Life is funny, the more things change the more they stay the same.
Picture this: It’s around 2010 and the gospel that spread around the “Natural Hair Community” was that using Hair Grease was damaging to the hair. It was so damaging that the entire community should forego using the products and techniques that worked well for black hair and submit to overpriced “natural hair” products. Imagine that.
Fast forward about a decade and slowly we all come out of this wicked trance to draw the conclusion that we have been bamboozled. In fact, the original techniques weren’t completely incorrect but perhaps needed some updated tweaks. Well, here we are, waking up from this deep sleep. Good morning.
The Why?
The top of 2020 was filled with vision and high hopes. Alongside all those good vibes were flaky scalp, dry hair, and shedding hair. After sharing my concerns with my stylist and receiving protein treatments, it still wasn’t enough.
The shedding hair was due to stress PLUS dry scalp and hair. Because I have 4cHair that’s also High porosity, I have to work extra hard to keep moisture and any other good stuff in my hair. Although I saw my stylist every two weeks, it wasn’t enough especially when stress is added to the equation. Stress can cause already bad situations to magnify.
The Use for Hair Grease
- Hairline Treatment (read: Regrow Edges) – I have learned firsthand just how fragile your hairline is when neglected. It wasn’t clear on why I was experiencing progressed thinning on the hairline until one day I examined the scalp and hair strands. My hairline was desperate for moisture and protection. My personal favorite grease for hairline is good ole Sulfur 8 Hair Grease. This got my edges to grow back.
- Apply a thin (very thin) layer on the scalp of the hairline and massage. You want to coat the scalp just enough to give it a dose of magic but not too much to where you can see shine a mile away.
- If applying a flatiron or blowdrying to the hairline, definitely apply a thin layer of pressing oil for protection.
- Lock-in Moisture – If you have high porosity hair, you know the struggle of keeping the hair hydrated. Using hair grease is one of many ways I use on a regular basis to retain the moisture (read: water) in my hair. My favorite grease and pomades include Blue Magic the Original Formula, Doo Grow Mega Thick, and Carol’s Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey.
- Wash and condition as normal
- On damp clean hair, apply a layer of hair grease on hair and twist.
- Air Dry and do your normal styling.
- If you straighten your hair, keep reading I have something for you too.
- Pressing Oil / Heat Protectant – It’s safe to say that I’m in a long season of wearing my hair mainly straight. Not always but mostly. So if it’s not time for me to go into the salon and I need to wash and straighten my hair, I use pressing oil for my heat protectant. Yes, there’s a difference between pressing oil and regular grease. PLEASE DO NOT USE REGULAR GREASE AS A HEAT PROTECTANT!! Here are two examples of pressing oil: Blue Magic Pressing Oil and Blue Magic Hair Food.
- Wash and condition as normal
- On damp hair, apply pressing oil (grease).
- Blow Dry
- Flatiron straight. No need to reapply grease in between blowdrying and straightening.
- Calm Scalp Irritation – For this issue, I go back and forth on hair oil like Wild Growth oil and Sulfur 8 hair grease.
- Apply a thin layer of hair grease to the irritated area
- Massage for Blood Circulation – Similar to calming scalp irritation, I use hair oil and hair grease for this use. Massaging the scalp with hair grease also helps to distribute the product throughout the scalp instead of allowing it to sit in one spot. This can be useful to ensure you don’t apply too much grease to one area.
Looking forward to showing you my Before and After pictures of my edges growing back. That post is scheduled to go live next week. Stay tuned…