Hair grease, conditioner & “protective” styles: things I wish I understood sooner 🫶🏽🧴 One of the biggest things I’ve learned on my hair journey is that healthy hair is less about finding a million products and more about understanding what your hair actually needs. Let’s talk about HAIR GREASE because I feel like we either hear “grease is amazing” or “grease is terrible” when the truth is… it depends on how you use it. 🧴 Grease does NOT moisturize your hair by itself. Grease is an occlusive, meaning it helps slow down water/moisture loss by creating a barrier over the hair and scalp. You can use grease on wet, damp, or dry hair, but if your goal is moisture, remember, you cannot truly moisturize dry hair with oil or grease alone. Water is what provides hydration. Apply water/conditioner first, then use a small amount of grease to help seal it in. For the scalp, I like applying directly to the scalp section by section and gently massaging it in with my fingertips. You do NOT need to drench your scalp in grease. Using too much or applying it constantly can leave your scalp weighed down or cause buildup. Your scalp also produces its own oils, so grease doesn’t need to be an everyday requirement. And NO, grease isn’t a magic hair growth product. It can, however, support length retention as it helps keep your hair conditioned, reduces dryness/friction and ultimately helps minimize breakage. Growing the hair and keeping the hair are two different things! 💦 NOW CONDITIONER… my BEST FRIEND. Learning how important conditioner is completely changed my hair journey. Conditioner helps improve the feel, manageability and elasticity of the hair while reducing friction and making detangling easier. And easier detangling = less unnecessary breakage. One thing I REALLY had to learn was that you can’t just put a bunch of oils and creams on dry hair and call it “moisturized.” Water is essential. Products can help your hair retain and manage that moisture but they aren’t a replacement for water. Learning about my hair’s porosity also helped me understand why certain products work better for me than others and how my hair responds to water, conditioners, and heavier products. Porosity can be a helpful starting point for figuring out your routine but pay attention to how YOUR hair actually behaves rather than letting a porosity “test” dictate everything you do. 🪮 AND PLEASE make sure your “protective style” is actually PROTECTIVE. A good protective style should help minimize things like: • constant manipulation • friction against clothing, pillows, etc. • unnecessary tangling • excessive handling of the ends • dryness and breakage Your ends are the oldest and most fragile part of your hair. Keeping them moisturized, tucked away when appropriate, and protected from constant rubbing and manipulation can make a HUGE difference in length retention. And please don’t throw dry, neglected hair into a “protective style” and expect the style to fix it. If your hair isn’t properly detangled, conditioned and moisturized BEFORE you install the style, you’re basically just putting already dry hair away and hoping for the best. Protective styling is supposed to protect the work you’ve already put into maintaining your hair not replace your hair care routine. Healthy hair journey = moisture + conditioning + gentle handling + protecting your ends + consistency. 🫶🏾 And remember length retention is just as important as growth. Your hair can be growing beautifully from your scalp, but if you’re breaking off the same amount you’re growing, you’re not going to see the length you’re working for. #HairJourney #NaturalHair #HealthyHair #HairCareTips #LengthRetention - @xo.krissytina