How To Moisturize Natural Hair: Five Ways To Make Your Hair Uber Moisturized

By Tenisha Mercer

Moisturizing natural hair isn't rocket science; it's a process that, while easy for some, isn't always the  case for others.

Since natural hair can be very dry by nature, moisturizing is an important part of any natural hair regimen. Moisturizing can significantly cut down on tangles, and is important for the overall health of the hair. Dry hair breaks, tangles and is highly prone to split ends. Plus, it just doesn't feel as good.

Here are a four ways to moisturize your natural hair.

1. Moisturize wet or damp hair ONLY. You can't moisturize dry hair. That goes against everything many of us learned, even when we were relaxed. Retrain how you think about moisturizing, especially if you are new to your natural hair journey. Wet hair absorbs water; dry hair doesn't. It's part of the reason why conditioner instructions indicate applying on WET hair. Slapping moisturizer on dry hair doesn't do anything. It doesn't moisturize hair but it only leaves it greasier.
2. Use water. Water is your friend, because it locks moisture in. Use this principle when moisturizing. Make sure your hair is uber moisturized at the beginning of the process, such as when you wash your hair. Depending upon your hair style, you can also moisturize by lightly spritzing hair overnight with water, rose water, aloe juice/water mixes or water/oil mixes. If you lock the moisture in early with water, you may find that you have to moisturize less during the week.
3. Moisturize on multiple levels. That's right -- lock the moisture in using several steps. You do this when you use water along with a butter (shea, aloe, etc.) AND creamy leave-in moisturizers. It's really a three-step process and all three components are important and work together: Water  hydrates. Butters lubricate. Creamy moisturizers seal the moisture in. Or, you can simply use water and an oil, a.k.a. the sealing method, to seal in moisture. If your hair is on the thicker side, heavier oils like castor oil work well. Folks with thinner hair may find more success with light oils such as jojoba or grapeseed. FYI: Folks with extremely dry hair often find adding a creamy moisturizer and oil makes their hair more moisturized.
4. Protect your hair at night. Don't put all that work moisturizing your hair night and day and then leave your hair to fend for itself at night. Wear a headscarf or invest in a satin pillowcase to protect your strands. I fought this one for years, but now I religiously wear a headwrap to bed. Cotton sheets dry out natural hair faster than nobody's business. Your fragile strands are no match for your cotton pillow case/bedsheet, no matter how high the thread count.
5. Moisturize the hair from inside out. I'm a big fan of deep conditioners, hot oil treatments, and steaming because they are so effective at moisturizing hair from the inside out. You can still use tips 1-4 from above, but I find methods like steaming and deep conditioning particularly effective.

What moisturizing methods are effective for your natural hair?