You can wear the most expensive brands, be on the cover of the latest Vogue issue, even walk on the runways of Milan, but if your hair is not up to par you will not turn as many heads as you anticipate. Clean, healthy hair is all it takes to take a basic outfit to designer status (well… maybe not but you get my point). 

This article will be giving 5 staples every natural should live by to have healthy, beautiful hair. These 5 essentials will help you manage your hair, have a successful hair journey, and help you reach your ultimate hair goals. 

1.  A SPRAY BOTTLE

If there was a natural hair war about to take place, a spray bottle would be your gun and everything else that goes into it would be your bullets. A spray bottle is an essential every natural needs, it is the exact weapon to win over any of your hair struggles. It holds the water/leave-in conditioner that you’ll need to moisturise and hydrate your hair, but also any other natural hair treatments, like a rice water or apple cider vinegar mixture. Using a spray bottle to apply these to your hair makes it easy to saturate your hair strands, hydrating your hair and helping you apply the product on parts of your hair that are not visible and those you’re unable to reach. You can get spray bottles from Intent on Instagram or your local drugstore to end your hair struggles.

2.  WIDE TOOTH COMB

Although finger detangling is much more beneficial for natural hair, there are times when you really need a helping hand and that’s when you bring out the wide tooth comb. Detangling can be a lot of work and it can also be stressful because of the many knots on your hair that sometimes refuse to leave your hair. A wide tooth comb is thus the better option because the spaces between the teeth glide easier through your hair strands, leading to lesser pain, reducing the amount of hair breakage, and fall out you might experience. 

NB: Never detangle dry hair! Sprits water onto your hair using your spray bottle and proceed to detangle with your wide tooth comb starting from the ends of your hair and working your way up to your roots.

3.  MOISTURIZERS

To make natural hair easy to maintain and to retain some length, you’ll need to moisturize it as often as your hair needs the moisture. The best way to do this is by using the 3 part moisture retention technique called the L.O.C Method. This technique requires you to firstly sprits water or any water based product, such as a leave-in conditioner, onto your hair. A light carrier oil or a mixture of essential and carrier oils, such as grapeseed and avocado oil, needs to be applied after the water. Finally, to lock in the moisture and seal it in, you’ll have to apply a hair cream or butter. 

The consistency of your carrier oil and your hair butter should be determined by you hair’s porosity. If you have low porosity hair the products you use should be light in consistency to help them penetrate your hair shaft easily. For high porosity hair naturals, you need products that are thicker in consistency so they can be retained in your hair for much longer.

 NB: Section your hair before moisturising it. Remember that your ends are the driest and oldest part of your hair, so you need to apply moisture from the ends up to the roots. 

ALSO READ: How to test for your hair porosity

4.  CONDITIONERS

Conditioners are a great source of moisture for your natural hair. These firstly soften your hair and makes it easier for you to handle. There are 3 types of conditioners, the leaven-in conditioner that is for everyday use to add moisture to your hair in between wash days. The second type of conditioner is the rinse out conditioner that you use after applying shampoo on your hair. Rinse-out conditioners restores the moisture that is usually lost during the shampooing process as shampoos, especially those containing sulphate and parabens, strip your hair of its natural oils, thus leaving your hair hard and in need of moisture. The third type of conditioner is a deep conditioner that penetrates your hair shaft to repair any damage hair strands. A deep conditioner also adds extra moisture to your hair to define your curls and strengthen your hair. Conditioners make having natural hair so much easier. So, get yourself some conditioners and live your best natural hair life. 

5.  SATIN SCARF/PILLOWCASE/BONNET

As I have already mentioned, natural hair needs moisture and it does not make sense for you to work so hard to moisturise it during the day just for the moisture to disappear at night. So what’s the solution? A satin scarf or pillow case is your solution to retaining the moisture. Sleep on a satin pillowcase is better than on a cotton one because the friction between your hair and the pillowcase does not absorb the moisture on your hair like a cotton pillowcase would. If you get yourself a satin scarf or pillowcase you never have to twist your hair before you go to bed to avoid shrinkage the next morning. Relax and get yourself a satin scarf and pillow and live your best moisturised natural hair life.

CONCLUSION
There are number of other things you can add to the list of essentials to help you fight your hair struggles. These 5 essentials, however, will definitely set you up for a successful natural hair journey. Stick to a consistent hair routine that works for you and your hair, chin-up, smile and start living yor best natural hair life.