What is the best brand of shampoo and conditioner to use for African American kinky hair?
Labels:
beauty and health forum
casey
Now I have very unmanageable hair, and it drives me crazy! I swear every brand that I use only makes my hair more complicated. Another thing is that my hair is very dry and it seems that no matter how much I moisturize it, it is still dry. I really don't know what to do much anymore, and the salon is too expensive, I'm about to be going to college so I can't afford to be going to the salon every week to manage my hair. I want to learn how to manage my hair on my own.
Answer
I'm assuming you're natural. Many naturals end up doing their own hair because they find that many beauticians they encounter do not know how to properly handle natural hair, plus it saves a lot of money.
Of course, the only way to find the right products for your hair is to experiment. My advice is to buy your products from a place that offers a return policy or money back guarantee, like Walgreen's, so if you use it and it doesn't work then you can return it and get your money back, and buy something else.
I'm not sure what you mean by unmanageable. If you mean your hair is hard to comb through, then, yeah, that happens with hair that's wavy, curly, and extremely curly/coily/kinky. If you mean hair that won't lie down then that's just the nature of how afro-textured hair grows. None of these things are really problems because it's all in how you handle them. If you mean hair that constantly forms knots then you can visit some natural hair care forums to see how other people deal with them. So, I don't know what you mean by "unmanageable hair."
Since your hair is naturally dry then its best to use sulfate-free shampoos. Sulfates are common in shampoos and this ingredient dries out the hair. It's best to switch to natural or organic shampoos and conditioners because they contain fewer harsh ingredients compared to regular shampoos/conditioners. Yes to Carrots and Giovanni are two of many organic hair care lines. You can buy organic/natural hair care lines at many places, including health foods stores and some Walgreen's.
Also, are you sealing in your moisture with a natural oil, like olive oil? It might be easier to keep your hair moisturized longer because of the hot summer weather. I put coconut oil in my hair every night before bed and rinse it in the morning and give my hair lots of moisture and keeps it healthy. I also do a moisturizing deep conditioner 1-2 times a week to keep it moisturized; I use Neutrogena Triple Moisture Recovery Hair Mask and this is great for infusing moisture into my very dry hair.
Right now, I use a product called Wen cleansing conditioner. This is a conditioner that gets my hair clean like shampoo would and it's also a deep conditioner and leave-in all in one. Its pretty expensive, but its a good alternative to using shampoo, and it won't dry out your hair, which is why I love it. With consistent use it will help your hair retain moisture better over time. Another thing you can do to retain moisture is to baggy overnight. I use natural oils like coconut, jojoba, or olive oils when I baggy. Just buy a conditioning cap, oil your hair at night, put on the plastic baggy and put your regular sleeping cap/scarf over it, and take it off in the morning. Your hair will be soggy or wet, but after a while you'll notice that you're hair is retaining moisture better. You can also use other products, like moisturizers, to baggy with; oils works best for my hair, but everyone's hair is different. It took me 2 weeks of baggying every night to get over extreme dryness from 13 years of relaxing.
Also, raw Shea and Cocoa butters are great moisturizers for your skin and hair. When I use them I find that I can go a few days without moisturizing. You can find them at health foods stores and shea butter can also be found in ethnic shops like African and Jamaican. I'm talking raw, so you can't find them in regular beauty supply stores. Also, with the oils, you can mix them with your other hair products for a better effect; I've mixed jojoba and olive oil with all my hair products for an extra moisturizing effect. Also, curl activator in cream form will work to keep your hair moisturized. I used Hawaiian Silky last summer and it was great for my hair, and I don't remember my hair getting dry. If you use a curl activator then you don't have to seal with an oil. The only thing a curl activator will do is define your natural curls/coils (unless you're 4b with no curl pattern) and moisturize your hair, nothing more. Other hair care brands you can try that I've heard great reviews about: Carol's Daughter and Mixed Chicks, but there are many, many more specifically designed for extremely curly or kinky hair.
