When I was living in Ghana for 5 months, the hot, dry climate definitely took its toll on my hair. Through tender love and care I was able to get a great feel for the needs of my hair texture in any setting.
Eventually other women began to take note of this personal journey. Every day someone would come up to me and ask, “What did you do to your hair? It looks so soft.” Then they would follow with, “I could never do that. My hair is too hard.”
These experiences never ceased to surprise me. As a Ghanaian-American I was sure that my hair texture could not be much different from theirs. To their constant questions, I would simply respond, “Water and oil.”
Let me explain. For women with kinkier hair that seems “coarse” or “hard” in nature, the first step to hair health is proper moisturization. Typically, women with this type of hair have lower hair porosity, meaning that it is harder for the hair to retain moisture. This simply means that we need to use specific combinations of products to achieve prime moisture, mainly water followed by products with nourishing essential oils.
Prior to applying any product, you should use warm water to open up your hair cuticles. This way, your hair will be ready to retain the moisture from whatever product you use next.
PRODUCTS FOR “COARSE” HAIR
I recommend these styling products for kinkier hair textures:
Alikay Naturals: All of these products are made with the best natural ingredients and mostly list water as the first ingredient. They smell great, and are all fairly affordable, ranging from $10-$17.
Naya Naturals Shea Fusion Line: This line of products is created by an entrepreneur in Ghana with locally sourced shea butter. It’s a very underrated brand with wonderful products for daily moisturizing and styling.
Oyin Handmade Hair Dew: Oyin Handmade has all around great natural products, but this particular one is great daily moisturizer for those of us with kinkier hair types.
Try these products (with water) and witness the change in your “coarse” natural hair!
SHOP THE PRODUCTS
Have you ever considered your hair to be “too hard”? What products would you add to this list?
Never heard of these products, but I’ll have to try. Thanks.