As promised, this edition of Natural Tips is brought to you by Diane Bailey of Tendrils
Natural Hair Spa – Brooklyn, NY; sharing some knowledge essentials for taking good
care of healthy natural hair.
Ms. Bailey’s Knowledge Essentials On…
MOISTURE I recommend getting a nice moisturizing spray. Try vegetable glycerin, drops
of vitamin E and olive oil. Mix it up with some water, and spray it on. Repeat when
needed, and notice the difference.
SOFTNESS Instead of reading the front of the bottle, turn the bottle to the
back. The key ingredients to the product should have a glycerin based moisturizer
whether it be a gel, cream or spray. Look for a truly natural product with ingredients like shea butter, along with vitamins A or E and antioxidants. Note: Aloe is well known for adding moisture, but do know that it is mostly water based, which adds moisture but
then dries out. It does however have antioxidants that the hair needs. Drinking
it is good too.
BREAKAGE
Hair breaks for a lot of different reasons. That’s why at Tendrils
Natural Hair Spa, the first thing we do is offer free consultations. Some reasons
why hair breaks, is the lifestyle you lead, how your hair is styled, how often it
is manipulated. Over-manipulating or over-neglecting it can definitely cause breakage.
Another thing; we have several different textures in our hair. The kitchen may be
tight and dry, the center wiry and dense, and the front thin and fine. Personally,
I have to keep my edges and back very moist. If your hair breaks in the center,
pay more attention to that area, and moisturize and nurture it more frequently than
the back and front. Customize your care.
LOC DEBRIS
You know that gray film that can build up on locs? That is called Loc Debris. To
prevent that, use light products. Anything you use should be able to melt when applied.
Stay away from heavy creams, oils, and especially bees wax; it causes build up.
Less is more - so simply use a water soluble gel and dissolve it with water, or
mix it with an oil base. You can even use a pomade – but again, it should be light
enough to melt in your hair.
TRANSITIONING When transitioning from relaxed hair to natural hair, I prefer for people
to let their hair grow out and twist it. Transitional styles to try are afro twists,
twists with extensions, single braid locs, and/or locs from coils (starter locs).
Whether or not you [go natural] with extensions or the [all] natural way, it’s all
relative to your commitment, and relative to if you want to watch yourself evolve.
As your hair transforms, your self transforms.
