Short, long, straight, curly, coiled, ironed, gelled, edges, teased, low porosity, high porosity, flexi rods, protective styling, no heat, shrinkage, layers, the big chop… these are just a few terms used in the hair community. Growing, I’ve always had quite flexible hair, when I wanted it straight, it was straight and when I wanted it curly, it was curly. Now I’d be crazy if I said I have the perfect hair because that would be a lie. My hair becomes frizzy, it can tangle fast, sometimes there’s a lot of hair loss, and don’t get me started on dry scalp. We may have our love-hate relationships with our hair but Reneé Potgieter, a hair health activist, and colour alchemist, is on a mission to change the way your beautiful hair is perceived. With over 25 years of experience in the hair industry, Potgieter shares with us her top tips to enhance our beautiful locks this summer.
- Embrace no heat styling
According to Potgieter, no heat styling is specifically the absence of artificial direct heat on the hair. “For anybody that wants to restore health, vitality, and strength to their hair it is an absolute must. The no-heat method works because your hair consists in part of hydrogen bonds and artificial heat manipulates the hair thereby controlling its shape. If you manipulate your hair consistently with styling, long-term damage occurs to these bonds and your hair suffers a sort of ‘memory loss’,” shared Potgieter.
- Use natural styling products
“Damage is the main contributor when it comes to creating unmanageable hair structure. Any hair that is in bad condition will suffer from fizziness and in our attempt to help it, we often use styling aids that do more damage than good. When it comes to the gazillion styling aid products out there, remember that less is more and all of them will become redundant once your hair is in a healthy condition,” explained Potgieter. The hair expert added that quality styling aids are important in the beginning as they are formulated to not coat the hair with silicones or other heavy ingredients that do more damage than good. With any natural products, such as salt sprays, it is important to read the ingredients to ensure that they are of high quality and truly cleaner. Potgieter said that some of the worst build-ups on hair she has seen have come from traditional cosmetic companies that have ventured into hair products. To avoid this, ensure your products are free from parabens, alcohol, and any other nasty chemicals you can’t pronounce.
- Reduce and naturalize your colour
Every time you colour your hair, you expose it to harsh pigments and chemicals no matter how gentle the product. The more chemical exposure to the entire length of your hair shaft, the more compromised the entire cuticle layer will become and the worse the state of your hair will be. The variance between your natural colour and the chosen colour should be as minimal as possible. For the softest regrowth, the gap between your colour and the altered colour shouldn’t be more than two shades. The bigger the gap the more obvious your regrowth will be, ultimately forcing you into colouring more often and therefore compromising condition.
- Feed your hair
Elasticity and porosity are the building blocks of naturally good hair structure, so it is important to care for these building blocks by nourishing your hair. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the word ‘porosity’, it describes your hairs ability to absorb and keep in moisture. “Thankfully, natural oils are making a comeback, taking a note of inspiration from numerous ancient traditions. Once again, make sure you use top-grade pure oils such as jojoba, for moisture, and almond, for a strengthening protein boost. These natural oils are so pure they become solid when you put them in the fridge which is a great indicator of quality,” said Potgieter. The hair expert wants you to know that you already have the hair of your dreams; you simply need to let it down.
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