7 Afro Hair Habits To Adopt This Year

by Afrocenchix Team December 21, 2022

1. Handling Afro hair without rings or chipped nails

It's the little things that count and in the case of Afro hair, an easy way to combat damage is by making sure to wash and style our hair without rings or chipped nails that can snag and tear it. If it's healthy growth you're after, make washday a ritual by giving yourself a mini mani and thanking your hands for helping you care for your hair.

2. Detangling our Afro hair before washing

Detangling is not many people's idea of a good time... but in 2019 we're going to be mindful to untangle our manes before washing (everytime!) to prevent breakage and to distribute product evenly through our hair.
Make detangling less of a chore by using a good conditioner, we've got one on the way, so watch this space. ;)

3. Ditching the fine tooth comb for detangling and styling Afro hair

The fine tooth comb doesn't really have a place in a natural's routine as it snags hair and causes breakage. In 2019 we're sticking to using wide tooth combs or freshly mani'ed fingers to detangle and style hair. This way we're allowing for growth retention by causing less friction to our stands.
Fine tooth comb is not for afro hair

4. Sleeping with a protective bonnet/scarf/pillowcase

We love cotton, but did you know sleeping on it for 8 hours a night can be harmful to your hair? Cotton is super absorbent, so those fibres snatch moisture from your hair like invisible thieves in the night. That's why your socks are made out of cotton to absorb the sweat from your feet. Hair can also get snagged on rough cotton fibres which cause damage and split ends. Satin or silk bonnets, scarves and pillowcases reduce friction and let your moisturised hair stay hydrated. You can have a closer look at our African print satin bonnets.

5. Maintaining hair under protective hairstyles

One thing is clear! We all love a good protective style. A protective style is basically a style that tucks away the ends of our afro hair. We've got a blog post about them if you want to learn more. How many of us also "forget" about the hair that we're trying to protect with it? The hard truth is that when we neglect our hair while it's in a protective style we're only being counterproductive to what we're trying to achieve by styling it that way. Luckily, it's not difficult to maintain our hair in protective styling, we've written a blog about it to help you out.

Sheen being used to maintain afro hair protective style

6. Not using poor quality accessories

In 2019 we're waving goodbye to hair accessories that damage our hair. Elastics that have metal or plastic fastenings and bobby pins that are missing their rubber tips are among the most common growth vandals! Metal or plastic fastenings on elastics hook strands and often tear them out! The ones below are the type we should be using in 2019. Sharp ended bobby pins literally slice the shaft of their hair where ever you place them, if the ending is not coated, throw it out just in case.

Non metal or plastic catch hair ties

7. Using non-toxic Afro hair products

We've read the blogs, seen the headlines and watched the news reports... the reality is that many Afro "hair care products" on the market are riddled with chemical nasties that cause health issues. These problems include asthma, cancer, miscarriages and even infertility. Although there are mainstream products that have taken to using words like natural or organic in their product names, their ingredients often still contain toxins. Read your ingredient lists and find brands that you can trust. At Afrocenchix, we have taken the time and care to make sure our products are made from ingredients that will benefit your hair and your health. You can read more about our ingredients on our list.