Black Hair Care Tips

Someone once asked us if we thought Black hair was “designed” to be combed (or brushed). Well, the answer to that would be “no”. The kinks in our hair are great places for combs and brushes to get caught and, if the hair is dry an inelastic, it can snap right off. However, modern society demands we do certain things that are “unnatural”. We brush our teeth, shave our legs, pluck our eyebrows, wear deodorant. So, the question we think is relevant is what is the best way to comb or brush my hair?We think that bristled brushes are a bad idea for natural hair and stay away from them entirely. The sharp ends on the bristles tend to catch and snap off natural Black hair. Brushes with rounded “bristles” (really more like teeth or tines) are much better. These can be found in many beauty supply stores. The Kakakiki KombBrush is uniquely designed for African-American hair. It is a combination of a comb and brush with multiple tines laid out similar to a brush. But, they are rounded, placed and designed specifically for Black hair care.As for combs, for natural Black hair, wide toothed combs are a must. African-American hair (and biracial hair) varies widely. So, you’ll have to decide which width is best for you. But, if you are going to use a rattail comb (great for detangling hair, making parts, etc.), remember the rattail is the end you want to use. Leave the other end alone!

If you have super curly, kinky or (dare we say it?) nappy hair, your hair is best handled wet. You may find it easiest to comb it with a wide tooth comb while in the shower. Give up on that skinny little European comb and get one made for your hair. Try to avoid combing your hair while dry as the comb will tend to catch and break the hair. If you need to comb your hair while it’s dry, be gentle. Try to spritz with some water or a cream first. You can use an unbraid product like Black Earth’s Protective Mist Bodifier or Royal Roots Detangler, Softener, Remover. If you’re unbraiding your hair and get to some tangles, pull them loose with your fingers (or the end of that rattail comb) before you go on combing.

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How often you should wash African-American hair will depend on your hair type and how prone your hair is to drying or becoming oily. Not all African Americans have the same type of hair. Generally speaking, our hair tends to be dry and shampooing too often will worsen that. Rinsing your hair with plain water on off days (if necessary) and washing once every week to ten days works for most of us. Starting off with washing weekly and adjusting up or down from there is a good rule-of-thumb.It’s important to use a good moisturizing shampoo designed for your hair type (which is probably normal to dry). It’s also very important to condition your hair afterwards (see our article on why it’s important to condition for more information on that).Bi-racial people may want to wash their hair a little more often as it may tend to be more oily. Again, start with once a week and adjust up or down as necessary.BTW, when you dry your hair, do not rub it. Rubbing your hair can cause breakage. Blot it with a towel.

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Q.) I have never met a person who says that “relaxers have helped me grow my hair.” All it seems to do is ‘tame’ the hair and keep it straight. I am interested in getting a relaxer, however I want my hair to continue to grow. For many years I have been using hair oils such as “Long Aid,” “Indian Hemp,” and “Hair Food,” etc. When I do decide to get a relaxer, is it possible I can still use these products along with vitamins such as “biotin?” Will using hair oils and vitamins help grow my hair while it is relaxed? Or is it better to keep my hair growing natural?A.) Ooh. These are loaded questions! Let’s see if we can answer them without stepping on too many landmines.

You’re right. Relaxers don’t help to grow the hair. There are people who would tell you that chemicals will make it impossible for you to have healthy hair. But, we don’t think that is necessarily true. Relaxers do work by breaking down the hair. And, relaxers do tend to make the hair more dry. But, with the proper maintenance you can have healthy relaxed hair. People with natural hair can (potentially) damage their hair more than chemically treated hair with too much heat (blow drying and pressing) trying to make it straight “naturally”. So, there is a trade-off there. If you want to wear your hair straight, a perm may actually be healthier for your hair.

Now, whether you wear your hair natural or permed, it’s always a good idea to keep it moisturized and get the proper nutrition (possibly including hair supplements such as Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Supplement).

We hope this answers your question. We can’t say that natural hair is always easier to grow than permed hair for the reasons above. Many people with relaxed hair have long, healthy hair. But, proper maintenance is important either way.