Good luck.
I'm assuming you're natural. Many naturals end up doing their own hair because they find that many beauticians they encounter do not know how to properly handle natural hair, plus it saves a lot of money.
Of course, the only way to find the right products for your hair is to experiment. My advice is to buy your products from a place that offers a return policy or money back guarantee, like Walgreen's, so if you use it and it doesn't work then you can return it and get your money back, and buy something else.
I'm not sure what you mean by unmanageable. If you mean your hair is hard to comb through, then, yeah, that happens with hair that's wavy, curly, and extremely curly/coily/kinky. If you mean hair that won't lie down then that's just the nature of how afro-textured hair grows. None of these things are really problems because it's all in how you handle them. If you mean hair that constantly forms knots then you can visit some natural hair care forums to see how other people deal with them. So, I don't know what you mean by "unmanageable hair."
Since your hair is naturally dry then its best to use sulfate-free shampoos. Sulfates are common in shampoos and this ingredient dries out the hair. It's best to switch to natural or organic shampoos and conditioners because they contain fewer harsh ingredients compared to regular shampoos/conditioners. Yes to Carrots and Giovanni are two of many organic hair care lines. You can buy organic/natural hair care lines at many places, including health foods stores and some Walgreen's.
Also, are you sealing in your moisture with a natural oil, like olive oil? It might be easier to keep your hair moisturized longer because of the hot summer weather. I put coconut oil in my hair every night before bed and rinse it in the morning and give my hair lots of moisture and keeps it healthy. I also do a moisturizing deep conditioner 1-2 times a week to keep it moisturized; I use Neutrogena Triple Moisture Recovery Hair Mask and this is great for infusing moisture into my very dry hair.
Right now, I use a product called Wen cleansing conditioner. This is a conditioner that gets my hair clean like shampoo would and it's also a deep conditioner and leave-in all in one. Its pretty expensive, but its a good alternative to using shampoo, and it won't dry out your hair, which is why I love it. With consistent use it will help your hair retain moisture better over time. Another thing you can do to retain moisture is to baggy overnight. I use natural oils like coconut, jojoba, or olive oils when I baggy. Just buy a conditioning cap, oil your hair at night, put on the plastic baggy and put your regular sleeping cap/scarf over it, and take it off in the morning. Your hair will be soggy or wet, but after a while you'll notice that you're hair is retaining moisture better. You can also use other products, like moisturizers, to baggy with; oils works best for my hair, but everyone's hair is different. It took me 2 weeks of baggying every night to get over extreme dryness from 13 years of relaxing.
Also, raw Shea and Cocoa butters are great moisturizers for your skin and hair. When I use them I find that I can go a few days without moisturizing. You can find them at health foods stores and shea butter can also be found in ethnic shops like African and Jamaican. I'm talking raw, so you can't find them in regular beauty supply stores. Also, with the oils, you can mix them with your other hair products for a better effect; I've mixed jojoba and olive oil with all my hair products for an extra moisturizing effect. Also, curl activator in cream form will work to keep your hair moisturized. I used Hawaiian Silky last summer and it was great for my hair, and I don't remember my hair getting dry. If you use a curl activator then you don't have to seal with an oil. The only thing a curl activator will do is define your natural curls/coils (unless you're 4b with no curl pattern) and moisturize your hair, nothing more. Other hair care brands you can try that I've heard great reviews about: Carol's Daughter and Mixed Chicks, but there are many, many more specifically designed for extremely curly or kinky hair.
Good luck.
Can i ask a question in multiple categories?
Boink
An example being -
How bad is tobacco smoking ?
I want to ask that in - health/medical/biology/environment/beauty and lifestyle ? forums
Can i do that ?
Answer
Yes, you can ask the question multiple times and i different categories, but each time it has to be a separate question.
Yes, you can ask the question multiple times and i different categories, but each time it has to be a separate question.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Post a Comment