Just like skin, our hair also needs to be hydrated and nurtured for us to get the very best results. Dr Yemi Bello, clinical fellow in dermatology and beauty aficionado, is back with a roundup of her favourite hair moisturisers.
Image credit: @naptural85
Of all the haircare product categories, I find moisturisers to be the most challenging. I’ve tried tonnes of products at this point and while I could easily tell you what my favourite shampoo or conditioner is, I feel like I’ve been on an eternal search for the right moisturiser. You can probably find the entire range of ‘type 4 hair’ on my head – looser curl patterns at the back and sides and a tighter texture in the crown. My strands are mainly fine to medium with an overall hair density that’s on the lower side. So, I tend to lean towards the more liquid moisturisers; I really like the way they ‘wet’ the hair on application before soaking in.
Moisturising my hair is a daily affair and I typically start with slightly moist/damp hair so I can get the most out of the process. For the most part, I’m not a lover of oils or non water-based products as they tend to leave my hair feeling rough and crispy. But true to my product junkie nature, I do experiment with them once in a while.
For me, the ideal moisturiser is one that has a great end feel on the hair, has a flake free finish and performs well with other hair products e.g. gel. When fragrance is added, the choice of scents can be a real make or break for me when it comes to deciding products I’d repurchase. I’ve been trying out moisturisers and a few butters/oil blends for over a year now from Black-owned brands.
Here are my five favourite hair moisturisers from Black-owned brands:
Luxju Nourishing Creme
This ‘nourishing creme’ is a great product I came across at a hair event over a year ago. It’s a rich cream containing hydrating humectants such as aloe vera and glycerine steeped in a mix of oils and nourishing shea butter. Although I usually like moisturising my hair while it’s damp, I actually prefer using this product on dry hair. It feels lovely as I rub it into my palms and then work it into my hair. It’s moisturising without feeling too heavy on the hair.
Big Hair + Beauty Milk Leave In Moisturiser
This hair milk gives me that satisfying wetness to the hair when first applied. It’s a lightweight moisturiser which softens and hydrates. There are no added fragrances which is a standout feature for me. I think it’s so important that there are fragrance-free Afro haircare options out there for people who may have sensitivities to certain fragrances or are simply looking for fragrance free products.
SuperFoodLx Intelligence Hydrating Hair Cream
This is the most recent addition to my collection. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised from the first use. It’s a smooth cream which melts down as you rub it into your hands. The cream features some great emollient choices such as squalene, shea butter and grapeseed oil. It works great on wet hair and leaves my hair feeling noticeably soft as it dries down. True to the brand’s own description, it adds lustre to the strands. Refreshingly, it doesn’t have the usual citrus scent that’s popular with a lot of UK brands. I need to try it out a little longer, but this might well have earned itself a place in my staple collection.
Bouclème Curl Cream
The curl cream by Bouclème is a hydrating lotion fragranced with a blend of essential oils including bergamot fruit oil and rosemary leaf oil. It works like an oil moisturiser and although it’s not a detangler it has an element of slip which allows for smooth application on to the hair. I particularly like using this moisturiser on wet or damp hair. It adds shine and a slight pop to my coils. The moisturising effect is long lasting too.
Bourn Beautiful Naturals Curl Please! Curling Custard
Curl Please! has a buttery consistency and a sweet fragrance that reminds me of a cherry bakewell or something along those lines. It has some great ingredients like flaxseed extract, aloe vera, coconut milk and mango seed butter. As recommended by the brand, it works best when my hair is damp or wet. It leaves my hair feeling moisturised with a soft cushioned feel.
It was quite tricky to put my top five in order as each product had something special about it. I was pleasantly surprised by just how good these products were. One downside I found with a number of the moisturisers was the fragrance selection; be it an unexciting mix of essential oils to the questionable addition of ingredients such as neem oil which has quite a distinct smell. It would be great to see some more sophisticated fragrance blends. Equally it would be amazing to see more brands offer fragrance free options for those who can’t use certain fragrances.
