12 Mistakes All Natural-Hair Newbies Need to Avoid

Co-washing (washing your hair with cleansing conditioner) is great for coarse, curly hair, as it enables your strands to retain more moisture and combat frizz. However, you need to cleanse your scalp and get rid of the product buildup if you desire to have ultimate results with the products you apply. A cleansing conditioner is great, but stripping your hair completely from a month's product is better.

Using a small-toothed comb will only break your ends, leaving your hair susceptible to split ends. This tool may work for straight hair, but it is an absolute NO for curly hair. Great alternatives are a Denman brush or a Tangle Teezer. Also, your hands are your best friends when it comes to detangling, as you feel the tangles better.

Protective styles are a must to retain length and minimize breakage, but they don't have to be boring. Ditch the bun and opt for twist updos and braids (but keep the tension low on your edges). Reading this styling guide or conducting a quick Pinterest search will expand your hairstyle horizon and keep your hair happy.

As weird as it sounds, regular trims will help your hair grow and should be part of your natural-hair regimen. By trimming away split ends that could lead to severe breakage, you minimize the damage and promote longer, stronger hair. Wispy ends are a good sign that you need a trim!

When you're recovering from heat damage or relaxed ends, straightening new growth is only a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Having two textures in your hair when you transition (one relaxed and the other natural) can be challenging, but straightening your hair regularly will expose you to serious heat damage. Remember, heat damage is irreversible: protein bonds are altered to the point that the hair cannot return back to its natural curl pattern.

Besides being frustrating, the line of demarcation between the new natural and old damaged ends can be hard to handle. The thicker top and thinner ends make styling difficult. You need to let that damaged hair go!

This one is a regular mistake. Oils are BOTH sealants and moisturizers. Or, rather, certain oils are. The best way to keep your hair moisturized is to know which oil is which and how to use it accordingly.

Quick primer: A sealant keeps the moisture inside the cuticle by creating an outer layer. But if you use oil on your nonmoisturized hair, you will end up with dry ends very quickly. That's because the oil has no hydration to lock into the strand! Try using coconut, jojoba, or castor oils to add moisture, while olive, avocado, and argan oils are great sealants. On wet hair, apply a leave-in conditioner and follow up with the oil of your choice.

The consistency of an oil has little to do with its moisturizing properties. (Coconut oil is a very light oil but highly penetrative.) You should think of oils in terms of your hair needs and thickness: for example, avocado oil is fantastic for healing damaged hair from hot tools and works well on thinner hair as it won't weigh down your strands. Thicker hair will work well with babassu oil that will define your curls and prevent frizz. Dry hair in general responds well to tea tree oil and argan oil, which will help get rid of dead cells and unclog hair follicles.

By making sure that your hair is moisturized first, your curls will cluster together better, looking less frizzy and fluffy. To avoid ending up with some curls that feel crunchy with gel and others that lack definition, applying a leave-in conditioner is key. Depending on your hair type, your hair will be more defined when moisturized, and using a styling gel will act as a finishing touch, not a replacement for hydration.

Everybody's hair is different, so everybody's hair reacts differently to products and techniques. And while it's wonderful to get inspired by our favorite Instagram Curlies, it's more important to love your hair first — just the way it is.