Add a little…
For the most part the ingredients that work best for black, or any type of hair for that matter, come from good ol’ Mother Earth. So whether you’re relaxed or natural, your products shouldn’t be too terribly hard to pronounce. The next time you’re “navigating the beauty aisles” look for these ingredients:
Biotin: This vitamin promotes the growth of cells that reproduce quickly, like nails, skin, and hair. They actually sell biotin in a vitamin supplement form.
Folic Acid: Believe it or not this is another B vitamin you need to have in your medicine cabinet or under your sink. (Don’t let the F in Folic fool you- it’s B9.) This vitamin also works on the cell level. It helps your body use and create protein, which we’ll learn later is very important for the hair.
Shea Butter: Has anyone else noticed how shea butter seems to be in everything these days? I remember when it was novel to see vendors selling it on the street, now it’s gone mainstream. And rightly so, this magical, motherland cream cures dryness of scalp and hair, adding a sheen to it. It’s easily absorbed and protects hair from the elements.
The Oils: castor, coconut, and peppermint: With the exception of castor these oils sound delicious. Yup the same flavors that excite your tastebuds actually work to stimulate your scalp and nourish your hair.
Castor oil prevents hair loss, moisturizes and has been said to contribute to your hair’s overall thickness.
Coconut oil is the perfect moisturizer for your hair, especially when it’s damp. Remember not to overdo a good thing. Even though it smells heavenly moderation is still key.
Peppermint oil balances the ph in your hair and scalp, so whether you suffer from hair that’s too dry or too oily, the peppermint oil will get you where you need to go to grow. It also stimulates and opens the pores in the scalp.
Panthenol: Here’s yet another form of vitamin B. (Notice a pattern?) This one binds to the hair and extracts moisture from the hair.
Keratin: This is a type of protein found in hair, skin, and nails. As we know much of our hair, nails, and skin are dead but these dead cells protect the newly grown ones underneath. The thicker the layer of fresh keratin the faster your hair (and nails) will grow.
Eggs: This easily accessible food restores protein to the hair. Like keratin the proteins strengthen the hair. You can put raw eggs directly on your hair and use it as conditioner.
Stir together and you get: Now that you’ve had your biology lesson for the day I’m going to make it easy for you. Here are a list of products that contain the ingredients mentioned above. This is not an exhaustive list and still you’ll have to do some exploration to make sure you’ve found what works for you.
Burt’s Bees: Don’t be discouraged by the bearded white man, this line of all natural body products contains several of the qualities we look for in excellent hair products, their products contain no sulfates (or alcohol), no petroleum or mineral oil that cakes on the scalp and clogs the skin and for the PETA members, none of their products are tested on animals.
Carol’s Daughter: If you can’t get over the white man and are adamant about supporting black-owned products. I’m not mad at you. While the line has received mixed reviews on our site it does contain many of the oils and moisturizers we’ve mentioned and more.
Cantu: This line is very big on shea butter. Marketed towards African American women with relaxed or natural hair, this product contains other natural oils and the “good” alcohols.
Essentious We like this product line because they have a shampoo that won’t strip your hair of essential oils. While the line isn’t all natural it doesn’t contain any of the no no’s: sulfates, petroleum, and mineral oil.
Jane Carter: Another line created by a woman of color. Madame Carter has another all natural line for women of all racial backgrounds. She must be a farmer/chemist the way she uses virtually every natural hair care product out there. The list is phenomenal.
Mizani: Some of you like this one and some of you don’t but it does contain the ever important panthenol, the protein that restores moisture minus the petroleum and mineral oil. Not to mention the brand has been known to produce sheen out this world.
Do you used any of these products? If not, which ones work for your hair? Discuss.
