We all love natural hair, but it can sometimes be overwhelming and tricky. For those who had transitioned or had a big chop, the journey usually starts off with a buzz, but as time passes, being a naturalista becomes the norm, the excitement reduces and so does the enthusiasm to continuously maintain and style your kinks. However, some women’s spark with their kinks never die in fact, they always seem to come up with fresher ways of reviving or to sophisticate their kinks. We’ve come up with 5 natural hair tips to help you with your natural hair journey.

 

Trim and shape your hair

Sometimes the only thing holding your hair back from being as healthy as possible is getting a professional trim or by cutting off what is damaged. Keeping your hair shaped is important too if you wear your hair out often. Split ends will happen to the best of us which is why trimming your hair 4-6 times a year is recommended for healthy hair. You want to get your hair trimmed by a professional for two reasons, their shears, and attention to detail. If you trim your hair with scissors, you are already setting your hair up to split because scissors are not sharp enough for a clean cut and if it isn’t a clean cut it will split right after the cut.

 

Protective Styling

Having your edges tucked away in weaves, wigs or braids guarantees less breakage. But that doesn’t omit the fact that you may still need to sleep with a satin head scarf or wear a satin wrap beneath  wigs to protect your edges.

Product selection

Choose products that do the Job for YOU. Please don’t expect products to work miracles on your hair as it did for your friend, relative, or colleague.

 

Maintain moisture and hydration.

A moisturizer will have water as the first ingredient. If you look at the definition of moisture, water is present; water opens up the cuticle to allow the other ingredients to penetrate and work on a deeper level. Using oils and butter as moisturizers are not going to be as effective. Oils will nourish, seal and even soften the hair temporarily and so will butter. If you use a water-based, creamy moisturizer daily or as needed this will be more effective.

Protect your hair for bed.

Your satin scarf and bonnet should be cherished.

 

 

Shani Crowe is an interdisciplinary artist from Chicago’s south side. She received her BFA in film production from Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications in 2011. Her work is centered on cultural coiffure and beauty ritual, as they relate to the diasporic African, and how these practices function as tools to foster connectivity.

Braiding is universal — but it strikes a particularly intimate chord with African-American women, and this is what Chicago-based artist Shani Crowe dedicates to and looking to change the perception of braids. The collection of images highlights insanely detailed and intricate braided ‘dos, which Crowe created after years and years of practice. Crowe enlisted the help of friends to model her creations. She also photographed, edited, and braided each and every look herself. 

According to her,

“BRAIDS  is a series of photographic portraits celebrating the beauty and nuanced artistry of hair braiding. Influenced by an Afro-centric, non-linear time sense where past, present, and future are intertwined and concurrent, BRAIDS draws from a variety of eras. It is an amalgamation of inspiration from ancient artifacts, traditional African braid styles, popular culture, and Afro-futurism, filtered through my perspective. Each portrait can be appreciated at face value, but the imagery conjures a specific nostalgia for African American women who remember both having their hair braided and braiding someone else’s. The opportunity for deeper understanding among Black Women allows a paradigm shift, where a group seen as a double minority has an inherent advantage. By referencing an intergenerational collective memory, seated in the crest of the Black feminine experience, I create an instance of privilege.”