My Natural Hair Do

Going natural

Long before “going natural” became a trend I considered growing my hair out. Meaning that I would cut the relaxed part my hair a little bit at a time as my natural grew. What held me back was the idea of spending hours of pressing my hair straight, only to have a humid day transform my straight hair into a afro within minutes. The difference between then and now is that hair care industries are beginning to meet the demands of millions of women who want to have healthy and manageable natural hair, and here is where I hope this Blog will help.

Purpose of this Blog

With so many different product for natural hair figuring out which product will work for you can be confusing and very costly. Natural hair products can cost anywhere between $10 to a whooping $50 a pop. This Blog was created to provide readers with valuable information on hair maintenance and hair care products. It’s my hope that this information will help in your decision of which product would be best for your hair as well as your wallet.

Knowing your hair

The first thing you need to know is that there are three hair types and multiple sub types. Sounds confusing? Well let me explain. Hair type is the way your hair naturally curls when wet. Let me break it down:

Type 2 hair is naturally wavy:

1. 2a is fine or thin
2. 2b is medium texture
3. 2c is thick and coarse

Type 3 hair is curly with an “S” pattern:

1. 3a has big loose curls
2. 3b has corkscrew type curls
3. 3c has tight corkscrew curls

Type 4 hair is more kinky or tightly curled:

1. 4a has a tightly coiled “S” pattern
2. 4b has a less defined “Z” pattern

(This Blog will focus mainly on 4a and 4b hair types)

Reading ingredients

Now that you know your hair type, lets go over what to do to keep your hair and your body healthy. Reading ingredients on hair products are an important step to gain healthy hair. At a glance the first 3 ingredients tell you what components make up a large portion of the products formula. Here are some ingredients you should keep out of your shopping cart:

1. Isopropyl alcohol - purpose is to add shine to the hair but because of its alcohol base this product will dry hair out over time.
2. Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) - purpose is to create lather while cleansing hair. This ingredient over time affects your natural protein as a result may cause stunted hair growth or even hair loss.
3. DEA (diethanolamine) and MEA (momthanolamine) - is a detergent found in shampoo. Over time can affect hormones and may increase chances of certain cancer.
4. Propylene glycol - found in shampoo and conditioners whose purpose is to make hair appear smoother. Long term use of the product can damage hair structure.
5. Formaldehyde - found in shampoo and conditioner. This ingredient can easily penetrate the scalp and cause long term health problems such as allergic reaction, chronic fatigue, headaches and cancer.

Take it or Leave it

This weeks product review is for shampoo. Natural hair needs to be cleansed regularly as well as moisturized . Here are 2 products that I’ve tried and rated either “Take it” (I would recommend ) or “Leave it” (I would not recommend.)

Kera Care Hydrating Detangling Shampoo by Avlon (recommended by a stylist)

This product is a sulfate free product which allowed me to cleanse my hair with out the feeling of my hair being stripped. Kera Care Hydrating Detangling Shampoo created a great lather with just a small amount. It left my hair soft and wavy even before I added conditioner. The first 3 ingredients are water, disodium comoamphodipropionate (mild cleansing agent for sensitive skin) and tridecth-7 carboxylic acid. Kera Care claims that this product “produces a rich lather to remove excess oils from hair and scalp without stripping. Lightly conditions, eases wet and dry combing, repairs damaged area and moisturizes.”

Interested in Purchasing this product? Purchase from Amazon.com by clicking the links below.

(This products bottle may appear different)

Tea Tree Triple Treat Invigorating Shampoo by Giovanni (recommend by many natural hair youtube video bloggers)

This product is a sulfate free product which was suppose to cleanse my hair without stripping its moisture. However this product did not deliver. While the product did generate a lot of lather it completely stripped my hair. As a result my hair felt extremely dry and I had less curl definition even after conditioning. The first 3 ingredients are water with tea tree leaf oil, Peppermint leaf extract and eucalyptus oil. Giovanni discloses that this product will “increase scalp circulation, strengthen hair with 3 organic oil blends to stimulate, condition, clarify and alleviates dry, flaking scalp with organic tea tree botanicals.”

Interested in Purchasing this product? Purchase from Amazon.com by clicking the links below.

(This products bottle may appear different)

Although I preferred Kera Care over Giovanni, Giovanni is 3 times cheaper (per fl. Oz.) and has more recognizable ingredients. Also if you are interested in using only organic products on your hair, this may be the product for you. However do not be afraid of the ingredients in Kera Care. With a little research you will find that this product doesn't appear to have any harmful ingredient for the hair or body. Remember what worked for me may leave you with a different hair experience. Which ever you choose the bottom line is how good the product makes your hair look and feel.