Are you a natural hair newbie? Are you a bit lost? Starting the natural hair journey can be quite overwhelming at times. You maybe don’t even know where to start, which products to use, what terms like 4B, 4C mean. Well, you’re in the right place! We’ve made a list of 11 essential products and tools to help you as you start your natural hair journey. Our list comes in three simple parts.

 Part one-the products, must-haves that you need (hint- a couple are in the image below *wink*). Part two are the tools for the job followed by part three, your very own newbie dictionary with popular terms used in the natural hair space.

Part one:

Shampoo

We all know the saying, cleanliness next to godliness. But how you get clean is just as important, and by how we mean what products you chose to get you to godhood.As a rule, try and steer away from the product nasties- silicones, parabens, phthalates, sulphates/sulphates, petroleum jelly, petroleum derived ingredients and mineral oil. A well-balanced shampoo that won’t be too harsh on your hair is essential.

Our sulphate free shampoo is powered by a blend of mild sulphate free surfactants, coconut oil and quaternary salts to gently wash away dirt, dust, product build up and excess oils, leaving your hair feeling clean and deity-like. (this will also be the label for the image above)

Conditioner                                    

One obvious draw back of shampooing is that it strips your hair of moisture. These are the excess oils and product build up that were shown the door. To get it back, any normal conditioner can be used to:

·       Soften your hair

·       Replenish your hair with moisture after shampooing.

·        Add nourishment to your hair.

All three contribute to the health of the hair but more importantly its manageability. We don’t want you pulling and tagging on your precious locks. Not only can this damage your hair but your scalp as well. And it doesn’t make the natural hair journey any easier.

Mosara’s rich conditioner is concocted from a hair nourishing mix of coconut, castor, avocado, and other essential oils to moisturize your hair while nourishing hair strands for lasting softness and elasticity.

It is worth a mention that it can also be used as a pre-poo treatment or a part of your co wash sessions, but you maybe don’t know what these terms mean just yet so, stick around a while longer.

Deep Treatment Masque

A deep treatment masque is a thick and restorative formula that you apply to your hair to retain its moisture. It’s has a thicker form than a normal conditioner and the process of applying it to your hair is called deep conditioning. This would normally be the next step after shampooing, especially if you opted to skip the conditioner. Again, moisture is important since that has been stripped by the shampoo.

Mosara’s Deep Treatment Masque is a dual-purpose deep conditioning treatment that restores moisture to your hair and nourishes your scalp. Please note that this is a rinse-out product which means you wash it off after letting it set for a few minutes (15-30mins tends to do the trick).

It’s made with a blend of all the goodies- coconut oil, avocado oil, castor oil and Shea butter, to promote your scalp’s and ultimately your hair’s health. For those days when you’re feeling like you need that extra step in self-care, why not sit under a steamer with your freshly deep-conditioned hair with your favourite book and drink for company?

Leave in treatment

After getting back some moisture into your hair, you can take a guess as to what the next step is…that’s right more moisture! A leave in conditioner provides extra moisture making your hair feeling luscious,softer, and easier to style. There are two types of leave in treatments, creamy and liquid.

Each conditioner is suited for a particular kind of hair. A leave in treatment also comes in handy in between your washdays when you need to re-moisturize.

 Mosara’s Moisture Milk will be sure to revive your hair when it feels dry. Try this baby and a splash of water and voila! A moisturized full head of hair.

Hair Butter / Cream

 Hair butters and hair creams are similar and different at the same time. Similar in that they both add moisture to your hair preventing hair breakage and loss. Different in that a hair butter is thicker than a hair cream. This is the Cin the LOC/LCO process that takes place after deep conditioning, again another term that will come in handy in your natural hair journey. As a bonus, hair butters can also be used to lay down your edges for whatever silky look you’re trying to go for.

Mosara’s hydrating butter is a leave in conditioning cream that acts as either the L (leave in conditioner) or C (cream) in the LOC method. Formulated with coconut oil, avocado oil, castor oil and Shea butter, every one of its ingredients is balanced to provide just the right amount of protection for your strands as well as up-to a week-long of moisture.

Part two- tools          

Oils

First on our tools list are oils. You can choose from a variety depending on what feels good to you just make sure you pick at least one.  Oils hydrate the hair but they go a step further by locking in it all in your hair. This then means prolonged moisture, softness, length retention, increased shine among many other benefits. 

Here is a good list to start on for your research:

Coconut oil.

·       Jojoba oil.

·       Avocado oil.

·       Essential oils such as lavender oil.

·       Almond oil.

Spray Bottle

A spray bottle comes in handy when re-moisturizing your hair in between washes. You may also use it to spray some water to refresh your wigs and extensions. Using it is advised as it controls the amount of water you allow on your hair.

Butterfly clips

On washday, or even any time you are working on your hair, working in sections will make everything easier. Butterfly clips help to keep those sections in place. They prevent sections from mixing up, saves you time and energy and ensures all parts of your head are covered.

Satin/Silk Pillowcase/Bonnet

These are needed to protect your hair at night by reducing friction which leads to weakening of your and eventually hair loss and retaining your hair’s moisture.

Edges brush

An edges brush will help you lay those edges for that sleek look. You can either buy an edges brush from a natural hair store or any old toothbrush should also work.

Head wraps and Head scarves

These add flair and style to your look. They can also be used on those bad hair days when your hair will not just co-operate (these days will come). When worn, they provide protection to your hair from harmful weather and dust.

Part Three- The Newbie Dictionary:

LOC/LCO- L stands for leave in conditioner, O for oil, C for hair cream or you can use hair butter. It is a process that takes place after deep conditioning that helps retain moisture in your hair.

Co wash- abbreviation for conditioner only washing. This is basically where you use a conditioner or a deep conditioner instead of a shampoo to wash your hair. Using a shampoo too many times can be quite stripping to your hair. In between your washdays you may need to wash your hair due to dirt build up. Use a conditioner instead of a shampoo.

Pre poo- an oil treatment given to your hair before shampooing. Derived from the words prepare before shampooing. It helps in protecting your hair from damage during shampooing.

T.W.A. - abbreviation for teeny weeny afro. Its short hair with about a length of 2 inches.

Wash and go- This is a quick easy hairstyle where you have your hair in its natural state, with all the kinks and curls, without little to no manipulation. You’ll need a lot of moisture to pull this one off so to start check out Mosara’s Hydrating Butter

Shrinkage- refers to your hair’s ability to shrink. It ends up looking shorter than it actually is. This will be frustrating at times, but you’ll learn to embrace it.

Big chop- cutting of all your relaxed hair in order to start growing out your natural hair.

Transitioning – process of slowly moving from relaxed hair to natural hair. This allows you to gain some length for the natural hair underneath as you gradually snip-off the relaxed ends as your hair grows.

Porosity – refers to your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. There are a few tests to determine your hairs porosity, one of our favoritebeing the float test:

Spare a couple of strands of your hair and drop them in to a cup of water. Wait it out for 3-5minutes. If you notice your hair settles on the surface of the water that means you have low porosity hair. If it sinks, then you probably have a higher porosity.