Curly Hair Problems
Why is my hair so dry?
By Yessenia Reyes
Well that's a simple answer, because it's naturally like that. Yup, curly hair grows out of your scalp dry. It's a characteristic of curly hair. It's one of the things we can't stand and it's the number one issue curly hair women and men have.
Here's the thing about dry hair, depending on your texture it may be even more dryer than other textures. So, let's break it down in a simple way which can help you better understand where your hair falls under, what I like to call, " The Dry Hair Spectrum" (this spectrum is true for only hair that has zero color and gets proper trims. Color and not getting proper haircuts can also play a role in dry hair but I'll get into that a little later):
The Dry Hair Spectrum
Straight - tendency to get oily from root to end and not dry
Wavy - for some it might be a mixture of oily at the root and dry on the ends
Loose Curl - it can be a mixture of both slightly oily at the root and and dry on the ends
Tighter Curl - dry from root to ends
Looser Kinky Curl - very dry from root to end
Tighter Kinky Curl - extremely dry from root to end
Now that we have a better idea of where our hair falls under The Dry Hair Spectrum we can better understand how to care for it. The dryer your texture the more moisture it requires.
Just to be clear about a few things, oils cannot moisturize the hair. It can only help retain the moisture that's already there. Same goes for daily moisturizing products. They cannot help your hair retain moisture. It only gives your hair the illusion that it is moisturized. It's a quick fix if you're in a rush, but it doesn't solve the issue.
How do you properly moisturize your dry texture? That's an easy answer, you rinse, condition and detangle it whenever it feels dry. This is the only way to truly moisturize your hair.
Dry hair is like a sponge. The more we rinse and condition, the more hydrated it will become. It is also true that the less rinsing and conditioning you do the more likely it will revert back to its characteristics of being dry.
There's a misconception that if we wet our hair too often, it will dry the hair out. This is false. If you think about it how can water dry the hair out? The reason why this myth has been around for years, was because of lathery shampoos. These shampoos will strip your hair dry, feeling brittle and leaving it moisture deprived. (I'll write a future post dedicated to shampoos and why some are good for you and why some we should stay away from.)
There's another myth that if you drink water it will hydrate your hair. Although water is great for your overall well being, this is absolutely false. Once your hair grows out of your scalp you must take take the proper steps to keep it moisturized externally.
Earlier I mentioned how color and not getting proper hair cuts can contribute to dryness. Color is fun and can add dimension to your hair, make your hair look more interesting, but it can dry your hair out. If you have color this means you have to boost your moisture routine. Make sure you do conditioning treatments and condition your hair more frequently. If you can't remember when you last had a trim that means it's time for a haircut. Not getting rid of unhealthy brittle ends is only going to make the new healthier hair more brittle and extra dry.
There are so many other factors that contribute to dry hair like not having the proper hair care routine, using the wrong products, not conditioning properly and changes in the season, just to name a few. The more you begin to understand your hair, the more you'll learn what works for it and what doesn't.
In the next post I'll go more in depth about conditioning. How to condition properly, and using simple techniques to ensure you're allowing your hair to absorb maximum moisture.
If you have any questions relating to this post, please ask feel free to ask in the comment section below. I'm here to help!