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What To Avoid in African/Black Hair
My natural hair journey these past 10 years have been chucked full of trial and error. Learning about what works for me both inside and out is indeed a continuous process into our best selves. I can’t beat myself up about the choices I’ve made in the past, but i can continue to learn how to be and do better. I heard a quote from Oprah I believe that said, “When you know better, you’ll do better.” Well that is where i am, seeking to do better, each day.Trimmed Tresses
The beginning of your natural hair journey and your hair care regimen is always to be sure that your hair is rid of split ends. If you are still holding on to relaxed hair after months of new growth, I’d like to urge you to have your hair trimmed. Split ends, when not dealt with can travel up the hair shaft which will eventually break off your hair. You can end up losing more inches than you bargained for. With trimmed tresses you can keep up 1/2 an inch of new growth every month. Make it a habit to trim your tresses every few months. You can do this by creating personal twist. If split ends are clear, the ends of your twist will feel really rough, dry and brittle. This causes by an inadequate amount of moisture on the ends of your hair, heat damage or lack of deep conditioning. Use sharp trimming scissors and cut the ends in an angle. Healthy hair is free of split dry ends.
Ingredients to Avoid
Once your hair is trimmed, its essential to develop a hair care regimen centered around natural ingredients, but don’t judge a book by its cover. We’ve all come across a good-looking handsome man who lacked substance or “quality ingredients” on the inside as the case with so many hair care products on the market. Beautiful packaging the products may have; even claiming to be “natural” but after long use, can wreak havoc on your hair and your health. African/Black hair responds better to natural organic products and why shouldn’t it? I always say, if i cannot eat it, it doesn deserve to be in or on me. African/Black hair also needs moisture because unlike our beautiful counterparts, our tight curls prevent the natural hair oil (sebum) from getting to the roots from the scalp. Products that will aid with this is what you want. Here are some common ingredients that are usually found in hair products most typically used, and which you should definitely avoid as they will give you the opposite of what your hair needs.
Petroleum/Petrolatum
I too remember those hot comb days. My mother would put me in between her legs as i sat on the floor and watched TLC’s music video “What About Your Friends.” My hair was fried, died and laid to the side and it was shiny and greasy. I could hear my hair frying as my ears had scabs and burns from the heat and the hot comb. My mother turned the heat up to # 25 so that my hair could be silky and bone straight. I never cared for this process nor the product (Vaseline®) as a child and now i understand why. My research as well as many others confirms that any product with this ingredient, including products with mineral oil seals the hair off from moisture and prevents any moisture from entering the hair shaft. So while my hair looked glossy like a Chinese doll on the outside, it was dry and withering on the inside, making it more prone to breakage. Be sure your products, conditioners, pomades, etc are petroleum and mineral oil free.
SD Alcohol
Remember Bronner Bros “Pump It Up” Spritz? Boy did we love that stuff growing up. We had our french rolls, microwave curls, or finger waves poppin’ and couldn’t wait to spray on some “Pump It Up” to lock the style in. Only if we knew!. Well that ‘alcoholic’ spirtz we used sucked all the moisture out of our hair and made it hard as a rock. This may work for hair that is straight, but us natural curly girls cannot afford to put such ingredients in our hair. Again, our hair needs moisture, so products that allow for moisture to come into our hair as well as seal in the moisture we do have in our hair is best. Products and hair sprays with alcohol leave the hair brittle and dry and will need reconstructing and deep conditioning treatments to get it back to its healthy state again. Avoid alcohol in natural hair products at all cost.
Sodium and Ammonium Laurel Sulfate (SLS)/(ALS)
We all see those commercials when the model washes her hair with all that foaming and lathering action. We are conditioned to believe that we need to have super squeeky clean hair and for natural curly hair, this is even further from the truth. Our hair does need to be clean, but not in the way mainstream media advertises. SLS/ALS usually found in shampoos as a thickening and foaming agent, strips the hair of its natural moisture, the very moisture our hair needs. SLS can also be found in dishwashing liquids and laundry detergents. I don’t know about you, but i don’t want to use harsh detergents that i use to wash dishes and clothes in my hair. If it’s the second or third or fifth ingredient in the shampoo i say run the other way. Ideally, avoid sulfates in your cleaners if you can help it or be sure it’s toward the last ingredient in the bottle (considered low poo). There are now low poo and no poo shampoos on the market. If you are to use a shampoo with sulfate, do a pre-deep conditioning treatment (honey and olive oil) for an hour to penetrate your tresses as this will help to add extra moisture and compensate for any that are removed by sulfates. If you can help it, avoid this ingredient completely.
Parabens
You will usually find this ingredient in cosmetics, lotions, deodorants, and hair products. A preservative used to extend the shelf life of products, it has been linked to breast cancer. More studies are still being done, no causal link between parabens and cancer has been established, however and you can read more about this here. Either way, use at your discretion. Products cannot be completely void of preservatives so its best to find those that list the ingredients toward the end or that use natural preservatives. Although there are six different types of parabens, Methylparaben is produced naturally and found in several fruits, primarily blueberries, along with other parabens. There is no evidence that methylparaben or propylparabens are harmful at concentrations typically used in body care or cosmetics.[1] Methyl and propylparabens are considered GRAS (generally regarded as safe) for food and cosmetic antibacterial preservation.[2] Methylparaben is readily metabolized by common soil bacteria, making it completely biodegradable. (source).
Keep It Simple
The internet is host to a plethora of information on how to care for African/Black hair. Here are a few basic steps to move you in the right direction. Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that need to be done to achieve results. Have your hair trimmed on a consistent basis (every 3-6 months), keep your hair moisturized and avoid products that will cause build up (if so, a clarifying shampoo can remove this) or products that will dry out your hair. African/Black hair is already dry and brittle because it’s practically “thirsty,” so give it the water it needs and you can’t go wrong.
Also remember that chemicals and preservatives aren’t inherently “bad” but what you want is to make sure that ingredient is further down the list as this means a very small amount has been added. What is best is to opt for natural products for your natural hair. Like I said, if I cannot eat it, it doesn’t deserve to be in or on me. Makes sense right? You can make products right in your kitchen that you know are safe. This is another blog topic for another day.
Happy Nappy!
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3 Comments
Really nice. Very informative.
Thank you Lisa for reading.
Wow! I know this is old, but thank you for this! I’m transitioning and I’m so nervous! This was def a great read and I’m confident that even if I mess up, I can keep moving forward because I need to find out what works for me! Thank you thank you thank you!