Chapter 7

Picking the Perfect Products

IN THIS CHAPTER

Diving into the importance of water

Identifying the key types of product ingredients

Discovering which ingredients should be avoided

Personalizing product use to your hair type

Using items you have at home to treat your hair

Whether you purchase your hair products at your local drugstore, a high-end supplier, or an online retailer — or you make your own with organic ingredients from your kitchen or local grocery — this chapter points you in the right direction while you embark on the search for the best products.

You can find an infinite number of products in the world. So rather than provide you with a catalog or product guide in this chapter, I mainly focus on giving you the ins and outs of the most important ingredients for healthy curls, kinks, and coils. With this information, you can make your own educated choices, wherever and whenever you shop. The ingredients I go over here apply to all hair care and styling products: shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, oils, creams, gels — everything.

I start by highlighting the most important ingredient of all, then I discuss how different ingredients fit into different categories according to their function and features. Next, I detail how to select products with ingredients that work best for your hair texture and which ones you should avoid. I even give you a few DIY tips for turning products you have in your kitchen into hair care wonder treatments.

Plus, I’ve positively packed this chapter with pro tips that aim to get your natural tresses healthy, hydrated, and styled to the Gawds!

Focusing on the Holy Grail of Hair Care

Before I jump into the nitty gritty of which products are best for your particular hair type and texture, let me just say that one ingredient is vital for everyone’s hair. It’s more important than any other ingredient, no matter what kind of product you use or hair you have on your head. And this holy grail of products for natural and textured hair is also the most accessible: It’s water!

Water is vital to your entire body, and your hair is no exception! If you take only one thing away from this book, make it this: Hydration is the key to healthy hair, and nothing is more hydrating than water. The ultimate goal is to keep as much water in your hair as possible.

It’s important to note that natural and curly hair can be extra prone to dryness and frizz. It’s harder for natural scalp oils (or sebum) to travel from the roots to the ends to entirely coat curly hair strands, which is not the case for straight or slightly wavy hair. Sebum must travel around the twists and bends in curly hair and often coats only a small portion of the hair shaft. That portion is typically closer to the scalp. This is why conditioning and products play a big role in keeping your hair hydrated and moisturized.

Mastering your hair’s water level: Hydrating and moisturizing

There are two parts to successfully mastering your hair’s water level. Although they might appear to be the same thing to the untrained eye, they do have their differences:

• Hydrating your hair: Exposing your hair to enough water so that it penetrates the inside of the hair fiber. The porosity of your hair can affect how much water penetrates your hair, so everyone has different hydration needs. For a refresher on hair porosity, jump back to Chapter 2.
• Moisturizing your hair: Locking water into your hair shaft by softening the hair shaft and sealing in nutrients.

Hydrating your hair is pretty straightforward: Drench your hair with water, making sure the hair is completely saturated. I suggest running the water through your hair for at least 3 to 4 minutes, either in the shower or bath, or in any other way you can expose your head to a lot of water. The longer you soak your hair, the more water your hair follicles absorb. Hydrating your hair doesn’t get much easier than that, right? Well, because you can’t live in water — and weeklong showers are generally frowned upon by polite society — eventually the water evaporates and your hair dries up. You just can’t surround your hair with water 24/7. So you need moisturizing.

In a nutshell, moisturizing is applying products on the outside of your hair to help it retain as much water as possible. You can find all sorts of products for moisturizing — and some for hydrating, as well.

Before I give you the product rundown (see the section “Exploring the Basics of Vital Hair Care Ingredients,” later in this chapter), I want to make sure you know how to get a read on your hair’s hydration status (which I talk about in the following section). You can most easily remember the difference between hydrating and moisturizing by the fact that hydrating happens on the inside of the hair, but moisturizing happens on the outside.

Checking in on your hair’s hydration situation

Before you go loading up your shopping cart with all kinds of products, take a second to figure out just how thirsty your locs currently are. Checking your hair’s hydration level is, in many ways, intuitive. Look for these signs of possible dehydration:

• Your hair looks dull and lacks shine.
• Your hair feels coarse and not soft to the touch.
• Your hair breaks easily and does not hold up to pressure.
• Your curls look frizzy and messy, and not plump and defined.

The preceding list doesn’t include every sign of hair dehydration; it just gives you a few quick clues to look for.

Aside from plain old water, water-based products are your hair’s best friend. Nothing is more vital to healthy hair than keeping the right level of water in it. When you select your shampoo, conditioner, and any type of treatment products, always look at the labels and choose products that list water (or aqua) as one of the first three ingredients.

Styling products that contain water can also add to your hair health, but unlike treatment products, water doesn’t have to appear in the top three ingredients of styling products.

