Hair guide
Healthy hair is a habit, not a secret
دليل العناية بالشعر
Simple, proven care for Sudanese and African hair, from wash day to bedtime. Read it once, then come back whenever you need it.
Start here
Know your hair
Most African hair sits between 3C and 4C, and most heads have more than one pattern. Care for the driest, most fragile part of your hair and the rest will follow.
3C
Tight curls
Corkscrew curls about the width of a pencil. Full of volume, but the ends dry out and frizz easily.
Loves: Hibiscus Curl Defining Cream
4A
Springy coils
Dense S-shaped coils with clear definition. Holds moisture better than 4B and 4C, but still needs it every day.
Loves: Strength & Growth Hair Oil
4B
Zig-zag coils
Z-shaped strands with sharp angles and lots of shrinkage. Soft and fluffy, and fragile when dry.
4C
Tightest coils
The tightest pattern, with up to 75 percent shrinkage. The most fragile texture, and the one that rewards gentle care the most.
Loves: Chebe Deep Repair Hair Mask
Porosity matters too. If water beads on your hair, it is low porosity: use lighter oils and warm water. If it soaks in fast and dries fast, it is high porosity: always seal with a butter.
Once a week
Wash day, step by step
يوم غسيل الشعر
Set aside an hour, put on something you love listening to and follow these steps in order.
- 1
Pre-poo with oil
The night before, or 30 minutes before you wash, coat your lengths with oil so shampoo cannot strip them.
Karkar Heritage Oil - 2
Cleanse the scalp
Divide your hair into four to six sections. Massage shampoo into the scalp with your fingertips, not your nails, and let the lather rinse through the lengths.
Gentle Cleansing Shampoo - 3
Condition and detangle
Apply conditioner generously to soaking wet hair. Detangle each section with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb, from the ends up to the roots.
Moisture Restore Conditioner - 4
Deep treat, once a week
Smooth a mask through every section, cover with a shower cap and leave for 20 to 30 minutes. Gentle warmth helps it work deeper.
Chebe Deep Repair Hair Mask - 5
Moisturise and seal
While your hair is still damp, layer a leave-in, an oil and a butter. This is the LOC method, explained below.
Chebe Length Retention Butter - 6
Style while damp
Twist, braid or set your hair while it is still damp and let it air dry. Less heat means less breakage.
Moisture
The LOC method
Coily hair struggles to hold on to water. Layering in this order keeps it soft for days instead of hours.
L
Liquid
Water or a water-based leave-in. Water is the only true moisturiser, everything else keeps it in.
O
Oil
A light oil such as Strength & Growth Hair Oil or Karkar Heritage Oil locks that water into the strand.
C
Cream
A butter or cream such as Chebe Length Retention Butter seals everything in and protects your ends.
Low porosity hair? Try LCO instead: liquid, then cream, then oil.
Length retention
Protective styles that truly protect
Mushat, cornrows, twists, box braids and bantu knots keep your ends tucked away from friction and dry air. They only work if they are kind to your scalp.
- Never install a style so tight that it hurts or raises bumps along your hairline.
- Oil your scalp twice a week and moisturise the length of your braids or twists.
- Take styles down after six to eight weeks and detangle gently with plenty of conditioner.
- Give your edges a rest between styles, and skip heavy extensions on fine hairlines.
Bedtime
Night care
The headwraps our mothers and grandmothers wore were not only beautiful. They protected the hair, day and night.
Sleep on satin
Cotton pillowcases pull moisture out of your hair. A satin bonnet, scarf or pillowcase keeps it in.
Pineapple longer hair
Gather your hair loosely on top of your head so you do not crush your curls while you sleep.
Refresh before bed
A drop of oil on your ends and a quick re-twist keeps your style fresh for the next day.
Caring for hair in heat and dust
Dry heat and dust storms, like the haboob that sweeps across Sudan and the Sahel, pull moisture out of hair and leave grit at the roots. Cover your hair outdoors with a scarf or tarha, seal your ends every day in the dry season and rinse dust away with water or a co-wash between wash days.
In humid coastal cities such as Port Sudan, Mombasa or Lagos, the challenge is frizz. Style on damp hair with a curl cream and finish with a light oil to keep your pattern defined.
Heritage
Sudanese hair traditions
من تراثنا
Long before hair care came in bottles, Sudanese women had rituals that worked. These are the ones that inspire Zayna.
كركار
Karkar
A rich, scented blend of oil and herbs, warmed and smoothed through the hair. For generations it was prepared at home and shared between the women of a family.
مشاط
Mushat
The art of fine Sudanese braiding, learned from the mashata, the neighbourhood braider, and passed down to daughters and granddaughters.
حلبة
Hilba
Fenugreek seeds soaked overnight into a slippery paste and used as a mask, loved for the softness and shine it leaves behind.
حناء
Henna
Beyond the hands and feet, henna has long been used on hair to strengthen the strands and add a warm, rich tint.
Questions
Your hair questions, answered
How often should I wash my hair?
Most 4A to 4C hair does best with a full wash every 7 to 10 days. If you live somewhere dusty or work out often, rinse with water or co-wash with conditioner in between.
What is chebe and how do I use it?
Chebe is a powder made from seeds and herbs, used for centuries by Basara women in Chad to keep their hair long. It does not make hair grow faster: it coats and strengthens the strand so it breaks less, which means you keep more of the length you grow. Our mask and butter already contain it, so there is no messy mixing.
Is karkar oil heavy?
Karkar is richer than a light serum, which is why it is ideal for your ends, for a pre-poo and for protective styles. Warm a small amount between your palms and work it in, a little goes a long way.
Can I use Zayna products on relaxed or coloured hair?
Yes. Our formulas are free from sulfates, parabens and mineral oil, and relaxed or coloured hair often needs the extra moisture most. Start with the conditioner and the weekly mask.
How long until I see results?
Softness and shine usually show after your first wash day. Stronger ends and better length retention take consistent care, so give your routine 8 to 12 weeks.
How do I order?
Add products to your bag and place your order online. No payment is taken on the website: we call or message you to confirm your delivery, the delivery fee and how you would like to pay.
Not sure where to start?
Tell us about your hair and we will suggest a routine, or begin with the complete wash day set.