Sealing Your Ends

 

Once your hair leaves the root, it depends on you to maintain its health and moisture. Sometimes applying the product to your hair with open palms doesn’t get the product everywhere it needs to be. Sealing my ends is part of my personal natural hair care regimen. My hair has low porosity, which means it is harder for it to absorb moisture so sometimes I have problems with my ends being dry. Sealing your ends evenly distributes the product to each strand and smoothens the cuticle.

I seal my ends while my hair is still damp after every shampoo or co-wash and once in between depending on how long I go between washes. I seal my ends with a different mixture products depending on my hair needs at the moment. I use different combinations of shea butter, aloe, olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, and essential oils. I often slip and become a little heavy-handed with the product making my hair extremely oily. Be careful not to do this because it can end up clogging pores, making hair clump and unmanageable and resulting in hair getting dirty faster.

Sealing ends is very simple and can be quite relaxing. I enjoy the time I get to spend exploring my hair and massaging my scalp. I do it while watching my favorite television show or listening to music. I take my hair in tiny sections, ranging between about the size you would use if doing a micro braid or box braid, depending on the length and density of your hair. I separate the hair with my fingers and rub a small amount of product between my thumb, index, and middle finger and proceed to smooth it down the strand of my hair from the scalp to the ends. I make sure I focus on the ends in particular because this is the whole point in sealing! I continue this process until I have sealed my entire head. I go through it with my extra-soft boar bristle brush to smooth and catch any excess oils, detangle with a wide tooth comb. I usually do this before bed so I braid it down before I go to sleep.

 

I can tell the real effects of the products I’m using because they are now reaching the places they usually miss. In the morning when I take the braids loose and comb my hair the result is a super-soft, shiny afro!