If your hair is of the African variety then you probably know the struggle of getting your hairline/edges to conform to your “hair objectives”. If your objective is to slick your hair back in a high-bun, then your edges are probably too short to play along. If your objective is to have a protective style like braids or a wig, your edges try to give up on you by falling out. When are we chocolate girls actually going to catch a hairline break? If you have un-processed African hair, you constantly have to fight the temptation to apply relaxer.
I recently embarked on a journey to protect and groom my edges. I started taking hair supplements (which I don’t believe actually work), and I’ve been taking a stronger stance on moisturising and grooming the edges using a combination of 2 kinds of products. To moisturise, I use various hair foods containing castor oil and peppermint oil and then to groom, I lay those edges down with some good old fashioned hair gel.
The idea of using hair gel was a little foreign at first for 2 reasons. Firstly and most importantly, I was NOT trying to look like I fell out of a 90s RnB music video with over exaggerated gel slicked edges. Even worse, that gel from the 90s usually contains alcohol that has dries your hair our and causes flaking – who actually wants to look ashy? Secondly, although I’d seen African Americans use edge control products quite well, I’d never seen those products in local stores, and I was convinced that they had slightly softer hair texture (easier to tame). The minute I saw an affordable water based hair gel at my local super-market, I jumped at the opportunity to try it out. It was Vaida’s Super Sheen Hair Gel. It contains glycerine, and vitamin E and promotes curls, even in natural hair.
After asking a friend (yes you Rufaro) about hairline management, she told me that she relied on a gel I’d have never considered – Super Dax Black Freeze Jell (Zimbabwe Variety). Considering that this gel is typically used for the “Gel-up” hair style that tends to look dry and crusty after a few weeks, I was a little sceptical. When I saw the gel during a recent shopping trip, the price shocked me and I had no choice but to try it out.
Claims: Strong hold. No flaking.
Price on at OK Zimbabwe: US$0.85 for 100g – yes that’s right, its less than a dollar!
Colour Pay Out: As this is a black gel, I was worried that it would leave my scalp with black streaks. Fortunately that does not happen. It functions like a clear gel.
Texture: Like the jelly you would eat with your trifle. The Vaida’s hair gel has a slightly runny texture.
My Experience of Using It: It works like a dream. The claims it makes are true. It has the power tame my unruly edges and it does not flake. When I style my edges using this gel, they don’t get that superficial glossy look that makes then look fake and ghetto (for lack of a better word). The texture is the same as my natural hair. A little goes a long way. I just dab a little along my hair line and brush with an old toothbrush. At the end of the day, my hair line didn’t feel dry and crusty – in fact the hair in that area had a pleasantly soft texture. You can easily wash it off during your face washing routine.
Extra Information: You can leave out your delicate edges the next time you braid your hair. Instead, just slick them down with some Dax, and you’ll probably be able to keep your braids in for longer.
Verdict: You can achieve the relaxed baby hair look without using relaxer! Dax is cheap, has no side effects, and is readily available across the country. Some Zim girls living in SA even import it. I will definitely repurchase …. if it ever runs out.