Ladies, if you have hair like the hair described above and you have been using heat, please be advised that your hair is NOT trained. It is heat damaged!  Natural hair CANNOT be trained to respond a certain way to heat. Natural hair that is healthy, is thick, curly, and full of life. If it is limp, without much curl and a bit dull, it is damaged.

The use of heat should be limited and/or excluded completely from use on natural hair. What’s the point of being natural if you continue to use heat to make it straight? You might as well go back to a chemical relaxer because you are still damaging your hair and in my opinion, if you choose to straighten your hair often, you have not accepted your natural texture.

 Learning to deal with your hair in its natural state is part of being natural. Using heat to make it more “manageable” is not the answer. Keep in mind, no amount of deep conditioning will ever restore your natural curls once it’s heat damaged. You will have to cut off the damaged hair and start over.

In conclusion natural hair CANNOT be trained. There is no such thing. It can either be damaged or embraced. The choice is completely up to you.

• Without your hair tied down they create tangles & knots
• Your hair may not stay on just the pillowcase itself
• If the air is dry it will still dry out your hair
• They can’t retain moisture in the hair

So now lets review the above reasons;

Without your hair tied down they create tangles & knots

Absolutely! Although I find that sleeping on a satin or silk pillowcase may keep your hair from being really smashed down, the hair tends to tangle and knot more because it is out and not tied down to prevent friction as you sleep. With bonnets and scarves you have more control of how your hair behaves during the night.

Your hair may not stay on just the pillowcase itself

I have woke up many mornings to realize that my head was on my sheets. Or your cotton sheets or blankets could also be touching your hair absorbing the moisture as well. Unless you are prepared to purchase satin sheets and a satin blanket and comforter (good luck in the summer if you do) this will happen. Again with a satin scarf or bonnet you can prevent this altogether.

If the air is dry it will still dry your hair out

Yet another reason why I find satin/silk pillowcases useless. Your hair isn’t even covered so you have nothing protecting your hair from being dried out!

They can’t retain moisture in the hair

Please see the above.

So again, do satin or silk pillowcases really help? In my opinion they don’t. Yes, they may keep your hair from being as smashed  down in the morning, but at what cost? Knots, tangles, and dried out hair? I’d rather deal with smashed down hair that’s full of moisture and knot free than the alternative.

Credits: Photo from shopbedding.com

Questions:
1. How do I prevent fairy knots?

2. Do I have scab hair?

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Questions:
1. How do I detangle my hair?

2. Why are my ends so hair?

3. Where do you get your hair products?

If you a reading this article via email, please click here to watch the video.

All hair no matter the texture has a life cycle. During this life cycle the hair goes through 3 stages: Growing, Resting, Shedding. During the Shedding Phase, people usually shed between 50-100 hairs per day to make room for new hair that is growing in. Natural hair is naturally kinky and/or curly so the shed hairs may not make their way completely out of our heads and then become tangled with the hairs still growing out of our scalp causing knots that lead to breakage! Yes, I know this is awlful, but it’s what we are blessed with: Curly/Kinky hair.

The solution to this problem is sufficient detangling and removal of shed hairs. The best time to do this is during your wash days. My advice is when you shower and cleanse your hair rinse the hair thoroughly and use your fingers to remove the shed hairs by gently finger combing the hair. Add conditioner and/or oil to make the hair slippery. This will help you remove the shed hairs as well as the tangles if any. Once you have detanlged with your fingers, follow up with a wide tooth detangling comb. Next braid or twist the hair and use some clamps to section your detangled hair from the hair that still needs to be detangled to prevent retangling of hair. Doing this prior to adding your shampoo will greatly reduce the knots.

Another factor I will also like to point out is redepositing shed hairs into the head during styling. This is also a big reason why you may be getting the knots. When you are using shea butter, gel, etc., do you have bits of hair in the jar? Do you have hairs stuck to your hands as you are applying your products? If so you need to remove them before you place your hands back in your hair because putting these hairs back in the hair leads to more knots! If you have shed hairs on your hands while styling rinse them off before continuing. If the hair is in your jar of gel, shea butter, conditioner, etc. Remove them!! As always wear protective styles often, never comb your hair while it’s dry and sleep with a satin or silk bonnet or scarf. These steps will help you reduce the knots, tangles, and breakage.