Styling Your Mixed Hairs The Right Way

Racial differences are anyways confusing to young people these days, and I for one have had my share of troubles identifying which race I actually belong to, especially because my father is a black New Yorker, and my mom is pure Swedish. Whenever the question of race comes in, I usually and very naturally shy away from the topic, because I don’t have an answer, or should I say a clear answer. And, while being a dual citizen wasn’t easy as it is, I recently figured that my hairs are also just like my racial identity – a hybrid between black and Swedish, if you know what I mean.

Now, you might be wondering what “hybrid” or “mixed” hairs are? Well, those are not official terms per se, but nevertheless, it works for me when defining my hair. My hairs, being as peculiar as they are, have given me a difficult time all these years, as they never actually stick straight. During my freshmen year at college, yes I was bullied, and none of the styles, tips, and techniques I used seemed to work. However, miracles do happen and now I have finally figured my signature looks through trial and error with product mixtures and implementing a few tips that are actually effective. Here are those few tips that I use, and which has finally relieved me of all my pains –

Shampoo You Hairs, But No Too Frequently

People, generally the clean freaks have the habit of shampooing their hairs almost every day, and let me burst your bubble; it is not going to help your hair. Not in the long term for sure. Our scalp produces oils that our hairs need, and when you actually shampoo and wash your hairs frequently, you lose it all. I figured this out late and after extensive research, but this has helped me a lot. And, now I use Bumble and Bumbles Surf Foam Wash. What it does is more than soap and less than shampoo, so it cleans the grit but helps in ensuring the natural texture of your hair. The idea is to focus on the scalp and to stay away from the tips as much as possible. Take the foam, rub it in your palms and gently brush through your hairline. Practice this, and tell me you didn’t notice the difference.

Use Conditioner Frequently, Almost Sporadically

Peep into my shower and you will notice that I have a small bottle of shampoo and a gigantic salon-sized Conditioner pump. The reason is that due to my mixed hair breed, as I would like to refer it to, it has the natural tendency to be dry and doesn’t get as much oil it should. By using the conditioner, I aim to supply oil to my hair so that it gets the oil it needs to stay healthy. And, as you wouldn’t be washing your hair too often, you also need not worry about using conditioner frequently. Using the right conditioner also matters, and even if you are just going for that messy look that is in trend these days, using a conditioner meant for curly hair is highly suggested.

I prefer and use Ouidad Curl Quencher Moisturizing Conditioner. It smells good and keeps the hair fluffy, glowing and shining, even after doing the shampoo, which is exactly the kind of result I look for.

Avoid Hairdryer, Isn’t Nature Enough To Dry Hairs?

One should stay away from the heat of the hairdryer because it would destroy your hairs, weaken it, damage your hair roots, and annihilate its texture. Using natural air to dry your hair is the best idea for it because people with fragile air would witness a tremendous amount of hair loss, which is definitely what you don’t want. The best idea, which I use, is to dry my hair after a wash is open the windows of my car while driving. The highway breeze always works.

Dry Styling Is The Way To Go

Many people believe that to style your hair, you need to wet your hair. However, I have come to realize that is not the only way, and you can manage and style your hair without wetting it as well. When you follow the above techniques, you would have naturally bouncy and shiny hairs, which can be easily styled any way you want.

You can use Verb’s Leave-in Mist, which is one of my favorite products. It helps in untying the knot and at the same time focuses on the hair ends, which are otherwise most difficult to manage. It adds the sheen to the air, which adds a bit of glamour quotient. Once that is done, use Aveda’s Pure Abundance Hair Potion, which works on the hair roots. This is the best product to use after you have done your shampoo to add some bounce and volume.

Embrace And Accept

The most important factor of this whole process is to ensure that you accept your “mixed” hairs the way it is. Trying unnecessary thousands of ways to fix your hairs, and make it look like others would only end with multiplying your split ends, hair fall, and knots that would be impossible to untie. Embrace them for what they are, and regardless of what color and texture they have, there are ways you can follow to make it look natural and beautiful, and most of all unique.

Nala Hale
Nala Hale
Hi there! I'm Nala Hale, an African American woman who wears many hats. I'm a hair stylist, blogger, and proud mother of three amazing kids. In addition to my work as a stylist, I'm also the owner and content writer for Thevenusface.com, where I share my passion for beauty, fashion, and lifestyle with the world.