At Afrocenchix HQ, we like to think of ourselves as healthy hair hackers.
Here are some of our favourite healthy hair hacks:
1. Applying Coconut Oil to Hair Before Washing for Extra Moisture.
If you suffer from very dry hair or have been rocking a protective style such as braids for a number of weeks, your hair needs some TLC. A hot oil treatment with coconut oil will do just that. Put some coconut oil or your favourite hair oil in a glass container. Place this container in a bowl of hot water to heat the oil up. Apply the oil to your dry hair, put on a shower cap and apply heat via a heated towel or thermal hair cap. After at least half an hour, shampoo and condition as usual. You should find that your hair feels softer and moisturised.
2. Finger Detangling to Maintain Length
Afro hair is fragile and as a result prone to breakage so maintaining length can sometimes be a challenge. Low manipulation can help combat this. One way to minimise manipulation is to use your fingers to detangle instead of a comb. In the shower, once you have applied a conditioner with plenty slip, use your fingers to gently separate your hair. If you are having a lot of trouble detangling, it may be that you need to get a trim.
3. “Twist Right, Turn Right” for Twists That Last and More Definition (Tip from Jessica Aka Afro is Massive)
For neater twists and more defined twist-outs, follow Jess’s method in the video below.
4. Adding Perm Rods to the Ends of Your Hair for Thickness
If you find that the ends of your hair look thin whenever you do a twist-out or braid-out, adding perm rods to the ends of your hair will help to achieve more volume. Depending on whether you’re doing a twist-out or braid-out, twist/braid your hair until about an 1-2 inches from the end, reapply your liquid and oil and then wrap your hair around the perm rod using the method in the video below.
5. Stretching Your Hair with Jumbo Rollers.
Keeping hair stretched helps to reduce tangles. After washing your hair, twist or braid it and wrap the twists/braids around jumbo flex rods or jumbo rollers. Keep the rollers on until your hair is dry. You can then manipulate the twist-out as you go throughout the week.
6. Starting Your Twists as a Plait
If you want to prevent shrinkage at the roots when prepping your hair for a twist-out, then starting your twist as a plait is a great way to provide stretch. Plait the hair up until about one third of the way down of and then proceed to twist using the method outlined above in #5. This method gives you stretch at the roots and still has the look of a twist-out.
We hope you found our healthy hair hacks useful. Comment below if you have any of your own you’d like to share.