It is of the utmost importance that you learn to balance protein and moisture in your hair. Without maintaining this balance your hair will become susceptible to breakage.
Let’s first start with defining what a moisturizer actually is!
In order for something to be a moisturizer it MUST HAVE WATER. Which means oils, greases, and butters are not moisturizers, they are sealants, so in other words they help to keep moisture in your hair but they are not moisturizers.
When you moisturize you want to follow 3 basic steps, using the LOC (Liquid. Oil. Crème.) method for moisture:
- Moisturize with water or a water based product (you can let the steam from the shower moisturize your hair or use a water based leave in conditioner solution)
- Seal the moisture in with an oil (Coconut oil
is good for this, as it has the ability to penetrate the hair shaft.)
- Use a creme to seal in the other two underlying layers for extra moisture
Since the ends of your hair are the oldest part they are the most weathered portion that is often lacking in moisture. Every time you moisturize your hair, show your ends a lot of love they need it!
Only you can determine the frequency of how often you moisturize your natural hair. You may feel that moisturizing daily, every other day, or every week works for you, it all varies from person to person. There are also other factors that play into this.
Your Hair Needs Protein Too
Hair is composed of keratin which is a protein. When your hair gets damaged it loses protein, which is why protein treatments
thank you for the comments. Just using oil and creme along will not lay my hair flat for a protective style such as a bun. What are your thoughts of using Eco Styling Gel after the moisture regimen?
thank you
Eco styler will definitely lay your hair flat and give you some nice waves. I personally don’t like to use that particular gel all the time though because I find it drying to my hair no matter what I use on it first, but this will vary from person to person. A lot of naturals love using this product and you might too.
Eco Styler did nothing for me. I’m 4b/4c and literally did nothing. Plus, gels dry hair. I just learned to accept and love having “bushier” edges.
I really enjoy this site, l’m transiting from locks and need info on hair growth, moisture, and manipulation of the hair. I decided to were braids to build up my thickest and length and control my split ends.could you tell me what a good product for a leave in shampoo and conditioner for braids for eight to ten weeks. Thank you.
with a twa how do concentrate on ends , what’s the best thing for a very short TWA thank you
I have found that once I cut my hair down to less than an inch high, it was a challange to keep my ends moisturized properly. I put in synthetic hair and braided them then twisted the length of the extentions tight. I kept them in for about 2-3 weeks, then I put in synthetic braiding hair and kept it in for a month. Once I took them out I noticed my hair was moisturized, softer and longer. I wanted to give my scalp a break so I wore my hair in a brushed back afro with a band. I’m not a big fan of doing my hair everyday so now I’m protein conditioning and two strand twisting tonight moisturizing with shea butter & sealing my hair with beeswax, cover with a scarf to set for the night. Hopefully, my hair won’t be an issue for the week, but I will be freshly retwisting the roots every Sunday to keep it looking new along with moisturizing my scslp on the rgular.
Thanx for this blog… I learn so much about myself from here. 😀
Hello!
I really like theses tips and I’m sure many naturals are familiar with the L.O.C. method for moisturizing hair. But I’m a big fan of liquid, cream, and then an oil, or L.C.O. The cream based moisturizers I use are all water-based, so for me, it work betters if I use water, a water-based product, and then seal all the moisture in with an oil.
I think it be great if the naturals behind this site did a comparison of the two methods to see which one they preferred, or if a particular method work better with a certain hair type.
I just found this site today and I’m already a fan! ~Brianna
Hello Brianna,
I was just wondering what hair type you are since you use a different regimen. My hair gets weighed down by the moisturizing routine listed on the site. I can’t seem to get it right smh.
Thanks,
-Cymone’
Hi! I’m all the types 4s. My 4a sections sometimes get weighed down by Shea butter, but I still love it.
