GET RID OF DRY SCALP IN 4 EASY STEPS

Have you had a persistently itchy scalp, sometimes accompanied by hair loss, flaking and soreness? This could be a result of a dry scalp. Dry scalp is caused by, well, a lack of moisture in the skin. For people who have dry skin, they can relate to the fact that when they do not moisturize properly, their skin can get really itchy and uncomfortable. This dryness causes the scalp to become irritated and flakes off. Dry scalp can also be caused by changes in weather (especially from cold to hot) and the use of harsh hair products. Don’t fret, the treatment of dry scalp is easier than you think. Follow these 4 easy steps and say bye to dry scalp.

4 WAYS TO REMEDY DRY NATURAL HAIR

First and foremost, remember in the post where we talked about hair porosity (you can read it here) and how important it is in knowing how to care for your natural hair? By now, you should know how to check your hair porosity to determine what your hair needs. Have you also ever experienced dry, brittle hair that feels almost like straw and also looks limp and dull? When you try to run your fingers through your mane, it feels like passing through dry grass. Dry natural hair looks dull and without sheen because it is not able to retain moisture. Dry hair leads, inevitably, to breakage which can in turn translate to a noticeable lack of length retention. Some causes of dry hair include excessive washing which can strip hair of its natural oils, excessive heat application, and changes in weather conditions.

Most natural-haired queens have experienced hair dryness from time to time and we are happy to present you with remedies to help restore shine and life into your hair.

1. Deep condition your natural hair. Deep conditioning hair after every wash is a way of adding moisture back into natural hair and allows natural hair to retain moisture for days after washing. It is an important part of any natural queens hair regimen and should not be ignored. If your natural hair is really dry, you may want to increase the frequency of deep conditioning to once a week, preferably with heat (again, depends on your hair porosity). Otherwise, deep conditioning twice a month is just fine. The benefits of deep conditioning dry hair regularly asides from maintaining adequate levels of hydration in hair include: improving hair’s elasticity which means you can reduce breakage, and improves hairs’ natural shine. Read more about deep conditioning your natural hair here. Shop our African Naturalistas Deep Conditioning Mayonnaise and add the much-needed moisture to your mane.

2. Review your natural hair products. Sometimes, your hair outgrows the much loved and trusted products you have been using in your regimen. Your natural hair’s product needs may change over time. Hair needs can be affected mostly by external factors such as changes in weather and heat application. In the drier months, your hair will need a lot more moisture than you usually give, therefore, you may need to look for products that act as humectants, with the ability to retain as much moisture in the hair as possible. A thicker, richer deep conditioner is best for combating dry natural hair. You would also want to add a richer leave-in conditioner to your hair product list. 

A fact that is not spoken about enough is that excessive protein in the hair can be a major cause of dry, brittle hair. If you have tried everything to infuse moisture into your natural hair and have failed, look at the ingredient list on your hair products. Do they contain words like keratin, hydrolyzed wheat? These are proteins and your dry hair may be as a result of them especially if your natural hair has a sensitivity to protein. You may want to try using a deep conditioner that has a balance of both protein and moisture such as the African Naturalistas Deep Conditioning Mayonnaise. To be extra sure, you should book a session with Atilola of African Naturalistas who is a hair trichologist in Nigeria. She will be able to tell you the best route to take on your natural hair journey.

3. Do a hot oil treatment.  Hot oil treatments are very effective in nourishing dry, brittle hair and help to strengthen and protect hair from further damage. Hot oil treatments work by sealing the hair cuticle, thereby protecting your hair from further damage and at the same time, nourishing your hair. Other benefits of hot oil treatments include reduced dryness of the scalp and hair, increased blood flow in the scalp which in turn will promote the growth of healthier natural hair. Perfect options for hot oil treatments include coconut, almond, argan, baobab, avocado, and olive oils. Shop the African Naturalistas range of carrier oils. You can use just one of these oils or a mixture of two or more. To gain benefits from using hot oils on your dry hair, the treatment has to be done regularly.

4. Seal. Seal. Seal. After you have done all of the above, you definitely need to seal in all the moisture you have packed into your natural hair. Not sealing natural hair after going through the trouble of moisturizing will only lead to frayed ends and dry hair in a couple of days. Thick oils and butters like shea butter and castor oil are perfect options as sealants, especially if you have thick coarse hair. 

After infusing the much-needed moisture into your hair, you have to ensure that the moisture is not lost by covering hair with your satin bonnet or scarf while sleeping. Also, you may want to keep your natural hair in a protective style and remember to spray hair with a hair spritz such as the African Naturalistas Daily Hair Mist that is carefully formulated to keep your hair moist and supple. 

