The Products Your Hair Needs RIGHT Now
If you want a list of products to try and shove away into a cabinet somewhere, this is not that. Seasoned stylist, Kia Fay (a.k.a. @kiathecurlconsultant), schools us on how to choose & evaluate products that will keep our hair and scalp healthy year-round.
by Kia Fay
Hey, is it cool if I share some education with you that I've learned from styling hundreds of heads of hair? Some of it may be different than what you were taught in the past, but real talk — I'm not here to make a buck off of selling products. I just want folks to have the healthiest relationship with their crown possible.
Here's a not-so-secret secret that I share with all of my clients: most of the products you own probably aren't necessary. You and I both know, too many of us have a stash of hair care products that didn't do what they claimed they would do, even though we gave them our best shot and followed all the instructions to a T. Some of you may have even invested a ton of your hard-earned coins in purchasing lines that were designed to appeal to you, because the beauty industry has always framed your texture as challenging. Though the natural hair space has been flooded with new offerings in recent years, the challenge has now become how to differentiate the heavy hitters from the clunkers. How to separate the wheat from the chaff. I'm here to tell you that your hair is not the issue. The issue is that we still have limited options and not enough access to unbiased product and natural hair education.
Rather than try and convince you to buy a ton of products that you don't need, I'd rather take a minute to teach you about some simple guiding principles that have helped save me and my natural clients tons of time and money. My goal is to see folks gaining an understanding about what types of products and processes make their hair flourish. That way you can reach the healthy hair promised land a lot sooner.
1. It Starts With a Great Cleanser
When it comes to cleansing, I'm going to ask you to go back to the basics. While many products marketed to us sell the idea of a thorough cleanse in the form of a conditioner (a.k.a. co-wash), in my experience it's critical that we focus on establishing a truly cleansed scalp and hair shaft in order to move on to the next step in our styling. I look for products that are free of harsh detergents, and instead use a more gentle cleansing agent. When I combine that with mindful massaging of my scalp, that's going to deliver a clean canvas without being excessively stripping. I don't want my hair to feel like straw that's been left to bake in the sun after I shampooed it. I like cleansers that offer a significant degree of slip so that I can actively detangle and work through my hair with minimal impact or damage.
I focus on thoroughly massaging the scalp and then drawing that cleanser down the lengths of the hair to ensure that everything has been thoroughly washed. Focus on those areas around the perimeter of the hairline — a lot of people don't give this zone the attention that it deserves, especially given that makeup/skincare can migrate back into the hairline. Give good attention to the area in the nape as well. It gets neglected because we don't see it on the daily.
I've definitely tried cleansers that leave a residue on the scalp, which to me is a huge red flag. If you feel or see build-up on your scalp after cleansing, then we need to evaluate if this is the right cleanser for you. The scalp should feel refreshed and free of debris without being tight. I want to make sure the lengths of my hair have been cleansed to the point where they can easily take on hydration (water). We’ve got to stop being afraid of exposing our hair to water — it's the key to healthy hair. If a product or style prevents us from flushing our hair with water on a regular basis, it's probably going to create some compounded issues in the long run.
2. Follow Up With a Conditioner to Seal in Moisture
Now that I've got a clean canvas, I want you to go in with a conditioning product that is moisturizing, but not so heavy and reliant on oils and butters that it creates a barrier on the outside of the hair. Conditioner's purpose is to seal in the water that your hair has accessed during the cleansing portion of the service. I want a conditioner that is concentrated but can be diluted down with water. That way I can control the degree of moisturizing action that I'm giving to my hair depending upon what my hair needs. Instead of looking at brands who are always creating fifty-leven new offerings, consider that the best products are able to perform on a range of curl types. If we keep the hair well-cleansed and moisturized on a regular basis, then there isn't a need to be either clarifying or doing deep conditioners all the time. Let's get out of the feast or famine mindset and make healthy moderation our goal.
3. Finish With a Styler(s) (Hint: Less is More)
The most important thing to remember about styling products is that if you haven't done these first two steps correctly, no amount of magical styling product will ever get your hair to look the way you want it to. Applying styling products on prepped hair will make all the difference in terms of allowing that styler to adhere to the hair shaft. Less is more when it comes to styling products. Layering excessive degrees of products (okay, YouTube, I see you) is just a tactic that brands use to get you to buy more stuff.
In working with so many different clients, I've seen that the best styling products are water soluble and are able to dry down and create a cast which will lock in the style that you've created. While I want a fair degree of hold, I also need to make sure that this styling product has the ability to be malleable, because nobody wants to see a shower of flakes when they start to move their hair. I maintain that we deserve to have touchable, movable, what I like to call "Freedom hair." A hair helmet is a mood, and it's not the mood I'm going for. A lot of styling products on the market only have hold in mind and use a lot of unsustainable and caustic ingredients to get you there. While it may be cheap and look good briefly on camera, close inspection will show that these types of stylers don't have what it takes to perform in real life settings when healthy hair is our goal.
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4. A Note About Oils...
When it comes to the use of oils on the hair and scalp, I'm always looking at the ingredient list to make sure that it doesn't contain heavy oils or butters. I'm also very mindful about using oil sparingly in my ritual so that I'm not creating a water resistant barrier that will make my work more challenging the next time I go to wash. I like to use high-quality oils to help soften the cast left by styling products in order to add volume and shine to the hair. I also like to use them in my scalp health practices, especially when I rock a shaved head.
I know from experience that folks want to be told exactly what to use, but I want you to know that the why and how are hella important. Look for your education to come from professionals with experience who have proven they can execute on what you're looking for. Do your best to learn about your own hair and what you choose to use on it, so you can know when it's truly thriving.
Editor’s Note: the below products are intended to be a starting point for product discovery, compiled by the CRWNMAG editorial team, and are in no way endorsed by Kia Fay.
