Dry and brittle hair can be very frustrating as it’s hard to handle and leads to breakage. There are some tips for adding moisture to dry natural hair. Black natural hair has a tight curl pattern as compared to straight hair so you need more moisture to ensure your hair is not dry. If your hair feels dry there are some tips for adding moisture to dry natural hair:
Stay Hydrated
Healthy hair is all dependent on what we put inside our bodies. Drinking water and staying hydrated are key to having your hair well moisturized. If you are not drinking enough water, your hair and skin will be constantly dry no matter how much you moisturize your hair.
Cut Back on Heat
Too much heat on your hair can be damaging and can cause excessive dryness. There are many tools you can use to style your hair without using heat from Flexi rods and hood dryers. Reducing the use of heat on your hair will help your hair slowly recover its natural moisture. If you still want to use heat styling tools like blow dryers and flat irons, you might want to use low-temperature settings to avoid drying your hair out. Use a heat protectant on your hair to prevent split ends and breakage. If you use heat on your hair try and ensure your hair is dry and well moisturized before applying heat.
Protective & Low Maintenance Styles
Protective and low-maintenance hairstyles help natural hair retain moisture. Hairstyles like cornrows, braids help protect your hair’s ends. This also goes for low-maintenance styles like buns, flat twists. These styles can help you retain your hair to a certain extent. Do not let your braids stay in for too long otherwise, this can cause breakage. Moisturize your natural hair even when your hair is in a protective style o retain your hair moisture.
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Water
One of the overlooked tips for adding moisture to dry natural hair is by spritzing it with water on the regular. Your natural hair needs water, especially your ends, because they tend to dry out faster. Water helps your natural hair retain its natural moisture. It makes styling and managing your hair easier.
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Hot Oil Treatment
Hot oil treatment is essential as it’s a way of moisturizing your hair and making it stronger. Your hair will be super hydrated after hot oil treatment. This will moisturize your scalp and hair follicles. Hot oil treatment is also known to strengthen hair and add shine.
Silicone Free Products
If you have natural hair, always style your hair using silicone-free products. Silicone can be especially drying to natural hair. Silicone-free products are more lightweight and leave your hair feeling cleaner and lighter. Using silicone-free products especially shampoo does not leave your hair feeling brittle and dry. It helps distribute your natural hair oils evenly.
Shampoo
Hold back on the constant shampooing if you have natural hair. Over shampooing your hair can cause dryness. Try co-washing your hair instead. Limit your shampoo to once a month unless you work out or you swim a lot. Shampooing your hair a lot can lead to natural hair drying out.
Pre-pooing
Pre-pooing your hair before shampooing it is very essential. This is the process of applying warm oil to your hair before shampooing. This oil treatment adds extra moisture to your hair so as to protect it from the dryness that any kind of shampooing causes. It protects your curls and makes detangling much easier. It also adds extra shine to your hair. This will also help restore moisture to dry hair.
Deep Condition
Deep conditioning your hair at least once a month can restore moisture to your hair. Every time you shampoo your hair you should try and deep condition your hair to ensure your natural hair is not stripped of its natural moisture. Deep conditioner works well with a little bit of heat. You can apply the deep conditioner then wrap your hair with a plastic bag, The heat from this process will help the deep conditioner penetrate your hair and moisturize it.
Oil your scalp
If you have dry hair, you might want to oil your scalp regularly. Mist your hair with water in a spray bottle then apply an essential oil of your choice to your scalp. This process will help moisturize your hair. Do not over-apply oil as it will make your hair weak.
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Protect Your Hair at Night
Cotton and polyester are your hair’s worst enemy. Your hair strands tend to get tugged and pulled by the cotton causing breakage. Cotton is also super absorbent so it will strip your hair of its moisture leaving it dry. Use satin pillowcases and bonnes as you sleep. Satin helps your hair keep its moisture and prevents breakage.
Avoid Overstyling
It can be very easy to over-style your natural hair. There’s a certain craving that comes with natural hair where you want to switch it up every day. This can be damaging and very drying to your hair. Natural hair styling products like gel can weigh down on your hair. Use low manipulation hairstyles for at least a couple of days to ensure your hair stays moisturized.
Split Ends
Trim your split ends frequently to make your hair easily manageable. Split ends make it easier for your hair to lose moisture. Brittle ends will even prevent your hair from growing and might even cause breakage.
Hand in Hair Syndrome
It can be very soothing to touch your hair regularly. This hands-in hair syndrome will cause your hair to dry out. You will slowly strip your hair of its natural moisture. Keep your hands out of your hair and it will thank you.