This is How Ayesha Styles Her Long Wavy Hair BY CRISTINA CLEVELAND

In mySummer is almost here and you know what that means, mango season is in full effect. One of the most popular fruits eaten around the world, the mango, is best known for its fragrant smell and
sweet, juicy flesh. These fruit carries a host of different essential vitamins and nutrients that help ward off heart disease and diabetes, as well as preventing asthma, protect against certain types of cancers, and even aids in calcium absorption. 

Aside from being incredibly delicious, mangoes have also proven valuable when it comes to skin and hair health. Everything from the skins to the seed have been used for centuries in Ayurvedic treatments for conditions ranging from dandruff to hair loss.

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What’s in a Mango?
Well, a typical mango contains about 1g protein, 0.5g fat, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Folate, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin K, Copper, Calcium, and Potassium. The composition of this fruit is the perfect cocktail which provides your scalp the nutrients to produce sebum and moisturize the hair. The consumption of this fruit will also maintain the elasticity of your hair and skin due to the collagen-building Vitamin C. With that being said, here are 5 reasons why you should consider introducing mango into your hair regimen…

Dandruff Treatment
No matter what hair type you have, dandruff is one of the most annoying things to deal with. The constant flaking of your scalp can be the result of a number of things ranging from product build-up to under-active sebum activity. If you’re tired of seeing those little white flakes on your clothes and pillowcase, then mango just might be your answer. Now, the best mango product to use for this would be either mango oil or mango butter, which is extracted from the seed. After cleansing the scalp, gently massage the oil into the skin for 2-3 minutes. Do this twice a week until you see improvement.

Promotes Hair Growth
Since the sebum glands are kicking it into gear, it’s only natural that this fruit promotes hair growth, right? Vitamins A and C are essential for both scalp and hair health. As a matter of fact, Vitamin C is one of the most effective nutrients that helps to grow and repair damaged hair. While Vitamin A is there to heal and protect the hair and scalp, Vitamin C kick starts that cell turnover and sebum production, resulting in strong, healthy new growth.

Prevents Hair Loss
This pretty much coincides with the fact that it promotes hair growth. Once you’ve used the oil religiously, you’ll notice that the scalp is much healthier and the hair is significantly stronger, resulting in less hair fall. 

Moisturizes 
Since the mango is about 80% water, it’s safe to say that it’d be perfect for moisturizing the hair. Couple this with its restorative properties and you have a recipe for success. It’s best to pair the mango with something thick or creamy so that your end product isn’t too watery. Pair with an avocado, banana and a tbsp of honey for the perfect moisturizing treatment. I recommend pureeing all of your ingredients into a smooth consistency, and then straining it through a mesh sieve before applying it to your hair. You could also use mango oil as a hot oil treatment.

Prevents Grey Hair
I’m not sure how true this is, but according to a number of Ayurvedic sites, mango seed oil can help prevent and reduce the appearance of grey hairs…but don’t quote me on this. 

What are some ways you incorporate mango into your regimen? curly hair journey I've learned that the shorter my hair is, the easier it is to style my curls. My curls are more defined, they feel

healthier, and they just pop more when they're shorter. As they grow long I find frizz to be increasingly more challenging, washing and conditioning more tiring, and my wash and go loses its shape after a couple of days. All this to say, when I saw Ayesha while scrolling through StyleNook I was amazed by the definition she manages to achieve with such long hair, and what her secret to healthy, long curls is. 

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Are there any tricks or tips that you've figured out along the way that have made a big difference in the way your hair looks?

Water quality is important. I’ve been blessed with the tap water out in Anchorage, Alaska. I’ve been washing my hair with pristine glacier water from the Chugach Mountains since I was a kid. When I moved out to Spokane, Washington for college, my hair went into shock. The hard water was so harsh that I had to do “the big chop.” It was a very emotional day for me. My hair went from my hips to my shoulders. I started buying gallons of filtered water jugs and bringing them to the shower with me. That was tough. I couldn’t deal with the hour long washing process, so I invested in a water filtration system in my home. It cost a lot of money, but it made a difference.

