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Ways for Women to Use the Quarantine for Hair Care
DEK: Regimens, Products, Hairstyles and Remedies Right at Home
Photo of artwork with hair extensions found on Instagram @_tiffysbeautybar_
“The aftermath of actually looking at yourself and seeing how good you look will make you feel better.””
Lede including source/expert: The lockdown does not have to interfere with your hair care according to a natural hairstylist of nine years from Brooklyn, Alisha Richards. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused salons such as Damon’s to shut down. “It has allowed me to be more proactive about advertising and connecting with my clients during this time,” says Damon. She has been creating more instructional videos and posting them on her Instagram stories. Hair is Damon’s passion and she has ways to help you, especially if you’re struggling with your own.
Create a Regimen, Cleanse those Tresses!
In the wake of quarantine, you may not have the energy to cater to the process of doing your hair. However, a natural hair enthusiast on Youtube, Natural Niche, suggests that developing a regimen and having a set day for washing and styling your locks will help make it healthier and more manageable. The process and time for washing your hair will vary depending on its texture.
“Washing consists of shampoo, deep condition for 15 to 30 minutes depending on hair damage, detangling and styling it however you want,” says Damon.
A wash day routine recommended by a natural hair blog site, The Lavish Beauty Palace, includes washing your hair in the shower with shampoo or co-washing (using conditioner only), depending on what you feel more comfortable with. Secondly, prep your locks for air drying by using a t-shirt or microfiber towel and then part your hair down the middle and then part each side of your hair into three more sections. Next step is to detangle and deep condition using your favorite conditioner and detangle your hair by starting at the ends of your hair and move upwards with a demi brush; after detangling you should braid every section of your hair and let it sit for an hour, then rinse the conditioner out of your hair. Finally, you will need to air dry for 10 hours and after the time has passed you can oil your scalp and take out the braids!
Treat Yo’ Scalp!
Aside from hair washing, the next step of hair maintenance is moisturizing your scalp. Damon suggests that oiling your scalp is necessary, especially if it is dry. According to Healthline, dry scalp occurs when you have too little moisture which causes the skin on your scalp to become irritated and flake off. If you do not have a dry scalp, Damon recommends that you can oil your scalp every other day or twice a week. If you have a dry scalp, you should oil it daily. According to an article on a beauty website, Byrdie, you should stay away from petroleum-based oils because they tend to clog pores and weigh your tresses down. Instead, you should to natural oils, which include but are not limited to jojoba, coconut, Jamaican Black castor, argan or avocado. According to Naturally Curly, if you use shea butter, your mane will glow thanks to its moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties.
Essentials!
The products you use are an essential part of a successful regimen. According to Damon, Shea Moisture is a good brand for hair care that can be used in your routine. As previously mentioned, Jamaican Black Castor oil was suggested by Naturally Curly to treat a dry scalp. An article from the Natural Club says “It strengthens, nourishes, moisturizes, and structures your hair and, it prevents breakage, hair loss, and infections.” Damon uses Shea Moisture’s JBCO line on her clients. The line was highly recommended by Youtube naturalista, Brandi Christina when she made a video using the shampoo, conditioner, treatment masque, and leave-in conditioner. Shea moisture has more collections centered around other organic ingredients. HQ Hair made a list of various products from Shea Moisture’s other line. Some products on the list are; their Coconut and Hibiscus curl enhancing smoothie, shampoo, and curling gel souffle, Raw Shea Butter deep treatment masque, and retention shampoo, Jamaican Black Castor oil leave-in conditioner and edge treatment, and their Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Renewal System Hair Masque.
Braids, Twists, Styles to make you Smile -- Perfect your CRAFT
The free time you have from quarantine will give you plenty of time to explore new hairstyles. Damon suggests protective styles because they are styles that don’t require you to perform your regimen and helps with hair growth, such as, twist outs, cornrows, box braids, Bantu knots and more. “You have the time. What I would do is try out styles that I’ve possibly done before and had a hard time doing it,” says Damon. Natural Niche also mentioned that you could use the quarantine to try out new styles that you might have been hesitant to do from being busy or from having a potentially bad hair day.
Range of protective styles from Frizzoff.com
Unbelievable Remedies
Eggs, avocados, bananas?! They sound like ingredients for a healthy feast, but they are actually great supplements for your mane’s maintenance. Damon listed rice water to help with growth and smoothening out the hair. Honey to help with the shine. She also listed peanut oil because it softens your hair, reduces and controls flakiness which is beneficial for your lock’s upkeep. According to Byrdie, eggs have lecithin and protein, therefore eggs give it the ability to strengthen and heal the strands and it can get rid of dandruff. According to the hair company, Hairfinity, bananas help with your hair’s manageability and moisturization. Hairfinity also says that avocados lock moisture into your hair cells and strengthens your roots. You can use these ingredients on your fro by watching DIY videos from naturalistas on Youtube and make your own. You can repair your hair in the comfort of your own home!
Take Advantage of Your Free Time
You have the ability to become your own natural hairstylist in the midst of this crisis and cure the boredom of social distancing. “The aftermath of actually looking at yourself and seeing how good you look will make you feel better,” Damon says.