain alcohol which can dry out your afro hair even more. It also lacks petroleum which can clog your pores and makes it easier to attract more dust from your environment. More importantly, it is free from sodium lauryl sulphate which cleanses your hair but removes its natural, hydrating oils.
Skipping A Leave-In Product
While a conditioner like our Moisture Rich Conditioner With Manuka Honey & Avocado can re-hydrate and strengthen your afro curls after shampooing, a leave-in can extend the benefits from this wash day. A leave-in conditioner can keep your kinky hair hydrated in between washes to moisturise your hair on the go. Furthermore, our Leave-in Conditioner With Manuka Honey And Avocado Oil can also prevent frizz, reduce split ends and makes it easier to detangle before styling.
Combing Your Hair When Dry
Rather than combing your hair when dry, which will cause further breakage and split ends, remember to use a product like our leave-in conditioner to keep your hair moisturised as you comb from your roots to your ends.
Adopting A Protective Style Which Puts Too Much Tension On Your Natural Hair
While you may love wearing a sleek high ponytail or box braids, these protective styles can cause a lot of tension for your curls, especially your edges. Instead, try low-tension protective styles like a pineapple updo or a twist out that will not pull down your afro. You can also provide hold and body for these styles when using our Curling Mousse with Flaxseed Oil & Rosewater to prepare your hair.
Touching Your Afro Curls Constantly
Manipulation of your afro hair can also occur if you touch your strands frequently. Unfortunately, caressing your curls too much during the day can cause breakage, dry hair and frizz. So, try not to touch your hair too often.
The tighter the curl or coil, the more fragile your afro hair can be. Hopefully our suggestions will help you avoid making these mistakes so your afro curls can continue looking and feeling fabulous.