Knowing how to take care of natural Black hair isn’t necessarily difficult, but reducing frizz while also promoting strength and growth can take time. However, once you develop the best hair care routine for your hair type, maintenance will be second nature.
Here at Wakuda, we stock Black hair care products for all genders and hair textures. Below you’ll discover how to care for Black hair, including some of the best products to use.
How to Care for Black Hair: Understanding Texture
Curly or afro hair textures require different maintenance from straight hair for a few reasons. These include:
- Cuticle. Black hair has a thinner cuticle layer than other hair types, which makes it more prone to breakage.
- Moisture. Our scalps produce sebum, which is an oil that keeps hair hydrated. It moves along straight hair more easily than curly hair, in turn meaning that Black hair textures can be dryer if not taken care of.
- Styling. Of course, this isn’t specific to Black hair textures, but whether you’ve got locs or braids or have used relaxers or straighteners, styling products can damage hair and lead to breakage and dryness.
All this boils down to the fact that, to take care of natural Black hair, you should focus on keeping it hydrated and reducing the chances for it to become frizzy.
The Best Hair Care Routine for Textured Hair
Below are some suggestions for how to care for Black hair. As part of this, we’ll look at how to take care of Type 4 hair generally. Although the steps are very similar for other hair types but we can go into that another day
Washing
No one should wash their hair too often. For people with afro hair, it should be at most once a week. When you do decide to wash it, use a scalp massage brush like this one from Love Your Hair. It helps to stimulate blood flow and remove dead skin cells and product buildup. Plus, it distributes conditioner more evenly across your hair.
After you’ve washed your hair comes the most important step: moisturising. Locking in moisture after washing helps reduce breakage and that extreme dryness we all dread. There are loads of products suitable for this, but we recommend something like Akirma Luxe’s hair and scalp oil or Itofan’s natural argan oil.
Make sure you work the oil into your hair and scalp and leave it to soak in before you do anything else to it. Consider using a scalp massager or comb to work it through your hair more easily.
But as you know, there is no one size fits all. If you work out frequently for example, you may choose to rinse your hair with a product that doesn’t strip the natural goodness from it.
Styling
The Black hair care products you use for styling will largely depend on what you’re doing. If you’re going for braids or some kind of up-do, make sure you use something like My Kinks and Coils magical edge control. It’ll stop your edges from lifting while even more importantly hydrating your hair to prevent breakage.
If you’re wondering how to take care of Black male hair after it’s styled, try something like Beard Kings’ one size fits all velvet durag. It’s made from velvet to prevent frizz and friction while also keeping your hair flat. You’ll find it suitable for pretty much any hairstyle.
Sleeping
It’s easy to overlook haircare steps for when you’re asleep. However, the best hair care routine ensures your hair is happy and healthy at all times. This obviously includes while you’re in bed, as you can spend up to a third of your day there.
Sleeping can cause massive issues with frizz and dryness. Part of this is because the materials we use for bedding (i.e., cotton) can draw oil from your hair. Also, moving around in your sleep can cause your hair to frizz.
The best Black hair care products for frizz-free hair are bonnets, such as this silky satin bonnet from Krafts By Kerry. It’s vital that you use something like silk or satin because it prevents friction and doesn’t draw moisture from your hair. Plus, a satin bonnet will help prevent any night time haircare products from seeping into your pillow.
Final Thoughts on Taking Care of Natural Black Hair
Developing the best hair care routine for your hair type is vital to ensure it’s strong and healthy. The products above should give you an idea of where to start, but have a browse of our full hair care category to see everything else we have available. The important thing is to focus on consistently following a good routine that incorporates the right products and tools for your hair. A balanced routine will help promote a clean scalp, hydrated hair and ultimately healthy kinks and curls!