Which of these tips have you skipped before? Found this article helpful? Don’t forget to like and share. Oh, and leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you. :)

6 STEPS TO PICKING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS FOR YOUR NATURAL HAIR

We don’t all have the same hair type or hair needs. Even siblings do not have the same hair type or structure, that is why it is very important to know what to look out for when picking products for your hair. What works for Titi may not work for ChiChi. The primary purpose of needing to get hair products for your natural hair is to find what works for your hair and also, to be able to use them in the best way possible. Your hair in whatever stage has two major needs: moisture and protein. So, the products you use on your hair should be able to ensure that your hair is moisturized and protein-enriched (if your hair does not have any protein sensitivity).

Here’s a checklist that will help you make the right choice when purchasing hair products:

10 EASY WAYS TO REPAIR DAMAGED HAIR

As a natural haired chic, it can be traumatic having damaged hair that is dry, brittle, and filled with split ends. You literally have to restrain yourself from tearing your hair out (what’s left of it, anyway) and you may be wondering what you can do to restore life to your hair. Some hair damage may be permanent especially given that hair is a collection of dead cells. But depending on the kind of damage, health can be restored to damaged hair. Otherwise, a pair of scissors, time, and better hair care routines may be the solution. 

The first step to fixing damaged hair is to identify the cause of the damage. The most common causes of damage to hair are dyes and heat.

There are some habits and practices that over time will help to restore life, shine, and elasticity to your natural mane. Let's get into it.

TOP 5 ESSENTIAL OILS FOR HAIR CARE

As a naturalista, you must have asked yourself “What can I use to make my hair better?” a number of times. Even though there is no one thing that can guarantee your hair growth and all-round hair-health, a combination of healthy hair habits can sure help. 

Essential oils are one of the things you can add to your natural hair care regimen to boost your natural hair health. Essential oils with promises of impressive hair growth and a host of other benefits. Why essential oils? Essential oils are extracted from the aromatic parts of plants and contain a wide range of unique medical components. They are so versatile and can be used in a variety of ways to

Black Soap As A Shampoo Replacement For Natural Hair

 

Black soap is usually referred to as African black soap, but the most common name is black soap. Black soap is used by many to bath, wash their hair, and other such uses, however, using raw black soap, which is what many people use, is quite tricky. In addition to that, there are lots of fake black soaps in the market. Yup, it’s true. Using black soap on your natural hair the wrong way may result in you experiencing harsh side effects. 

When you use black soap the right way, in the right combination, you come out winning. Black soap is absolutely incredible and contains loads of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.

Deep Conditioning Your Natural Hair: Does It Really Matter?

As a practicing Naturalista, deep conditioning isn’t a new term for you. In fact, the first thing you learn on your way to becoming a Naturalista is the need to deep condition. The coven of natural hair queens starts chanting it to you every minute so you don’t forget! The natural hair movement is so strong that even relaxed hair sisters are bookmarking some of our methods, including deep conditioning. This is all because of how important deep conditioning is to your natural (and relaxed) hair. 

So, What is Deep Conditioning?

Deep conditioning is one crucial step in your natural hair regimen that helps restore and maintain moisture in your hair. It is also essential for helping your hair to prepare for any manipulation that would come after deep conditioning. 

We know what deep conditioning is, but why should we do it? Does it really matter? Yes, it does. Here are some reasons why you should deep condition your natural hair:

5 STEPS TO FRIZZ-FREE HAIR

We can all agree that having natural hair has so many advantages and no real disadvantage, only challenges. One of those challenges is frizzy hair. Frizzy natural hair is quite unattractive and you may think that it is inevitable due to how often it occurs and how many people have now taken it as the new normal. Frizzy hair can be handled and avoided completely.

What is frizzy hair?

Your natural hair gets frizzy when the cuticle layer of your natural hair is raised. A raised hair cuticle allows more moisture to pass through and swells the hair strands, resulting in dehydrated and dry hair. When your natural hair is dry, it appears frizzy rather than smooth and well-defined. Unfortunately, curly natural hair is more prone to frizzing than straight hair. 

What causes frizzy hair?

Now we know that frizzy hair is a result of dehydration in your natural hair. So, what are the main causes of dehydration in natural hair which result in frizz?

Get Through Your Natural Hair Wash Day Without Pulling Your Hair Out (no pun intended)

Remembering that your wash day is in a few days time is enough to give your “hard girl” persona the boot in the behind. You even begin to have palpitations because of what’s coming. It also doesn’t help that people keep saying wash day is always such a long and unproductive day because you can’t do anything else. You start with deep conditioning overnight, then pre-poo, then shampoo wash, the condition, then deep condition (again!), you even steam, then rinse. Don’t forget detangling which can take hours, before you style in twists or any other style your tired hands will allow you to make. 

