So, in the last post I told you that the most important reason so many black women have short, brittle, damaged hair is because they are not moisturizing their hair.
This is only one piece of the puzzle that is black hair care. The rest comes in how we treat our hair the rest of the time and what products we use in it. There are some products that will severely damage your hair if you dont do something to counteract the effects.
Here are the main culprits and what you can do to reduce or eliminate any damage they may cause your hair.
1. HEAT
Many black women use curling irons, flat irons, blow dryers and pressing combs on a daily basis, but do nothing to protect their hair from this damaging high heat. There are many products referred to as "Heat Protectants" on the market that are made just for protecting your hair from the use of high heat appliances. Also, using an oil on your hair, (Olive Oil works well for me) can help protect your hair.
If you do use a lot of heat on your hair frequently, then daily moisturizing and weekly or bi-weekly deep conditioning treatments are a REQUIREMENT to keep your hair healthy and keep the damage to a minimum.
The best option, of course is to stop using heat completely, or only once a week at the most. Air drying is great for black hair(remember to moisturize!) and if you want curls, use a roller set!
2. Petroleum/Mineral Oil Based Products
The amount of hair products on the market that feature these ingredients first on the list is staggering. But from the view point of the companies that make these products, their widespread use is understandable--its a cheap FILLER.
Petroleum and Mineral Oil arent use in hair products because they are good for it. They are just cheap bases for the company's concoctions. They offer no benefit to the hair, except to seal in moisture after using a moisturizer product or to protect the hair from heat.
Instead of using Petroleum based greases, look for products made with shea butter and essential oils(I will explain these later). Olive Oil is a great(AND AFFORDABLE!) oil for your hair, and if you start using it in place of your "grease" you will love the improvement it makes in your hair so much, that you will never want to use grease again.
3. Gels and Hairsprays Made with ALCOHOL
Black hair is the driest kind of hair there is. This is because of the tight curl pattern that gives our hair its distinct texture. The natural moisture that is created by our scalps has a hard time traveling down the entire length of the hair to where it is needed, so it tends to stay near the scalp.
This being said, the use of alcohol based gels and hairsprays that dry and harden the hair into place dry the hair out even more. And if you aren't washing that product out regularly and replacing that lost moisture with a daily moisturizer, your hair is going to suffer from extreme damage and breakage.
4. Brushes
In general, there is nothing wrong with using a brush while styling to occasionally smooth the hair down to make it look sleeker. BUT the problem comes in when you are using a brush on dry, damaged and broken hair that is already weak from bad care. Each stroke of the brush breaks more and more hair off, leaving you with much less hair than before you started. If your hair is very damaged and broken, put the brush away for a while and just smooth your hair down with your fingers. Trust me, that brush is not helping you at all!
5. RELAXERS/PERMS
The hair straightening process that many black women refer to as a "perm", is actually called a relaxer. Relaxers are a choice for many women who do not like or do not know how to properly care for their hair in its natural state. It uses very strong chemicals to relax the curl pattern of the hair and make the hair strand permanently straighter. The problem with using relaxers comes when the hair is not properly cared for after the relaxer is applied. Relaxed hair is weak hair that has been chemically altered. Even more so than natural hair, relaxed hair needs to be moisturized often, not over manipulated, and not overheated.
Another problem is overprocessing the hair. Many black women(I used to be one of them!) will get a relaxer and put it on all their hair, then 6 weeks later get another relaxer and again put the mixture over all of their hair that had been relaxed the last time. Relaxing hair that has already been relaxed is EXTREMELY damaging. Your hair will start to look fried and broken real quick if you keep doing this.
Try stretching relaxers out past 6 weeks in order to grow enough new growth so that you can easily relax the newly grown hair without getting any of the mixture on the hair that is already relaxed. Start out by stretching the time between relaxer touchups to 8 weeks, then work up to 12. Try to go as long as you can between relaxers. As the new growth starts to become unmanageable, try getting braids, weaves, wigs, hair pieces(fake pony tails) to make your hair easier to deal until you get a new relaxer. Your hair will appreciate the break!
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