The main thing you can do to promote hair health and to retain the length you’ve grown, is to ensure your hair stays moisturized. Regardless of whether your hair is natural or relaxed, dry hair is hair heading towards breakage. Point, blank, period!

One of the things I attribute my hair health to is hair steaming. Like I’ve said many times before, my hair wasn’t always thriving like it is now. One day I had the thought to treat my hair like a tropical plant. Tropical plants thrive in humid and moist places. For me and my 4b-4c hair this was a breakthrough towards a viable and easy solution to nurse my hair to its best state. After much negligence and hair tribulation, I had finally caught on to how to nurse my thirsty locs back to health.

I pondered and researched on how I could not only moisture my hair, but how I could also nurture my scalp to promote new healthy hair. Without a healthy scalp rapid hair growth is stunted.

This is when I discovered hair steaming. It did not take long for the results of the steaming to be evident for me!

Steaming is especially beneficial to us natural type 4 hair girlies, loc’d or loose. Let me tell you why…

-Steaming uses warm moisture to open hair strands, allowing moisture to penetrate the hair shaft. This allows not only water to better be absorbed but also nutrients from your natural and healthy hair products. For example, steaming prior to deep conditioning sets the perfect foundation for the beneficial ingredients to pass through the hair cuticle while softening hair strands. Some people also steam with their deep conditioner already applied to the hair to help the aid with deep saturation of moisture and the product.

-Steaming enhances the elasticity of the hair which makes the hair appear bouncier and stretches the hair out. This is because steaming creates moisture that elongates the curls temporarily while also increasing the thickness and density, making hair appear and then actually become fuller and longer.

-Scalp health- This is my favorite advantage you get with steaming because it feels so good on the scalp to me. Especially if one suffers from dry, itchy, and tight scalp. Think of a good scalp detox. My scalp always feels so clean and oxygenated afterwards. The steam unclogs scalp pores creating the perfect atmosphere for rapid growth of healthy hair. Steam helps to increase the circulation in the scalp which increases blood flow helping to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicle.

-Hair steaming also smooths the hair cuticle making the hair appear lustrous by aiding hair to lay flat making it reflect more light. This laying flat of the hair cuticle makes hair appear less dry and frizzy and promotes that lustrous moisturized look most of us desire.

Adding this practice to your hair care routine can change the look, the density, and most importantly the health of your hair. Depending on the current state of your hair is how you would determine how often you steam. When my hair was at it’s dryest I steamed twice a month in addition to a few other practices we’ll discuss in a future post.  

Hair steamers are inexpensive and easy to acquire on Amazon. There are a few different types of steamers; hand-held, tabletop and self-standing. You can decide which fits your regimen and lifestyle best depending on your budget and other factors such as storage space.

In my experience, hair steaming is essential for us natural haired baddies whether we are rocking our fros or are loc’d up. Especially since our hair of all hair types tend to be prone to dryness. It is a straightforward way to combat dryness while also priming your scalp for your healthiest hair yet!

 Try it out and let me know your thoughts. If you’re already hair steaming, drop a comment on this post to share your experience.