Hair is a touchy subject - many a social media storm has been waged defending our glorious manes, which had somehow become tangled in controversy.
A few months ago, Clicks faced swift backlash for a contentious TRESemmé haircare campaign that seemed to compare the hair of black and white women. The company denied that this was the intention, but the damage had been done. Public reaction was savage.
This is where education is crucial. And that's where natural hair expert and author Janine Jellars comes in.
In her books, Jellers talks about natural hair and offers a guide on how to take care of it. Let's be real. While natural hair is beautiful, it can be challenging to maintain.
In one of her books “The Natural Newbie Guide,” which published in 2017, the author provided guidelines on how to grow natural hair from scratch.
Jellers explained that she decided to go natural as she was growing increasingly tired of straightening her hair.
“Different things inspired my natural hair. First of all, I don’t think I’ve ever felt comfortable with straightened hair. I don’t think it was for me. Also, from a health perspective, I don’t think my hair was healthy, ” she said.
Fast forward to four years later, she’s back with another hair book, “The Big South African Hair Book”.
Based on feedback, in the book, she addresses the biggest struggle - how to take care of natural hair.
With a lot of advice about natural hair product-focused, the biggest hurdle was to stop people from experimenting with natural hair due to lack of knowledge.
To best nurture your hair, one needs to understand that hair needs moisture and that oil isn’t moisture - water is.
When it comes to understanding hair, Jellars said she learned how to treat her hair and accept that it cannot take on any dye or bleach.
“When I first stopped relaxing my hair, there wasn’t much access to products, but that’s changed quite a bit. I’m fortunate to have always worked in creative spaces, where my hair wasn’t policed. I love my hair, and don’t mind other people’s opinions of it!” she said.
During her research, she realised that many were of the belief that natural hair isn’t ‘manageable’.
“Many of us have had our hair relaxed from a young age and then spent decades straightening it. We’re just more familiar with treating and styling chemically straightened hair, so there is a learning curve involved with understanding natural hair. All it takes is time and a little know-how,” said Jellars.
As much as people are starting to embrace their natural hair and have the confidence to wear it with pride, others still think it is "unprofessional".
For those who want to rock it, Jellars encourages everyone to play around and try different styles.
She said: “This is a tough topic because the stigma still exists and it’d be unrealistic for me to say ‘just rock your natural hair – that’s not feasible or realistic for everyone. I would say there’s a lot of versatility in natural hair. People think ‘natural hair’ and immediately think of a giant afro, but there are lots of ways to ‘style’ natural hair in a way that might work in many workplaces.”
If you have 4C hair, the type of hair that is coily and usually shrinks and is sometimes challenging to comb through, here are the top five tips on how to take care of it:
Hydrate
This hair needs extra moisture as it usually dries up quickly. What you can do is spray it with water first before applying any moisturiser. Water helps lock in oils and nutrients.
Detangle
Prior, and after every wash, make sure you detangle it so that it becomes easier to comb and style. Most hair brands have products specifically for detangling. You can try the Dark & Lovely Au Naturale Knot Out Conditioner.
Twist
If you’re not wearing any protective style, make sure you twist your hair before bed. It will make it easier to style in the morning.
Cover with a bonnet
No matter the hair type, it’s the golden rule to cover your hair when going to bed. With type 4c or any natural hair, a silk bonnet is the best option as it locks all the nutrients. But before you do, massage the scalp every after two days. You can use the Stylin Scalp Treatment.
Wash
Your hair needs a wash at least once a week. Not just with a shampoo, but a conditioner too. Such will help remove all the dirt. Also, put on a leave-in conditioner at least once a month.