NATURAL HAIR CHALLEGES IN ZAMBIA

FINDING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS

 

When i first watched the you tube videos and and saw all the products that were being used by all the natural hair gurus, i was like well this cant be so bad, am so gonna try this. Next day i went to town (lusaka) to find the products and start the journey.... to my disapointment i did not find any of the "great" products that most of the people talked about. NO giovanni, NO suave naturals, NO shear butter, NO sulphate-free shampoos etc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was discouraged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then i came across www.zedhair.com , i was so excited to find a fellow zambian on a healthy hair journey. i asked her where she got her products and all the other things i needed to know about growing healthy hair with limited resources and all that. She was very helpful, i now knew where to get my coconut oil and my shea butter.
Even though i never found the giovanni's and what not, i managed to find tresseme naturals and V05 conditioners. i have not been able to find a sulphate free shampoo upto now.
If you are in zambia, lusaka and you want to know where to find great products for your hair, you can read Fatima's blog here .

WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

Water??????????????? yes water!!!! lol.
Now don't get we wrong you all, we do have water in Zambia, actually in abundance. What i mean is that water in most if not all parts of zambia is hard. Hard water is simply water that has high mineral content. This is often evidenced by formation of limescale in kettles and water heaters (am sure you know that white stuff am talking about,lol)

Hard Water's Effect on Skin and Hair
While there is no proof that hard water is anymore unfit for consumption than soft water, there is is no question that the effects of hard water on hair and skin are not desirable.  Anyone who has had to “suffer” though a hard water shower knows the drying effect it can have on your skin so it’s a no brainer that hard water can also have the same effect on your hair. Besides the drying effect , higher levels of mineral deposits are left in the hair after washing and rinsing, such as iron, copper and lead and that is the biggest problem.
The mineral elements in hard water cause hair’s cuticles to "stand up" which makes the hair feel rough and makes it more difficult to rinse away shampoo, conditioner and styling product. Additionally, because soap does not easily break down in hard water and does not lather as well, you will find yourself using more shampoo than necessary to achieve an acceptable lather.  From a cosmetic stand point, the deposits left in the hair by hard water can work to promote hair thinning and breakage, make hair resistant to coloring, fade color faster.  and can increase the volume of natural shedding. Calcium specifically chokes the hair follicle and coats the scalp, causing it to take on a flaky, dandruff like appearance .

When i first learnt this, i did not know what to do, i mean i can't magically change the water that comes out of my tap right???
And i am not rich enough (yet) to buy a water softening system or a filtered shower head to counter the effects of hard water on my hair. So i decided to go for a cheaper alternative - apple cider vinegar!!!!!!!!!!
 Apple cider vinegar (OR lemon juice)  work as a great clarifying agent which smooth the cuticle, cut down on excess product and washes away the extra mineral deposits hard water can leave behind.
That is what am using for now, after i shampoo and condition, i follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse before i add my leave-in conditioner and style my hair.