Blind Them With Your Shine! The 4 Best Ways To Increase Sheen In Your Natural Hair

We all have things that we associate with healthy hair: even ends, thickness, luster, softness, etc. Many of us work with our hair the best way that we know how to achieve these attributes for our hair.

For me, one of the major factors of healthy hair is incredible sheen and shine and I lurve me so shine y’all! Even on a bad hair day,  having a healthy sheen can make a failed bantu knot out have some VA-VA- VOOM!

I don’t know if it is because of our natural instincts or not, but I know that with any hair texture and type creating a great sheen/shine can take natural hair above and beyond. If you are currently trying to achieve some bling with your hair, then you are in luck. Below, we have four ways that you can achieve a healthy sheen with your natural hair!

1. Castor Oil

Castor Oil* or as Haitians lovingly call it, L’huile Parma Christi is a great way to increase sheen/shine in natural hair. Castor oil is a thick vegetable oil that is extracted from the castor bean.

There are usually two kinds of castor oils: black and light. Depending on whether you buy black or light castor oil , the color can vary from colorless to light yellow to dark brown.

Castor oil is considered a triglyceride and at least ninety- percent of the fatty acids that are contained within castor oil are called ricinoleic acids (hence the scientific name for castor oil*, ricinus communis, clever huh?).

How to use castor oil to add sheen to your natural hair

The best ways to use castor oil to increase the sheen/shine is by using it as a sealant or in a spritz. Since castor oil is pretty thick, you would definitely have to dilute with a lighter oil such as almond, coconut, apricot kernel oil*, etc before doing any of the methods above.

To use castor oil as a sealant, you can mix it with one of the lighter oils and apply it to wet or damp hair after you have moisturized.

To use castor oil in your spritz  as mentioned before, dilute it with a lighter oil and add the mixture to aloe vera juice, rosewater, or regular ole h20. Then shake it all up in a bottle. This makes a great spritz during the drier months and your hair will shine for days.

2. Aloe Vera Juice* and Apple Cider Vinegar* Rinses

Aloe Vera Juice* and Apple Cider Vinegar* rinses are acidic rinses that increase the sheen and shine within the hair by laying down the cuticles.

These rinses are a great way to help repair the cuticles of medium to high porosity hair. However, ladies who have low porosity should take caution in using these rinses due to already having closed cuticles that make moisturizing challenging.

How to use aloe vera and apple cider vinegar* rinses to increase the sheen in your natural hair

The best way to use these rinses is to dilute them in 2 cups of water and pour the mixture over your hair as a final rinse of your wash day.

To make an aloe vera rinse, you can take 1/4 cup of aloe vera juice* and mix it with 2 cups of water. To make an apple cider vinegar* rinse, you can take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and also mix this with 2 cups of water. This rinse also allow your hair to be more receptive to moisture.

3. Shine Pomades

Shine pomades are great shine boosters during the fall and winter months, where the weather can be really cool. Shine pomades are usually transparent to lightly colored with a base of a butter (such as shea butter*, mango butter, avocado butter, etc.) or petroleum and mineral oil*. They are usually mixed with an assortment of oils such olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, and many others.

How to use shine pomades to increase the sheen and shine in natural hair

Shine pomades are best used as a sealant on damp and wet hair. Many ladies also uses small amounts of pomade on straightened to to decrease reversion and to add shine to the hair. A little goes a long way, so try to not be really heavy handed if you tend to be so with hair products.

4. Coconut Oil*

Coconut oil is used as a shine and sheen booster worldwide. From South Asia to the Caribbean, coconut oil appears in many hair regimens of not only women, but men as well.

Coconut oil is a light, colorless oil that solidifies in cooler temperatures due to the high amounts of saturated fat (triglycerides)  that it contains.

It is also considered to be the only oil that fully penetrates the hair strand and provides moisture to the hair. Due to it being a light oil and providing moisture, many low density and fine haired women choose to use coconut oil* as a moisturizer

How to use coconut oil to increase sheen and shine

Coconut oil can be used in any part of your hair regimen to increase shine, but the best way to use coconut oil is as a sealant, in a leave in, hot oil treatments, or in a spritz.

You can also use coconut oil on wet, damp, or dry hair. It is truly a versatile oil that can really increase the shine factor in your hair.

What do you use to increase the bling in your hair? Let us know below!