NATURAL HAIR CARE WITH SAZZY: THE BEGINNERS COMPLETE GUIDE

                                       










You must be wondering, what natural hair is all about?


Natural hair is hair that has not been tampered with chemical hair straighteners (hair relaxers). In this context, we are emphasizing more on the Type 4 hair which is the African hair texture.


Like I’ve said several times on this blog, natural hair is beautiful, kinky and versatile. Prior to this sensitization and the upsurge of natural hair communities, women wearing their hair in its natural state have been discriminated.


These women have been called many names from ‘mgbekes’ to ‘Deeper life members’ and I must say that they deserve a trophy for withstanding the vitriolic attacks from people with ‘relaxed hair’.






WHY YOU SHOULD RETURN NATURAL


By returning natural, you are doing the following:


1. Cherishing your African beauty


2. Accepting yourself the way you were created by God.


3. Refusing to conform to the societal standard of beauty which forces women to straighten their hair with hair relaxers.


4. Setting a trend for future generations.


5. Promoting your unique beauty.


HAIR CARE 101 FOR NEW NATURALISTAS


During the start of your natural hair journey, you might be tempted to fall for the hair product adverts on YouTube and then become a product junkie but I am here to advice you otherwise.


Listen to me darling as a seasoned naturalista, I must tell you this : YOU DON’T NEED PRICEY PRODUCTS AT THE START OF YOUR NATURAL HAIR JOURNEY. Stick to the basics and save the money for later because when you are still in your TWA stage, your hair consumes very little product and need to be left alone to flourish. Therefore you need to take note of the basic hair care products you need as a new naturalista below:


1. SHAMPOO

Argan oil shampoo




This is used to cleanse the scalp and to remove excess build-up and dirt from the hair. It is an essential hair product but ensure you go for shampoo without sulphate as one of the ingredients because sulphate strips the hair of its natural oil thereby making the hair prone to dryness and breakage. I will recommend Argan oil Shampoo because of its nourishing contents. I wrote more about shampoos for natural hair here.






2. CONDITIONER

Tresemme Conditioner




Why do you need this? Conditioner is very important to the hair because it softens the hair and makes it more manageable. Good conditioner alters the texture of the natural hair in a good especially when you deep condition your hair. There are different kinds of conditioner like rinse out conditioner, leave-in conditioner and deep conditioner.


● Rinse out conditioner is the normal conditioner used while washing the hair, It must be rinsed out with water after some minutes. Example is Tresemme conditioner

Tresemme Conditioner




● Leave-in conditioner. This conditioner helps to give the hair a long-lasting conditioning, gives moisture to the hair and makes the hair frizz-free. Always choose leave in conditioners without sulphate as an ingredient because sulphate is capable of stripping your hair of its essential oils. I will recommend keracare leave in conditioner

keracare leave in conditioner




● Deep conditioner. Deep conditioning your hair helps it to retain moisture which is vital to the hair. It also alters the texture of the natural hair in a good way. By this, I mean that it can help to soften your hair.


You should deep condition twice a month but if your hair is coloured, then make sure you deep condition weekly to reduce dryness and breakage associated with hair dye or bleach. I use Shea Moisture Restore and Strengthen Leave in Conditioner and it works. You can get it here

shea moisture












3. SHEA BUTTER

Shea butter




Can I be honest with you? This is one of the main products you will need in your natural hair journey. Shea butter contains fatty acids and other vitamins. Also, it is a moisturizer and can be used to make the hair more manageable.


When you use shea butter often, your hair will flourish and will thank you for it. I wrote about my personal experience with shea butter here. How it helped me achieve a cottony soft hair. You can also order your shea butter from one of the best shea butter producers in Africa here.


4. COCONUT OIL

Google image




This oil penetrates the shaft of the hair and can be used for prepoo as well. Prepoo means applying any oil like coconut or extra virgin oil on your hair for some minutes like (20 minutes) and covering with a plastic cap so it can be absorbed by the hair. The reason is to prevent the shampoo from stripping your hair of its natural oil during wash. You can also find more oil for prepoo here.


5. PEPPERMINT OIL

Peppermint oil, chiomaschmitz.com




This is an essential oil that helps to facilitate hair growth. It freshens the smell of your hair and have other healing properties. You can read more about it here and you can also purchase yours from us.


6. HAIR SPRITZ

Hair spritz




This is very useful because you can mix your favourite oils + water and spray it on your hair whenever it dries out. You can learn how to prepare your hair spritz here.


I use a combination of peppermint oil, sesame oil, water, Jamaican black castor oil and coconut oil. I shake it well and then, I spray it on my hair whenever it feels dry. I also spray it on my hair when I’m wearing a protective style.