One of the first things you learn about on the journey to natural hair is moisture. Moisture, moisture, moisture.

But, why is moisture key?

Moisture plays a big role in retaining length. With textured hair, sebum (our naturally produced scalp oil) has a hard time travelling down our strands, usually stopping nearer to our roots unlike straight hair where there are no curves along the strand. This is why our ends tend to be the driest and also because they are the oldest part of our hair, they are more fragile.

Absorption of water by a strand increases its flexibility by allowing it to be manipulated without breaking. For best results, moisture-intensive products with natural oils should be applied regularly to help naturally dry textures maintain their moisture levels, and in effect, protect fragile ends so length can be retained. Protective styling using twists, braids, buns where the ends are tucked, especially during the winter seasons will protect the hair from dry air and breeze.

Water is what moisturises strands, but water alone is insufficient. Because of the evaporation that takes place our hair goes from soft, plump and supple to dry and crunchy.  A curly hair routine that has been known to help combat dry hair is the: LOC/LCO Method. We are here to help you maintain a healthy routine. The key to maintaining moisturised hair is consistency.

Many women with textured hair suffer with dry hair problems...
Flora & Curl was the creation of this realisation.  I posted a question to my natural hair blog readers in which I asked ''what is your biggest hair issue?''. The predominant issue arising from the 300+ reactions to the question were highly relatable: dry hair. Dehydrated hair can lead to brittleness making strands more fragile than they already are, leading to tangles and ultimately breakage. Dry hair will tend to snap easily even with gentle force, therefore moisture is important even in a protective style. Many women continue to struggle with how to maintain moisture levels in their curly hair routines.

The common use of hard tap water can lead to build up. There are many hair products in the market for textured hair. However, from our research we discovered that many conventional products:

• are highly water-based (the water simply evaporates off the hair cuticle)
• are silicone based (silicone forms a coating and provides the illusion of moisture)
• contain a lot of glycerine (of which too much can cause the reverse problem)
• contain highly processed, cheap oils such as mineral oil (that form a coating)
• contain a lot of unnecessaries (which turn into buildup & become counter-intuitive)

Nature is the ultimate hydrator
Studies have found that the textured haircare market is more likely to contain harsh and counter-intuitive ingredients. Mineral oil is an example, a waste product extracted from crude oil remains one of the most common haircare ingredient. It sits on the hair without providing any functional abilities.

We created Flora & Curl, because I felt that there was a gap in the market for truly natural haircare products for women with naturally dry textured hair. I found that the natural brands available at the time didn’t do enough to maximise hydration for my own dry, highly textured hair. The natural brands that I’d experienced simply weren’t hydrating enough. So I invested a lot of time and care in creating potent, truly natural formulas. 'Flora' means native and original plant life. For us it means back to the beginnings. Simply put, our natural hair deserves care the way nature intended and nature is the ultimate hydrator.