The bottom line is: YOU ARE EXHAUSTED! It’s no wonder you feel a slight fever when you think of wash day. You must have wished, a number of times, that you could just snap your fingers and everything, including all unruly strands, will fall into place, leaving you with the perfect naturalista hair. Unfortunately, ko le werk. But we are not bearers of bad news, we are preachers of love and as such, we bring you quick and easy steps to keep you from pulling your natural hair (pun intended here) by ensuring a faster, easier, and smarter natural hair wash day routine.

Keep reading and learn how we make our natural hair wash day, fun day,

5 WAYS TO PROPERLY CARE FOR YOUR LOCS

Locs, also called dreadlocks, dreads, or “dada” (by our Nigerian people) is a great way to carry your natural hair. When done right, they are beautiful, versatile, and unique. You will be able to rock your natural hair in so many different ways and also, nurture them to attain an impressive length. Locs are not your easy-way-out to treating your natural hair. If you don’t take care of your locs, they end up looking unhealthy, unattractive, and most importantly, like the dreaded local dada. You don’t want that. 

Locs need as much TLC as your normal natural hair, maybe even more. Following a regular regimen for caring for your locs will leave you with healthy, beautiful, and enviable locs. Below are some tips to help you on your journey to locs that people want to copy!

7 Do’s and Don’t’s for Coloring Natural Hair

If you are someone who has a bit of flair for the dramatic, you may have considered coloring your hair at least twice in your life (that’s if you haven’t done it already). But, there’s a small problem. You have heard stories of women who have dyed their natural hair before and their hair never remained the same. Their hair became damaged, dry, and brittle, prone to breakage and lacking that shine and luster they were formally known for. It can be a really sad situation especially if your hair was full and beautiful. 

You don’t want to be like them, that’s why you are reading this. You want to know what you can and can’t do to ensure that your hair doesn’t end up “un-beautiful” and you get the amazing color you desire. That’s why we are here. Below are 7 do’s and don’t’s that can help you get the hair color for your natural hair that you truly desire.

WHY ISN'T MY HAIR GROWING?!

When you see natural hair queens on Instagram or on TV, you have dreams of having such beautiful, long hair. You see these women twist and curl and manipulate their hair into forms that can only be explained by natural hair pros. They may even be the reason why you decided to start the natural hair journey in the first place. But you’ve been growing your hair diligently for years now but your hair is not mid-back length yet. You don’t know why even though you follow all the instructions the manufacturer wrote down. 

You are stuck with the same hair length. You now believe that your hair has stopped growing, the same way people stop growing when they reach a certain age. The good part is, you have a faint glimmer of hope that you are wrong and your hair will still grow. We are here to tell you that faint glimmer is about to bloom bright and beautiful! 

Your hair grows about half an inch every month and about 6 inches of newly grown hairs every year. That’s an amazing amount of growth. So why does it seem like it’s not growing? Why doesn’t your hair look like the queens of natural hair on TV and Instagram?

7 Healthy Natural Hair Habits You Should Indulge

We all want beautiful, lustrous, healthy hair. The rave of the natural hair woman is back and here to stay. We keep saying we want long hair that is full and able to bend into different magazine-worthy styles. You claim you are doing right by your hair, but you constantly struggle with hair that is dry, dull, and not at all what you see in natural hair magazines. You can swear you follow the natural hair product manufacturer’s instructions. You even saw a trichologist in Nigeria to help you at some point. Still, your hair is running away from you. So, what are you not doing right?

Having healthy hair is underrated. A lot of people erroneously think that by using just natural hair products, you will miraculously grow healthy, lustrous natural hair. Some even focus on length only and ignore everything else. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. The health of your natural hair should be a top priority and it doesn’t take a lot to change small unhealthy hair habits. Here are 7 small natural hair habits you should indulge in to give you and maintain healthy natural hair.

How To Keep Your Natural Hair Moisturized, Hydrated and Soft

At the start of your natural hair journey, you would most likely battle with dry hair that is coarse and breaks easily. In fact, many women will attest to the fact that the major reason they haven’t taken the natural hair path is that they have very strong hair and they find it difficult to manage. The real problem, however, is that their hair is dry and not moisturized, or at least, not moisturized enough. 

The key to having natural hair that is soft and hydrated is moisture. For a person to have healthy natural hair, you need to be deliberate about how you treat it. The scalp produces a natural oil called sebum that is meant to waterproof the hair and lubricate the skin and hair strands. But because of the nature of our natural hair, it is almost impossible for this oil to travel the entire length of the hair. Our natural hair is kinky or curly, making it difficult for the sebum to make much progress. This is where moisturizing your hair comes in.

