Monday, September 20, 2010

Step Away from the Towel...just for a minute


So, when it comes to natural hair we must treat it very gently--as if it is the most fragile piece of glass. One way we can ensure that we are being gentle with our hair is by stepping away from the towel.

Most towels are made from rough fibers that may feel gentle on our body but, are not gentle on our hair. First off, you should never vigorously scrub at the hair with the towel to dry it. Also, if you feel you must dry your hair choose the option of a T-shirt or a Beach towel. The t-shirt is the most gentle because it does not have any of fibers of a towel and a Beach cloth has a smoother texture.

When do I use a towel? I use a Beach towel that my sister, Auset, left at my house. However, I don't use this towel directly on my hair. I mainly use the towel to capture the excess water that runs into my neck, face, and eyes when I wash my hair. Also, when I deep condition and apply my shower cap to my hair I wrap the towel over the shower cap. I do this so the towel may capture the excess water.

Since I don't use the towel directly on my hair, why should it matter what type of fiber it is? I choose to use the Beach towel just in case my hair falls accidentally and rubs againsts the towel. Therefore, if the towel rubs against it then, it will be gentle on my hair.

So, why don't I use the towel directly on my hair? Again, I listened to the advice of Teri LaFlesh of "Curly Like Me". When she manipulates her hair, she likes for it to be soaking and dripping wet. She said this is the best way to manipulate the hair. Some time ago I tried this method. I kept my hair soaking wet, applied my conditioner as a leave-in, and proceeded to do my hair. It worked like a charm. It was not hard to detangle my hair and the proccess sped by. Ever since those successful results, I mainly like to do my hair in its soaking wet state.

In the end, I did not completely eliminate the use of my towel. I just changed the type of towel used and I changed the method in which I use the towel.

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