I finger comb and twist my hair petty much every night because I hate the outcome of how my hair will b matted or flattened under my bonnet. Is that bad? ❓
I’ve been seeing this method around a lot I’m going to give it a try! I usually just apply some mango butter (I found a brand called OKAY at the beauty store) to my hair, definitely concentrating on the ends and it works wonders! This method will only take it up a notch I guess! Today is wash day, I’ll start today!
I’m presently on Prednisone for RA. My natural hair is so damaged, I’d to cut it, 4 inches. I hoping that it will grow back. I’ve tried everything Carols Daughter, Moroccan oil, . Is there a good moisturizer out there. Before the steroids I always wore my
“pony tail” tucked and my end stayed moist all days. Is Wen good for my hair type, which is naturally wavy. You name it, I’ve tried it. I started going to a Dominican shop, which I like to style, however the heat is to hot, (bad) for your hair. Any suggestions.?
THX
I would avoid the heat of blow outs altogether. That will severely damage your hair and dry it out more. Personally, I use Kinky Curly Knot Today, an oil blend of castor oil, olive oil, and “growth” oil, and then Shea Moisture as my cream. I find my hair feels most moisturized when I bantu knot it. With bantu knots, I find I have to re-moisturize my hair every three days, whereas just letting it air dry in some stretching style, leaves my hair dry after just a day. (When I let my hair out of the bantu knots, I cover my hands with my oil blend and rub it across the bantu knot.) My hair feels AMAZING! If you want something lighter, Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding works really well, but it doesn’t provide the long term moisture I needed. Hope this helps, sis <3
i’ve been natural for five years and I have only worn my hair in twist and had it corn rolled, I found your site by accident. I know it was a gift from God. I say this because I prayed for an answer about my hair, so everything I’m seeing is new and beautiful. I do need help with styling and product to wear my hair out.
I am glad you find the site helpful Leila 🙂 ! You can definitely wear your hair out, but in truth it will lose moisture faster than when you wear braids or twists. Now that it is colder I am doing a lot of protective styles but usually my hair is worn out. When I wear my hair out I have to moisturize daily otherwise my hair will get very dry. In warmer sticky weather I may only have to moisturize every 2-3 day. So a lot of this is also dependent on environmental factors as our hair is susceptible to the elements more so than other hair types.
HI, Do you think that a semi permanent will do less harm for my 4c hair type. I also wanted suggestions on hair color products that works well with 4c hair type
Semi-permanent rinses are less drying to the hair in my experience. In fact, I never had an issue with rinses damaging my hair. However, permanent color is very drying especially if you go for lighter colors because it strips the hair. If you must go with a permanent hair color go for colors that are darker or not too far off from your natural hair color.
Would you give me an idea on what hairstyles I can wear that will last me for a week, and I can take down each week for cleansing, and put back on?
Weaves, wigs, and buns are not an option.
Are bantu knots considered a protective style? I would think so because the ends of your hair get tucked into the knot,right?
HI I made a comment about the 5 types of things to put in your hair and I can’t seem to find the page
I have type 4a natural Hair, I am having trouble fining the right products, I wear my hair out, sometimes it like a curly fro, then it gos to the kinky fro before the day is over, I need HELP!
Hey, I am also natural, 3b, 3c, 4a and I use Cantu Curling Creme, which is AWESOME….. IT keeps my curls curly and moisturized. I still LOC @ night, and in the am I add the Coconut Curling Creme. Works wonders, as I have frizzy hair, I think.. lol. I also finger the creme throughout my hair rather than just rubbing it on top. Really, it is the way you apply the product rather than the product itself. G
For the Creme portion in the L.O.C. method can shea butter be used?
I wanted to ask, is oiling your hair a must? Cause my friend doesn’t oil her hair and her hair is growing with just daily moisturizing. My other friends uses oil and moisturizer and her hair is growing, I tried a mountain of products but my hair isn’t. So I decided to keep it consistent and simple by just moisturizing, but should I oil my hair??