The purpose of moisturizing your natural hair is to help seal in moisture into your hair strands.

How To Stop An Itchy Scalp From Ruining Your Afro

Take a deep breath, now imagine this: You are at an event where you are scheduled to make a speech. You are rocking a killer dress and wearing your favorite shoes. You took special care with your hair today because, well, special day. Everything seems perfect! Except...you keep trying, unsuccessfully, to sneak your hand into your natural hair afro to get that itch right in the middle. 

An itchy scalp, also known as scalp pruritus, is a frustrating but quite common occurrence in natural hair. When combined with dry or flaky skin (scalp), it can be unbearable. Itchy scalp can lead to thinning hair and hair loss if left untreated. 

What causes itchy scalp in natural hair?

How to Prevent Split Ends in Your Natural Hair

Split ends are the common enemy for every natural hair type. They cause frizziness and your hair will be unable to retain length making you wonder why your hair doesn’t seem to be growing. Unfortunately, not many people pay attention to split ends. But you should and we’ll tell you why.

What Are Split Ends?

Hair follicles are embedded under the skin and that is where hair growth begins. Then the root of the hair and then your hair strands. Natural hair growth is constant, that means new hair is always coming out, making the tips the oldest part of your hair at every given time. Depending on how long your hair is, the tips may have been through a lot! The good and bad times, hot and cold weather, scarves and hats, they have seen it all.

In addition to all of this, your tips are vulnerable and exposed almost always. They bear the grunt of stretches, knots, hot irons, and combs. It’s no wonder they get weak and tired.

GROW YOUR EDGES BACK...LIKE A BOSS!

Losing your edges can have adverse effects on your emotions daily. It robs you of the freedom to flaunt your hair the way you want and be proud of your mane, especially when you had full, healthy edges that you gradually lost. Like on those days when you would take special time to brush them back, maybe even put on some edge control and really make them look sleek. Unfortunately, you can’t do that anymore because they are not what they used to be.

So, what causes the thinning of edges and hair loss at your edges? There are a number of reasons why a person might lose her edges including illness, excessive weight loss, pregnancy and postpartum, stress, lupus, scalp conditions such as alopecia areata, and tight hairstyles. In many cases, you can’t do anything about it, but for situations where you can, you should. That’s why we are here, to tell you just how. 

The first thing you must STOP doing is trying to cover your thinning edges. That isn’t going to help your edges grow back at all. In fact, you are only making it worse.

African Naturalistas Products now NAFDAC Certified

Hello  beautiful people. It is been a while. So many things have been happening at African Naturalistas. And we have good news.

After all the stress, disappointments, frustrations, we are happy to let you know that African Naturalistas products are now NAFDAC Certified.

We want to say thank you for your support throughout all our years of existence.  It definitely wasn't easy, and it came with a lot of  challenges and necessary growth.

Thank you for believing in us all these while. Together, we can make African Naturalistas bigger, and take the products global. Keep your fingers crossed, as a lot of new developments are in the works.

In the meantime, you can get all your African Naturalistas products here.

African Naturalistas Store Launch in Pictures

Hello everyone. Happy New Month of March. As we all know, we launched our African Naturalistas store and Hair Clinic last week Saturday, 25th of February 2017. It was a walk-in launch, with several people coming and going.

The event kicked off by 12 noon on the dot. There was no African time. As soon as it was 12, people swamped in from all areas. I didn't even have time to rub powder, lol. And that was how I was on my feet till 6.00pm.

There were free products, snacks, consultations, and our Hair Care talk segment by Omozo of O'Naturals. All in all, it was a very successful event, and we are happy it went pretty well.

In case you didn't make it, we are located at 1st Floor, Lush Mall, 26A, Admiralty way, Lekki, Lagos Nigeria, and you can always walk in anytime to pick your favourite African Naturalistas products.

So here are a few pictures from the event.

Hannatu

Ugo

Frank and Mirabel

CEO of Yellow Sisi herself and I

Assam and I

Osagie and Lawrence

AN Bloggers in Nigeria (Ebun, Elizabeth and I)

Ekene of The KinkandI

Dr Foy

Tahalia. Her aura lit up the room

Bertha Mary. Such lovely name

Jumoke and Francisca

Omozo getting ready to work on a client's hair at the talk sesson

Amarchi and friend

Reps of Sizelle store and I

Yellow Sisi and her entire family, lol

Rotade and Leke, my former classmates in Unilag Engineering

Me and my siblings