Your hair journey is uniquely yours. Finding the best products that work for your hair type and texture, including coarse textures and any curl pattern from 1-4c, takes time. We are here to help show you that it doesn’t have to be as arduous as it seems. You may have to mix and match some different products along the way, but it’s all just part of the journey to better hair. 

Understanding the Different Types of Natural Hair Conditioners

How do I know if my hair needs deep conditioning? What conditioner is best for natural hair? If you’re looking for frizz-free, silky-soft locks, here are some of the best conditioning ingredients to include in your natural hair routine. 

Shea Butter

An incredible conditioner for natural hair is shea butter. Shea butter is a natural hair conditioner that consists of fatty acids extracted from the nuts of the shea tree native to West Africa. It has a long history of being used cosmetically to benefit the hair and skin. Clearly, this stuff works, but how do you use conditioner on natural hair? Shea butter contains emollients like fatty acids, vitamin A, and vitamin E that condition and softens your hair. The slick texture of the product allows it to thoroughly coat your strands to help you effectively prevent breakage and boost shine for less frizz, and more volume!  

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a tropical multipurpose ingredient that’s known for it’s vitamin and fatty-acid rich formula. It contains lauric acid that is able to deeply penetrate into the shaft of natural hair to nourish and strengthen for healthy and strong hair growth! Coconut oil can also break down oily build-up of sebum from your scalp (oil breaks down oil) and hair follicles that clogging pores and impeding your healthy hair journey. How can I moisturize my natural hair daily? It can also be used as a styling oil to smooth down frizz that you just can’t seem to tame on your own, and add shine and grip for hair styles to stick. Take advantage of all these benefits with WOW Skin Science’s 100% vegan Coconut Milk Shampoo + Hair Conditioner.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is a well known hair growth helper, with a thick consistency that is able to penetrate the coarsest and curliest hair types out there! For the LOC method that we explain later on, this makes a great oil to seal the moisture in with. 

WOW Skin Science’s Castor Oil is 100% pure, undiluted, and cold-pressed from the highest quality castor seeds to nourish dry hair, mend split ends, ease an itchy scalp, and help boost blood circulation for healthy hair growth. 

Olive Oil

Olive oil isn’t just for cooking, it’s packed with essential vitamins and fatty acids like vitamin E to naturally soothe, strengthen, and promote the growth of healthy hair. It’s a great nourishing oil for hair breakage and hair fall out. 

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is a great way to nourish dry or unruly hair. They are high in natural oils and fats to strengthen your hair’s barrier and protection against outside irritants. The vitamin and mineral-rich formula is able to further protect your strands against chemical treatments or heat styling damage to help promote growth and overall strength. 

Honey

Honey is an amazing natural humectant that helps your hair retain and preserve existing moisture that is easily lost in natural hair. While you might think that adding honey to your hair will just make it a sticky mess, think again! Instead of sticking to your hair, it is able to target and break down build-up from hair products and grime that is clogging your hair follicles and preventing growth. So if you want softer, shinier, and healthier hair, honey is a great go-to ingredient! 

Essential Oils

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The most naturally potent product you could use for conditioning natural hair are essential oils. They’re incredibly easy to include in your routine, once you find which ones work for your hair needs. Essential oils are plant extract that retain their conditioning vitamins to benefit skin, hair, and overall health. 

Since there are a lot of different types of essential oils out there, stick with ones that will help condition natural hair. This includes:

• Rosemary oil
• Lavender oil
• Basil oil
• Geranium oil
• Peppermint oil
• Onion oil

1-2 drops of these potent essential oils can be combined with castor oil and applied directly to your scalp and hair for a great conditioning moment. You can also add a few drops to your favorite hair conditioner to boost its hydrating power. 

Incorporating Conditioner into Your Natural Hair Routine

Everyone’s hair is unique to their heritage and genes, and will require some adjustments to find a routine that works for you. If you’re confused on where to start tailoring a hair care routine for natural hair, here are the basics to demystify the curly girl method, and more. Read on for tips and tricks that you can try out and adjust accordingly:

• Wash natural hair every one to two weeks. However, you can supplement with co-washing, aka “washing” it with water and conditioner to keep your hair soft without stripping it of its natural oils like shampoos tend to do. You really only need to use a shampoo every few months.
• If you think that one round of conditioning is enough, think again! Deep conditioning is a key step to taking care of natural hair. You can use conditioning leave in treatments like WOW Skin Science Hair Revitalizer Spray, or use hair masks before shampooing to soften your strands. Depending on your hair, you may want to do this after every wash or just once a month.
• Many natural hair people swear by the “LOC” method which stands for liquid, oil, and cream -- in that order. Essentially, you should hydrate hair with water or a water-based product (liquid) first, then sealing in the moisture with oils (coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, etc.), and then close the hair cuticle to prevent moisture loss with creams (shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, etc.) This is the most effective way to nourish your strands and prevent frizz, dryness, and dull hair. 

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We hope this conditioning guide inspires you to take reign over your hair and make it work for you! Even though managing natural hair can be a challenge at times, once you find what products work in the routine we detailed, you’ll have a tried and true regimen to stick to. While it may take some time and trial and error to tailor your own personal routine, it will be well worth it in the end when you can boast soft and beautiful natural hair!

Sources:

1. https://www.coilsandglory.com/10-benefits-of-castor-oil-for-natural-hair-growth/
2. https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/ingredients/the-benefits-of-honey-for-natural-hair
3. https://www.naturalhairrules.com/loc-method/