The Greenhouse Effect On Natural Hair: Why You Need To Try It

The one thing that all of us with natural hair want and need is moisture.

I don’t care if your hair type is 3a or a 4c you can never be done with moisture.

You may have come across the term “greenhouse effect” if not then today you are in for a treat because the greenhouse effect on natural hair is wonderful!

It’s even better if you are like me and what I like to call a lazy natural.

Being a lazy natural isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means that perhaps you don’t have the time to do lots of steps in between your hair routine.

Hey, we all have different lifestyle commitments and so sometimes we have to try and adjust around that.

Personally, I am all for keeping things simple and then adding more if you need to rather than doing things the other way around and feeling bombarded with lots of little steps.

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What is the greenhouse effect?

The term greenhouse effect might sound complicated but I can assure you that it is not.

The method simply consists of using a shower cap to create a warm moist environment in which your natural body heat causes increased blood flow and your pores to open up for your hair to grow.

The idea is that your hair follicles will open up and encourage your hair to grow.

The benefits of the greenhouse effect

The main purpose of doing the greenhouse effect (GHE) is to be able to boost your hair growth by encouraging your follicles to open up through the increased blood flow as you sweat.

Not only does the GHE encourage growth but it can also help to keep your hair moisturised at the same time. As your hair sweats more natural oils are released from your scalp.

Sebum is a natural oil that everyone produces but some people naturally produce more than others.

Sebum is a great oil because it’s waxy and helps to protect and moisturise the strands of your hair.

Doing the greenhouse effect can also make your hair feel softer. This is great news if you suffer from dry brittle hair.

Everything to do with natural hair starts and ends with keeping your hair moisturised. If you are experiencing problems with your hair there’s a very good chance that moisture is an underlying issue.

How to do the greenhouse effect on natural hair

The thing that I love the most about the greenhouse effect on natural hair is that it is so simple to do and once it’s done it’s done there are no more steps afterwards.

It’s a process that will literally take you a few minutes to do and the benefits to your hair are huge.

To do the greenhouse effect you will need:

A water spray bottle
A shower cap
Natural oil or an oil blend
Hair butter (such as shea or mango butter) (optional)

Process:

I always like to start with my hair in sections as it makes my hair more manageable and ensures that all my strands get evenly covered.

Once your hair is sectioned take the first section and lightly spritz your hair with clean water.

Next, add your oils or hair butter to each section making sure you coat the strands of hair properly but don’t overdo it otherwise you could be left with overly greasy hair.

You can keep your hair in twists or braid it once you are done.

Cover with a shower cap then put on a headscarf if you are going to bed.

Ideally, you should do the treatment overnight for the best results but if that doesn’t suit you you can leave it on for a few hours only.

How often should you do the greenhouse effect?

Once a month or every two months should be sufficient unless you feel that your hair is going through an extreme case of dryness.

In that case, I would say you could up the number of times that you do it.

The good thing about the greenhouse effect is that there is no nasty stuff being used so you won’t damage your hair in any way.

The greenhouse effect and low porosity hair

If you have low porosity hair meaning that the cuticles of your hair are very tightly knitted together and therefore your hair struggles to absorb moisture the greenhouse method is perfect.

As mentioned before the greenhouse method will encourage your cuticles to open up and allow moisture to be absorbed.

It’s a great way to make sure moisture is penetrated as deeply as possible into the hair shaft.

Greenhouse effect vs the baggy method

The baggy method is very similar to the greenhouse effect but they are not the same thing.

It’s easy to see how they can be confused as the two methods have similarities.

The baggy method consists of using a conditioner to moisturise your natural hair whereas the greenhouse effect requires that you use natural products only and you don’t use conditioner.

The baggy method should be done on clean hair only but the greenhouse effect can be done on either clean or dirty hair.