Why Does My Natural Hair Always Look So Dry?

by Sabrina Perkins of SeriouslyNatural.org

When it comes to maintaining moisture in your hair, sheen is one of the main characteristics you are told to look out for but what if your hair doesn’t have “sheen?” The reason being is straight hair reflects light, while highly textured hair with its curls and and bends actually refracts light, giving it a dull appearance.

There is a difference between our hair's natural less-than-sheeny look and being dry. Yes, it is possible for your hair to be lacking luster, but it doesn’t always mean that the hair is dry or lacking moisture. There are many reasons as to why some natural hair seems to look more dry than others, but here are 3 main reasons why your natural hair is lacking luster:

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Dehydrated
If you haven’t been drinking an sufficient amount of water, then your hair could be reflecting it. Water is needed to keep every portion of the body healthy, including the hair. Not drinking enough water can cause dry hair, dry scalp, and many other minor to major physical changes that are totally preventable.

Try drinking at least 4 -6 water 8oz bottles a day in order to maintain a healthy amount of water intake. Try fashionable water bottles as they are easy to carry around and make it less of a chore.

Improper pH
If your hair is too acidic or too alkaline, it may give off the appearance of being dull. A healthy pH for hair is 5, which is slightly acidic. Mildly acidic products flatten the cuticles, making the hair more lustrous. If products that are alkaline are applied to the hair, the cuticle is lifted which results in dull, brittle hair.

The only way to combat this problem is to invest in some pH strips to test the acidity of your products and adjust your usage accordingly. Use products that offer your hair a little bit of acidity to lay the cuticle flat in order to increase the amount of shine.

Hard Water
Hard water is caused by too many minerals in the water supply, mainly calcium and magnesium. This high mineral content causes a film to form on the hair which causes build up on the scalp and prevents moisture from entering the hair, resulting in dull hair.

If you find that you’re washing your hair in hard water, you can invest in a water softener, get a shower filter, do an acidic-based hair rinse like vinegar or lemon/lime juice, use bottled water or use a clarifying shampoo in order to both prevent and remove the film from your hair. You can also invest in a shower filter to remove those impurities from your water before they even get to your head like the T3 SOURCE FILTER FOR SHOWERHEAD.

This shower head filter for $25 is ideal because it is much less expensive than buying a water-filter shower head which can set you back anywhere from $75 to $250 dollars.

While these are only a few of many reasons as to why your hair could be a little more dull than you’d like, you should also remember that not everyone’s hair will have sheen and that’s okay! Sometimes the fact that your hair is not lustrous is just because that is its natural state, so embrace it.

Are you having problems with dry or lackluster strands?

from Natural Hair Care | Curly Nikki http://bit.ly/1WpI5Sw