Exploring the Basics of Vital Hair Care Ingredients

If you’re reading this section, you’ve probably determined that your hair is in need of some hydration love. But with thousands of products on the shelves in stores and online, how do you know which products to choose? How do you even start? Say no more — I’m here to help you choose the right products, and you may soon be wondering how you ever lived without them.

Use the amount and type of product that makes the most sense for your hair type.

On the labels of your shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, or any other hair care product, you can find the ingredients list. I know that sometimes the ingredients list can be so long that you feel overwhelmed and confused. But really, you only need to know how to identify the most key ingredients and their functions. These ingredients fall into three basic categories:

• Humectants: Hydrators that attract water from the air and transfer it into your hair
• Emollients: Moisturizers; the oils (think shea butter, argan, and jojoba) that soften, smooth, and detangle your hair
• Occlusives: Also moisturizers; typically thick, and you can use them to seal in water

You can probably understand and identify humectants easily enough. These substances penetrate your hair and add moisture to it. You might find emollients and occlusives a little confusing because they have similar properties and uses, and many ingredients can work as both emollients and occlusives. Both emollients and occlusives moisturize the hair on the outside, but unlike emollients, occlusives also lock in your hair’s internal moisture by applying a seal to the hair shaft.

Sometimes, products contain ingredients from all three categories. Leave-in-conditioners, for example, very commonly have ingredients from each category. Although each category of ingredients has its own unique properties, you may want to use a product that has all three if you have dry or damaged hair because you can hydrate, moisturize, and seal your hair all at once.

If you do choose to use singular products, the order of application is

1. Humectants
2. Emollients
3. Occlusives

Remember, whether you use these products daily, weekly, or monthly depends on your personal hair care needs (turn back to Chapter 4 if you need a refresher on hair care basics).

When you’re shopping for products and reading labels, consider how many products you want to use in the end. Are you a person who loves as many products as possible, or do you prefer to keep things simple? Select your hair care accordingly! And be honest with yourself because if you end up dreading your hair care routine because it’s either too boring or too extra, you won’t do it.

Humectants

Humectants are the foundation of hydrating products. If your hair is dry or damaged because of dehydration, get some humectants into your hair, stat. They bring water into your hair from the air to help

• Soften your hair and retain its curl.
• Add elasticity and bounce to your hair.
• Fortify your hair against the heat, wind, and other elements.

A ton of ingredients fall into this category, so if you’re super interested, definitely spend some time on the web reading more about humectants. You’ll probably find some ingredients you’ve heard of before, but you might find some you haven’t. A few common ingredients that fall under this category include

• Glycerin
• Hyaluronic acid
• Proteins (such as collagen or keratin)
• Sugars (such as glucose and fructose)
• Panthenol

Because humectants take water out of the air to hydrate your hair, their performance is very dependent on the environment. They are most effective in neutral environments — climates that are neither extremely humid nor extremely dry.

In climates that are humid, humectants may bring in too much water, essentially overhydrating your hair. Your hair shafts become bloated, and then your hair gets sticky, big, and frizzy — the exact opposite of what you want to achieve. On the other hand, in climates that are dry, humectants can make your hair even drier because they can’t pull any water from the air. When that happens, humectants pull water up from deep within the hair shaft, which just makes things even worse.

So what do you do if you live in a very dry or very humid place? Make sure your hair care product also includes moisturizers such as occlusives or emollients (which I talk about in the following sections).

Emollients

After your hair has enough water inside it thanks to humectants, emollients, and occlusives are the ingredients that act as moisturizers to lock in that hydration.

I want to first dispel the myth that emollients hydrate your hair — they don’t. Rather, emollients help your hair retain the water that it already contains. You can use these oils and butters to smooth, fill in, and coat the outside of your hair with a film. This film coats the hair so that the occlusives can seal in the water. Emollients also bring back the oil to the hair before you seal your hair with occlusives.

• Help soften your hair strands.
• Keep your hair from tangling.
• Increase slippage, which is exactly what it sounds like: the ability of your hair strands to slip easily around each other. When you have good slippage, you can more easily maintain your curl pattern and prevent frizz.

Here are a few common emollients that you can look for in your product ingredients lists (you can find more information about them in the section “Oils,” later in this chapter):

• Shea butter
• Jojoba oil
• Dimethicone (silicone oil)
• Cetrimonium chloride

For additional info on emollients, check out the sidebar “Fatty alcohols,” in this chapter.

Not only do emollients show up as ingredients in shampoos and conditioners, you can also use them as standalone products. Try them after you shampoo and condition, right before you style — or to refresh your style between wash days. For more on using them, flip back to Chapter 4.

