Maintaining healthy, glossy natural hair is not always an easy feat. Natural haircare can also be costly, making it hard to do consistently for some people. Various tips have arisen over the years, claiming to offer the secret to healthy, natural hair. While many are no doubt effective, one or two might actually damage your hair.
Finding the best haircare routine is trial and error. Check out the top five mistakes you’ve probably been making that you should now avoid for beautiful and healthy natural hair.
Using The Wrong Combs For Detangling
When you have natural hair, every coil and curl makes your hair more prone to tangles. Detangling is part of natural haircare, but it can also cause a lot of hair loss. The process becomes even worse when you use the wrong type of comb. With naturally curly hair, you must stay away from small-tooth combs. Not only are these no good for detangling curly hair, but they also make your strands more susceptible to split ends.
Haircare specialists recommend you brush your natural hair with wide-tooth combs and a hairbrush. You may also choose to detangle your curls using your hand for a smoother detangling process.
Drying Your Hair Using A Towel
The most common mistake you’ve probably been making after a shower or hair wash is using a towel to wrap it for drying. Your mane becomes more fragile when wet. Even if you want to dry it quickly, using a towel could lead to hair loss and breakage.
Instead of the usual towel-drying, use a soft teeshirt or any other cloth made from cotton. This way, not only will you quickly soak up excess water from your hair, but you will also minimise the frizz and keep your strands intact. After wrapping your hair with cotton material, you can blow-dry it using only the low setting.
Combing Your Hair When It Is Dry
When you’re in the middle of a busy day with lots going on, you might want to occasionally touch up your hair. You should avoid this common mistake, as dry combing your hair makes it even harder to detangle.
You should only brush your hair when it is wet or damp. Combing dry hair often leads to instantly frizzy hair. Always have a leave-in conditioner on hand to help moisturise your hair on the go.
Wearing Your Hair In Tight Hairstyles
Instead of manipulating your hair every day with blow-drying, flat ironing or other heat styling tools, you can find a better way of doing this. You may want to wear protective hairstyles like box braids and cornrows that keep for up to six weeks. A word of caution, however; you don’t want these hairstyles to be too tight.
Tight hairstyles can stress your scalp as they pull your roots. If you prefer styling your hair, you may opt for a hairstyle that isn’t so tight that it will cause tension to your hair and scalp, such as a simple pineapple up-do or twisted low chignon.
Sleeping With Uncovered Hair
Most probably, you regularly sleep with nothing covering your hair. This is damaging. You move a lot when you sleep, and all the friction between your hair and the bed linen can strip moisture from your hair, leading to excessive tangling. No matter what type of hair you have, it is essential to protect it when you sleep.
To avoid bed hair and looking like a knotty mess in the morning, protect every curl by wearing a bonnet or a silk scarf when you sleep. Avoid using any cotton material to wrap your head when sleeping. Cotton absorbs moisture from your hair, eventually leading to dryness. Choose satin pillowcases or head coverings that minimise frizz and also prevent split ends.
Conclusion
Many people focus on achieving the perfect look for natural hair so much that they miss out on the most critical information. The natural haircare routine can be a challenge, and it’s easy to make mistakes. Knowing the common mistakes will help you avoid them, thus preventing further damage to your hair.
If you’re concerned about hair loss or hair thinning, Vinci Hair Clinic is here to help. Contact us to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation. Vinci has clinics all over the world, so we’re never too far away! Get in touch today and take that first step to a great new look!
