6 Reasons Your Type 4 Natural Hair Feels Dry And What To Do About It

One of the reasons why a lot of women are reluctant about going natural or are quick to cut their Natural hair journey short is mostly due to the “dry hair epidemic” in the Black hair community. No matter how many products we use on our hair, it seems like nothing can keep our kinky* coily hair soft.

You might even be thinking that your hair is against you and it enjoys frustrating you. But if you look deep down into the reasons why your hair is always dry, you’ll soon find out that it’s because of some of the things that you’re either doing to your hair or are not doing to it.

Here are 6 Reasons why your hair always feels dry and what to do about it.

1. You’re using way too many products!

Ever heard the phrase “less is more” or “too much of a good thing could be bad”?

I’ve heard of naturals who will use a leave-in conditioner*, styling cream, styling gel, and other product combos just to achieve a simple hairstyle such as a twist-out.Layering too many products on your hair will not only weigh your hair down, it will also cause a product buildup that can leave white residues in your hair.

Also, applying too many products in your hair can leave it feeling greasy, sticky or even stinky. Another reason why using too many products is bad for the health of your hair is that it doesn’t allow your hair to absorb any moisturizing cream that you might decide to apply on your hair at a later day.

2. You’re not using enough products

I always giggle at product instructions that recommends using a pea-sized or dime sized amounts of their products in my hair. You see, Type 4 Natural hair is very coily and so products applied to the hair must be applied to small sections of the hair at a time so that the entire hair can receive equal amounts of nourishment.

This means that a mere pea-size amount won’t do the job. To ensure that your hair stays moisturized for days, you want to ensure that you apply generous (but not too generous) amounts of products on your hair, starting from the tips and working your way down to the roots, just make sure that you work in a downward movement.

3. You’re using the wrong products!

No matter how expensive a product was or the long hours of research that you did before buying that product, if a product is not working for your hair, please be kind enough to pass it to someone else. Another thing that you can do, which I also do is to put it aside for at least 3 months to see how your hair will react to it during a different season.

Products Recommendation: Some of the products that has helped naturals including myself to soften their hair includes Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner, Kinky Curly Knot Today,  As I am Leave-in, Giovanni Direct Leave-in

4. You wear your hair loose too often
One of the reasons why protective styles work so well is because hair that is bounded up in sections can hold on to moisture much longer than hair that’s worn free and loose.

Moisture evaporates quickly from an afro puff than it does from a two-strand twist or a bun. So one of the best ways to prolong moisture retention is to braid your hair up.

5. You don’t co-wash/re-fresh your hair when needed

In the Natural Hair Regimen cheat sheet that I send to new subscribers, I recommend co-washes in the middle of the week because it helps to remove excessive products that has been sitting on the hair for days.

If you like to use different combination of products in your hair when you style your hair, it’s very important that you wash out those products when you star to experience dry hair.

Co-washes are also a great way to refresh your dry hair as they provide a temporary hydration for your hair. To save time co-washing your hair, you can put your hair into about 6 chunky twists before co-washing.

6. You set it and forget it way too often

If you’re a weave*/ extensions* person, you might be tempted to go weeks or months without refreshing your hair. The down side of Natural hair is that you can’t just “forget” about your hair and expect it to grow and be healthy on its own. Like other parts of your body, your hair also needs daily attention to keep looking its best.

A simple hair hydration spritz consisting of water, oil and leave-in conditioner* can save your hair from dryness and breakage. And all you have to do is to spritz your hair a few times week!

This post first appeared on www.coilsandglory.com