Do You Seal Your Ends?

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Lately when I search the web for natural hair tips, I focus more on what I can do to keep my hair healthy, not just cute styles. One thing that I've learned about is sealing my hair, particularly the ends. Of course the ends of your hair are the oldest and are more susceptible to damage and splitting. Sealing the ends of your hair won't repair splits (only thing to do then is trim those ends off) but it can add protection to healthy hair. That is because sealing helps lock moisture inside the strand. The drier the hair, the more likely it is to be damaged. And when your hair is constantly breaking due to damage/split ends, it seems that the hair is not growing. So you definitely need to take action against that.

Now don't roll your eyes and say "Great, something else to add to my routine!" Sealing your hair is not hard to do at all! I follow these simple steps, courtesy of Curly Nikki:

1. Start with wet hair.
Water is the only true form of moisture, if water is not present, neither is moisture.

2. Apply a leave-in, moisturizer or creme.
Try Direct Leave-In or your favorite water based leave-in. Avoid products that claim to moisturize, but have petroleum or mineral oil in the first five ingredients.
(Now y'all know I'm not averse to using petroleum or mineral oil--they've worked fine for me--so this is up to you. However, I use Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. Y'all already know I love that stuff!)

3. Apply a top coat of an oil or butter.
Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and Coconut Oil, and Raw Shea or Mango butter are all great choices and can be found in most health food stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes. (My personal preference is coconut oil.)(source)

 

Do you seal your ends, and if so have you been able to see a difference in the condition of your hair?