Quick Tips on Black Hair Care

A Little TLC
All hair takes a certain amount of care and love to be healthy and beautiful. However, ethnic hair tends to be a bit more temperamental and requires additional steps. Taking the time to understand the differences between ethnic, or black, hair, and European hair textures is important for both hair stylists and consumers. Products and hair care techniques are not made equal, and the informed consumer is the happy consumer.

A Different Version of Clean
Non-black or ethnic hair textures typically hold oil within their strands a bit easier; therefore washing becomes a daily or bi-daily activity. However, with black hair everyday washing risks stripping the hair of essential oils needed to be healthy and shiny, and leads to dry hair. Black hair needs to only be washed every 5-7 days, depending on the relative level of oil left in the hair. Some people might feel that this leaves the hair open to dirt and flakes. However, dirt tends to take longer to form in ethnic hair textures because of the oil deficit in the hair follicle. Finding the right hair washing rhythm for you is important to ensure continued hair health.

Just Relax
Some people with black hair prefer to apply a relaxer to reduce tight curls for a more manageable straight strand. However, this process can be very difficult on the hair and causes considerable damage, especially excessive breakage and dryness.

Growing Your Hair Out
Black hair is slower to grow than other types of hair. Therefore it is important to massage the scalp and use products to promote a healthy scalp. Products containing olive oil, petroleum oil, and other natural oils stimulate the follicle and promote a healthy growth pattern. Black hair is typically more dense, so it has a more difficult time absorbing the oil from the scalp, which is necessary to promote continued growth.

To Heat or Not
Heat is often very detrimental to many hair types. However, for people with black or ethnic hair textures, it can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Most people with ethnic hair textures have figured out that a little heat can often leave the hair looking beautifully straight and shiny. However the damage caused to insufficiently moisturized hair by heat can leave it extremely dry and brittle.



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