Hello Beauties, today I will be sharing with you my views on natural hair care and what I’ve learnt about it. I first became interested in natural hair care five years ago. This is an overview of what I have learnt.
Going completely natural means using all natural hair products and using no chemicals such as hair dye and strengtheners or hot styling tools. I never went completely natural but I did use a lot of products and cut back my use of hot styling tools, with helped strengthen my hair and keep it healthy. I experimented with various oil treatments and products as well. This is what
I’ve learnt and tried.
Henna
I love henna, but I’m in constant conflict on whether or not I should use it. Henna is a natural hair dye and conditioner that would leave my hair silky soft. Depending on your hair texture, henna will straighten your hair or loosen your natural colour. It only slightly loosened my curl, but my ends have a buildup of multiple applications and are straight. That being said always ensure that the henna you buy is 100% body art quality henna. Henna is red-brown in colour, it may vary in intensity depending on the country of origin. There is no such thing as black or purple henna or any, if the packaging claims this, it is not 100% body art quality henna and could contain metallic salts or para-phenylendiamine (PPD). Do not use henna that contains either of these substances, metallic salts can react with chemical products that you use and break your hair off and PPD can cause a deadly allergic reaction. The only downside to henna would be that it is permanent. It does not wash out and only fades slightly. There are a few lucky people who have had henna fade out of their hair, like my cousin, but it rarely happens. So deciding to dye your hair with henna is a big commitment as you can only dye your hair darker with chemical dyes but not lighten or bleach it. It will come out orange it you do. Trust me I’ve tried it, for now I’m not using henna as I’d like to lighten my hair.
Oils
In my previous post I shared with you one of my favourite oil treatment recipes. Here are some of the oils that I have used in the past.
Castor – One of the first oils I tried. It’s too thick to use on its own. Found it best to used 50/50 with olive oil. Made my hair stronger and appear thicker. The disadvantage is that I found it difficult to wash out and it weighed down my hair.
Olive – Excellent on its own or used a base for other oils. It’s great for adding moisture to your hair. Some people do not like the smell but I don’t mind.
Coconut – Enhances my natural curl and leaves my hair silky. It’s also good as a base with other oils. I don’t have any disadvantages to coconut oil. I also use a tiny bit after drying my hair or if my ends look really dry.
Tree tea – Only use a few drops of this in a base oil or mixture, never a lot. I heard it’s not good for your scalp to use too much. There have been claims it assists in hair growth but I cannot vouch for it. I also love the scent of tree tea oil.
Amla – Made my hair silky and tangle free. The disadvantage is that if I leave it on over night or for long periods it gives me dandruff.
Almond – I haven’t used this on its own, but only in mixtures. I use it in my favourite treatment recipe and this recipe really helps in leaving my hair sleek.
Honey – Honey is not oil, but I use it a lot in my oil treatments. It helps nourish my hair. If you’re using organic honey, first heat it up and let it cool or else it will lighten your hair. Most store bought honey products are heated when they are processed so you won’t need to worry about it. I personally haven’t had honey lighten my hair, but I do find that because of its stickiness it’s difficult to get through all my hair.
More people are moving towards ethical and green beauty products so more stores are beginning to stock shampoos, conditioners and hair care treatments made from natural products. Just remember to correctly read the label of what is in the product.
Article By: Odette http://www.beautybulletin.com/blog-directory/our-bloggers/o-so-inspired