What are your Holy Grail products?

I’ve been solely using DevaCurl products since 2014. It has helped tremendously, but I cannot live without coconut oil and castor oil. The reason why my hair looks so shiny is because of the moisture in coconut oil. And the reason why my hair is thick and long is because of castor oil. I apply castor oil on my roots and drench my ends with coconut oil twice a week. These natural products are essentially food. If your curls are dry, it means they are hungry! Go feed them!

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What's your styling routine?

• Pre-Poo - Always pre-poo with coconut & castor oil. I usually sleep with my curls saturated in the oils. Then I wrap my hair in a old t-shirt and place a towel on my pillow.
• Cleanse - Wash with DevaCurl No-Poo (Zero Lather Conditioning Cleanser) and Bounce Curl Clarifying Shampoo. I also use the DevaCurl Buildup Buster, on my scalp. Got to get that heavy, greasy castor oil out, but I don’t want to take out all the coconut oil on my ends.
• Condition - Condition with DevaCurl One Condition (Original Daily Cream Conditioner) and Not your mother’s Tahitian Gardenia Flower & Mango Butter Conditioner. Apply only on the ends. You want volume? Don’t apply conditioner on your roots.
• Leave-in - Because my hair is healthy from all the oil treatments, I only apply a dimesize amount of DevaCurl B’Leave-In or theSheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Leave In Milk.
• Styler - Coat your curls in DevaCurl Ultra Defining Geland the SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Max Hold Gel. Now this is when you use a lot of product. I usually use 4 pumps. Scrunch away until ringlets appear.
• Diffuse - Time to diffuse. Waterfall your curls onto a microfiber towel. Use DevaCurl’s DevaFuser on your scalp until it’s about 80% dry. Do not diffuse your ends. Let them air dry to keep them healthy. If I didn’t need volume at my roots, I wouldn’t let a hair dryer touch them either.
• Refresh - Your curls won’t look soft until the second day. I believe it is because the gel cast breaks. I have been using DevaCurl’s Mist-er Right Refresher Spray to revive my second day curls, but I recently replaced it with DevaCurl’s Beautiful Mess Pomade. I thought pomade was a product guys with straight, short hair would use! Hence, why I stayed away from it all these years. But after using it, I believe it’s better than the spray when it comes to reshaping curls that went frizzy overnight.

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Do you have any special advice for caring or styling for long hair?

The longer your hair gets, the less volume you get at the roots. My heavy hair weighs down the little natural volume I have, so my special trick has been to diffuse my hair upside down. Every close friend and family member that has witnessed my drying technique has always given me weird looks. Some are even concerned about future back problems. It’s hard to explain, but what I do is I waterfall my hair onto a microfiber towel. I then take DevaCurl’s hand diffuser and hug my scalp. I’m in this awkward position for 20-30 minutes. It may hurt your back, but no pain, no gain! Beauty always comes with a price.

What made you decide to start your healthy hair journey?

Unapologetically bold black women who embraced their natural hair. I cannot thank them enough. I do not know many Pakistani or South Asian women who embrace their waves/curls. Many girls from my community straighten their hair. So I would go online and see these empowering photos of African American women on Instagram and think wow, I want to embrace my inner goddess too!

What piece of advice would you give to a wavy who's just starting out in their curly hair journey and feels frustrated?

PATIENCE. My hair did not look like this overnight. It took almost a decade to reach this length and bounce. I’ve had friends who would go out and buy DevaCurl’s entire line, get excited, and then give up after a month of trying. It doesn’t work like that. It’s like fitness - you don’t expect to reach your body goals after one session at the gym. It takes time and dedication.

This article was updated in 2018 to reflect Ayesha's current Holy Grail products. She told us "my curls have transitioned into more 3a now but those tips and styling methods still apply!"

Credit: Naturally Curly