5 Scalp Care Tips To Consider During Protective Styling
photo: nycxclothes.com / @nycxclothes
To be candid, when the natural hair movement started gaining popularity on Youtube back in 2013, I might have panicked. I had perm at the time and the thought of going natural terrified me. It was inspiring to see women with 4a to 4c hair types and texture like mine embracing their natural coils, but I can’t say that I was ready to do the same. I remember vividly having a rigorous hair care routine with my stylist while living in Kingston, Jamaica. I would see her every four to six weeks, deep condition my strands, sit with ORS or Mizani relaxer until it burns and trim my ends depending on the split end damages.
Then my big chop happened in 2017. I started to wear braids more, experimented with crochet hair, and even considered locking my hair. The braids weren’t new to me, my cousins always did my cornrows as a kid, but the maintenance was a new territory. My hair care routine looked drastically different and I quickly noticed that scalp care was important, too. Life on a monthly salon-visit schedule conveniently “hid” my dandruff and dry scalp concerns. They were problems only my hairstylist had to deal with.
Hot oil treatments became a regular occurrence and I might’ve been an early adaptor to hair serums— thanks to my love for skincare. It was all a learning curve and to this day I am constantly adapting to new ways of hair health. I’m an ‘ask an expert’ kind of girl, so when Sade Mims of EDAS connected me with Trichologist Mickiela Smith of MMSmith, I knew I had to tap her for a few tips to share. We hopped on a phone call, talked for two hours and I walked away feeling firmly reassured. “You can improve your relationship with your hair and its condition with a consistent scalp regimen” says Smith. When asked about specific routines during protective styling to treat concerns, she adds, “avoid hairstyling altogether if you are experiencing serve skin concerns like burns, irritation, and inflammation, and contact a doctor/dermatologist.” Mickiela is a true expert to say the least. She avoids sharing any specific hair tips without a consultation, but there are some general rule of thumb to maintain advanced hair and scalp care, and these are hers.
Smith shared five expert tips that is good for any beginner and OG natural hair Youtuber, alike.
photo: nycxclothes.com / @nycxclothes
1.
Make sure your style allows access directly to your scalp for topical products such as serums, cremes, and ph balancers.
2. For your product choice, consider your concerns like dandruff, oily scalp and Psoriasis, then your most appropriate application type.
3.
Use bamboo, satin, silk, microfiber materials, and fabrics when resting or in activity. It will help to decrease the chance of hair loss as it reduces the interaction with friction.
4. Only Apply your products (serums, cremes, ph balancers) on a cleansed scalp and hair for product effectiveness.
5.
Lastly, we love long-lasting styles, but don’t forget to remove your style at an appropriate duration to avoid unwanted/additional locking, tangles, and weight.