No I find oiling to be optional. The reason being is many natural hair products already contain oils in them. Please check out this page to learn more about black hair growth as there is more to it than just the products you use:
http://naturalandproud.com/black-hair-growth/
Ariane…I have trype 3C hair but I’m not seeing options to download for the 3’s hair type only for the 4’s. Could you please send me a link so that I can have the info for 3C hair type…….Desperatly seekins hair solutions:-)
Tricia
Can you tell me what to use to grow my edges back? Thanks
We have a great post on this here: http://naturalandproud.com/2015/03/27/how-to-grow-your-edges-back/
So my hair is super dry !! I dont even use heat in my hair.. I just let em air dry! Dont even use a straightener. As my hair is frizzy . But still they get damaged ..really fAst! Even after using proper shampoos and conditioning them after every wash . and i wash my hair just twice a week , they still get damaged. Nothing really workS !!!! But yeah i coloured my hair 6 months back but i started using the shampoo for colored hair. It didnt help either.
My first suggestion would be to do a protein treatment along with a deep conditioning treatment. Then, be sure to moisturize your hair properly. Now that it’s colder, what I’ve found has been helping my hair is some type of styling cream. I found this cream by ORS and it’s just a curl defining crème. I would use a leave-in conditioner, followed by sweet almond oil and this styling cream on top. It helped keep moisture in my hair for more than a day and it didn’t build up too much. My hair also does good with weekly deep conditioning. This past weekend, I did a hot oil treatment, then shampooed and conditioned, then did a deep conditioning treatment. All this may not be needed for your hair, but I certainly noticed a difference once I was finished.
How do I get my hair to dry up with my curl pattern without being tangled?
Make sure your detangle your hair well prior to styling. When you go to bed pinapple your hair or braid/twist it to prevent tangling and matting.
personally? If I do that I would be fighting with tangles all month with just ONE pinaple session. I think it honestly depends on the texture of the hair.
I’m in the 4c-4 infinity zone btw
Good day,I just did my BC I need help on the protective style for my hair or do I have to be wearing it short until it grows
You can do finger coils: http://naturalandproud.com/2014/08/13/what-is-finger-coiling-and-how-is-it-done/
However, protective styling becomes more necessary when your hair is longer and prone to knots and tangles so you are more free to enjoy wearing your hair out in curly styles.
For more styles specifically catered to short hair check out our sister site http://shortnaturalhairstyle.com
Hey! I love your website and your tips! They’re amazing! I do have a problem though. My ends are terrible. I used to use heat a lot and now I have really bad ends. But due to religious reasons, I cannot cut them off. Is there any way I can repair them? Thanks!
Once you have damaged your ends you either have the option of cutting them off or letting them fall off on their own. As once the hair has been damaged that’s it. However, to keep your hair that is not damaged strong you can do protein treatments you can do an all natural one using avocado: http://naturalandproud.com/2016/03/10/avocado-beauty-benefits/ Also do a lot of protective styling like braids, buns etc. so you don’t have to manipulate your hair as much.
Your blog is so encouraging. Thanks for all you do to help Naturals
Thank you! 🙂
Hi, so I’ve been natural for two years and Yess I’m extremely lazy. My hair is just reaching my collar bone and I am really lazy when it comes to moisturizing . However, I have decided to put in more effort. Will my hair still grow despite the fact that it might have not been treated so well in the past? Or will I have to cut it and start all over?
I think it depends on your current hair condition. I think if you have a bit of some scraggly ends, it might do you well to trim them off a bit, and concentrate in moisture moisture moisture.
Since your hair isnt too overwhelming in length, may I suggest washing multiple times a week? I think it will benefit you to receive and retain moisture without even trying.
And get regular trims, I think it will help you build thickness and gradual length in the long run.
