Having natural hair doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money on products. Many of the styles demonstrated on YouTube are not just achieved with the product brands featured in the videos. These companies sponsor a lot of the natural hair videos. Some would have you believe that such products are essential for managing and styling your hair effectively. This is not the case and you will find plenty of YouTube vloggers that use simple, natural ingredients. Most of these natural ingredients are probably already in your kitchen cupboards. They work well, if not better, than many product brands.
Here are a few basic ingredients and tips you can apply
Shea Butter
Curly puddings are great but some of them can be quite pricey. Miss Jessie’s curly pudding for example, is $38 for a 16 oz container. Shea butter can be obtained online from sites such as eBay.com, Amazon.com or, online health food stores. One Kilo of Shea Butter really goes a long way and can last for many months. It is also relatively inexpensive. You can also mix it with your favourite oils to soften the texture. In my experience, it works well for styling twist-outs, braid-outs and most curl manipulating styles that require a little hold. I also use it for putting my hair in two strand twists and, it can be used as a sealant.
Check out Naptural85’s Shea Butter mix
Natural oils
Extra Virgin olive oil is likely to already be in your cupboard and can easily be purchased from your local supermarket. Other oils available at the supermarket include coconut oil, avocado oil and Grapeseed oil. I do not use a leave in conditioner. Spraying my hair with water and sealing in the moisture, with natural oils, works well for me. This is a simple and effective method of moisturising Afro-textured hair. Some oils actually penetrate the hair shaft and have moisturising properties as well. These include: avocado oil and coconut oil.
Smoothing down edges with water
Gels can be annoying because they may flake, harden the hair or contain alcohol, which dries the hair. Some of the pomades or styling glazes on the market may be quite pricey, especially if the quantities are small. These products may not be accessible in your area too. Living in Australia, I would have to purchase most of the popular products online. This would result in expensive shipping costs. The good news is, plain old water and your satin scarf may be all you need to smooth down your edges. Style your hair as normal, then lightly spray your edges with water. Smooth your edges gently with your hands, and put on your satin scarf, to hold the hair down in place. Leave it for ten minutes or so (put your makeup on, or whatever else you do to get ready), when you take your scarf off, your edges should be smooth and pressed down.
Make your own deep conditioner
I absolutely love Shea Moisture’s deep conditioner. However, since moving to Australia, I am no longer able to obtain it. Also, I would run out of it too frequently, as I have a lot of hair. You can make your own deep conditioner, that doesn’t require blending ingredients or melting butter and creams on the stove.
Ingredients:
-¼ cup of honey
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup of glycerin
½ cup Greek yogurt (optional, for added protein)
Adjust the ingredients according to the amount required. To make it into a protein treatment, you can add an egg to the mixture. Whisk the ingredients together and it will be ready to use.
Water for defining twist-outs
Twist-outs done on freshly washed hair, are likely to be more defined and last longer. This is regardless of whether you used a product brand or simply Shea Butter. It’s the water that makes the difference. As Afro textured hair dries after washing, it forms the shape it was manipulated into. Twist-outs done on dry hair, simply sprayed with water, may result in a more stretched out style. However, it may not be as defined.
In Australia? Check out www.n-essentials.com.au for natural ingredients, such as Shea butter and natural oils.
Enjoy your hair, with no fuss 🙂
If you like trying out different products, that’s fine but, this information may be helpful to you, when you need to go back to basics. Do you prefer basic ingredients or products brands. How do you save money with your hair care?
Natural Fantastic 