Occlusives (a.k.a. sealants)

Occlusives (also known as sealants) are similar to emollients. Occlusive butters and oils have a thick consistency that

• Serves primarily to lock or seal in moisture.
• Prevents water from escaping from your hair.
• Can be too greasy, but not if you use lighter options.

You can often find occlusives paired with humectants in hair care products to counteract dryness caused by the glycerin you find in many natural and curly hair products and extremely humid or dry climates.

Here are a few common occlusives (you can read more about these occlusives in the section “Oils,” later in the chapter):

• Coconut oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Castor oil

Oils versus butters

Which product is better — an oil or a butter? The answer depends on your hair goals and your hair texture. Oils tend to be lighter and work best for thinner strands, but butters — which are heavier and have bigger moisture molecules — work best on 3c to 4c hair. (For a rundown on different hair textures, head back to Chapter 3.) The butter actually penetrates the shaft and weighs down thinner strands, like 2a to 3b tresses.

Butters provide a protective barrier and can better stick to thick strands than oils can. If you have fine strands, such as 2a to 3b, lighter oils that don’t weigh hair down are best.

Whichever route you choose, oils or butter, you need to seal the hair to protect it and prepare it for daily styling. Using oil or butter helps reduce frizz, saves time on detangling, increases length retention, and softens the hair.

Investigating Amazing Ingredients That Double as Supplements

Many ingredients that are great for topical hair care products are also safe and good for ingesting. The following sections give you a quick rundown of ingredients that enhance your hair products and keep your hair and scalp healthy. You can also work them into your vitamin and supplement routine.

Vitamin E

You probably know vitamin E for its antioxidant properties. For years, the skin industry has used vitamin E to combat aging, inflammation, and sun damage. Lately, in-the-know hair mavens have adopted vitamin E as a cure-all to turn frizzy, damaged, unruly hair into shiny, luscious strands fit for a highly liked Instagram image. Vitamin E can improve your overall scalp and hair health because it helps reduce oxidative stress (when you don’t produce enough antioxidants to fight off free radicals), which often leads to hair loss.

Biotin

Biotin is a nutrient that helps to protect and rebuild your hair when excessive styling and harsh environmental conditions damage it. Biotin develops amino acids that structure the keratin protein, and it also invigorates the development of hair strands. If you want to consume biotin, you can find it naturally in several foods such as milk, eggs, and bananas.

Biotin is one of the most effective hair growth supplements because it stimulates keratin production and increases the rate of follicle production. I suggest taking at least 2,500 micrograms (mcg) per serving.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 helps reduce the production of sebum that naturally comes from your scalp. When your production of sebum is in overdrive, you can end up with very oily skin and scalp, which causes your pores to clog. Vitamin B6 calms your sebaceous glands (the glands responsible for sebum production), allowing your follicles to grow from a healthy foundation. When you have balanced sebaceous glands, you can prevent sebum buildup at your scalp, which enables you to go a little longer between wash days during those lazy weeks.

If you have dry hair, do not use vitamin B6, as you need as much oil as your hair will produce.

Vitamin B6 also enhances the circulation of oxygenated blood to the hair follicles and scalp. This blood flow considerably supports hair growth and hair strengthening.

Selenium

Selenium has several great benefits for your hair and scalp. Selenium contains antioxidant enzymes that can prevent your hair follicles from being damaged by sun rays, pollution, and other free radicals. Selenium can also help your body transform proteins to promote hair growth. Lastly, selenium is anti-inflammatory and kills dandruff-causing fungus. This is why you may see selenium as one of the top ingredients in a lot of treatments for dandruff and dry scalp.

Avoiding the “Bad” Ingredients

You definitely want to know which ingredients to look for (which I talk about in the preceding sections), but you also need to know which ingredients you might want to steer clear of. A lot of mass-produced hair products include substances that don’t help your hair. Some of these products include ingredients that even damage your hair. Now here’s the rub: All of these ingredients are bad in a way, but some are also kind of necessary evils.

Although some products still include these ingredients, the companies that manufacturing them use higher-quality versions so that they can market their products as “sulfate-free” (or free of whatever the ingredient may be).

The other caveat to this section: These ingredients affect different people differently. Some folks might have an allergic reaction, but others don’t. Be informed and make decisions that are right for you and your hair.

The healthier products often cost more because they don’t have cheap additives, but having healthy hair makes the price worth it. After all, why go through a book about taking care of your hair, only to have your hair care hard work undone by these unsavory characters?

Although I also discuss other ingredients in the following sections, if you have curls or natural hair, it’s most important to avoid sulfates, parabens, and silicones.

Sulfates

Okay, so sulfates are supposed to be the main cleaning agents in shampoo. And yes, sulfates strip away dirt and oil, but — hold onto your fedora — they also typically tend to strip your hair of all of its lovely natural oils! As you can probably surmise, when your hair loses its natural oils, it ultimately dries out and breaks. And the thing is, sulfates have been a key ingredient in shampoo forever. So if you’ve ever wondered why you keep washing and conditioning, but your hair is still as dry as the desert in July, chances are sulfates are part of the problem.

Even before natural hair re-emerged as a fashion statement around 2007 and 2008, sulfates were considered highly controversial; and as a result, several hair care manufacturers have developed new sulfate-based formulations that don’t dry your hair. While more people catch onto the harm that sulfates can do, the demand for sulfate-free shampoos and other products is on the rise.

So why haven’t sulfates totally gone away? Well, sulfates make your soap sudsy, and most people think their hair isn’t clean unless they see suds. The truth is, you can get your hair just as clean without sulfates and suds. I’ll admit, even I like the suds (shrug), but we’re all better off giving them up. To start cutting the cord, just check ingredient lists for any ingredient with the word sulfate in it. If you see sulfate, pass on that product.

Parabens

Parabens are preservatives used to give products a longer shelf life, but these chemicals can dry out your hair and cause frizz. Plus, parabens can enter your body through your scalp, disrupting your hormones and causing other serious medical issues. Similar to sulfates, keep your eyes out for the word paraben in the ingredients list. Just a heads up: You might find it tacked onto another word, looking something like methylparaben, so don’t let it trick you.

Silicones

Silicones are man-made ingredients that manufacturers use to give hair the moisturized feeling of slippage. Notice that I say feeling. Silicones don’t actually hydrate your hair. The silicone sits on the hair strands, which — when used regularly — can weigh down the hair because of excessive build up (flip back to Chapter 4 for guidance on removing buildup).

Alcohols

In general, alcohol dries things out, and the key to beautiful bouncing curls is moisture. So staying away from hair products that contain alcohol makes sense, right? Well, not all alcohols are created equal.

Beware of short-chain alcohols, which have a shorter molecular structure than long-chain alcohols, allowing them to evaporate quickly. But this also dries hair out and causes it to be brittle. Here are a few examples:

• Alcohol denat
• Aminomethyl propanol
• Ethanol
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Propyl alcohol
• SD alcohol; SD alcohol 40

Stay away from the alcohols in the preceding list as much as possible. These alcohols can ultimately damage your hair cuticle, resulting in dry and frizzy hair. Now that I’ve told you the general rule, do you know what I’m going to tell you next? Yep, the exception to the rule!

Truthfully, if you need to cut down drying time or make applying styling products on your hair easier, alcohols can help — but only in small quantities. And not all the time.

FATTY ALCOHOLS

Unlike short-chain alcohols, which I talk about in the section “Alcohols,” in this chapter, fatty alcohols don’t dry your hair an excessive amount. They have a higher carbon content, which makes products feel oilier. Manufacturers often use fatty alcohols in their emollients (see the section “Emollients,” in this chapter, for more on that hair care must-have). Fatty alcohols help make your hair feel smoother by making the cuticle lie flat. But like anything, if you use fatty acids in excess, you can cause problems such as stringy and greasy hair from the fatty acids combining with your hair’s natural sebum. Here are some common fatty alcohols you might find in hair products:

• Behenyl alcohol: Synthetic or plant derived; a thickening agent used primarily to thicken creamy products and to soften and smooth hair
• Benzyl alcohol: A preservative or stabilizing agent derived from fruit; unlikely to impact hair texture in any way
• Cetearyl alcohol: A mix of alcohols that forms a white waxy solid and serves as an emollient or softener; most often found in cream-based products
• Cetyl alcohol: A waxy solid derived from plants or animals; used in creams and lotions to add viscosity and prevent oils and liquids from separating
• Lauryl alcohol: An organic compound produced industrially from palm kernel oil or coconut oil; keeps all the ingredients bound together for full and even application
• Myristyl alcohol: A lighter-weight fatty alcohol that functions as a thickener and emulsion stabilizer; keeps the liquids from separating while also softening the hair
• Propylene glycol: An additive that helps to preserve or stabilize products; often also used as a humectant (discussed in the section “Humectants,” in this chapter)
• Stearyl alcohol: Vegetable derived; an emollient used to thicken and emulsify a variety of cosmetic products

Fragrance

Many natural ingredients have their own smell (for example, coconut oil, mint, and eucalyptus). I’m not talking about those fragrances in this section. What I am warning you about are synthetic fragrances and scents that manufacturers use to get your attention and make their products more appealing to you. Companies do a lot of research to find the most popular smells to appeal to your senses. But honestly, in hair care, fragrance is totally non-essential, and it can even be damaging.

The primary ingredient of most fragrance is alcohol, and you know what that means: Unless you want dried out hair, run away! (See the section “Alcohols,” earlier in this chapter, for the rundown of these frizz-creators.)

However, some brands have gone so far as to create hair fragrances that you spritz on your hair rather than your body. I don’t want to tell you what to do with your life, so I’ll just say — maybe not.

But if you love all things that smell good, don’t feel shame. Try essential oils, which provide a great alternative to synthetic fragrances. Try adding a few drops of citrus, lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, or floral oils to your water bottle and mist your hair. Or add essential oils into your hair oil when you use it as a sealant!

Choosing Products That Work Best for Your Hair

It’s time to stock your shelves! The following sections tell you all about which types of products you can buy to address your personal hair care needs and characteristics. From shampoos to mousse, and from edge control to butters, I get you all set up.

Shampoos

Shampoos are the main product you use to cleanse your hair, and there are different kinds of shampoos you can use to achieve different levels of cleansing. Although you may see more than this when you shop in a retail store or online, the four main categories should know about and use are:

• Regular/normal shampoo
• Clarifying shampoo
• Moisturizing/hydrating shampoo
• Dry shampoo

You may need to use only one kind of shampoo, or you may find yourself using all four.

Regular/normal

Regular or normal shampoo simply cleans your hair and scalp from excess oils and buildup. They don’t address any specific hair needs or treatments, other than cleansing your hair with straightforward ingredients without stripping your scalp’s natural oils. When you shop for regular shampoo, some of the best ingredients to look for include plant oils, fruit extracts, and aloe vera. These ingredients clean natural and curly hair without drying it out too much, as well as preserve your curl pattern.

Clarifying

When you want to clean your hair more deeply, use a clarifying shampoo. It thoroughly removes excess product buildup and residue from your hair and scalp because it contains a chelating agent, which is a chemical compound that binds to iron and other metallic material, dissolves it, and then makes it easy for the water to rinse away.

When you are shopping for clarifying shampoos, pass up any that have harsh sulfates, and keep your eye out for chelating agents in the ingredient list. Tetrasodium EDTA and tetrahydroxypropyl ethylenediamine is the most common chelating agent.

If you use products regularly, you should have a clarifying shampoo in your hair care regimen. When you use clarifying shampoo, it cleans your hair so deeply that it helps your conditioners, masks, and treatments penetrate better.

After using a clarifying shampoo, your hair will feel squeaky clean because it’s been stripped of its natural oils and may feel hard to touch. Follow your clarifying shampoo up with a moisturizing shampoo or your favorite conditioner to replenish the moisture and soften the hair shaft (more on that in Chapter 4).

Moisturizing/hydrating

Moisturization and hydration is commonly used interchangeably when it comes to natural and curly hair, but there is a difference that is important to know when you’re shampoo shopping. Ingredients in hydrating shampoos attract or add water to the hair, increasing moisture content in your strands. Moisturizing shampoos prevent moisture loss by locking or sealing water in the hair.

Let’s say your hair is dry, and you’re looking for a shampoo to help you put moisture back into your actual hair strands. You should select a hydrating shampoo. If your hair isn’t dry, but you want to keep the level of moisture it has in it safe, use a moisturizing shampoo to lock that moisture in. You can also use both: a hydrating shampoo first to put water into the hair, and then a moisturizing shampoo second to lock that new water in.

Both of these types of shampoos contain detergent (or cleansing agents) to rid your hair and scalp of dirt, sebum and product buildup, and odor.

Dry

Dry shampoo is not typically a go-to for the natural and curly hair community because they are mostly marketed and seen being used by people with Type 1 hair, but since most natural and curly hair types don’t require multiple washes throughout the week, dry, shampoos can be great to add to your weekly routine because it absorbs the oils, dirt, and grease from your hair and scalp without using water (it’s an aerosol spray product).

You can use dry shampoo to freshen up your hair after working out, to extend a blowout style, or prolong the time between wash days.

I always have dry shampoo in my kit while on set just in case a client doesn’t arrive with freshly cleaned hair, as it’s my pro solution to help several-days-old hair look fresh.

When testing out dry shampoos, look for a virtually invisible one so you won’t be left with a chalky cast. You might have to try a few different dry shampoos to find the one that is invisible on your specific hair.

Detangling conditioners

You should definitely have a detangling conditioner in your collection. As the name suggests, it helps you detangle your hair because it contains a lot of slip (or lubrication), which makes it easy for your wide-tooth comb to glide through your hair with little to no friction, letting you comb out and untangle your hair easily.

Detangling conditioners are so lubricating because they don’t sink into the hair shaft. Instead, they sit on the surface and coat the hair shaft, which makes your hair easier to detangle because it smooths the cuticle layer.

Select a detangling conditioner with these ingredients that provide the most slip:

• Plant oils like olive or coconut
• Butters like shea or cocoa
• Glycerin (natural or organic)
• Silicones (Make sure you read the section, “Avoiding the ‘Bad’ Ingredients” in this chapter before choosing a product with silicones.)

A NOTE ABOUT CO-WASHES

The co in “co-wash” is short for “conditioner.” Simply put, co-washing is when you use conditioner to cleanse your hair instead of a shampoo because you want the extra hydration and moisture that the conditioner offers. Although there are products out there specifically marketed for co-washing, you really don’t need to buy them. Your favorite conditioner contains cleansing agents in it and can clean your hair while protecting the moisture. For more info on co-washing, turn back to Chapter 4.

Twisting creams

When you want to define and elongate your curls, add twisting cream to your hair product collection. Twisting creams provide natural shine and hold when you apply them to your damp hair. When you apply a little twisting cream to your twist out, wash-and-go’s, or diffused or air-dried styles, you can preserve your curl pattern and moisture.

When you are shopping for one, look for a cream that is lightweight, non-sticky, non-flaky, and non-greasy. Select a cream that has water as one of the first three ingredients and contains ingredients like glycerin, aloe vera, and shea butter.

Gels, mousses, and curl definers

No matter your hair type, to give your style a nice finished, polished look that keeps your curls rockin’ without frizzing up, use gels, mousses, or curl definers. They all help your hair to stay in place without gluing your strands down or letting them dry out. But each of these products have slightly different features, and you may have to try different products and brands to find what works for you.

• Gels: Reduce friction, minimize frizz, hold your hairstyles in place, lay and smooth your hairline/edges, and keep your curls defined without making them look or feel crunchy. Look for gels that are labeled “flake-free” and don’t have alcohol listed in the ingredients.
• Mousses: Also help with hold and minimizing frizz. Similar to gels, mousses reduce friction making it easier to style your hair. But unlike gels, mousses are great for adding volume to finer hair textures as they work to plump up the hair shaft, creating the illusion of thicker strands. Look for a mousse that doesn’t weigh your hair down and is also alcohol free.
• Curl definers: Help you sculpt define and smooth your curls. To add definition to your curls using a curl definer, apply some with your hands to your wet hair from root to ends, making sure it’s evenly distributed, and then scrunch to form your curl pattern, and dry as desired (whether by using a dryer or air-drying). When shopping for curl definers, look for ingredients like coconut oil, Jardin oil, green tea extract, jojoba oil, and olive oil.

Now you know me; I don’t recommend many specific products, but I just have to share this one with you. That’s how good it is. My favorite curl cream for wash-and-gos is the Coconut Curling Cream from Cantu (see Figure 7-1). It conditions your hair, plus adds definition and make your curls soft and manageable. I especially love that it’s made with pure shea butter and no harsh ingredients. It even won an award in 2013, when it was named Best of the Best by NaturallyCurly.com! (PDC Brands pays me an influencer fee to promote this Cantu product.)

Courtesy of Cantu

FIGURE 7-1: Coconut Curling Cream from Cantu.

Edge control

Edge control, a gel-like product that’s much thicker and less pliable than most products used on natural hair, can help you tame or style your hairline or baby hair like nothing else. Choose a formula based on your hair texture so that your hair ends up neither greasy nor sticky. For finer strands, you can use an edge control that’s more fluid in texture — almost like a pomade or something that you can use for flyaways, like serums. For thicker and coarse strands, go for a thick but non-greasy tamer that’s also heat resistant so that your edges stay laid even in the summer.

Conditioners and hair masks

Moisture is fundamental for keeping your luscious kinks and curls in the best shape possible. (If you don’t believe me, flip to the section “Focusing on the Holy Grail of Hair Care,” earlier in this chapter.) Conditioner makes each strand of hair smooth and reduces frizz by helping the cuticle layer lay down flat (for a refresher on the conditioner and hair mask 411, turn back to Chapter 4). But I know you might find selecting the right conditioner or mask for your hair confusing. You can find so many different variations of conditioner out there that do different things to and for your hair. Allow me to break it down for you:

• Regular conditioners: Typically used after you shampoo for 5 to 10 minutes, you might hear these called surface conditioners because they soften your hair only at the surface level. If your hair is a tad dry but the overall condition of your hair is good, you can use regular conditioners for maintenance every time you shampoo.
• Deep conditioners: Intended to stay on your hair for 15 to 30 minutes, deep conditioners are typically much thicker in appearance than surface conditioners. They soften deeper into the core of the hair strand and keep your hair conditioned for a much longer time than a surface conditioner. In general, you can deep condition two to four times per month. Deep conditioners can really help you out if you experience a little more dryness and shedding than normal, whether it’s occasional or chronic.
• Hair masks: Made to strengthen and repair your hair. Leave hair masks on for 20 to 30 minutes. They’re highly concentrated with additives that can help revitalize your hair. You can use hair masks about once or twice per week, in place of your surface conditioner. If your hair is colored, has weakened elasticity from excessive tension, or has some heat damage, or you’re transitioning from a relaxer, a good mask can help you repair and restore your hair’s integrity.
• Leave-in conditioners: You can use leave-in conditioners as an additional conditioner to give you some extra moisture and protection. Look for something lightweight that also offers heat protection from both UV rays and styling tools. You can find leave-ins available in two different forms: liquid spray for a light, weightless feel, and product with a milky to creamy texture that you rub into the hair. If you have wavy to loose curls, go for spray-on, but tighter curls should use creamier leave-ins to help the curls retain moisture (which gives better curl definition and separation).

All products are made differently, so make sure to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Oils

When it’s time for your hot oil treatment (flip back to Chapter 4 for more on how to do them and how often), you can either buy a premade version from the store, or you can make your own.

You can use many different oils for hair treatments. When figuring out which one to select, it comes down to what your hair needs. Do you need to hydrate it? Moisturize it? Both? You can choose to use one oil or a combination of several oils.

Lightweight oils act more like humectants (which I talk about in the section “Humectants,” earlier in this chapter) and can penetrate your actual hair shaft. Use these oils if your hair is very dry or damaged and you’re just beginning your hot-oil journey. Here are a few options:

• Amla oil: A great choice if you have an oily scalp but dry hair. It strengthens and conditions all parts of your hair, down to the root.
• Avocado oil: Fights frizz like no other. If you need some radiant shine and extra growth, go with this oil.
• Coconut oil: The best option if you have some pesky dandruff you want to ditch. Coconut oil also strengthens your hair because of the proteins it contains that bind to your shaft.
• Cetrimonium chloride: A great option for battling static and frizz, plus has detangling properties.
• Grapeseed oil: Excellent if you have brittle hair or need to protect it against heat or thermal styling. This oil can also help you treat and prevent dandruff.
• Olive oil: Olive oil can soften your hair up and add some shine to boot. Fatty oils act more like emollients and occlusives, moisturizing from the outside to lock in moisture. Flip back to the sections “Emollients” and “Occlusives (a.k.a. sealants),” earlier in this chapter, to get the details on these types of products. These oils allow you to maintain your lovely locs, after you give yourself any number of treatments.

• Castor oil: Use this oil if you’re in cold weather or want to get rid of buildup. Castor oil is also anti-inflammatory and promotes hair growth thanks to nutrients such as vitamin A, Omega 6 and other fatty acids, and proteins.

  The two types of castor oil are yellow, which is cold-pressed, and Jamaican black castor oil (JBCO), which uses roasted castor beans. JBCO has a higher pH and is more alkaline than yellow castor oil, so you can use JBCO as a clarifying agent.

• Jojoba oil: Rich in vitamins and minerals that nourish your hair, including vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin E, copper, and zinc. Make this oil your go-to if you have dry hair or scalp because it’s so similar to the natural sebum your hair follicles produce that sometimes your body can’t even tell the difference. It also has antibacterial properties.
• Grapeseed oil: Excellent if you have brittle hair or need to protect it against heat or thermal styling because it has a lot of vitamin E and fatty acids. It can also help you treat and prevent dandruff.

After you know which oils can help you manage your hair, you can shop with confidence and grab some perfect premade options off the shelf. Or if you’re feeling bold, you can try your hand at making your own oil-based hair product.

The lists in this section can get you started, but you can find more oils out there beyond the options I talk about. So don’t be afraid to do additional research, ask your friends, and experiment to see what works for you.

Butters

When you need a moisture-lock product that’s thicker than your hair, go with butters. Butters make sure that all your hair’s hard-earned hydration doesn’t vanish in a flash. Butters are best for coarse and thick hair, but you can still use them if you have fine or thin hair; just start with small amounts. Here’s a list of some butters to try:

• Shea butter: The most perfect butter to help soothe your dry hair. It smooths out the cuticle, or surface, of your hair because it contains a lot of fatty acids.
• Cocoa butter: If you have fine or thin hair, cocoa butter can help you maintain long-term hydration and supports healthy oil production to help prevent breakage.
• Mango butter: Keeps your hair moisturized, but with bounce and fluff. Mango butter also provides excellent UV protection. It’s lighter than shea butter, so it doesn’t leave as much buildup. And it’s the perfect alternative if you’re allergic to shea butter.

Heat protectants

Heat protectants create a barrier between your hair and direct heat so the heat doesn’t damage your hair. Apply a heat protectant before you use any hot tool (see more on those tools in Chapter 8). The protectant helps you prevent frizz by locking in moisture by sealing your cuticle. When selecting a heat protectant

• Choose a protectant that indicates on the label that it provides maximum heat protection.
• Read the ingredient list to make sure keratin is one of the first ingredients listed. Keratin adds protein to your hair, which increases its strength.
• Read the ingredient list to make sure the protectant contains organic silicones such as cyclomethicone and dimenthicone, which will coat and protect your hair from drying out.

Turning Your Kitchen into a DIY Product Treasure Trove

If you want to avoid wading through store-bought hair care products, you can always make your own. If you like to stay away from chemicals but are open to adventure, you might want to go the DIY route. In today’s world, you have access to all the information you need to craft your own shampoo, conditioner, hair masks, and other products. Unfortunately, I don’t have the space to detail all of the different recipes for all of the different products you could potentially make. But a quick Internet search can give you all the ideas you could ever want. Look for sites that are written by professionals in the natural hair care world.

Here and now, I can give you a quick list of items you probably already have in your house that you can put to work immediately on their own to hydrate and moisturize your lustrous locs.

Throughout this chapter, I mention different natural ingredients that you can find at home to use on your hair as single-item care and treatment. I don’t repeat any of them in this list, but make no mistake: These ingredients can improve your DIY game, so go back through and search them out if you need to!

Without further ado, here’s a list of time-tested, tried-and-true DIY hair care ideas:

• Honey: A great natural humectant, you can use honey with water or oil, or incorporate it into another natural hair treatment. Honey can promote cell growth, help your hair retain moisture, and restore nutrients to your hair and scalp. It may even help alleviate any inflammatory skin conditions you’re dealing with when you combine it with other therapies. You can also use honey to treat dandruff, clean hair follicles, increase shine, and more.

  The simplest way to use honey on your hair is to combine 1 cup of honey and ¼ cup olive oil, then massage the mixture into your scalp and hair. Let it sit for 1 to 2 hours. Rinse, then shampoo and condition like you would normally. However, if you want to be fancy, you can find all sorts of recipes online that teach you how to make your own honey hair mask!

• Aloe: Has innumerable health benefits, including many for natural hair. Aloe vera contains vitamins A, B12, C, and E, which are said to promote hair growth, and its natural enzymes aid in hair retention (which means less shedding) and soothe dry and itchy scalp (which lead to dandruff). Because of aloe’s viscosity, it serves as an excellent protective layer on the hair.

  Apply aloe vera gel into your scalp and gently massage it in. You can also apply it to your strands. Make sure to leave the aloe gel or juice on for at least 2 hours before rinsing or washing your hair. You should notice an improvement in the condition of your scalp and hair in about 2 to 3 months.

• Rice: Full of amino acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants, you can use rice to detangle your hair and make it shiny and smooth. Well, technically, you make rice water.

  Combine ½ cup of rinsed uncooked rice with 2 to 3 cups of water. Let the rice soak for about a half-hour, and then strain it. After you shampoo and rinse your hair, pour the rice water on your hair, massage it into your hair and scalp, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. After that, rinse with warm water.

• Flaxseed gel: A secret-sauce hair mask for getting your curls to clump without frizz. Also, this gel fortifies the follicles, leading to moisturized hair that grows faster and longer.

  To make your own flaxseed gel, simmer 4 tablespoons of flaxseeds in 2 cups of water for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. Stir and strain the flaxseeds through a cheesecloth. Cool for up to 2 hours. You can use this gel on clean and conditioned hair by massaging a small amount onto your hair. Leave it to sit for 15 minutes, then rinse and shampoo and condition normally.

• Apple cider vinegar (ACV): Rich in vitamins B and C, ACV also contains alpha-hydroxy acid, which exfoliates the scalp (removes dead skin cells) and serves as an anti-inflammatory to help prevent dandruff.

  On wash day, use it as a scalp cleanser (find more about cleansing your scalp in Chapter 4).

• Tea tree oil: An antibacterial and antifungal, tea tree oil helps soothe dry itchy scalps (see Chapter 4 for application tips).

• Peppermint oil: An antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, peppermint oil penetrates the hair follicle and aids in blood circulation, which can help with hair growth.

  You can get the most out of peppermint oil as a pre-shampoo on wash day because it removes buildup, reduces inflammation, and gives the hair extra moisture (for more details about how to apply it, flip back to Chapter 4).