Ever heard the expression, you’re just as unique as your hair? Well, it’s true, both you and your hair are unique, which is why not every product line will work its magic on your locs.
We’re going to give you four basic ways to choose the best product line for your hair. It’s important to know your hair type, know how to read and interpret those labels, know which ingredients to stay away from, and know what your hair needs and when your locs need some extra TLC. Let’s have a closer look.
Know Your Hair Type
As you may or may not have known, no biggie, there are 4 different types of hair.
- Type 1: Straight hair
- Type 2: Wavy Hair
- Type 3: Curly Hair
- Type 4: Coily Hair
And, honestly, that’s not all. Within each hair type, are, of course, subcategories, because the more specific we can be, the closer we can get to treating our hair type with what it needs to stay naturally healthy and nutritious. As soon as you determine your hair type, you will then know which products are best for your hair and how to treat your hair so that it retains all that delicious moisture!
What does a label mean to you?
We’ve all heard the saying, ‘don't judge a book by its cover,’ but how many of us actually take that old age advice? Can we help it if we’re attracted to beauty and design? No, and why should we? What’s important is flipping that bottle over, past the tantalizing label, and then reading further to decide if you just want to admire the label and move on, or if you want to add this product to your hair care routine. It's important to shy away from products that have wax or heavy creams which will lead to build-up, no thank you. Your best bet, is shopping for products made specially for locs and are most importantly buildup free.
Ingredients to avoid for all hair types
Whether you have curly hair type 3 hair or type 4 coily hair, there are ingredients that will not only damage your locs, but will also damage your scalp. Ingredients like SD alcohol 40, denatured alcohol, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol can dry out the scalp leading to dandruff and breakage. Other ingredients that may not necessarily affect your hair, but in fact your health are DBP, DEHP, DMP, DEP, dibutyl/diethyl ester, 2-benzenedicarboxylate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methanamin, and Quarterium-15, just to name a few. When choosing the best products for your skin and hair we’d really like to encourage you to choose the safe choice both for you and the environment!
Know what your locs need and when
It’s not always about the products we use but how we use them. Sometimes we love a product so much and maybe it was a little bit on the pricey side, so we try to use very little of it to really make it last. In this case, we may not be washing out all that dirt and debris, or applying enough conditioner to provide our locs with the moisture it needs. When we lather, rinse and condition properly but our locs aren’t looking their best, we can go on the hunt for a product that suits our locs more to the T, with the wisdom of what hasn’t been working in the past.
Takeaway
Your locs are a beautiful extension of your individual beauty and that’s why it's important to us that you use the products that work best for your hair type and your habits. We know how frustrating it can be when locs don’t look and feel as we dreamed for them to be. The good news is, when there seems to be a problem there is almost always a solution!
How have you managed to find the perfect products for your hair? What was the journey like?
