Afro hair - what products to do you use on your natural hair?

[Lottapianos]

Hi all

I don't have Afro hair but my hair is insanely thick (hairdresser says it's the thickest Caucasian hair she's ever seen ), super dry, very prone to frizz and extremely porous (eats everything I put on it).

I'm just interested in which products you use if you have Afro/similar to Afro hair. Any general styling tips would be fab too.

Thanks

[Lottapianos]

Bump

[NurseRatchet]

Maybe try curly girls forum? I have curly hair but soft and ringlety, so may not be helpful! I have been experimenting a lot lately and have liked leave in conditioner (but still use normal conditioner!) and also an oil spray from living proof at space NK. It was £££ but I am wondering whether I could decant a loreal oil I bought into the spray bottle, as I find it hard to spread the pump bottle ones evenly.

[JennySense]

I've very thick hair too and I've loved the Rhassoul conditioners from anitagrant.com/

[iloveshortshorts]

I have afro hair and use Jamaican black castot oil.
My daughter has reallu soft curly hair and i use organic coconut oil.

[iloveshortshorts]

Castor*

[Lottapianos]

Where do you buy your black castor oil iloveshortshorts?

[iloveshortshorts]

From afro carribean hair shops.
Its really thick, so i heat it up a little and use only a small amount.

[Firsttimer7259]

Im mixed race. I follow the curly girl method, v effective, v cheap. No silicones no sulphates. I use olive oil from the chemists as a treatment, usually wash with conditioner not shampoo, use curl creme or gel to define curls. I have gone from having crappy frizzy hair to hair that other people want

[Lottapianos]

That's great firsttimer7259 It is lovely when other people compliment your hair isn't it? So long as it's down in a non-sleazy way of course!

Actually I co-washed this morning with cheapo Asda own brand conditioner and hair looks fabulous (if I say so myself!). Can I ask which curl creme and gel you use?

Thanks for that iloveshortshorts, will get some

[Firsttimer7259]

Thanks lotta - cant help showing off as had crap hair for 30plus years used expensive products endlessly and was at a real loss until I went curly girl.

I buy boots curl creme - its a big pink tub costs less that £2. I buy the gel from the same basics range. I use a bit of conditioner as a leave in conditioner. The minute I use anything with silicone my hair goes yuk again. It takes a bit of ingredient reading but basically dont buy anything with -one in the end. Also avoid cyclopentasiloxane which is in lots of moroccan oil/argan oil.

[greenbrown]

100% Jojoba oil- check ingredients on the packaging or 100% coconut oil. In Holland and Barratts they sell coconut oil.

Lush does excellent natural shampoo and conditioners although they do come at a high price.

Overall I do recommend Jojoba oil to start with. Its light and sticks well to hair without making it too greasy and a little goes a long way. Usually get mine from an African shop at £7.99.

[Love2Dance]

Google Kimmaytube leave in. It's a home made recipe which uses Kinky Kurly Knot Today (great leave in in itself), Castor Oil, jojoba oil and aloe juice or gel. It might be a bit heavy on the oil for Caucasian hair but the proportions can be adapted.

Giovanni is a great brand (available from BritishCurlies.com). Not specifically for afro or curly hair but I've heard great things about the leave in conditioner. I use the smooth as silk deep conditioner. Fab.

Sorry if you already know all the curly girl stuff but I found the basic principles for styling that worked for me are:
after shampoo/conditioner, work through leave in, seal with oil or curl cream if you need it, then scrunch and use diffuser to dry. If it's long/less manageable, put it in twists or plaits until dry. Sleep with satin scarf/bonnet or on satin pillowcase.

Pak cosmetics sell a lot of afro hair stuff (though mostly with silicones) but they also tend to sell satin stuff.

[PeskyRat]

My DTD's are mixed race, with long thick super curly hair. After years and years trying to get their hair to look good, lots of different products, you name it, I tried it, the best thing ever has been this simple method.

WASHING HAIR:
Lots (I mean LOTS!) of fave conditioner all over wet hair, massage in, then de-knot with tangle teaser brush. Rinse out thoroughly. (Maybe every 5th or 6th wash I will use a bit of shampoo mixed with the condish to get rid of build up).

Next, smooth more conditioner all over the wet hair, massage in again and just leave it in this time, no rinsing. (I always plait their hair after this stage and let dry).

(For us the best condish for de-tangling and leaving in has been the blue Tesco 'herbal essence alike' conditioner - nothing else works as well. )

STYLING:
Only using a tangle teaser, a denman brush and a soft boar bristle brush for styling and detangling.

We now don't need to use any styling products at all. Hair only need spritz of water and maybe small splodge of same condish smoothed through and it looks lovely.

DEEP OILING:
Every now and then, I use warm olive oil/coconut oil, all over their hair, massage in, and plait overnight. Wash next morning using same method as above.

[SA3008]

I have v thick, coarse frizzy hair, always v dry, and masses of it. I use the Blue Magic leave in creams from Afro hair shops, after shampooing & conditioning. I never blow dry and always use a tangle teezer. The carrot & tea tree hair is also v good.
Thankfully none of my DCs have inherited my hair. Far too much effort :)