Looking after mixed race curls

Typically Afro hair is 1% moisture and Caucasian is 3%. Marketing for afro products tends to emphasise dryness as a common hair/scalp problem and caucasian products, oiliness. As mixed race we’re often somewhere in the middle.  Afro products can be too heavy, leaving the hair greasy or weighed down. Caucasian products can be drying, stripping the hair of natural oils.

I’ve tried lots of ranges designed for mixed hair (Mixed Chicks, Curls, Kinky Curly, Miss Jessie’s, Beautiful Textures to name a few) but found many of them too pricey or that they shrunk my curls too much (a good tip is to look up the curl type of the brand’s founder as often the products best suit their curl type).

Then I had a eureka moment and looked towards Brazilian products. Brazil is something of a mixed race motherland where a high proportion of the population is mixed race, therefore their hair products are often designed to benefit a range of different oil balances and textures.

Skala is a Brazilian product range with a great system of leave-in and intense hair conditioners at affordable prices with a wide spectrum for dry/coarse/anti frizz/damaged/colour treated/weak/dull hair types.

 

What I learned from curl expert, Carlos Flores, about looking after mixed/curly hair;

If your hair doesn’t get greasy between washes then forgo shampoo and ‘wash’ with conditioner.

Curls need moisture to be defined. Leave in conditioner is your best friend.

Do’s

• Wash your hair with conditioner and apply an intensive conditioner at least once a week
• Your fingers are your comb, only comb whilst hair is wet
• Separate hair whilst conditioner is on, using fingers as a comb run hand through hair to remove tangles and gently remove loose hair
• Rinse hair and apply a leave-in conditioner
• Allow to air dry or use a hood hairdryer to keep curl definition

Don’ts

• Use a brush or comb on your hair – its fragile! Combing may pull out hair before its time
• Comb (even with fingers) when hair is dry, it may break off your  hair
• Towel dry – it breaks up the curl pattern
• Pull hair back with a clip or tie before it is nearly dry, it will strain and break the hair as it wants to curl when wet. Wait until hair is dry or very nearly dry.