Hispanic hair care

[Alibran]

I know saying "hispanic hair" is a bit of a generalisation. What I'm talking about specifically is the long, dark, curly, healthy looking hair that I see so often since I've lived in Spain. I've noticed it mainly on women who are obviously native to this part of Spain (or who have at least lived here for a long time) because they speak with local accents and have relatively dark skin (compared to people from northern Spain). This isn't to say women from northern Spain couldn't have lovely hair, but that part of the country is apparently more modern and fashion conscious than here, so long hair is probably no more common than most of us are used to.

What puzzles me is how they keep it looking so lovely. It's hot here for at least half the year and humid for most of the year, which plays havoc with my curly hair. The shops sell loads of different shampoos but hardly any conditioners, which suggests a lot of people don't use conditioner, so there isn't much demand for it. Judging from the recent thread where a lot of people have said they use loads of conditioner, this goes against the general trend here.

I don't speak enough spanish yet to have a detailed discussion with anyone about hair routines, so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas. I can't imagine most of these women are spending a fortune on imported hair care products because most people here don't have a great deal of money, so they must be using products they can buy locally.

[rock007junkie]

I am not from Spain but I am (Hispanic?). I know that a lot of us pay attention to deep conditioning our hair regularly. There is also the use of household products for the aforementioned purpose of deep contioning (such as avocadoes, honey, etc). That might be the reason why you don't see those stores put a lot of emphasis on conditioners.

[PinkyCat]

I have this kind of hair. :) But I have no idea what Spanish women use as conditioner.

[ludwig20]

I'm not Hispanic although my native country is a former colony, but I have to agree that deep conditioning is important.

[Alibran]

There is also the use of household products for the aforementioned purpose of deep contioning (such as avocadoes, honey, etc). That might be the reason why you don't see those stores put a lot of emphasis on conditioners.

That's interesting.

I know "food" products such as vinegar and lemon juice are very popular for household cleaning. I hadn't thought of them being commonly used - as in outside LHC - for hair care. Avocadoes are in plentiful supply here and very cheap, so I may try mashing one up and putting it in my hair! I'm a bit wary of using honey at the moment because I've just started using henna and I don't want to risk lightening it.

[rock007junkie]

That's interesting.

I know "food" products such as vinegar and lemon juice are very popular for household cleaning. I hadn't thought of them being commonly used - as in outside LHC - for hair care. Avocadoes are in plentiful supply here and very cheap, so I may try mashing one up and putting it in my hair! I'm a bit wary of using honey at the moment because I've just started using henna and I don't want to risk lightening it.

Just heat the honey before you use it and it'll kill the peroxide content and enjoy! Honey gives hair a nice sheen.

[Alibran]

Just heat the honey before you use it and it'll kill the peroxide content and enjoy! Honey gives hair a nice sheen.

I would, but it's a bit fiddly because we don't have a microwave at the moment. We've just moved to a new rental that doesn't have one, so we're going to have to buy one of our own when we've finished paying for Christmas!