Natural and textured hair of almost every type has a tendency to be dry and fragile, but this is especially true for all those type 4c girls out there. This means your curls and coils require a specialized routine to keep hair healthy, strong, and moisturized.
It can be difficult to find proper formulas and products that are both safe and effective. This is especially true if you’re transitioning to going natural, new to caring for natural hair, or were raised with family members who have a completely different hair type or texture than your own.
There are a million ingredients and formulas that can make shopping for the right curly hair products a challenge, but don’t fear! The primary thing to remember is that your natural hair requires formulas that are uniquely made to nourish your unique coils and curls. So it’s recommended to use safe, natural ingredients and gentle sulfate-free products.
We understand it can be tough to know which ingredients and products are right for your natural hair. That’s why African Pride intensely researches all natural ingredients to ensure we find the ones that are gentle yet effective and work best for those with textured, curly, and coily hair.
Through this rigorous research, there have been overwhelming Aloe Vera hair benefits proven to nourish, hydrate, and transform your hair. Aloe Vera is probably most well known as a popular ingredient in moisturizers, lotions, and sun care products. That’s because it’s packed with an incredible amount of nourishing abilities.
Just like the daily vitamin you (try) to take everyday, Aloe Vera is rich in minerals, vitamins, and fatty acids that makes it an integral part of your natural hair care routine. It’s basically a daily vitamin for hair.
Beyond skincare, Aloe Vera is known to promote shine and renew moisture in dry, brittle hair as well as helping prevent hair loss, and dandruff. So what’s the best way to use this amazing ingredient and how do you integrate it into your hair care regime?
We’re breaking down Aloe Vera’s surprising hair benefits, the best products that feature this ingredient, and how to reap all of it’s amazing benefits when styling and caring for your natural hair, no matter what type.
What is Aloe Vera?
Aloe Vera plants can be found all over the world! Aloe gel, which is the ingredient commonly used in beauty products, comes from the leaves of the Aloe Vera plant. It’s a succulent plant of the genus Aloe that grows in dry, tropical climates.
Most Aloe gel is harvested from the older plants that have had at least a few years to grow and nourish their leaves, giving them a higher concentration of the active ingredients found in the gel. In fact, Aloe contains 75 active ingredients like amino acids, and minerals.
Humans have been harvesting Aloe gel for thousands of years, dating back to early Egypt, so you might say it’s a tried and true natural ingredient.
Its rich health benefits have made it a staple in the personal care industry for countless cosmetics, lotions, hand sanitizers, sunscreens, etc, and it’s those same antioxidants, antibacterial properties, and vitamins that can do wonders for your crown of curls.
How Do I Use Aloe Vera?
While you can buy 100% pure Aloe Vera at many drugstores, it’s not recommended you apply this directly to your hair. That formula is best used for sunburns or cuts. Instead, look for Aloe Vera as a primary ingredient in products that combine Aloe with other good-for-you natural ingredients like Honey.
Aloe Vera Hair Benefits
With so many amazing and versatile benefits, Aloe Vera is a surprising workhorse of natural hair care. Let’s dig deeper into the top six natural hair benefits of this wonderous ingredient and how to make the most of it when it comes to caring for your natural hair.
Wash Prep & Detangling
Aloe Vera’s gentle hydrating properties make it an ideal pre-shampoo or detangling treatment. Our Moisture Miracle Pre-Shampoo uses a blend of Aloe & Coconut Water to condition, protect and remove tangles from natural coils and curls; leaving hair easy to manage during cleansing and styling.
The great thing about this formula is that you can customize it to your hair needs. Before cleansing apply to dry hair and gently detangle with your fingers or a wide toothed comb. If however, you have especially dry, brittle, or tangled hair you can leave on for up to 30 minutes as a deep treatment before washing.
Gentle Cleansing
Unlike a lot of other ingredients found in hair care products, Aloe is gentle enough to be applied directly to the skin. This makes it an amazing cleanser for delicate curls because it is strong enough to deep clean their delicate hair follicles yet gentle enough not to damage them.
Aloe Vera efficiently strips away only product buildup and excess oil, leaving natural oils and moisture intact. Cleansing the hair with aloe keeps hair healthier and softer with the integrity of your unique curls intact. Our Moisture Miracle Coconut Oil Shampoo utilizes the gentle cleansing and moisturizing properties of Aloe Vera to leave hair soft, nourished, and shiny.
Deep Moisturizing
Curly and coily hair patterns are much more prone to dryness, so moisturizing agents are essential in hair care products for your textured hair. Aloe Vera is a soothing humectant, which means it has the natural ability to attract and seal in moisture to hair.
Rich in Vitamins A, B, C, and E, as well as many minerals and fatty acids, its chemical makeup is made to nourish and replenish. Similarly, it’s structure allows for easier penetration, allows scalps and strands to soak up its deep conditioning benefits.
The natural enzymes found in Aloe Vera are proteolytic enzymes, ones that help the body break down and intake protein, which helps to deeply moisturize the hair. When you’re styling any type of hair texture, look for products that contain Aloe Vera like our Shea Miracle Bouncy Curls Pudding or Curl Styling Custard. These non-sticky stylers can be used for curl definition and hold without drying your curls.
Promotes Natural Growth
One of the biggest roadblocks to healthy hair growth is a clogged scalp. Product build-up, dirt, and dead skin cells can clog hair follicles, not allowing for growth or deeper penetration of much-needed nutrients.
Thankfully, Aloe is packed with enzymes that promote healthy hair growth as they help to hydrate the scalp and clear clogged hair follicles. Plus, Aloe has a pH level that’s similar to the ideal natural hair level balance.
This helps your natural hair adapt to a healthy pH level and promotes increased blood circulation which in turn helps increase hair growth. If you’re looking to gain some inches this is crucial since good hair hygiene is necessary for growing out curls.
Nourishes The Scalp
Along with deeply moisturizing the hair, Aloe Vera also nourishes the scalp. It keeps moisture locked in to prevent dryness, itchiness, and dandruff. The same proteolytic enzymes also help to break down the scalp’s dead skin cells and repair them, which helps to keep the hair follicles active.
Aloe Vera’s naturally antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties also keep the scalp healthy and free of infections. Those with curls, coils, and textured hair tend to have more sensitive scalps that need extra nourishment, so Aloe Vera is a must-have for scalp care.
Strengthens Hair
Keratin, one of the biggest buzzwords of hair care, has a similar chemical makeup to Aloe. Aloe vera, however, is gentler for use in natural hair products because Keratin can overload the hair with protein and cause breakage.
Vitamins A, C, and E found in Aloe Vera also encourage a faster rate of cell turnover. This promotes the growth of new cells that keep the hair strong, shiny, and growing. For example, Aloe gel is often commonly used in sunscreen products and to soothe skin after heavy exposure to the sun.
Those same collagen and cooling properties that work on the skin can also repair any sun damage that your hair may have. Keeping the hair strong against breakage with Aloe Vera will help hair continue to grow resilient and maintain its healthy structure.
