Protective styles are summer go-to's for black girls everywhere. Since this is only my second time getting a protective style with added hair (faux locs), I've been thinking a lot about how to maintain my hair and scalp while giving myself a break from styling my natural hair for a few weeks.
We've talked about how to wash your hair with a protective style, but here are a few products of rounded up that you can use in-between washes or when your scalp needs a little TLC.
1.Cantu Refresh Root Rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar and Tea Tree Oil
Amazon
Cantu's rinse is a reviewer favorite. Ladies with different hair types and conditions like postpartum hair loss and chronic dry scalp calling this "tingly" treatment a "must-have."
2.SheaMoisture African Black Soap Bamboo Charcoal Scalp Tonic Treatment
I have been on the road quite a bit this summer, and this tonic has been my go-to because I can pop it into my carry-on and it calms my itchy scalp. I apply this each night before wrapping my faux locs in a silk scarf.
3.Girl+Hair RESTORE+ Restoring Hair Treatment Balm
Girl + Hair
I found the brand Girl + Hair (pronounced "Girl and Hair") during a Google search and was excited to read it was founded by Dr. Camille Verovic, a black girl boss that is a marketing pro turned doctor. Their treatment balm is made with five different oils, including shea butter and castor oil and is small enough to pack in your gym bag or carry-on without taking up too much space.
4.Uncle Funky's Daughter Defunk Hair Refresher Tonic
Amazon
Working out is always a good thing, even if that means a little sweat. Products like Defunk's Hair Refresher can help neutralize odor from hair and scalp post-workout, and it also "stops the itch."
5.Canviiy ScalpBliss
If you have sensitive skin or want a product made with cruelty-free, organic ingredients, SCALPBLISS's formula will soothe the scalp before and after protective styling. You can also purchase a "mini tube" to drop in your bag on the go.
6.Mielle Organics Mint Almond Oil
Mielle Organics' Mint Almond Oil is a fan favorite and is known to help reduce breakage and balance the scalp.
7.LivSo Moisturizing Scalp Lotion
Amazon
Made with willow bark extract (exfoliates the scalp), coconut oil, ceramides (seals in moisture), this lightweight-formula is said to condition dry scalps and strengthen the hair.
8.African Pride Braid & Scalp Cleansing Rinse
Amazon
This rinse is not the braid spray you used in the 90s. Now, it is made without parabens, mineral oil, sulfates, and petroleum. The micellar water, coconut oil, and peppermint oil based rinse will refresh and clean the scalp.
9.Taliah Waajid Refresh And So Clean™ Bamboo, Avocado And Peppermint Dry Gel Shampoo
Amazon
The thought of a gel shampoo intrigued me, and based on the product reviews —this shampoo is worth a try. Reviewers recommend applying the gel in sections, massaging the scalp, and then wipe with a cloth and let the hair and scalp air dry.
Protective styles are excellent options when you want to give your strands a break from manipulation during the summer months, but be sure you keep your crown in tip-top shape.
Featured image by Getty Images
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“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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