How to Manage Dry Hair

This post is intended to provide the reader with guidance on how best to manage dry hair. These suggestions are all based on my personal experiences.

Hey my Lovelies,

I’m so happy you stopped over for this post. I wanted to share with you some of the top things that I’ve employed on my hair regimen to help with dry hair.

I know that many of us struggle with dry hair. To be fair, it has very little to do with whether you’re relaxed or natural. We’re all prone to dryness for three (3) main reasons:

  1. The Climate
  2. Our Routine
  3. Product Choice

The Climate

We really can’t do much about the climate, unless you and God have some secret relationship that will miraculously change weather conditions at a whim. But, most persons who live in countries that experience changing weather conditions are most at risk for dry hair. Think about developing a routine for each season or at least for the Summer/Spring and Winter/Fall months. You would notice that a lot of persons tend to switch up products and hair styles or even change up their routines depending on the weather. This alone shows the level of effect that the weather conditions can cause on your hair.

In the Summer/Spring months for instance, you may switch to lighter weight products, possibly because you’ll be wearing your hair out a little more. This may be the time when low manipulative hairstyles, such as braid-outs, twist-outs and curly styles may take centre stage. In such instances, heavy products tend to add some weight to your hair and inhibit flow and body. The humidity in the air may also bring a little extra moisture to your hair minimising the frequency for moisturising and sealing.

However, in the colder months, this is when the dry weather is likely to absorb the moisture from your hair. During these times, thicker deep conditioners and moisturisers may work best. Most times, your hair is likely to be in a protective style, whether it be:  a bun, braids, sew-in or a wig. However, you want to ensure that your moisturising and sealing routine is amplified during these months. You may want to moisturise daily, depending on how your hair feels. The key is to never neglect your hair whilst you are protective styling especially during the cold months.

Our Routine

Now this brings me nicely to a routine. Regardless of the climate, a good, solid and consistent routine is key to maintaining moisturised hair. When I speak of a routine I’m speaking of:

  1. Regular Wash Days inc. deep conditioning (you cannot skip this)
    • For my wash days, the use of a steamer while deep conditioning has tremendously transformed the way in which my hair retains moisture. It is a must on every wash day.
    • You must also decide on the frequency of wash days- once a week, or every two weeks. I wouldn’t suggest going pass 2 weeks.
  2. Moisturising and sealing
    • Choosing the right moisturiser and oil combination may take you some time, but once you find it, please, use the heck out of it. Remember, not all oils are formulated for sealing. Some work better for deep conditioning and some work better for your scalp.
    • Additionally, I tend to twist, braid or place flexi-rods in my hair at night. This helps my hair to better retain moisture rather than leaving my hair out. There’s something about wrapping your hair around itself that helps with moisture retention overnight.
  3. Protective styling
    • You want to protect the oldest part of your hair, ie, your ends. Wrap those things away for their own sake. Those are usually the first parts to dry up and break. Also, protect your hair at night- fight the laziness and put on a satin scarf or bonnet. Plus, we don’t want our pillows to be greasy. (ewww!)

A good routine also speaks to the elimination of certain things. So, reducing the use of direct heat through blow drying, flat irons, and curling wands will also help. Girl, your hair is not a piece of chicken- why do you want to keep frying it? (Yes, I know the styles look good and our hair feels easier to manage, but the long-term effects of over-using heat tools is so damaging). If you want to slowly wean yourself off, please, make sure you at least use a good heat protectant!

Product Choice

And finally, choosing the right products is essential to keeping your hair moisturised.

Step 1: Choose products that speak to your hair. If your hair is dry, look for products that speak to ‘moisture and hydration’. A good moisturising Shampoo/Conditioner pair, along with a moisture based deep conditioner are essential to your regimen.

Step 2: Depending on the density and porosity of your hair, the thickness of the product should also be considered. So, if your hair is generally fine, choosing the thickest product (consistency wise) on the shelf may very well lead you to having overly moisturised and limp hair. Believe it or not, that can cause breakage because the moisture/protein balance would be sent out of whack.

For some people, hair butters tend to work better than hair creams and creams tend to work better than hair milks. These are generally different consistencies so figure out which one works better for your hair.

Alright my lovelies, that’s it for today. I hope you were able to pick up a few tips. Let me know if they work for you!

-DenaJ

xx