While I was checking out a video by YouTuber Obaa Yaa Jones on things that Black women can do to keep moisture in their hair (you can watch it here), it got me to thinking about hair masks. More specifically, why hair masks should be incorporated at least every other wash day. Now hear me out.
As Black women, most of us have curls that are tight to the point that it’s difficult for the natural sebum that is on our scalp to travel all the way down the strands of our hair in order to fully lubricate them. If you add to that the reality that some of us also have the type of hair porosity that makes it hard for our locks to retain moisture, it can be a constant struggle to give our tresses the hydration that they need in order to avoid damage and breakage (so that we can retain the hair length that we are after). One thing that can make this less of an issue? Hair masks.
If you’re somewhat familiar with hair masks but you honestly haven’t tried them (yet), take a few moments to read this all the way through. As someone who has high porosity hair and is on her own journey to gain longer locks that are super healthy, I’ve been playing around with hair masks for a minute now — and even though it is an extra step to what can already be quite the wash day sometimes…honestly, I don’t have not one regret.
What Is a Hair Mask?
GiphyOkay, so you know how, oftentimes, when getting a facial, a mask will be incorporated in order to treat certain types of skin issues? Hair masks basically do the same thing — only, they’re specifically made for your tresses and they’re usually for the purpose of deeply penetrating your hair with hydration.
What I’ve come to find is if your hair is particularly dry, you color-treat your hair, you’ve been noticing signs of heat damage, and/or you enjoy wearing your hair in its natural state (and you want your curls to have less frizz so that they can really pop), hair masks can benefit you on a few different levels. That’s because the heavy amount of oils and/or butters in them can help to create some real moisture-related restoration.
What Are the Tips for Getting the Most Out of a Hair Mask?
GiphyIn a moment, I’m going to share with you some hair mask options that are available to you. First, though, let’s talk a bit about how you can receive the most benefits from using a hair mask.
Treat the issue. Not all hair masks are just alike, so although more moisture may be your ultimate goal, if your hair has worn-out ends, seek out a hair mask that treats that. Color-treated? Look for one that is good for that. Frizzing going on? Get a hair mask for that. This is important because, personally, there have been times when I’ve just picked up a popular hair mask that ended up not doing me much good; the reason why is because it was for one thing when I had something entirely different going on with my tresses.
Follow the instructions. If you decide to go with a commercial brand, the instructions are there for a reason. Please make sure to read them and follow them all the way through. Otherwise, your hair may not end up as hydrated, soft, or manageable as you were hoping for.
Not on the scalp; definitely on the ends. A big mistake that a lot of people make when it comes to hair masks is they just scoop up a handful and put it on top of their head. Yeah…naw. You need to make sure that you’ve got enough to coat your freshly washed hair from root to tip; however, keep in mind that hair masks are more for your hair than your scalp. This point is key because many ingredients that are in a lot of hair masks could potentially clog up your hair follicles and/or irritate your scalp, if you massage your scalp with them or leave the product on your scalp for a long period of time.
Cover your hair up. Putting a hair mask on your locks, only to wash it out after five minutes or so, isn’t going to get you the kind of results that you seek. If you’re really going to do this hair mask thing in excellence, be prepared to have your hair wrapped up in a shower cap, warm towel, or steamer for no less than an hour. In fact, some hair masks recommend that you leave them on overnight (although, don’t come to that conclusion on your own; again, read the instructions).
Make it a part of your hair care routine. There is something to be said about the need to “train your hair” in order to get it how you’d like it to be. That’s why it’s important to not just one-and-done your hair when it comes to hair masks. Me? I try to treat my locks to one every other wash day (and I typically wash my hair every two weeks).
How Do You Choose a Hair Mask That Is Best for You?
