{Ask Zanneta} Solutions for Dry Hair

A question from one of my readers:

I've been natural for about 2 and a half yrs now, and my hair is thick and looks really good but it is sooo dry! I cant wear my hair out because it eats up moisture and just does not seem to get longer. I'm seriously considering putting a perm in it. What do u suggest?

Dry hair always has been a characteristic most naturals have in common. Because our hair is so tightly curled or coiled, its difficult for the oils our scalps make to travel down the shaft of the hair. Your hair's porosity (how much it lets water in and out) can also be a factor in how much dryness you experience. If you think your hair has moisture problems, adding a chemical process to your hair is only going to make matters worse. Here are some tips for keeping those strands lubed up:

1. Use the right shampoo. Check your shampoo bottle. Is one of the first ingredients Sodium Lauryl Sulfate? This is the chemical that makes your shampoo get all sudsy. While it might make you feel like you're doing a better job at cleaning your hair, you're really drying it out with this sucker. Try getting a sulfate free shampoo. Check out some posts on great {{products}} for natural hair.

2.) Leave in some conditioner. After you shampoo, use your regular conditioning methods, but when you go to rinse it out, leave a little bit in. This will not only help your hair retain some moisture, but it will cut down on the amount of frizz you get. Feel free to add a conditioner made for leaving in as well. As thick as natural hair is, a few extra products usually don't weigh the hair down too badly.

3.) Seal the moisture in. Think about how your face feels after you use a soap on it. Immediately after washing, it feels refreshed and moist, even if you've towel dried it. After a few minutes though, the water evaporates from your skin, and if you haven't applied a moisturizer, you feel parched. The same thing happens to your hair. This is why it's important to seal the moisture into your hair after washing it.

- Step 1: Try a product with glycerin and water in it.
- Step 2: Apply an oil based product.
- Step 3: Apply a cream based product.
- Step 4: Seal your ends with a butter.

Check out this video:



Happy moisturizing!

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