Black Hijabis Are Sharing How They Take Care Of Their Natural Hair, And I (A Black Hijabi) Wish We Talked About It More

Hey y'all! It's your favorite hijabi at BuzzFeed back to talk about something close to home: hair.

Like a lot of Black women, I've had such a wild journey with my hair, going from long, to relaxed, to short, to dyed, to natural, and so on.

But despite Black hijabis having very similar experiences as Black non-Muslim women, we're often left out of conversations about natural hair because we cover it.

So, to fill in the gap, I asked other Black hijabis about how they care for their hair and what makes their experience unique. This is what they shared:

1.Shayma, 25, NYC

Describe your relationship with your hair.

"The same old story for me! Hated it growing up, and in high school, I started taking care of it, and I really fell in love with it. Taking care of my hair and seeing my curls flourish was such a big moment for me.

It taught me the value of pouring care, love, and time into something and watching that thing become beautiful. Or, maybe it was always beautiful, and I was only seeing it then. But currently, I got a really bad haircut so I'm dealing with looking like Snoop Dogg in 1989 (see below). Not the greatest for my self confidence."

Walk us through your haircare routine.

"Every 10-14 days, I oil my hair with whatever I can find in my house, to be honest, for a few hours, then I wash my hair with a clarifying shampoo and a deep conditioner. I really like the Mielle Rosemary Mint Strengthening Hair Masque.

After that, I moisturize my hair with a hair cream. This step is vital because the cream can't have any holding agent in it (that includes curl enhancers, styling creams, things like that). Those types of products dry your hair out, so if you put it on and your hair feels hard, get something that will make your hair feel moisturized and soft so that it nourishes your hair between washes, not dry it out. I especially love Lush's R&B hair cream for this.

Once I have the cream in my hair, I put on a bonnet until my hair is fully dry, then braid my hair into cornrows. I oil my scalp with the As I Am Dry & Itchy Scalp Care Oil Treatment and leave it until I have to wash it again. I try wearing silky under pieces under my hijab and bonnets at night to avoid my hair getting frizzy and dry."

Would you say that you've experienced any difficulty or struggled with your hair being a hijabi?

"I think my biggest difficulty is feeling guilty that I'm not giving my hair enough attention. I always feel like I'm not doing enough or that I'm neglecting it (I really do be forgetting I have hair). But I honestly couldn't imagine myself without my hijab, so I wouldn't have it any other way."

What do you wish more people knew about being a hijabi?

"That we are balding for the sake of Allah. Imma need my edges back in [heaven] for real, for real. And if a TV character is a hijabi, and her hijab comes off, you have to close your eyes out of respect."

2.Kiyonah, NYC

Describe your relationship with your hair.

"I have a good relationship with my hair. After becoming a hijabi and refraining from extensions/weave, I started to dedicate more time and effort to caring for my natural hair. These last few years, I began learning what my hair likes and dislikes. I haven’t detected what my hair loves the most; that part feels like an endless journey."

Walk us through your haircare routine.

"My huge savior is the hair salon. I alternate between straight hair and braids. I prefer my hair straight because I have less breakage and easier maintenance.

But if it’s been one of those weeks where I have to maintain my hair myself, I detangle my hair in the shower after I go in with my favorite shampoo and conditioner products. The shampoo and conditioner I’ve used is a Pureology Hydrate Collection.

Then, I usually put Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil leave-in conditioner. Lastly, I typically plait my hair or put a small mini twist on it. My final step is putting Jamaica black castor oil on my edges, eyebrow, eyelashes, and nape."

Would you say that you've experienced any difficulty or struggled with your hair being a hijabi?

"My only struggle is not succumbing to tight pull back buns when I'm lazy because that has been damaging to my hair."

What do you wish more people knew about being a hijabi?

"I wish more people know that some hijabis do care for their hair and have beautiful hairstyles underneath their hijabs."

3.Amirah, 32, Harlem, NYC

Describe your relationship with your hair.

"I love my hair! My phone is full of selfies with my hair out in all its glory LOL. I just don't want to have to think about it all the time, which is why I tend to keep it braided. I've found what works for my hair and my lifestyle, so that's helped me have a great relationship with my hair."

Walk us through your haircare routine.

"I wash and condition my hair every two to three weeks (my hair is usually braided up so I'm taking care of my scalp in between washings). I'm not particular with my shampoo and conditioner, but I always add olive oil to whatever conditioner I'm using because my hair LOVES olive oil.

