5 Signs Your Natural Hair is Dry

If there is one thing that causes women the most stress is having dry natural hair.  The kinks and coils that make natural hair so beautiful are the same ones that can make achieving hydration (and maintaining it) difficult. Especially when most of us aren’t exactly sure how our hair measures upon the hydration/moisture scale. The truth of the matter is, it’s not as easy to determine whether your natural hair is lacking hydration as you might think. With so many promising natural hair products that do a great job at helping to create the illusion of hydration, it’s hard to know whether your hair is truly hydrated or if it needs a bit more love and attention. If you need some guidance figuring it out, we have a few signs that can give you an idea of where you stand.

5 Signs Your Natural Hair is Lacking Hydration

Sign #1: Your hair feels dry even after you shampoo and condition.

This is one of the easiest signs that your hair may be lacking hydration. During your wash day routine, your hair is drenched with water and conditioned with nourishing ingredients. But, when hair is extremely dry and dehydrated, it will have a difficult time absorbing water during a normal shampoo and condition process. At the Urbanbella Salon, we can tell exactly your hair’s hydration level once rinse we off your styling products.  Taking you through our hydrating cleansing system resets your moisture level so that even if you’re having a dry hair day, with hydrated hair, this system will restore hair to its soft, buttery state. However, if after using our system and the hair is still dry, we know that means there’s a deeper need for hydration.

Solution: Start a Deep Conditioning Regimen. One of the best ways to restore hydration to the hair is deep conditioning with a steamer on a weekly basis. We recommend using the Urbanbella Condition & Repair Kit for your weekly deep conditioning treatments for two months with a monthly cleanse using the Urbanbella Honey and Aloe Lather Shampoo to give the hair a deep cleanse and scalp exfoliation treatment.

Sign #2: Your hair isn’t able to retain moisture with products.

When it comes to hydrating and moisturizing our natural hair, aside from water we look towards moisturizers to help us reach maximum hydration levels. Really great moisturizers that are full of nourishing ingredients like the Urbanbella No.23 Hydrating Moisturizing Cream can help hair retain hydration for a few days in normal climates and weather conditions. If you use a high-quality moisturizer and find that your hair is dry the next day, that means your hair isn’t retaining moisture and will need extra attention to restore hydration.

Sign #3: Your hair won’t grow longer and breaks off.

When hair is properly hydrated, hair growth comes easily. This isn’t necessarily because hydrated hair stimulates hair growth but, it can protect against breakage. With dry, dehydrated hair, as new hair is growing at the root, dry, brittle ends are breaking off. This process typically happens at the same rate which can make it seem like the hair isn’t growing when in reality it is. Hydration is essential for retaining new hair growth. This is especially true for color treated hair that is drier and more brittle on the ends.

Solution: Give your ends some TLC. If you’re having trouble with hydration, you should be deep conditioning your hair weekly, however, during these sessions, take some time to focus on the ends of your hair. Apply more conditioner here and work the product up from end to root. It also helps to maintain regular trims a couple of times a year to get rid of old ends that are prone to breakage and take away from the healthy appearance of your natural hair.

Sign #4: Your hair is difficult to manage and style.

Another telltale sign that your natural hair is lacking hydration is having trouble managing and styling it on your own. Hydrated hair is generally easy to smooth and style with ease but, if the hair is dry and dehydrated, it will take a significantly longer time to style, with more tools involved, and even more styling products to achieve a style at all.

Sign #5: Your hair won’t hold styles for long.

Speaking of styles, when you’re able to manage and style but have trouble holding styles, a lack of hydration can be to blame as well. Have you ever achieved the perfect wash and go only to find yourself needing to do it all over again after a couple of days? This is usually due to a lack of hydration. When your natural hair is well hydrated and you’re using great styling gels, your wash and go should be able to stretch for two weeks at the most. Hair that is in desperate need of hydration will need to be restyled within a few days.

Solution: Increase your Number of Wash Days. If your hairstyles just aren’t holding up, increasing your wash days might be the answer. We don’t recommend going more that 1 Week without washing. This is how you maximize curl definition and hydration. But if you ever need to skip a wash-week then your  well-hydrated hair can handle it. Wash at least once a week to help restore hydration to the hair and help stretch your hairstyles a bit longer.