You might think that your natural hair will not be dry once you stop using chemicals on it. However, whether your afro hair is naturally kinky, wavy, coily or curly, every curl or coil in your hair hinders the process of oil travelling to your ends. While oils can move down the follicle of straight hair quickly, it’s much harder for oil from your scalp to travel down to the bottom of hair that has several twists and turns.
In other words, the more tightly coiled your hair is, the drier it will be. While changing your hair texture is not a viable solution, there are four ways in which you can fix your dry afro hair problems and seal the moisture in your hair.
Follow A Healthy, Balanced Diet
You can get stronger, thicker and shinier hair by consuming food that supplies your hair with all of the necessary nutrients and minerals. Start your journey towards healthier, moisturised hair by eating vegetables like sweet potatoes containing beta-carotene, an antioxidant converted into vitamin A, once consumed. Vitamin A can fix your dry hair problems as it can produce and protect the natural oils on your scalp.
Foods rich in vitamin C like berries and yellow bell peppers are also fantastic for strengthening your kinky hair and preventing breakage. Even more, foods rich in unsaturated fats like salmon, avocado, walnuts and pumpkin seeds encourage healthy hair follicles. Finally, food high in protein and biotin like chicken, cheese, and eggs enhances and strengthens your hair strands and prevents afro hair loss.
Drink More Water For Moisturised Hair
Everyone’s hair shaft contains ¼ of water. This means that when an individual does not drink enough water, their hair strands become more prone to split ends, breakage and finally, hair loss. When you suffer from dehydration, there will be a limited amount of water reaching your roots, while the blood circulation on your scalp will also decrease. Then, even if your body tries to preserve the water, it has exposure to the wind, chemicals, and the sun which can strip the moisture from your kinky hair. This occurrence eventually leads to your hair becoming dry and brittle.
Prevent this from occurring by drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. You could also eat food that has high water content. For example, these foods could include fruits like apricots, strawberries and watermelon, and vegetables like cucumber, celery and spinach.
Seal The Moisture In With A Regular Afro Hair Care Routine
Developing a good afro hair routine will not happen overnight. But, with time and patience, you will notice your hair and scalp feeling less dry and more moisturised. Start your routine with the LOC (liquid/leave-in, oil and cream) method, where you first apply water/a water-based leave-in conditioner to your kinky hair, then a natural oil to lock the moisture in and lastly, a cream to close your hair cuticles after hydration. As part of this method, try our Manuka Honey & Avocado Leave-In Conditioner. Avocado contains vitamins that nourish your scalp, while manuka honey can specifically target dry scalps and split ends.
Protection Over Styling
While you should always be proud to display your afro hair in public, you cannot do so all year, especially as harsh weather can easily damage it. Wearing protective styles like topknots, chignons, wigs, and cornrows will make your afro hair less prone to breakage while also protecting your ends. While protective styles are helpful during the day, cover your curls at night with a satin bonnet/scarf as well as opting for a silk or satin pillowcase. These fabrics are kinder to your hair than cotton, which can strip the moisture from hair leading to dryness.
More importantly, you still need to keep your hair moisturised when using a protective style or satin bonnet/scarf. With this in mind, you could opt for our Everyday Curl Refresh with Coconut & Jamaican Black Castor Oils which will keep your curls hydrated daily while under a bonnet/scarf or protective style.
Finding the correct fix for your dry hair issue may take a lot of trial and error before discovering a solution. But, it’s a journey that is well worth fighting for! Begin your search with our new Sofnfree Naturals range, which uses natural plant oils and ingredients without parabens, sulphates, or petroleum to moisturise your hair.
Do you have any other dry hair fixes to share? Let us know so that we can share it with the rest of our community.