Maintenance & Moisture

Something that I really find interesting while on my natural hair journey is that during the beginning of the week, when my hair is freshly washed, the style tends to look very fresh when compared to the latter part of the week, then it starts looking a bit limp. I personally believe that two key factors pertaining to this problem are maintenance and moisture.

MAINTENANCE

The reason why maintenance plays such a big role is because based on the type of hairstyle that you are trying to achieve the lack of maintenance can result in limp hair. Since my hair currently has two different textures (relaxed and natural) the way that I maintain my hair has different effects on both textures. At night I either put on a satin scarf or a satin bonnet to preserve the hairstyle (whether it be a twist out, or bantu knot out just to name a few). In order for me to further preserve my hairstyle it would be best to re-twist, re-braid or re-do whatever hair style it is that I plan on doing for that upcoming week but at times I really do not feel like doing that so I just slap on that bonnet/scarf. That is most likely the cause of my limp hair but that is why maintenance is so important. What I also find most interesting is that towards the end of the week my natural hair would still have its body and shape while my relaxed hair looks like it needs some major TLC.

MOISTURE

The reason why I say that moisture is important is because without that moisture your hair can become very dry, and once it is dry it starts to itch, and once that happens scalp irritation can occur due to excessive scratching of the scalp. (If this does happen, something that I find very helpful is using the base of your finger to massage the scalp rather than using excessive force with fingernails.) Something that works for me is giving myself a hot oil treatment either once a week or once every two weeks. Also, I make sure to moisturize my hair during the middle of the week in order to lock in that moisture, putting emphasis on my scalp. I do this by spritzing my hair with water and a mixture of oils that I put in a spray bottle.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

What I am learning is that what works for one person may not work for everybody so it is very important to figure out what really works for your hair in order to retain that moisture. If you cannot find it, create it! Create what works for you, you never know who you could help. ^.^

ADD'L INFO


One of my favorite youtubers that goes into greater detail regarding Hair Growth and Maintenance is Kimmaytube. She does a fantastic job providing a visual demonstration on this subject. Her link will be posted below. Enjoy :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_LKGqydL8s&list=PL0468AAA6AE9B1C3A&feature=plcp