I used to genuinely wonder why my hair needs moisturiser every other day. Why can’t I just moisturise once… and then forget about it for a week like some people seem to do? Why does my hair demand this level of commitment? I mean, come on, our sisters with Type 1 hair aren’t out here doing the most. They’re not layering leave-ins, creams, oils, butters and sealing like their life depends on it. So why the burden on us?
Well. I have a theory. And let me just say, I am not a scientist. These findings are purely based on girl maths. Let’s call my theory the “Sebum Road Trip”, Stay with me because I’m going somewhere with this. Hair types go from straight, wavy, curly and coily (from type 1 to type 4). Our scalps naturally produce an oil called sebum. This oil is meant to travel down the hair strand to keep it moisturised and protected. So if we think about which hair type would it be easiest for oil to travel down? Obviously, it’s straight hair. It’s like a smooth, freshly tarred highway. No speed bumps. No detours. No traffic.
Now imagine Type 4 hair. It’s not a straight highway; however it is a scenic route. One with twists and turns, coils and shrinkage roundabouts. If sebum is the car in this scenario, it starts its journey strong at the scalp, but by the time it reaches the ends, it is out of fuel.
Because of all those bends and coils, the natural oils struggle to coat the full length of the strand. Which means the ends stay dry, the hair loses moisture faster, it becomes more fragile and breakage becomes more likely. When hair isn’t properly moisturised, it becomes weaker and weak hair snaps.
So suddenly, the “high maintenance” label starts making sense. It’s not that our hair is difficult, it just needs assistance.
Once I looked at it that way, I stopped being annoyed. Because our hair isn’t demanding for no reason. It simply doesn’t get natural moisture distribution as easily as straighter hair types. So yes, we moisturise more, but when your afro is healthy, soft, and thriving? It’s honestly worth it. And a moisturised, healthy crown will always be worth the effort.