Keeping a natural hair is one of the fashion trends that will never go out of date. The harmattan season is a period to take extra care of your hair, whether you have locks, loose or natural curly hair. The harmattan season is often characterized by dry, dusty and cold weather. So, it is important to give extra care to our general health, especially our hair. The harmattan tends to dry out the hair much faster, causing it to lose moisture and become brittle. It also causes breakage and makes it difficult to maintain
So, here is how you can take care of your hair during the harmattan to avoid hair loss.
Moisturize your hair: After washing your hair, use your leave-in conditioner and then seal with mixture of olive oil and shea butter. It is best to use olive because coconut oil dries out faster than olive oil, but you can use coconut oil if you please. Olive oil is more long lasting. Moisture is the foundation of what keeps our hair healthy and strong.
Head Wraps: If you are feeling very lazy, go for head wraps. They protect your hair from the harsh weather and retain your moisture. And at night, keep on your satin bonnet or scarf to prevent moisture loss while asleep.
Deep Conditioning: This is also important as long as hair is not in any protective style. Deep conditioning should be done at least once a week. This helps curb breakage and keeps your hair healthy and away from the dangers of harmattan.
Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera Gel helps prevent breakage. It is best to use Aloe Veda Gel straight from the plant. Mix it with your favourite conditioner and olive oil. Massage it into your hair, wear a shower cap, leave for 30 minutes and rinse out. Pat hair dry and seal in moisture with your Castor oil, Shea butter or a mixture of both.
Protective Style: This is a style that keeps your hair ends hidden. You can decide to put on a weave, box braids, and kinky twists or even have a wig on. A wig should be perfect, or you can do the Ekaete style.
Increase your water intake: Water is good for the body; everyone should drink up to eight glasses of water per day for healthy skin, hair and nails. If you have to take eight glasses of water when the weather is normal, then you certainly have to take more when it is harmattan. So drink up, your hair will thank you for that.
Avoid dust and dusty Environment: It is almost impossible to avoid dust this period, but it’s one of the things you should do to care for your hair. When going out, you can wear a hat to prevent dust from settling on your hair
Eat more vegetables and fruits that can provide you with the daily vitamins and minerals that you need. Eat three meals a day or five little ones and keep to a regular healthy eating routine.
By: Mercy Kukah
