Hair Damage? Avoid These 4 Bad Habits That Wreak Havoc On Kinky Curly Hair
Are you unwittingly engaging in a hair routine that is causing you more bad hair days than you’d care to admit? Even a deceptively simple styling process may be causing damage to your mane starting from the very beginning of your hair styling routine to the end. The result? Natural hair that is prone to excessive frizz, dryness and breakage.
Some ways that you may be your own worst enemy:
1. Not understanding your hair type, which means that you may be applying products that are too harsh for your hair or conversely, do not provide the right balance of moisture for your hair type. Highly textured hair has different curl patterns from wavy to kinky. Not sure where you fall in the curl pattern spectrum? Check out this curl pattern chart. Afro textured hair usually falls somewhere between hair type 3A – 4C. Many black women have hair in the 1 – 2 category, (straight to wavy). And for those Naturalista’s with a mix of textures to content with, it can sometimes make it even more difficult to understand how to care for our hair. Knowing your hair type will help you understand the unique and specific needs of your hair when choosing hair products. This is a great segue into bad habit #2…
2. You’re not using the right products. A popular product is not always the right product for your curls and coils. Know what works for your hair and avoid always latching onto the flavor of the month when it comes to hair products that promise to work miracles on your natural tresses. Yes, do your research and experiment, but pay attention to which product ingredients work best on your hair by reading labels and keeping track of which ingredients get you to your hair styling goals. Once you understand that shea butter may work wonders on one sister’s hair, but may be too heavy for your hair type, or that too much glycerin in a product turns your coils into frizz, you are more apt to stick to products that are best for you.
3. You are too rough on your hair. When we are in a rush or distracted while styling our hair, it is so easy to quickly comb through our hair in an effort to move on to the next task. Be gentle when detangling your hair and try to detangle when your hair is damp to minimize damage. When styling your hair, don’t over brush when pulling it into a ponytail or braid your hair too tightly. Lastly, changing up your style every now and then by blow drying or flat ironing can be fun, but be careful of the amount of stress you are putting on your hair by not using excessive heat.
4. You’re not nourishing your hair from within. That starts with drinking lots of water and eating a well balanced diet.
Author: Dianne
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