There are a lot of products market toward people with kinky curly hair textures. Whether you are transitioning to natural or caring for a loved one’s hair, I will show you how to find the products that will work for you.
Natural Hair Products for Transitioning Hair
This section is important for those transitioning from relaxed to natural. If you want to transition long term and have healthy relaxed hair, It is okay to continue using the products that have been working for you.
If you have been reading natural hair blogs, or watching natural hair videos on YouTube, the recommendation is to avoid “unnatural” ingredients such as Silicones, Mineral Oils, and proteins. The fact of the matter is these ingredients can help keep relaxed hair healthy.
The only way to permanently alter hair texture is with chemicals and excessive heat. The worst-case scenario with using “unnatural” ingredients such as Silicones and mineral oils is that you get product buildup which can be removed with clarifying shampoos. This is why I highly recommend sticking with products that work for you during your transition. I don’t want you to get frustrated
All of the product tips below will apply to transitioning hair….eventually. In the beginning if you have healthy hair continue doing the things that make your hair healthy. Nothing except chemicals and heat damage will permanently alter your natural hair. Using “unnatural” ingredients while transitioning will not damage your natural hair.
Products Required for Natural Hair Beginners
When you come over to the natural hair care world there are all these products that are not prevalent in the world of straight hair and relaxed hair. There are Curl Activators, Co Washes, Clay Masks, Curl Puddings the list is exceedingly long, confusing and overwhelming. You might think you have to go from doing a simple wash and conditioner wash day…to believing you have to do two day marathon wash days with 10 products from 5 different brands.
I’m hoping to save you time and money by helping you find the right products to add to your natural hair care routine. Also, save time and money by leaving out unnecessary steps and products to your routine.
and deep treatment to in the have to worry about ordidn’t use when you relax you knowthere’spre pools there’s curl puddings there’stwist out creams there’s styling buttersthere’s curl whatever everything and allthese productsyou go from using like a shampooconditioner to leave-in to thinking thatyou need to doa two-day wash day using10 different products from fivedifferent product lines there are somany products that it can getoverwhelming and make you wonderif you should be going back to thecreamy crack
No matter what your hair type there are three major steps required to take care of natural hair:
- Cleanse
- Condition
- Style
We will discuss what is required for each step and how to find the products that will work best for your natural hair.
Cleansing Natural Natural Hair Beginners
For now we will discuss shampoo as the primary methods of cleansing natural hair. Clay Washes and co-washes are a topic we can discuss a little later. These are alternative cleansing methods that can be used in conjunction with shampoo. They have benefits but are completely optional
There are two types of shampoos that I recommend as part of a natural hair routine. One clarifying shampoo and one moisture-rich shampoo. I use the moisture-rich shampoo for most of my wash days every 7 to 10 days. I use the clarifying shampoo about once a month, and when taking down protective styles.
Shampoos are the easiest product to get right. The best place to start is with what you already use. As long as it doesn’t irritate your scalp or leave your hair feeling stripped keep using it! If your shampoo leaves your hair feeling stripped, pick up a moisturizing shampoo. You can hang on to the shampoo that is leaving your hair stripped and use it occasionally as a stripping shampoo.
To be honest I don’t have a favorite shampoo. Shampoos tend to have the least impact on the end result of my styling sessions. A product line that is accessible and affordable is Carol’s Daughter. When I first went natural about 10 years ago, Carol’s Daughters products were one of the few around formulated specifically for natural hair.
Additionally Carol’s Daughters products are widely available, at large retailers such as Target and Amazon.
Some other brands that I like in general are The Mane Choice , Shea Moisture, and As I Am. To be completely honest the only difference between regular shampoos and those targeted at the natural hair community is a moisture boost. Many Naturals use Black Soap Shampoos as Clarifying Shampoos, but I’ve never tried them out.
Melanin Hair Care has a Black Shampoo as part of their line. I have not used it, but Melanin has a black soap shampoo.
Finding the Right Conditioners for Natural Hair Beginners
My recommendation for natural hair beginners is to alternate one conditioner marketed for moisture and one marketed for strength. Some people equate naturally coily hair with strength and only seek moisture from conditioners.
While it is true if you are natural you are doing far less damage than someone who is chemically treating their hair. Everyday gentle styling still puts some wear and tear on your natural hair. Reaching for masks that aimed to restore, repair, and strength will help you grow long healthy hair.
Right now for moisturizing deep conditioners, I am using Biolage Matrix Conditioner. For strengthening treatments I am using the 2-minute repair treatment by Aphogee. I really want to try the Green Tea and Carrot deep conditioner by Mane Choice, but every time I try to catch a sale…it is sold out! It must be good stuff.
Everyday Moisturizers & Stylers for Natural Hair Beginners
Best way to see to try out moisturizers is to look at the ingredients. The ingredients are listed in order based on the amount of the ingredient contained in the product. For example if the first ingredient is water, the product contains more water than any other ingredient listed.
Two popular formulations for natural hair products are water & glycerin and water & shea butter. Water and glycerin based products give a nice shine but can be sticky. Water & shea butter based products tend to have a rich and creamy texture but can leave build up on the hair.
Look at your natural hair products and note the ingredients in the products that you love. Also note the ingredients in the products that you hate. Finding the right mix of products for natural hair is a little bit of trial and error. Consider using retailers that allow you to return products if you are not happy with them.
One of those retailers is ULTA. At the time of publishing this post, you can return products to ULTA within 60 days if they do not work for you. I’ve returned makeup that did not work out for me in the past to ULTA. It was a smooth experience and I imagine that returning hair products would also be a smooth experience.
Ulta Return Policy simply defines that if you are not 100% happy with the purchase then you can return the product within the 60 days. If you return the product within 60 days then you will get a full refund.
Use Holding Products with Caution
A lot of YouTube hair tutorials start on freshly washed hair and use ALOT of gel or mousse. If it is not a tried and true style that you don’t mind wearing to the next wash day…step away from the gel.
I know people who have given up on their natural hair journey because they were tried of frequent wash days due to failed hairstyles. It is difficult to restyle hair that has a lot of build up from gel. Natural Hair wash days can take a lot of time. A failed style can make it even worse, your hair is a mess and it is coated in a thick film of gel.
Mousse has a slightly softer hold but can still leave a film on a failed hair style.
If you must use a gel or a mousse, use a light touch and consider saving it for styling closer to wash day.