Hello everyone! I had an issue with dry hair and it was killing me. So I did some research, read some articles from some clever people, and managed to work out how to reverse this depressing fro situation… here’s what I found out 🙂

We have to do all we can to help out our hair as we are working against nature here in these colder climates.  Our fro loves the sun; millennia of wonderful African rays have conditioned our glands to respond to heat! Fros don’t absorb as much moisture as our caucasian cousins’ hair, added to this the structure of our hair (curls and kinks, and increased density) means that nutrients often don’t travel along the length of our strands as well as we’d like. So it’s no wonder that we have to work harder to compensate for cold, gloomy and wet London!

Take better care of yourself – this includes drinking more water during the day, eating fresh fruit and vegetables regularly, and monitoring how this affects your hair.  Keratin (amino acids/protein) and sebum (lipids) are essential for a happy curl, and your body needs to take in good nutrients to be able to take care of its hair to the best of its ability.  If there is no positive impact then it could be worth talking to your doc as it could be down to a change in your hormones or any prescription medicine you’re taking.

Look at how you’re treating your hair.  Do you use too much shampoo, or regularly expose your locks to high temperatures and damaging chemicals (be they sulphates, silicons and alcohols with dry out hair, or dyes or other treatments)?  The wrong shampoo can do more damage than good so investigate and try out as many as you need to until you find the one that works. Also, washing with warm water is essential to prep your hair to receive the goods that your shampoo is giving, and try doing your final rinse with cold water (warm opens up your hair, and then the cold will help lock in the moisture at the end).

Some will have heard of the LOC method of moisturising (google it if you’re a newbie!), but try putting the O at the end; oil repels moisture so having it as your final process should help lock in more of the delicious nutrients you’re massaging into your fro! Periodic deep conditioning treatments can also do wonders in the long run, so try to budget for some of the good stuff for regular home pampering sessions for your hair.  A little more money is also needed for a regular trim (think 8-10 wks) – split ends can give the impression of dry hair even if your fro is fundamentally fine.

Hard water can be battled with a new shower head (or a property-wide water filter for those with deeper pockets), and silk/satin pillowcases can have a profound effect too!

Heat protecting sprays are great for hair that gets dried frequently, and it’s a great idea to carry a small spritz bottle around with you containing your favourite moisturising product to ward off mid afternoon parch and frizz.

At the end of all this it’s clear you need to be proactive, studious and diligent. But once you get your own routine clear, it’ll be easy to follow and most importantly your fro will be able to be its most fabulous version of itself.

Much love to you and your fro x