Some of the good stuff for your hair.
Patience and Moderation
are Key
Purported to prevent
hair loss, aloe vera does more than soothe sunburn. A good aloe vera shampoo is
said to restore the pH levels of the scalp.
Avocado/Avocado
Oil
Many natural hair products use avocado since it’s
packed with vitamins A, D, E, and contains more potassium than bananas. Easily
absorbed into the skin, avocado oil is a quick way to get multiple nutrients
onto your scalp for improved hair growth.
Castor Seed Oil
Not only is this vegetable oil a
humectant, castor oil also has
anti-fungal properties. This will ensure a clean scalp, with the hair follicles
clear and prepared for better hair growth. Some apply it to the temples to
increase the thickness of thinning edges.
Coconut Oil
You'll find products that contain coconut
oil, but if you can buy it pure and/or organic, you can use it straight from
the jar. It's a wonderful emollient because unlike other oils, coconut oil
actually penetrates the cortex instead of simply sitting on top of it and
making it look all nice and shiny. It absorbs wonderfully and is
multi-functional; use it on your skin and cook with it, too.
Extra Virgin
Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive
oil
(EVOO) is an emollient that seals and softens the hair. The “extra virgin” on a
label means it was produced using only physical means (no machines involved)
and has no chemical treatment to alter it. Use it as a quick pre-shampoo or a
deep conditioner. Olive oil is great for
hot oil treatments and for mixing with rinse-out conditioners. Use sparingly as
this is a heavy oil and can weigh your hair down when used in large amounts.
Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil is prized as a natural
ingredient because its composition is similar to that of your scalp's natural
oils. Use straight from the bottle, although it's not considered as effective a
penetrator as coconut oil, or mix with conditioners and hair moisturizers.
Shea Butter
Look for pure, unrefined shea butter that's
pale yellow and smooth. Gritty, dark yellow, white or green shea butter is
either too refined or even rotten. Again, look for a light yellow color and
uniformity when buying shea butter. There's plenty of products that have jumped
on the shea butter bandwagon, but if it's not one of the first five ingredients
listed, it's probably not doing you much good. You can either buy a shea
butter-based product, or better yet, use it straight from the jar. Pure shea
butter can be firm, but it melts easily and absorbs into dry hair well.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
For those of you out there who are already
into reading ingredient labels, this one may throw you, especially if you avoid
using sulfate-based shampoos. The vast majority of commercial shampoos contain
either sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. The former, sodium
lauryl, is drying and should be avoided. The latter, however, sodium laureth
sulfate, is a suitable cleanser for black hair that won't overly dry it.
Vegetable
Glycerin
Natural Hair
products containing vegetable glycerine act as strong
humectants—meaning, they attract and bind water to themselves. Vegetable
glycerine also creates a layer of oil over the hair strand, thus aiding in the
retention of moisture. Try combining it with aloe vera juice to create an even
better moisture spritz!
Water
Water is the ultimate moisturizer. Not only
does it work on the outside of your body, it works from the inside, too.
*********
DO YOU KNOW YOUR HAIR TYPE?
Getting to know your hair is one of the first steps to learning what product is right for you.
Source: Mizani
Avoid Frizzy Hair Stressors
Smoking, excessive ingestion of alcohol or caffeine (which are diuretics and have a drying effect on the whole body), chemical treatments (including coloring and perming) and excessive consumption of processed foods can create or worsen frizzy hair.
source: Naturally Curly
Coconut Oil - Treatment for Dry Scalp
*There was a discussion going on in the NSTOV FB group about Coconut Oil. NSTOV Resident Natural Hair Stylist, Danielle Green, shared the following...
"It is a great deep treatment for dry scalp...apply it like we used to do back in the day (part the hair in small sections ), massage it in for 5 minutes then apply more mid shaft to the ends. Use a shower cap or wrap in a heated towel leave on for 15 mins or leave in overnight (can get messy so protect your bedding). Shampoo or co-wash/condition and style the hair. It works well on all hair types including relaxed or color treated hair as well. It is a great go-to at home treatment that I recommend to my clients."
Hair Conditioner
I use a lot of conditioner. :-) When I apply conditioner I start from the neck up. I take a section of hair, apply conditioner, then comb it thru. I pull down another section of hair, apply conditioner then comb thru. I continue this process until I have applied conditioner and combed thru all of my hair. Depending on my schedule I may let it sit for 20 minutes or a good portion of the day. Often times I go to sleep with conditioner in my hair. - Marita
Styling Products
When applying any type of hair styling products use sparingly. In most cases when too much is put on the hair it will cause a build up. When the hair dries it may appear hard or crunchy. You may also see flakes depending on the product. I have experienced both situations and wound up having to wash my hair again. When I tried again using a smaller portion the results were much more to my liking. - Marita
