In low manipulation hair regimen, the styling, maintenance and handling of the hair are kept at a minimum. This is because unnecessary styling, twirling and touching subjects your strands to wear and tear that slowly build up and before you know it, you are frantically looking for ways to bring them back to a great state.
Truth is, if you want your hair to grow longer, be more lustrous and as healthy as possible, then you got to keep handling at the bare minimum. Here’s how.
Low manipulation washing
No matter your hair type, it is recommended not to wash it every single day. When you wash your hair, how you handle it determines whether you will damage it or not. For starters, your scalp needs the most cleansing hence no need to douse your entire hair in shampoo. Secondly, avoid piling up hair on top of your head while washing to avoid tangling. It is also good practice to shampoo and condition your hair in sections to keep breakage to a minimum.
Low manipulation combing
Low manipulation combing involves cutting down on the number of times you comb your hair and when you do, you have to do it the right way. This involves beginning from the ends as you work your way to the roots.
Starting from the roots is highly discouraged, as it will leave you with annoying tangles and tons of broken hair. Finger comb your hair before combing so as to detangle the strands and use a wide-tooth comb. Lastly add some form of moisture such as hair oil or cream to soften it.
Low manipulation blow-drying
Blow-drying does significant damage to our tresses, never mind how common this practice is. There are several alternatives to drying our hair, which are less damaging. One such way is air-drying where the hair is left to dry on its own.
Even if you have to blow dry after air-drying, you would have considerably reduced the amount of time spent subjecting it to heat. The other alternative is to completely cut out blow-drying by styling your hair while it’s still wet. What’s more, wet styles tend to last longer than hairstyles installed when the hair is dry.
Low manipulation hairstyles
These are hairstyles that require minimal styling and handling. On the other hand, high manipulation hairstyles are those that require you to restyle your hair every day to make it presentable. This practice is detrimental to your tresses.
Braids, twists, plaits and buns are great low manipulation hairstyles. Alternative low manipulation hairstyles involve those that allow you to go for a couple of days without having to touch your hair such as ponytails, Bantu knot-outs and heat-free curls.
Low manipulation styling tools
Go for a seamless, detangling comb to reduce manipulation. The more seams and tooth a comb has, the more chances it has to break your hair. If you can, avoid brushes completely. But when all is said and done, your hands are the best styling tool as you can feel knots and tangles with it even before a comb can detect them.
Your hand also puts less pressure on your hair compared to other styling tools.
Fashion9 years ago