Stacey said although there are numerous videos and blogs on how to take care of African hair, they might not help.
Without knowing your hair type, you end up wasting a lot of time and money on unnecessary products.
Different African women have observable differences in the hair structure, density and growth rate.
Kenyan women are trading their rather expensive weaves and wigs for a natural look. Natural hair has gone full circle; from the time of straightening using a hot comb placed on fire, to relaxing hair with harsh chemicals that ate away the hairline.
Stacey Ciceron, a US celebrity hairstylist who was in Kenya during the launch of SheaMoisture by US beauty brand, Sundial Brands Company, said women nowadays love their natural hair.
“Initially, I thought that it was just a phase, but that was not the case,” she said.
Stacey said although there are numerous videos and blogs on how to take care of African hair, they might not help.
Without knowing your hair type, you end up wasting a lot of time and money on unnecessary products.
“Before starting a hair routine, know the texture and porosity to help you choose the right product,” she said, adding that this will also guide you to know if your hair requires to be shampooed every day or once a week, or maybe not at all and just a conditioner-only-washed.
However, everyone with natural hair should moisturise, shampoo regularly and deep-condition.
“Find a good leave-in conditioner that works best with your hair but two of my favourites are the Jamaican black castor oil leave-in treatment and the 100 per cent virgin coconut oil,” she said.
After that, pick an essential oil for instance jojoba, shea oil, flax seed or olive oil. Finally, you need a cream.
“Depending on the hair type or texture, you may not have to use all four, that is shampooing, moisturising, deep-conditioning and using essential oils. You can only use two or three,” she said.
Different African women have observable differences in the hair structure, density and growth rate.
‘‘The hair type numbers and codes are really not that difficult. One is the straighter hair and four is the tightest curly and within them it is the variation of the tightness of the curl,” Stacey said.
People with different hair textures can share products, but one person may require more quantities than the other.
“Hair that is tighter and with coils tends to be dryer hence needing more product. So they may be able to use the same product but the person with hair type 4(a) (b) (c) may need more. Because the tighter the curl the more moisture they are going to need to put in their hair.’’