Ohh, I’ll try that…my ends just get really dry and sometimes I’m too lazy to book an appointment at the salon, so I wear my hair out as a fro. But I’ve decided to take care of this crown. Thanks 🙂
So I’m really struggling with my hair and I don’t have very much talent when it comes to doing these protective styles. I tried doing very simple ones but its like one side works and the other doesn’t. I am trying oh so hard to keep my hair healthy but what do I do when I am on a budget and can’t even do my own hair. I have 4c straight out of the roots of Africa hair and right now I look like someone’s bad child who’s mama didn’t feel like doing her hair. I’m at a stand still. I’d also like to mention that I am in the between stages. I’m just above a TWA and right below a baby poof ball in a ponytail.
Stay encouraged, sis. I have 4c hair as well and it really is about learning what works and what doesn’t. I myself have learned to keep the tangles to a minimum and that I only need 2 products to keep my hair moisterized: my cleanser and my styler; I also water rinse everyday. (I wear wash n goes all the time, so this works for me, as I am just getting my coils to form/clump from the roots.) Anyway, it’s all a learning process, as in how I learned my 4c hair has a curl pattern after many years of it looking like cotton. Anyway, don’t worry! Some of my favorite 4cs are ProtectivePrincess, MsDeekay2012, and DubaiDee4c, chech them out if u need some encouragement.
Hi,
My hair is natural for 6 years now
I usually do it in one and afro out the top
Thing is my hair comes out when combing thru and I use a wide teeth comb.
It breaks at the end
I currently use castrol oil shea butter and water as moisture for last 8 months but I don’t know it’s not getting much better
I recently started using egg to treat every other week … help plz
Apple Cider Rinse helped mine a lot. After shampoo I spray hair with ACV and water. Sit with a plastic bag o head for 30 minutes. Rinse out then deep condition. My hair has stopped coming out. Watch YouTube you will learn a lot about natural hair.
I really enjoyed this tip. I am 7mnth post relaxer and I am trying to establish a routine. I did see videos on you tube but haven’t seen one that applied ACV after shampoo. I will wash my hair tomorrow and I will try the ACV rinse and see how my hair likes it.
I just visited a stylist and had my hair washed with the no poo cleanser. She then finger combed my hair until there were no more tangles. There were a lot of tangles. and the detangling was bearable but uncomfortable. She then put cream and then gel on my hair, I had definite curl defintion in the back, My front did not have as much curl definition. Will this curl definition get better with time or should should I roll it to get the curl definition. I have medium to long length hair.
You should use a gel to get the best definition if you are going for a wash n go look. It will give you more definition and better hold. You also have to make sure you rake your hands through your hair section until you see a good curl definition and this will give you what you are looking for without the need to use rollers.
I had my last relaxer July 2014 and have been totally natural for about 9 months. Loving the discovery of my natural curl pattern and learning new ways of styling have been wonderful for me UNTIL… I decided to go Beyoncé and get major color. A total mistake because after one week of lifting my entire head from very dark brown to “light brownish”and getting A LOT of light ash highlights, my hair has become very thin with noticeable breakage. The hair stylist did an Aphogee treatment after the color service and I noticed my hair was very dry and flying away as she was blowing it dry, but she said it was normal for the hair to initially shed a little. Well, it continued to shed to the point that I think I am now going to have to do a big chop, which I avoided during my transition period from relaxed hair. I am truly devastated and don’t know what other recourse to take related to my damaged, dissolving tresses!!! I’ve since done a moisture treatment and started using coconut oil again after transitioning to jojoba oil recently. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Aphogee protein treatment is actually used as a last resort on the hair by hair stylists. The protein was meant to strengthen what was frail and apparently it couldn’t do enough…so sorry.
I learned this from a woman named Aeliese, co-founder and licensed cosmetologist of the 30DayHairDetox. They can help you get your hair back on the right track, because color when done right should NOT be damaging. They have a lot of information on their facebook page and you can also message directly.
Hi. I’m in the process of trying to grow my 3 year old daughter’s hair. Do Children that young need protein treatments?
No, I would not do a protein treatment on a child’s hair. You can use natural products that have healthy proteins and nutrients in them, but I would not recommend a protein treatment that is professional strength too much for a young child.
is there any natural protein treatment
Natural protein treatments? no buying of products