My Moisture Rescue for my dry coily coarse hair in dry Joburg weather
Winning the moisture ‘hide and go seek’ hair game
The fundamental step to truly enjoying ones’ hair is to embrace its natural charactistics and understand how to work with it. The first thing I quickly learned about my crown of coils was that it is as equally giving of moisture as it is receiving it! This meant that often I would moisturise my hair and by the time I step out the door to greet the day all that moisture had already bid each hair strand farewell. So often when I would retire from a long day’s work, my hair would be feeling like it was about to crack and fall out. This severity of thirst in my hair was heightened by the dry Johannesburg weather that has no humidity to offer crowns of coils.
It became my mission to work towards MabuTribe product range becoming an enabler for dry Crowns of coils to better retaining moisture even in dry climates. This is important because moisture in our hair brings a level of flexibility that prevents breakage when its being manipulated. There are some key factors that I learned are important to creating a moisture retention hair routine for Crowns of coils:
- Ensure your hair is clean so there is no product build up on hair and scalp so new moisture can constantly be received. Avoid washing with shampoos with harsh sulfates that strip hair.
- Follow every wash with a deep conditioner to replenish and jump start moisture and nourishment in your hair.
- When you moisturise your hair (putting a water based product) follow with an oil and/or cream to retain moisture for longer.
- Avoid products ingredients that clog up hair shafts and obstruct he optimal absorption of new moisture and nutrients in hair. So avoid petroleum, parrifins, mineral oils and silicones.
- Remember that oils do not moisturise hair but rather work to retain moisture, condition hair and strengthen it. Moisture is water!
- Be careful to not use on your hair materials that suck out all moisture and oils in hair (biggest culprit being cotton). So sleep on satin or silk, to dry washed hair use a micro fibre material (or even the common tshirt material) and when styling avoid wool and thick cotton accessories.
The focus on the moisture retention ability in MabuTribe products began to bring back volume, life and ease of management to my hair. My routine consists of weekly washing my hair with the Nourishing cleanser (a mild African soap shampoo free of harsh sulfates helping replenish nourishment into hair while keeping it clean) and following with the Conditioning Touch (a deep conditioner which helps retain the good moisture in my hair and protect hair strands from daily friction). On a daily basis, I often use the Loc (Liquid, Oil and Cream) method to moisturise my hair. To moisturise and retain moisture I lightly moisturise my hair using my Hydrating Mist, then apply the oil Splendor to retain the moisture and end with the SheaCoco Aloe leave in conditioner to double up the retention mission. Others may even need an extra layering and so adding an extra layer of oils would create better results. This method is called the LOCO method. A little goes a long way as these products are made with many rich and organic oils. The products also ensure that there are adequate strengthening properties in all products to also enable enduring length retention in hair.
MabuTribe was birthed from my personal journey of self celebration
Hi Beautiful people! My name is Tlhologelo Mabelane, founder of MabuTribe. My vision and the heart of MabuTribe is the Celebration of African Identity. I believe that how we see ourselves (identity) informs how we show up in the world. MabuTribe was birthed from my own personal journey of self-embrace and celebration. This journey was ignited by a failed first attempt to salvage my thinning, over-processed hair, by trying to grow it without chemically straightening it. This was a failed attempt because I didn’t know how to care for and style my now coily hair and I felt less affirmed in my beauty when in my coils. So, despite my personal dislike of the harsh chemicals, the skin irritations I would often get and my hair’s negative reaction to the chemicals, I went back and continued to use them.
What bothered me the most was that there was a part of me I felt disempowered to celebrate (active appreciation of something informed by an understanding and recognition of its worth/value). I then decided to embark on a journey of self-celebration starting with my hair. I was determined to embrace my hair as it grows from its root and bring it to its ultimate health. After vigorously trying a variety of great products I still struggled to find products that managed to resolve moisture retention issues for my dry, very coarse and tightly coiled hair in the dry Johannesburg climate. I was also looking for products that were pro health and not harmful to my hair or scalp in the long run. So, I then began my long process of research to finding the right mix of nature’s ingredients that would bring my hair to health and allow me to enjoy it.
I began using my products and my hair was flourishing, people around began asking me to make them monthly supplies of what I using. I quickly realized that there were many others who were experiencing the same hair challenges as I was. These people inspired me to ultimately create a product line to empower many more to celebrate and enjoy their natural coily crowns! I believe that everyone deserves to have healthy hair. I also believe that all hair is a design and everyone should feel that growing it out the way it comes from its roots is a real option by being equipped to do so. Thus my mission through MabuTribe is to replenish the crowns of Africans with health and empower them to enjoy it.