Once that's rinsed out, I detangle with the Pantene Gold Series Leave-On Conditioning Milk, which changed the game. I seal this in with olive oil as well. I'll then put my hair in twists or plaits and let it air dry for a bit before it gets braided up."

Would you say that you've experienced any difficulty or struggled with your hair being a hijabi?

"I haven't had much difficulty with my hair being a hijabi, but I can't really take the credit for that. I've been blessed to have family members who can do hair (even though I can only do the basics), so they've kept me together."

What do you wish more people knew about being a hijabi?

"Just because our hair is covered doesn't mean we don't have long, healthy hair!"

4.Sumayyah, 23, New Jersey

Describe your relationship with your hair.

"Loving. Basically, I keep my hair in a bun all day long."

Walk us through your haircare routine.

"I wash my hair once a week and cowash throughout the week when needed. Oil my hair often (as needed), and I do wash-and-go's at home when I want to be different."

Would you say that you've experienced any difficulty or struggled with your hair being a hijabi?

"If I don’t do my hair, my hijab looks ugly."

What do you wish more people knew about being a hijabi?

"That your hair being done plays a huge part in how put together you look. Being a hijabi is a beautiful privilege. We cover our hair because Muslim women are worth much more than a beauty standard."

5.Raihaanah, 25, New Jersey

Describe your relationship with your hair.

"This is a hard question to answer. I think the natural community has made me think my hair had to look a certain way because a lot of the influencers that I see with large followings are looser curl women.

So, for a long time, I thought I had to do twist outs and other styles to stretch my hair so it wasn’t so tightly curled. But now, I’m embarking on the journey of embracing and loving my hair. Especially when it’s in its shrunken state and seeing that as equally beautiful compared to other women with various curly hair textures."

Walk us through your haircare routine.

"On a good day, my wash hour, okay? No more wash days. That’s for the birds and dry skin lol. I start with conditioning my hair to detangle it and put some extra love into my hair. Then follow up with a shampoo and deep conditioner. Then I’ll put a leave-in conditioner right before I get out of the shower. Then I towel dry it so that’s not dripping wet. Section my hair into 4’s. And either do some single braids because I don’t know how to braid to my scalp yet. Lately, I’ve been trying flat twisting my hair, and I’m getting more and more confident with it.

Products I swear by are the Olaplex No. 4 Shampoo and No. 5 Maintenance Conditioner. It’s expensive, but they feel luxurious to me, and a little goes a long way. The shampoo is so cleansing without being stripping. The conditioner is my bestie! I feel like ✨that girl✨ when I take care of myself using their products.

I cycle through a lot of leave-in and twisting butters. I’m not too tied to them, but I’m currently using As I Am Twisting Butter and like it. I’m using TGIN Miracle Repair Rx line of leave-in conditioner, and it’s alright."

Would you say that you've experienced any difficulty or struggled with your hair being a hijabi?

"Absolutely! My edges have suffered a ton. And RIP to my chiffon scarves that always seem to get oil stains!"

What do you wish more people knew about being a hijabi?

"It’s difficult to get creative with hairstyles when I wear my hair covered for most of the day."

6.Zalika, 38, NYC

Describe your relationship with your hair.

"It has been a love/hate relationship with my hair. I’ve gone through various phases from loose natural, relaxed, silk pressed, braids, big chop, to finally locced since January 16, 2017. At this stage, I am in a completely happy relationship with my hair and wish I committed to this decision to loc my hair a long time ago."

Walk us through your haircare routine.

"Since I have locs, my haircare routine consists of wash, condition, oiled, and retwist. I’ve found that rose water and vitamin E spritzed throughout my hair and scalp keeps the moisture locked in as well as scalp feeling fresh and smelling good."

Would you say that you've experienced any difficulty or struggled with your hair being a hijabi?

"Hijab can sometimes strip the moisture from your hair. Even with the usage of a silk/satin underscarf. Also, pinning the hijab around your head/face tightly over time will cause thinning to the front part of your hair."

What do you wish more people knew about being a hijabi?

"Yes, we do have hair under our hijabs! Just because we wear hijab does not mean we should not keep our hair done. Haircare is part of maintenance and cleanliness and should not be ignored just because our hair is covered to the public."

Is there anything else you want to know about hijabi haircare or Black haircare in general? Let us know in the comments below!

Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity.