Women of Colour Collective caught up with natural haircare specialist and owner of Butterfly Hairstyles, Ashanti, to find out some top tips on how to maintain and nurture your hair at home.
Women of Colour Collective
We know that some of you have struggled to deal with your hair at home, especially as the salons and a lot of hair shops have previously been shut as a result of the pandemic! However, products are still available online or you can scavenge and see if you can find some products in supermarkets or pharmacies. Nowadays we are seeing a wider range of more inclusive haircare in big stores such as Superdrug but a wider variety can definitely be found online!
We asked natural haircare specialist and owner of Butterfly Hairstyles, Ashanti, for some advice and tips on how to maintain and nurture your hair at home. She gave us some great advice which we have compiled into this article which is mainly geared towards people with curly hair.
Ashanti states that the best thing to do is to treat the hair as you would a plant, with water! She also doesn't differentiate hair by letters and numbers, she prefers to use the terms curly, wavy or straight.
Curly Hair Routine
Water
A spray bottle is a recommended item, but if you don't have one you can lightly wet your hair with your hands.
Photo by Joseph Antigua on Unsplash
Food
Oils are important to keep your hair and scalp healthy as they lock in moisture. Thick and curly hair can often become dry which can lead to breakage so using oils can help revitalise the hair. Additionally, oils can help with hair growth, reduce frizz and keep your hair shiny. Natural oils are recommended, examples include; coconut oil, castor oil, tea tree oil or lavender oil for scent.
Don't apply oils to dry hair, hair must be wet first. Oils are a sealant so they are only sealing in the dryness.
Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash
Sunlight
Try to allow the sun to penetrate the follicles. Vitamin D is a really important nutrient and the sun is a huge source. Vitamin D really helps with hair growth among other benefits.
Photo by Caique Silva on Unsplash
Styling
Great protective styles include twists and single plaits. These are both loose so there should be no tension. Size preference is up to you!
Once styled continue to spray, moisturise and oil the hair. Remember dryness can and will cause breakage!
Photo by Caique Silva on Unsplash
We hope that you have found this helpful! We will be setting up a hair care section on our forum where you can share your routines/products/tips!
Thanks for reading!
Be healthy and stay safe!
Enjoyed reading Ashanti’s top tips?
Check her out on Instagram: @butterflyhairstyles