Several Tips for Hydrating Your Natural Hair

Vogue Italia Editorial Tribute to Black Beauties

When your hair loses moisture, it becomes dehydrated, dry, brittle and prone to breakage. Transitioning hair and natural hair needs moisture and hydration around the clock. Here are five ways to add moisture, maintain moisture and hydrate your strands:

Use a Moisturizing Shampoo

The goal of a moisturizing shampoo is to moisturize your hair rather than strip your hair of its natural oils the way a clarifying, gel-based shampoo can. Moisturizing shampoos are usually thicker and creamier than regular shampoos and are infused with ingredients such as aloe, fruit extracts, Shea butter, and natural oils.


Deep Condition Once Per Week

Deep conditioning your hair at least once per week will allow moisturizing ingredients to penetrate deeper into your hair strands. A DPT or deep conditioning treatment, is usually left on the hair for 30 minutes to 1 hour and is more effective with heat, such as a hooded dryer, but heat from a heat cap is a safe and natural alternative. A deep conditioning treatment should be selected based on the ingredients it contains. You'll want to ensure that the ingredients can actually penetrate the hair shaft not simply coat it.

Drink Water to Hydrate

The only way to really hydrate your body, including your hair, is to drink water and utilize water as a styling aid. According to various sources, your body is made up of about 60% water, cells, which make up your hair, skin, and finger nails, are 60-90% water, and the human brain is about 70% water. Water is an element that we can not live without. Spritzing your hair with water daily or washing your hair also hydrates from the outside. Sealing in that moisture or hydration is the next logical step.

Dry Your Hair Naturally

Drying your hair naturally helps prevent dry-out. Dry-out can be caused by artificial heat, which sucks out moisture from your hair. When your hair dries naturally, it retains water better.

Use a Hair Steamer

Hair steamers are becoming popular among naturals because they hydrate and encourage deep penetration of moisture into your hair strands leaving your hair plump and full of life. Steaming while deep conditioning or just simply steaming with water every few days will have great benefits.

Seal in That Moisture!

Here's an extra tip for you! Understanding key product ingredients including which ones can penetrate the hair shaft will ensure that your efforts are not wasted. Ingredients should fortify brittle hair and infuse it with nutrients such as fatty acids, vitamins and protein. Oils such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, and grape seed oil do a good job of penetrating the hair shaft. Also, sealing your strands with an oil can help you to maintain moisture. Spritzing your hair with water will help you further hydrate your strands.