For over ten years, I would flit like a butterfly to the vast array of products with the bright shiny labels promising drama free styling for my curly coif. Yet, each time I ripped open the lid and applied my creamy concoctions, planets ceased to collide, minds didn't meld and guess what? My hair didn't grow...not immediately anyway because aside from actually working, effective products and accessories should also support three necessary growth requirements for tight curls over time:
Moisture
Products that promote growth really moisturize your curls. Because curly hair is dry, it can break off and be unforgiving when it tangles. Yet when hair is moisturized, its more pliable and easy to manipulate, but without moisture, curls can become knots when being detangled and break. So products that are most beneficial shower curls with the most moisture possible.
Breakage Prevention
Not only do brittle curls cause breakage, but so do certain styling accessories. For years, I used to routinely wear a flat metal clip for a ponytail or bun style and I often wondered why in that exact place, where I snapped the clip closed, this area of my hair was shorter than the rest. At first I thought my hair just grew that way, but one day, I lost my clips (and was too cheap to buy more). So I needed to figure out another style for a while, and noticed my hair started to grow back in that area. Sometimes we can be using accessories that are hurting our hair and because we've always used them, we don't even think about it.
When I transitioned to being natural, there were a lot of styling practices that I carried over from my relaxed hair days. These practices were bad before and even worse now for my natural fro. For example, I didn't cover my hair at night. I thought I didn't have to, because I could sleep on it, and still comb through it the next day, but not so with natural hair. Now, if I don't moisturize, twist up and put a cap on my curly fro for the night, my hair will rub up against other hair and create a beehive of knots and tangles which will not be sorted out by the time I have to get to work the next day unless there is a scissor involved.
Curly Interactions
Effective natural hair products and accessories also reduce curl to curl friction. I know the phrase sounds bizarre, but researchers have found that when a hair's cuticle layers rub up against each other, there can be lifting of the cuticles causing damage. Remember we don't even want to see the cortex of your hair strand. That's not healthy hair.
And curls know this interaction really well, because they just naturally intertwine. When hair isn't set and covered during the night, hair will rub against other hair and your pillow causing knots, damage and the beginnings of fractured hair.
Picking the right products and accessories then using them appropriately is definitely important for afro curly hair growth. While styling products work differently for each curl, I will test some products by integrating them into my current routine and will see what happens. I know that I'd like to try some products like emu oil. My last relaxer involved a chemical burn near the area of my temples and hair doesn't live there anymore, but emu oil may be able to help that. So I think I'll try that one first and share the results
Disclaimer: The opinion(s) expressed by the contributing author of the article reflected above is the author’s own, and we bear no responsibility for the contributing author’s opinions. We intend to provide readers with news and information. It is not intended to give personal medical advice, which should be obtained directly from a physician. Acting on any information provided herein without first consulting a physician is solely at the reader’s risk.
No comments:
Post a Comment