Hair Care Chronicles: Aloe Vera

It was the first day of Bermuda’s annual two-day Cup Match holiday – corona-style. The usual cricket match and various large gatherings and parties had been cancelled, but many people still camped out and picnicked at various locations around the island.

My Dad and I went for a swim on the south shore. We walked along the footpaths, checking out various coves to pick the perfect one to take what was (believe it or not) our first dip of the summer. The sand was scorching (thankfully we weren’t barefoot) and the water was quite rough. In fact, the waves were choppy enough for the lifeguards to come over and tell us, as well as other swimmers at Horseshoe Bay beach (where we decided to swim in the end), that there were rip tides and to swim to the side if we felt one pulling us.

We swam at the eastern end of the beach where it wasn’t too crowded, as despite COVID a large number of people had flocked there given Bermuda’s well-controlled COVID situation at the time. I was overjoyed to do the underwater flips and handstands I hadn’t had the chance to do in a while, and generally just happy to duck my whole body under water – getting my entire face and whole head of hair wet with salt water wonder without concern for ruining a hairstyle! I love swimming in Bermuda’s waters – nowhere else compares – and I was such a so-called ‘water rat’ when I was younger (a name playfully given to Bermudian children who can’t get enough of the ocean).

What this meant though, was that my hair was full of salt and I’m sure some sand also, by the time I got out. It felt good to let all my hair hang out but I knew it would be a task to deal with afterwards. Nonetheless I was prepared…kinda. I knew my hair needed a good washing and treating, so it was the perfect time to allow myself to swim without concern about it getting wet or tangled, considering I had planned to tackle the chores that come along with a typical wash day.

On this particular day I had planned to try using fresh aloe vera gel straight from the plant in my backyard in my hair for the first time. I decided to use it as a deep conditioning treatment after shampooing my hair, and mixed it with avocado and coconut oil – a hair recipe recommended by Myavana.

Here are some photos of the treatment creation process…

So I spread the homemade treatment throughout my thick kinky/curly hair and covered it with my aluminum shower cap. I don’t recall exactly how long I left it in however. I remember it feeling soft when I removed the hair cap, with the coconut oil likely giving my baby hairs the particularly healthy-curly look as usual, but once I washed out the treatment there didn’t appear to be any noticeable difference in the way my hair looked or felt, which was disappointing. Perhaps the work was done and I wasn’t necessarily supposed to be able to see or feel the difference since it had already penetrated from the ends through to the roots of my strands, but I did expect my hair to be noticeably softer or easier to manage when styling.