GiphyNow that you know a bit about how to get the most benefits from a hair mask, you might be wondering which one you should use. Honestly, this could require a bit of trial and error on your part; however, there are articles like Shape’s “14 Hair Masks That Will Give You the Healthiest Strands of Your Life, Vetted and Reviewed” and Glamour’s “The Best Natural Hair Masks, According to the Pros” can potentially point you in the right direction. Another hack would be to go to your favorite search engine and put “hair mask for Black women” in the search field to see some natural hair-specific options.
Okay, but what if you’d prefer to avoid as many chemicals as possible? If that is indeed the case, there are a ton of DIY hair mask options for you to choose from. Below, I’ve included five homemade hair mask options along with some of the reasons why the ingredients in them are such a wise choice.
RECIPE #1
1 Tablespoon of Honey
1 Tablespoon of Avocado
1 Teaspoon of Rosemary Oil
Your hair will adore honey because it’s a humectant; this means that it absorbs moisture from the air and pulls it into your skin and hair. Some other selling points about honey are it's rich in antioxidants and antibacterial properties, it deeply conditions your hair and it helps to strengthen your strands over time.
Avocados are rich in fatty acids that also help to cultivate (and retain) moisture in your hair; plus, the vitamins C and E work together to reduce frizz, prevent free radicals from harming your hair, and reduce damage as well. Rosemary oil? It also conditions your hair while increasing blood circulation to your hair follicles which results in faster and stronger hair growth.
RECIPE #2
½ Cup of Cocoa Powder
2 Teaspoons of Coconut Cream
1 Teaspoon of Coconut Oil
If it sounds crazy to you to put cocoa powder in your hair, you might want to read “12 Ways Dark Chocolate Can Benefit Your Body From Head To Toe.” The reality is there are nutrients in cocoa (like iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and copper) that can help to strengthen your hair and add shine and volume to it as well.
The high amounts of lauric acid and protein in coconut cream (or milk) can help to reduce hair loss and dandruff as it deeply moisturizes your hair for longer periods of time. Coconut oil is similar to coconut milk/cream, the only bonus is it can help to protect your hair’s cuticles (which can reduce breakage) too.
RECIPE #3
2 Tablespoons of Sweet Almond Oil
1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
5 Drops of Peppermint Oil
I’ve been using sweet almond oil on my skin for quite some time now. Hair-wise, I dibble and dabble in it with no regrets because the oil has the ability to deeply moisturize my hair and also prevent split ends, thanks to the high concentration of Vitamin E that it contains. Cinnamon can help you out because it has properties that can help with hair growth; some research even says that this spice could help you end up with thicker hair.
Peppermint oil is always going to be a winner because it can potentially help to reduce hair loss, it increases blood circulation and oxygen flow to your hair follicles and it contains antimicrobials that reduce dandruff and dryness as well.
RECIPE #4
½ Cup of Aloe Vera Gel
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
5 Drops of Tea Tree Oil
Being that Aloe vera is made up of almost 99 percent water (no joke), that should already give you enough insight into why it’s a stellar conditioner for your hair. Beyond that, though, Aloe vera is a great hair mask ingredient because it has vitamins A, B12, C, and E that can help to strengthen your hair and properties that can help to improve your hair’s texture.
Olive oil is a great treatment for overly processed hair or if you want to prevent split ends. Tea tree oil is wonderful when it comes to removing product build-up.
RECIPE #5
1 Banana
1 Egg
2 Teaspoons of Plain Greek Yogurt
If any of these recipes is a throwback classic, it would have to be this one; that’s because it’s common for bananas, eggs, and yogurt to go into homemade hair masks. A cool thing about bananas is they contain something known as silica; it’s a chemical compound that reduces frizz. There are also antioxidants in bananas that help to decrease oxidative stress (which can lead to hair damage) and bananas can deeply condition your hair too.
Eggs? Eggs are loaded with protein (which your hair is made mostly of) which means that they can strengthen your hair as well as decrease dryness. Greek yogurt can also give your hair a protein boost as it also strengthens your hair follicles and softens your strands.
