Caring for Black Hair

Caring for Afro-American Hair

By Anna Lynn Sibal

Because we all have varying hair types with their own unique characteristics, our hair care regimen should be tailor-fit to the type of hair we have and not just because that particular regimen or product worked well with your girlfriend.

The same principle applies with racial hair types. In this article, we shall be talking about how to care for the kind of hair found on African-Americans.

African-Americans generally have black hair. Hair of their type is usually fine, porous and more prone to breakage. The curly Afro-American hair also has fewer layers of cuticle on each individual hair strand, making it fragile and more vulnerable to damage from heat, moisture loss and chemicals.

Afro-American hair should, therefore, be treated with extreme care. If you are an Afro-American with this typical black hair type, you should use hair care products that are moisture-rich and formulated to keep the moisture locked in your hair.
Here are other tips you can use for caring for your black hair.

1. When washing the hair, gently massage the scalp and avoid pulling and tugging at the hair strands. Hair is at its most vulnerable when it is wet, and African-American hair is more vulnerable than other hair types. Thus, extra care is needed.

2. When you are done washing your hair, remove excess water from your hair by blotting the water out instead of rubbing it with a towel. Just press your towel against your hair to capture the excess water.

3. Before you blow dry your hair, first apply a moisturizing lotion to close the cuticles of the hair and to keep the moisture in. And then, detangle the hair with a large-toothed comb. Your strokes should be from the ends upward to your scalp so you do not have to pull and tug at the tangles, something that happens when you comb your hair from scalp all the way down to the ends with just one stroke.

4. Hold the blow dryer at least six inches away from your hair and keep it moving around your head. Never point it directly to one section of your hair for a prolonged period. Better yet, try to blow dry your hair in sections. Start drying your hair from the bottom up to the top of your head. You can also try sitting with your head upside down and your hair cascading to the floor. This will effectively dry the inner strands of the hair without overheating the outer strands.

5. Once you are done with blow drying your hair, expose your hair to a blast of cold air in order to close the cuticles of each strand. This will keep your hair from losing too much moisture throughout the day.

Also see: Perfect Hairstyle