Proper Natural Hair Care: Different Schools of Thought

There are differing schools of thought when it comes to natural hair care. Today, we will take a look at Lisa Akbari’s Hair Nutrition System.

Lisa Akbari is an author, cosmetologist, aesthetician, researcher, trichologist, and developer of the Hair Nutrition System. She has over 30 years of experience in the industry and, as such, is a pioneer if the hair care field. She is also the founder of the World Trichology Institute. Trichology is the scientific study of hair and its diseases.

According to her website, www.lisaakbari.com, there are several fundamental steps in the hair care system she has developed.

Her program for natural hair care includes:

1) Cleansing, Clarifying, and Balance Shampoo; 2) Deep Penetrating, Protein Moisture and Stabilizing Conditioner; 3) Hair Vitamins Leave-in-Conditioner; and two support products 4) Oil Sheen in a Jar and 5) Hydration Moisture Plus Moisturizer

Step One: Lisa believes that good hair care begins with clean hair. Her natural hair care system begins with the Clarifying and Balance Shampoo (which has been recommended by Essence Magazine). She teaches that the hair and scalp has a pH between 4.5 to 5.5, and if you use a shampoo outside of the pH range of your hair, your hair and scalp will be dry and you will experience hair breakage. She believes that a pH balanced shampoo should be around 5 in order to properly cleanse the hair and scalp without drying. Her Cleansing Clarifying and Balance Shampoo with a pH of 5, is within the range of your scalp pH. The shampoo claims to removes excess dead skin cells, dirt and build up from hair sprays, gels and other damaging products, while preserving the hair and the natural oils of the scalp.

Step Two: The next step in the process of her natural hair care system is the Deep Penetrating Protein Moisture and Stabilizing Conditioner which penetrates the hair shaft to condition hair, and rinses cleanly away without residue providing the required balance of moisture and protein for your hair.

Step Three: The Hair Vitamins product in Lisa’s natural hair care system is used as a leave-in conditioner. It improves the elasticity of the hair and stops breakage by filling the torn and thin areas of the hair shaft. According to her website, the product stops breakage immediately. The Hair Vitamins also strengthen the hair around the hair line and keeps the hair and scalp free from damaging buildup.

Well, that takes care of the basic natural hair care routine. Let’s look at the supporting natural hair care products.

Her Moisture Plus Moisturizer is a natural moisturizing cream developed to revive dry and brittle, damaged hair. It's said to soften naturally curly or kinky hair.

Oil Sheen in a Jar is described as a lubricant for your hair shaft and scalp, giving a natural shine without a buildup.

In addition to the supporting products mentioned above, her Naturally Textured product will allow your natural hair to have a texturized look without chemically treating the hair. According to the instructions, you apply Naturally Textured after Step Three above, twist or braid your hair and dry naturally or under a dryer making sure to monitor the time so that you do not dry out your hair and scalp.

According to the ingredients tab, here are the ingredients in her products: Purified Water, Henna, Hydrolyzed Protein, Aloe Vera, Jojoba Oil. However, this is just a partial list, because I still have a bottle of the Hair Vitamins, and the ingredients listed are: Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Protein, Biotin, Vitamin H, Vitamin B Factor, Purified Water, and Methyl Paraben.

I can tell you that I have used her hair care system on my own hair when it was relaxed, and on my son’s loose curl pattern natural hair. Her system is fantastic, but goes totally against the no poo or co-wash methods. I’m enjoying the no-poo, co-wash method; however, with her explanation of No Poo vs. Shampoo, and her 30 years of experience in hair care and research, I may have to rethink my no poo method. I think it was the bacterial growth she mentioned that got my attention. I will address that in my next post.