What are your earliest memories of hair? 'Hot combing'? The infamous Afro pick? Hair being ripped out from the roots? Little girls crying as they have their hair pulled into a plait tighter than a drum head?

It's no wonder many women of African origin don't don their natural tresses. Afro-textured hair and 'manageable' are rarely found in the same sentence.

News breaker! Our hair can be soft and manageable without the use of harsh chemicals and hot tools.

At the heart of soft/manageable hair is moisture. Moisture=water (not oil). Dry hair is hard and brittle therefore easily breaks. Keep away or take away moisture from your hair and you'll end up with steel wool.

Our hair is dry and brittle when we can't get moisture inside it and/or can't keep it in.

Steps you can take to get moisture into your hair.

1. Apply water to hair everyday or whenever you feel your hair is dry. Use a spray bottle for this. Some naturals prefer to use a shower for this. Find a method that works for you.
2. Use humectants or products with humectants. Humectants are agents that draw water to themselves. A common one that you can buy at your local supermarket is glycerin. Dilute it with 4 times the amount of water and spray the mix over your hair. Other natural humectants are aloe vera, honey and molasses. Apply these to your hair as you would hair treatment, cover with a shower cap for at least 20 minutes then rinse out well.
3. Use moisturisers with water (aqua) and humectants (some mentioned above) as the main ingredients. Curl activator gels although known for their use on the jheri curl ('wet look'), moisturise the hair without changing it from it's natural state. They contain glycerin. Give them a try; you'll thank us. Common ones on the market are World of Curls, S-Curl, Sof 'n' free and many others. Apply a little to damp hair. Your hair will feel super soft.Sometimes just applying water does not get your hair moisturised as the water just coats the top and never gets into the hair shaft. Below are ways you can assist this water to get into your hair.  
4. Steaming. Use a steamer for this or mist your hair, cover it with a shower cap and sit under a dryer or use a hand dryer. If you don't own any of the above, put a warm damp towel over the shower cap. This works just as well. Heat opens the cuticles of your hair and causes water to get into the hair shaft.
5. Deep conditioning. Apply deep conditioner to damp hair, cover with a shower cap or plastic bag for 20 minutes to an hour.
6. Applying baking soda as you would treatment and rinsing out. Baking soda, because it is alkaline, opens the hair cuticles allowing water to enter the hair strand.

Steps you can take to keep the moisture in your hair.

1. After getting moisture in using any of the above steps, seal it in with an oil or a butter or it will evaporate right out of your hair. Opt for vegetable oils like coconut oil, olive oil as opposed to mineral oils (check the list of ingredients before you buy).
2. Avoid or reduce the use of heat-styling tools like blow dryers and flat irons. These take out the moisture from your hair. Opt to air dry your hair. If your hair is long, dry it in big plaits or twists to reduce tangling and shrinkage.
3. Opt for 'closed styles' like twists, braids, updos (see the picture). Moisture is much more easily lost with 'open styling' like afros.

A natural hair updo

Happy Hair Journey!

How do you keep your hair soft and manageable?