How To Moisturize Natural Hair

When I noticed the similarity between a plant and my natural hair, it changed the game for me.

If you’ve been wondering how to moisturize natural hair, this post is definitely for you. Moisturizing your hair is as simple as ABC, literally, but let’s replace those three letters with LOC or LCO instead.

Disclaimer: Just because this works for some people does not necessarily mean it will work for you. Everybody’s hair is different but this is a tried method that will benefit people with natural hair.

Before we get into the LOC method of moisturizing, I’m going to just point out two things. Your hair porosity is crucial in knowing what exactly will work for you (either LOC or LCO).

High porosity tends to thrive using the LOC method(I’m living proof) while some people with low porosity swear by the LCO method. The good thing is I think anyone can use the LOC method, but the amount of products to be used varies depending on the type of porosity you have.

N.B: Porosity is a concept that has been briefly covered in my previous post, Click here to check it out before you proceed. it’s also a good read.

The second thing I want to point out is hydration, hydration, hydration! Keep your hair hydrated, water is your best friend. Your shrinkage might tell you otherwise, but water is amazing.

I mentioned earlier that there is a similarity between a plant and our natural hair. Your natural hair needs as much water as a plant does, so water it and watch it grow.

Before doing the LOC method, I always spritz my hair with water.

How To Moisturize Natural Hair Using The LOC Method

• The L stands for leave-in: Any leave-in conditioner or product that you use, has to have water as the first or second ingredient, if it doesn’t, that’s a red flag. Water is the most basic but important form of moisture. Apply your products in sections, so your hair is properly saturated with the products you apply.
• The O stands for oil: Get a lightweight oil (like almond oil, argan oil, or jojoba oil). Heavy oils might cause buildup or weigh your hair down. You can stop here in the moisturizing process if you think your hair will respond well to it, but preferably use a heavy oil like olive oil, castor oil, or avocado oil instead of a light one to properly seal in the moisture applied earlier.
• The C stands for Cream: I make use of shea butter, it helps to completely seal in all the moisture. If the moisture in your hair is not properly sealed in after applying your leave-in, over time it gets dry and we don’t want that. Proper sealing of moisture in your hair leads to it being able to retain more moisture.

The high porosity people will benefit from using a relatively high percentage of products compared to individuals with low porosity. This is due to differences in the ability to retain and repel moisture (refer to this post for more information)

I have high porosity hair, so I will most likely use more products than someone with low porosity hair because I know my high porosity hair is a sucker for consuming a lot of products and I will use a high percentage of hair butter or thick oil to seal in the moisture (I.e LOC or LO or LC) because as much as my high porosity hair is a huge consumer of products, it also repels it just as fast if I do not properly seal in the moisture.

Extra tip: if you’ve been sleeping on deep conditioning, then it’s about time you start doing it consistently. Every wash day, incorporate deep conditioning into your regimen and it will change a lot. Try it consistently for three months and thank me later.

Lastly, don’t apply all that moisture into your hair and go to sleep without a silk scarf, bonnet, or silk pillowcase. it will be like trying to fetch water in a basket, all the moisture you applied earlier will go to waste when you wake up the next morning with dry hair.

Most importantly, know what your hair needs per time, and listen to it. Observe how it responds or reacts to different products or processes. If you need to declutter and get rid of some products you suspect might be drying to your hair, then do it and start all over, incorporating products one at a time.

Do this and you are well on your way to a healthy natural hair journey.