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I promise you that, no matter how many articles you read on how to have a head full of thriving hair, especially when it comes to us, maintaining moisture is going to be mentioned. Now that you know that hair masks are top-tier at doing this for you…seems like this needs to be on your next wash-day agenda…right? For real, though.
It’s worth the time and effort. Trust me.
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Camesha created the organization after her struggles with mental health and the lack of community she experienced. The Chicago native explains how she created Sista Afya to be rooted in “culturally grounded care.”
pixelheadphoto digitalskillet/ Shutterstock
“So at my organization, Sista Afya Community Care, we focus on providing mental health care through a cultural and gender lens,” she tells xoNecole. “So when we think about the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, we think about the multiple identities that lead to certain experiences and outcomes as it relates to Black women.
“So in the context of culturally grounded care, being aware of the cultural history, the cultural values, and then also the current issues that impact mental health outcomes.”
Words like “strong” and “independent” have long been associated with Black women for some time and many of us have begun to embrace the soft life and are using rest as a form of resistance. However, some of us still struggle with putting ourselves first and overall shedding the tainted image of the “strong, Black woman” that had been forced on us.
Camesha shares that while there’s more and more communities being created around empowerment and shared interests like running, she still questions, “are Black women really comfortable with being vulnerable about sharing their experiences?”
Being vulnerable with ourselves and others play an important role in healing the instinctive nature of always being “on” for everyone. “I'm currently facilitating a group on high functioning depression, and yesterday, we talked about how when Black women may be struggling or have shared their concerns with other people. They may be minimized, or they're told to just be strong, or it's not so bad, or I went through something worse back in Jim Crow era, so you should be thankful,” she explains.
“So I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people. So that is probably a very common theme. I think we've made a lot of progress when we talk about the superwoman syndrome, the mammy stereotype, the working hard stereotype, the nurturing stereotype. I think we're beginning to unpack those things, but I still see that we have definitely a long way to go in that area.”
I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people.
Roman Samborskyi/ Shutterstock
While we’re unpacking those things, we know that we’re still women at the end of the day. So as we continue to serve in various roles like mothers, daughters, sisters, and caretakers, we have to make caring for ourselves a priority. Camesha reveals four ways we can still care for others without abandoning ourselves.
Trust
First things first, trust. Camesha explains, “Some of the burdens that Black women have can be linked to not feeling like you can trust people to carry the load with you.
“It's hard because people experience trauma or being let down or different experiences, but one of the things that I found personally is the more that I'm able to practice trust, the more I'm able to get my needs met. Then, to also show up as my best to care for other Black women.”
Know Your Limitations
Another thing Camesha highlighted is Black women knowing their limitations. “The other thing that I would like to bring up in terms of a way to care for yourself is to really know your limitations, or know how much you can give and what you need to receive,” she says.
“So often, what I see with Black women is giving, giving, giving, giving, giving to the point that you're not feeling well, and then not receiving what you need in return to be able to feel well and whole individually. So I really think it's important to know your limitations and know your capacity and to identify what it is that you need to be well.”
Don’t Take On A Lot Of Responsibilities
Next on the list is not taking on so many responsibilities, sharing herself as an example. “The other thing is taking on too much responsibility, especially in a time of vulnerability.
“One thing that I personally struggled with was being so passionate about community mental health for Black women, and saying yes to everything and taking on so much responsibility,” she reveals. “That affected me to do well in serving Black women and then also impacting my own well being.”
Practice Self-Care
Lastly, she notes the importance of practicing self-care. “The last thing is really practicing regular self care, regular community care, so that it's embedded into your daily life. So for me, having prepared meals, going to the gym, getting eight hours of sleep, spending time with friends and family, all of those things are part of my self care that keep me at my best,” she explains.
“Then community care, leaning into social networks or social groups, or spending time with other interests or hobbies. That's a part of my community care that keeps me going, so that I can take care of my needs, but also to be able to show up best in care for others.”
Find out more about Camesha and Sista Afya Community Care at communitycare.sistaafya.com.
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