Having Type 4 hair can be a massive struggle. Especially if you have just started out or you and your hair have a complicated relationship. Now by complicated, I mean that you are not on the same page! We have all had that one hairstyle that failed or a week when your hair was especially dry and tangled.
During my 7 years of being natural, I have perfected my hair refresh routine. I have learned the hard way with my hair but you don't have to with these tips.
Benefits of refreshing your natural hair
- Remove shed hair
- Remove tangles
- Put moisture back in your hair
- Prevent a terrible wash day
- Preserve your hairstyle
- Redefine your curls
- Prolong wash day
- Bring life back into your hair
- Retain length
How I refresh my natural hair
As a new natural, I refreshed my hair using some water/aloe vera juice and perhaps my leave-in. But this wasn't enough for my 4B Hair. But it may be a great start for you. Now if you are like me and find that it isn't enough for you either then the following may help.
Step 1- Section your hair
I start by placing my hair in 4 or 6 sections depending on how tangled and dry my hair is. The key here is to be as gentle as you can be with your hair.
Step 2- Water
Water is your best friend always. You can simply reactivate your kinks just by misting them. However, for us type 4 girls we need a few more steps. If you don't want to use water, then make sure your hair refreshing spray has water as the first ingredient. Plus aloe vera juice is a great alternative too.
Step 3- Mist
Now that you have your hair sectioned and have the spray bottle of your choice. Start on one section and spray from the bottom up. I love to spray my roots which tend to get dry from exercising.
Once my hair is saturated, I start using the praying hand's method to remove any tangles or shed hair. Then I split that section in two and continue with the praying hand's method. Personally, I don't finger tangle because I feel like I end up ripping through my hair so this works amazing for me.
Step 4- Leave-In/cream
Now if you used water or aloe vera juice for your mist, you may now wish to add your leave-in, cream or oil to seal in the moisture. Now because I used a hair refresher spray it acted like a 2 in 1. From experience, going in with an oil afterwards weighs my hair down because I already get so much moisture.
Step 4- Twist
For my final step, I like to retwist my hair to maintain the curl definition. If you did a wash and go, you may want to go back in with some gel and redefine your curls.
Step 5- Dry and Go
Once you have twisted or gone in with your gel, just wait for your hair to dry than your go-to go. Enjoy your freshly moisturised and defined hair for another few days. When I refresh my hair using a refresher spray. I can prolong wash day up to 7 days.
Let us know in the comments how you refresh your hair and how long it lasts for!
