This 4C hair care post has been sponsored by SheaMoisture, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Real talk? I don’t talk about my hair too often on the blog. I’ve never been the best at taking care of my hair. Growing up, I got my hair relaxed and by the time I was 18, my hair practically fried off. It wasn’t growing, it broke off constantly, and it really didn’t look good.
When I moved away from home at age 18 and went off to college, I got braids as a way to maintain my hair a little easier. I wore them for years (you can actually see me rocking them in quite a few of my old blog posts) and since I loved the style, I decided to rock braids for 4 years. One day when I was getting my braids redone, I noticed all of my natural hair that had grown in — and the dead, relaxed hair that remained at the end. I wasn’t planning on doing “the big chop” but after looking at the healthy natural hair vs. the dead relaxed hair, the choice was easy.
Now, I have 4C hair — which I’m growing to love each and every day. It was a huge learning curve for me to educate myself about the products that worked best for my natural hair. When I first began my natural hair care journey, I tried out SheaMoisture products, and they’ve worked quite well for me over the years! To be quite honest, I’m still not 100% comfortable wearing my natural hair out, so that’s why I wear protective styles at the moment while I’m transitioning (yes — I’ve been wearing wigs for the last few years here on the blog if you haven’t noticed by now!)
I’m almost ready to make my natural hair debut to the world, but in the meantime, here’s how I’ve been taking care of my 4C hair:
Pay Attention to Breakage
When I first went natural, I noticed a lot of breakage. The shampoos and conditioners I was using when I had braids and relaxed hair just weren’t cutting it; my natural 4C hair needed a lot of love. If you’re noticing a lot of hair falling out every time you comb, I’d switch up your hair care routine ASAP. I wasn’t sure what I was doing at first, and I wish I started using the shampoos and conditioners that my hair needed a lot sooner!
Infuse My Hair With Moisture
My hair is super, super dry and, at the moment, I wash about every 5-7 days so that I don’t dry my hair out. I’ll wash more frequently if I’m super active/get sweaty at some point during the week. I use the SheaMoisture Anti-Breakage Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner that I picked up at my local Walmart in the hair care aisle to remedy my dry, brittle hair. It infuses my hair with some much-needed moisture and has been one of the main reasons why my hair has shown some growth over the last few months.
Bring My Own Travel Size Shampoo and Conditioner
I mainly travel with my boyfriend who has a full head of Filipino hair and sadly neither of us use the complimentary shampoos or conditioners that you find in hotel bathrooms because they dry my hair out super fast. I had to purchase a good set of travel containers so I can bring my SheaMoisture products on the go. It takes a little longer to pack, but it’s 100% worth it in the end!
Use a Treatment Mask Every 2 Weeks
Since my hair is so dry, I need to deep condition it every couple of weeks. I use SheaMoisture’s Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque to deep condition my hair, and it really packs a punch; this is the cherry on top of my hair care routine! It also helps detangle my hair. I use this product once a week in the winter when it’s super dry out for extra moisture!
What’s Your Natural 4C Hair Care Routine?
Find all your favorite SheaMoisture products at your local Walmart and be sure to use this iBotta offer.
Photos by Tom McGovern.
