The Best Ingredients to Care for Natural Hair

Everyone’s hair and how they take care of it is different, but one thing is the same: we all want happy, healthy hair.

Love your natural hair? So do we!

There's a current movement for taking care of ourselves in more natural ways and that includes haircare. We want you to love the hair you have! Hopefully, with this guide, you'll get a few tips, tricks, and useful information to help you with your hair journey to keep it looking and feeling its best.

Cleanse

Chances are you're seeking an ultra-gentle and super-hydrating shampoo for wash days. When searching for that perfect cleanser, look for products that contain moisturizing powerhouses like jojoba oil, olive oil or honey, which help lock in moisture to nourish curls and eliminate static. Formulas like Rehab or Fairly Traded Honey will draw hydration into the hair, and leave your locks clean and sleek.

Another way to cleanse is with a co-wash. For many, co-washing is probably nothing new and this go-to routine has proven to produce some amazing results. For curly and textured hair, the natural oils produced by the scalp take longer travelling down the length of the hair shaft. Co-washing works because it’s a routine that helps seal in moisture, so hair can be cleansed, while ensuring those gorgeous locks continue to be nourished and looking and feeling healthy.

Avocado Co-Wash features a new SLS-free formula that provides a nice lather and is perfect for nourishing, cleansing and caring for dry, curly, coily and textured hair. It's made with vitamin-rich fresh avocados, which help to moisturize the hair follicles, along with a blend of cupuaçu butter, cocoa butter and extra virgin olive oil to define curls, tame static and leave locks gleaming. Finally, we’ve added lovely rosemary, lavender and nettle infusions to ensure that your hair and scalp will be thoroughly cleansed without removing the natural moisture your hair might be craving.

Add moisture

Curly hair loves moisture to define curls, add softness and shine. So naturally, conditioning is everything, especially after shampooing. When picking a conditioner, you might prefer a richer one, while others might choose something lightweight. There's no obvious choice here, especially for curly-haired folks.

You might also want to give the LOC method a try. LOC (liquid or leave-in, oil and cream) is a technique typically used on curls, coils and textured hair. It focuses on how to layer your haircare products, so you can maximize moisture retention.

For thicker, richer conditioners, look for ingredients like castor, olive and almond oils, which will glide down to the ends of each strand, moisturizing and giving curls divine definition throughout the day.

Our curly, coily and textured haircare range, created by Lush Black Haircare Specialist Sarah Sango, features two amazing creamy conditioners. Glory is a supremely hydrating conditioner packed with okra gel—an ingredient rich in magnesium, which volumizes without robbing you of definition and slip.

Protein also gives hair strength and structure, so if yours is feeling weak or limp, a healthy dose of this type of nutrient can help make it strong. In which case, choose something that's more protein-rich, like Power. Its formula includes sweet potatoes (an ingredient bursting with protein-packed biotin) and hydrolyzed wheat gluten to help reduce the appearance of split ends.

When using richer conditioners, apply throughout the length of wet hair, but not too near the scalp since they tend to weigh hair down. Try keeping it on for as long as possible—the longer it's left on, the more moisturizing it'll be. Then, when drying your hair, try gently blotting it with a microfiber (and not terry cloth) towel to help cut down on friction.

To add an extra moisturizing step or encourage lasting moisture retention, try a conditioning hair primer like Super Milk. Also, a proud member of our curly, coily and textured haircare range, this light, lotion-y leave-in is a great first step in your post-shower routine or can be used as a refresher between washes. It’s made with a dairy-free blend of almond, coconut and oat milks to give your hair a hit of smoothing, soothing softness. It also contains fresh lemon juice, which adds shine and extra virgin olive oil to nourish and protect. Doing the LOC method? This is your first step.

Another leave-in treatment that works wonders to soften and strengthen hair is Renee´s Shea Souffle. Light and versatile, it provides a moisture boost. Its made with a rich blend of avocado, castor and coconut oils, fair trade shea butter and features a dessert-worthy vanilla-tonka fragrance.

Work it between your hands and apply through wet, damp or dry hair as a leave-in. Massage it onto your scalp, too. It’ll help give you a hit of extra moisture and the castor oil will soothe the scalp.

Lock in all that goodness

As a glorious finishing step before styling your curls, we recommend a product packed with molasses, honey or maple syrup to lock in all those other nourishing ingredients and help retain moisture, giving hair a lustrous shine.

A hair cream like Curl Power softens hair while adding a light hold. For this formula, we've mixed soy lecithin and hydrolyzed wheat gluten to add protein, making it perfect for relaxed or stressed-out tresses. Plus, ethyl macadamiate to help protect hair from heat and humidity. If you're doing the LOC method, this should be your final step. Rub between hands and glide gently onto wet curls, scrunching upward when you reach the ends. Then, dry and style as usual.

Top tip: Always remember that any routine you choose to try or follow, is going to be completely unique to you and your hair needs. Whether it’s how to play with layering the products or the amount used for the desired style—it's an individual journey to find the perfect way to do it.

If you want to learn more about how to care for curly, coily and textured hair, contact our amazing Customer Care team or book a personalized virtual consultation with our expert staff members. They'll be more than happy to help you create a Lush haircare routine that fits your needs.