Welcome To BuzzFeed's Natural Hair Challenge!

In only five days, you'll learn how to keep your curls healthy.

Perhaps the biggest struggle of being natural is keeping your kinks and curls moisturized. Unlike straight hair, nutrients can't travel a straight path from root to ends with curly and coily hair. Instead, they have to go through somewhat of a maze of loops and spirals, sometimes stopping before making it to the end.   But there is hope, my coily-headed friends. For everyone with natural curls and coils, the BuzzFeed 5-Day Natural Hair Challenge is here to get your curls POP. PIN! And the best part of the challenge is that it literally works for anyone with natural hair, no matter the texture!   To help every naturalista get healthier, more moisturized hair, BuzzFeed consulted with several natural hair-care professionals for their best tips and tricks. They include Gwen Jimmere, CEO of Naturalicious, Stacy Hill, founder and CEO of DyeVerCity Salon, and Obia Ewah, chemist and founder of Obia Natural Haircare.   Incorporating these simple practices into your natural hair-care routine will make for more moisturized and easier to manage curls and coils. Each step should only take you one to three minutes — with the exception of shampooing and protective styling, which could take one to two hours depending on the thickness of your hair.    We broke down this simple but effective regimen into five days to make things super easy. You won't get overwhelmed, and after the challenge you'll be able to customize the steps for your hair.   After you complete all five days, you'll be able to continue cycling through the steps to keep your hair in the best shape of its life! HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED The challenge officially starts tomorrow, but in order for you to get ready, here's the list of products you'll need! 1.  Sulfate-free shampoo  2.  Moisturizing conditioner 3. A satin hair scarf 4. A moisture-rich styling product 5. Curl refresher 6. A penetrating natural oil 7. Applicator bottle NOTE: You don't need to use the exact brands linked above — they are simply suggestions from BuzzFeed Beauty Editor Essence Gant!  BEFORE YOU START Take some time to carefully read the ingredients label on the back of all your hair-care and styling products. You'll find that many of them contain "bad" alcohols, which contribute to dry, brittle hair. Jimmere tells BuzzFeed that those alcohols are lab-made and designed to make products dry faster. Some popular ones to steer away from are alcohol SD, ethanol, denat, propanol, and propyl, which can cause dry and brittle hair.   There is such a thing as "good" alcohol, though, and Jimmere says cetyl alcohol, stearyl, and cetearyl are all examples of natural conditioning agents. Finding one or all three in a product is a win!   You'll receive your first Natural Hair Challenge email tomorrow. Good luck!     12 Things Black Women Have Been Told About Their Hair That May Be Total BS 24 Questions People With Natural Hair Are Tired Of Hearing Unsubscribe