NATURAL HAIR STARTER KIT : TOOLS AND PRODUCTS (NATURAL HAIR CARE FOR BEGINNERS)

Congratulations! You’ve gotten your big chop or you just decided to transition to natural hair. You’ve made a great decision so don’t worry, I’m here to make sure you don’t regret it.
However, there are a few tools and products you will need to care for your natural hair, and I’ve put them together in this post.

1. A wide toothed comb: This will be very useful for detangling your hair. Smaller toothed combs lead to breakage and pain during detangling :'(.

my wide toothed comb

2. A spray bottle: A spray bottle will come in very handy during detangling, and on days when your hair needs a little moisture. I put water alone in my spray bottle, but some people choose to put in water with glycerin and/or some oils.

Spray bottle

3. A moisturizer: Moisturizers have water as one of their first ingredients. This is for adding moisture to your hair without getting the hair so wet or damp. My favourite hair moisturizers are Cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream and Pro-Line Comb-Thru softener. Both make the hair feel so soft, moisturized and easy to comb through. However there are so many other great moisturizers to choose from, or better still you can make your own at home.

cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream

pro line comb thru softener

4. Leave in conditioner: This is an essential product for moisture retention. Leave in conditioners prevent tangling and keep the hair smooth. Most leave in conditioners are moisturizers, but not all moisturizers are leave in conditioners. My favourite leave in conditioners are the Cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream, and Profectiv Mega Growth daily leave in strengthener. Both of them leave my hair soft and moisturized.

profectiv mega growth daily leave in strengthener

5. After-wash conditioner: Hair conditioners work by coating your hair, thereby giving it a shinier look. They are also useful for detangling, moisturizing or strengthening the hair. My rinse out conditioner I use is Alberto VO5 Moisturizing Conditioner. It comes in different flavours, which are equally good and smell lovely.

alberto vo5 moisturizing conditioner

6. Sulphate free shampoo: A lot of shampoos contain Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Sodium Laureth Sulphate or Ammonium laureth sulphate. These chemicals are also found in cleaning products and toothpastes. Sulphates are added to shampoos to make it easier for them to foam. However, they also leave your hair feeling dry because they strip your hair of the oils that your body produces from your scalp. There are a lot of organic sulphate free shampoos available as alternatives, however, I prefer to use  African black soap, and it gets the job done just as well. 😉

dudu osun african black soap

7. Oils: Oils are important for ensuring that your hair does not lose it’s moisture and get dry. Oils are to be applied on moisturized hair to seal in the moisture. There are so many great oils you can use for your hair, but I use coconut and olive oils. I love coconut oil because it’s light and seals in moisture quite well, and I love olive oil because of the shine it gives to my hair while conditioning it and soothing itching on the scalp. Other lovely hair oils include jojoba oil, almond oil, rosemary oil, argan oil, castor oil, avocado oil, tea tree oil, et al.

my olive and coconutt oil mix

8. Natural hair butters: Like oils, butters seal in moisture, but they are heavier than oils. Butters are great to use in dry weather like harmattan or winter. Different butters include mango butter, cocoa butter, ucuuba butter, cupuacu butter, et al. I use the great multipurpose, miracle working shea butter. It is excellent for retaining moisture while softening the hair and making it shine. Shea butter can also be used to soothe an itchy scalp

shea butter

9. Styling gel: This will be used to create those beautiful curls in your hair, or to lay edges or baby hairs. I use the Beautiful Textures Curl Definer Styling Custard for mixed textures. I love it because it has natural ingredients, and also doubles as a moisturizer.

beautiful textures curl definer styling custard for mixed textures

10. Love, care, patience: This is the most important ‘tool’ you need!

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