As the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, it has affected us all. Schools have been closed, daycares have been closed, businesses have closed, jobs have terminated employees, and some have the ability to work from home. Regardless of the bucket you find yourself in, we have all been affected by COVID-19 while under quarantine. But, what does that mean for your natural hair? Salons and barbershops are declared non-essential businesses by the state and are forced to remain closed. For those who are essential and have to leave home to work daily and those who are home more than expected right now, here are 4 ways to care for natural hair during the quarantine.
- Stretch Wash Days – Stretch your wash days now from 7 days to 14 days (for females) and from every 2 days to 7 days (for men). Given the economic climate that we’re going into or your financial condition, you may not want to splurge. Hence, a way to reduce your hair product bill is by elongating the time in between hair washing periods. Your products will last longer so that you don’t have to restock as frequently. This is especially great if you have kids.
- Moisturize using the LOC/LCO method – With all this time we have, there is no excuse for us to not properly moisturize our natural hair. Remember natural hair is naturally dry as the sebum from our scalp is not able to travel to the ends of hair to provide it with the nourishment that it needs due to the curly texture of the strands. Hence, we should do this manually using the LOC (or LCO) method. With this method, you would apply Liquid, Oil and a Cream in the order of the acronym chosen. The order is important as it allows your hair to be efficiently moisturized with water (Liquid) and sealed in using the oil and/or cream. Once the moisturize is sealed in, it usually lasts 5 or more days depending on your hair texture.
- Less hairdresser/barber visits – We have been told to reduce our social distancing for this quarantine period. This means fewer visits to the hairdresser or barber to prevent and contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Although, these visits were great because over our bomb hairstyle or the fact that we would look fly while catching up with our counterparts, consider trimming your own hair. You will save a few pennies in your pocket and may discover a new skill. You can research specific hairstyles (or trims) while you’re at home, which brings us into our next point.
- Protective styling – As you have more time at home, this is a great time to do a protective style with your hair (or your children’s hair). The protective style will give you a break from styling your (or their) natural hair daily. Also, you will have more time to do others throughout your day. This could be working from home, teaching your children, cooking 3 meals, or working on a passion project you always wanted to do. Examples of protective styles that you do are mini twists, buns, mini braids, cornrows, or even wearing a wig.
We understand that no one likes being told to quarantine but we do encourage everyone to follow the various authority heads within your specific area. Try out these at-home tips for caring for your naturally coily hair while we all try to get through this difficult time.
