If you read my post on preventing Breakage Bandits you’ve heard me mention the term “moisturizing and sealing”. One of my missions in creating the B&B blog is to spread the message that all black women can grow long, healthy hair if they choose to. My hair is the longest it’s been in my entire life and it’s still growing! One of the single most contributing factors to that success is moisturizing and sealing. So without further ado, let’s talk about it!
To begin with the basics of black hair it is incredibly dry, which is why unlike other ethnic groups moisture plays a big part in our hair care routine. Now if you are in the “black hair community” this practice is old news to you however if this is your first time hearing of moisturizing and sealing (M&S) then you’re in for a treat. I'm the type of person that needs to understand how stuff works so let's begin with a lesson on hair at a very basic level.
Every normally functioning person on the planet has a scalp that produces sebum. Sebum is an oil or waxy matter produced by the sebaceous glands. Well without getting too scientific and to make a long story short one theory is that Caucasian, or any ethnic group with relatively straight hair, have straight hair follicles which allows the sebum to travel straight down the hair path and that moisture leads to growth. On the other hand those of us with coils and kinks don’t necessarily benefit the same because our textured locks don’t allow for the sebum to travel effortlessly down our strands. As an example, we often hear of our Caucasian counterparts getting “oily” hair that can result from not washing or an excess of sebum buildup in their scalp. That’s one reason it may be necessary for other ethnic groups to wash more frequently. On the other hand those of us with afro textured kinks could wash our hair, go without applying any product and wait until kingdom come for the sebum to coat our hair in oil and you can bet your bottom dollar that for the vast majority that day will never come. The make-up of our coily hair requires us to apply moisture to our hair. Moisture is mandatory for growth, plants need it, our bodies require it in the form of water and it’s essential for our hair in order to grow and flourish. Well here’s where M&S comes into play. On a nightly basis I moisturize and seal my hair beginning at the ends of my hair. Why the ends you ask? Well because they are the oldest part of my hair and therefore they are the most vulnerable. I begin by sectioning my hair in four parts, I then proceed to take a small amount of water based leave in conditioner rub it in my hands and apply it starting at the ends and working my way up my hair shaft. Once I’ve moisturized I then seal in the moisture with a light oil such as organic coconut or jojoba.
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| Jen's moisture experiment results |
days. In the end the glass in which no oil was added evaporates quickly while the glasses with an oil coating maintain the water, some more than others. Well that’s the idea behind moisturizing and sealing, once you add the much needed moisture you then seal it with a drop of oil on the ends to seal in that goodness. Much like the layer of oil in Jen's experiment that oil acts as a barrier to seal in that moisture. The experiment also gives us a good indication on how various oils may provide a heavier seal than others but overall they did the job effectively. Think of the leave in conditioner (or water in some cases) as the food your feeding your hair to grow and maintain health and the oil then traps moisture, for a time anyway.
Once you begin the process you may determine you need this everyday, twice a day or every other day depending on the needs of your hair. For some this process may only be necessary once a week, the key is listening to your hair. I find that different climates, such as when I travel, as well as the change of seasons often dictate how much I M&S. I prefer to M&S on a daily basis at the least and as part of my nightly routine. In dry climates or the summer I sometimes M&S twice daily. I’ve given you a bit of background on the requirement of moisture in the care of afro textured hair. Let me give you a bit more to chew on before we close this topic. The primary element in the M&S equation is water; therefore you must either use water or a leave in conditioner in which water is the primary or first ingredient. Grease and oils do not provide the element of water we need in order to moisturize to your hair.
Some of my favorite leave in conditioners include: Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave In Cream because of the light protein content it’s especially great for relaxed hair. The S Curl Moisturizer does a great job but beware of using this during cold weather as the glycerin will have the opposite effect and often robs your hair of moisture but it's great for warm weather climates. The Cantu Leave in Repair Crème with Argon oil worked wonders for my niece’s natural hair. I could go on and on with product examples but I wanted to provide a few as a point of reference, the most important part of this journey is consistency and finding out what products and methods work best for your hair.
My goal is to provide you with the basics to begin or accelerate your hair care routine. This is just a step but once you get into the habit of understanding how vital moisture is to our hair and implementing that in your daily routine your headed in the right direction! Until the next installment beauties and honey's take care of your mind, body and hair!
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