Harmattan and your natural hair

Today, it’s all about harmattan and our hair. We all know that the season is dry, dusty and even cold to some extent; this is not good for our natural hair. It tends to dry out our hair much faster and makes our hair looks like sponge, also causes breakage and makes it difficult to maintain moisture because of how its dries out the hair so fast. It is important we give extra care to our general health especially our hair. So, how do I take care of my hair this season? Here we go:
1. Washing: stay away from shampoo this period because it dries out your hair, instead co wash with warm water. Co washing means skipping shampoo and relying solely on conditioner. It helps to retain moisture, give you a clean hair and still condition and keep it soft.
2. Deep conditioning: deep condition once a week as this helps to curb breakage and also keeps hair healthy. You can make your own conditioner if you don’t want to use readymade conditioner. Here are a few you can use:
a. Aloe deep conditioner: Aloe vera juice helps prevent and reduce breakage. Mix juice with olive oil. Massage into hair after mixing, wear a shower camp, leave for 30minutes and rinse out. Pat dry afterwards and seal with carrier oil or shea butter.
b. coconut milk deep conditioner: Blend the edible part of the coconut with water, separate the chaff from the milky part and keep for a day. The next day, the milky part would be below and water on top, pour the water out and use as a deep conditioner. Massage into hair, cover and let it sit for 45minutes then rinse out and seal.
3. Moisturizing and sealing in hair: after co washing your hair, use your leave-in conditioner and then seal with mixture of carrier oil and Shea butter, olive oil preferably because coconut oil dries out faster. Oils and butter are not moisturizers but sealant because they just make sure your moisturizer stay in your hair. They are very important so you don’t lose moisture; moisture is the foundation of what keeps our hair healthy and strong. By the way, water is the best moisturizer.
4. Spray bottle: get a small spray bottle where you have mixture of water, oil and leave-in mixture so you can take it with you wherever you go and can spritz from time to time to re-moisturize your hair.
5. Head wraps: use head wraps preferably satin scarf. They prevent your hair from the harsh weather and retain moisture.
6. Protective styles: Any style that will keep your ends hidden and has low to no manipulation is protective. Don’t wear wig directly on your hair; wear a satin cap before putting on a wig. Basically, you want your ends to be well hydrated and covered up.
7. Increase your water intake: water is good for the body. Drink enough water, your hair will thank you for it.
8. Eat more vegetable and fruits that can provide you with daily minerals and vitamins that you need and keep to a regular healthy eating routine.
Remember to always moisturize and seal hair frequently as possible. Don’t let your hair dry out. Take care of yourself and your hair more.