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We know that whether to oil or not oil African-American is the subject of an on-going debate. In our experience, the right oils, put on at the right times and in the right amounts are a great thing for our hair. Oils, pomades, daily moisturizers, leave-in conditioner and creams will make the hair feel more soft and flexible. They are particularly important to be added to permed hair which has been stripped of some of its ability to oil itself. Mineral oil and petroleum use should be minimized or avoided. These products can tend to clog the pores (known as comedogenic), are not easily absorbed into the hair and attract dust. If you use products with these oils, try to use the ones that have the least amount. But, really there’s no need to use such products when there are much better all natural alternatives available. But, just so you know, generally, the further down the ingredient list, the less there will be in a product. So, try to use products where these are listed near the end.Now, back to what you should use. There are so many great natural plant oils. We typically don’t use animal oils, with one exception- emu oil. Emu oils reduces inflammation and has essential fatty acids and vitamins. It also easily penetrates the hair and skin. Emu oil has been shown to stimulate hair growth and is also good for a variety of other conditions. Some natural plant oils to try are shea butter, jojoba oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil. Jojoba is another oil worthy of note. It’s great for hair and skin as it naturally is very close to the sebum we secrete to lubricate our own hair and skin. Jojoba oil helps balance the skin. Treasured Locks offers a great selection of oils, pomades and moisturizers for every hair type and style.Many people ask us how often they should oil their hair and how much oil to use. This is something you will have to experiment with. You’ll probably find that permed hair needs more oil. But, natural kinky hair will need more oil than straighter natural hair. Biracial hair will probably require less oil than Black hair. And so on and so forth. As long as you are using good, natural oils in reasonable amounts, you should not have to worry about any build-up.Oils are best applied to wet hair to help hold in the moisture already there. Creams or leave-in conditioners can be used on days when you don’t wash or wet your hair. The type of oil or cream you use in your hair is going to depend on your hair type and may take a little it of experimenting to find what works best for you. Also, the time of year and your hair’s exposure to the elements will vary your routine.

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Several of our Black and Biracial clients complain about dull, dry hair. But, many of them skip the essential step of conditioning their hair after they wash it. Conditioner is vital because conditioner helps leave the hair feeling smooth by leaving a thin wax-like coating. Conditioner also helps lessen the breakage and pulling caused by tangling. Tangling happens when the cuticle of one strand of hair (which are more raised in Black and Biracial hair) catches on the cuticle of another hair. Conditioner also smooths over rough broken edges of the outer layer of hair. By smoothing over the outer layer of the hair, conditioner makes the hair feel softer, reflect light better and keeps it from tangling and breaking as much. Lastly, the protective coating left on by conditioner holds moisture and reduces static electricity. So, do not skip this important step in hair care. If your hair is dry, dull and/or tangled, it’s very important to condition.

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In addition to regular washing and conditioning with a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, a good hot oil treatment or deep conditioner is essential to repairing and preventing damage done to the hair by chemicals, sun, heat, dry air, etc. Treasured Locks offers several hair repair products.This treatment should be done every 4-6 weeks for best results.What you’ll need:

• Deep conditioner or hot oil treatment
• Disposable plastic conditioning cap (can be bought at any drug store or beauty supply store)

Nice to have:

• Microwave or Professional Conditioning Heat Cap- these are devices that get warm and you can place on your hair to open up the cuticles and allow the conditioner to penetrate. They work better than a bonnet dryer because they produce warm, radiant heat rather than drying convective heat.

To do the treatment

• Wash hair as normal. You can skip the normal conditioning step
• Apply the conditioner or hot oil treatment to the hair and scalp
• Cover with plastic cap
• Place heated conditioning cap on the head and leave on for 15-30 minutes
  • If you do not have a heated cap, you can wrap your head in a towel or use a bonnet hair dryer
• Wash hair thoroughly

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Here are just some real quick general tips. A five minute lesson in Black hair care. You should picture your hair as a collection of fine fibers. You should treat it as gently as you would a fine washable silk blouse. The better you treat your hair, the easier it will be to grow and the better it will look. African hair will tend to be dryer and more prone to breakage because the structure makes it more difficult for the oils to work their way from the scalp to the ends of the hair. If you relax your hair, you’ve weakened the hair and reduced the ability for the scalp to naturally oil it. The points where the hair curls and twists are also points where the hair tends to break. The more of these points (as in African hair), the more the hair is prone to breakage. Also, because our hair is kinky, it tends to tangle more and pulling these tangles out can cause breakage.

• Either section the hair and plait it, tie it back or wrap it up using a scarf before going to bed, this will reduce the number of tangles you have to comb out the next morning, reducing the chances of breaking your hair.
• Sleep with a satin scarf or sleep cap on your head or with a satin pillow case. This helps avoid split ends caused by the rubbing of your hair against a “rough” cotton pillow case. It also avoids moisture being wicked out of your hair into your cotton pillow case.
• Wash your hair no more often than every week to week and a half. More than that can dry it out.
• Comb your hair out while you’re conditioning it to remove the tangles while it’s wet and relatively slick.
• Oil your scalp on a regular basis with a good natural oil like shea butter. A daily moisturizer is not a bad idea.
• Do a deep conditioner or hot oil treatment once a month.
• Massage your scalp on a regular basis to promote circulation and oil production.
• Avoid overuse of products with mineral oil or petroleum. They tend to block the pores and are not readily absorbed. If your mother used Vaseline^® on your hair, stop.
• If you exercise and sweat, rinse the salt out of your hair even if you don’t wash it. Condition it afterwards with a daily leave-in conditioner.
• Always use a leave-in conditioner after washing your hair.
• Put as little heat as possible on your hair. Heat, especially combined with perms is very damaging to hair.
• Avoid alcohol based products unless you have a need for a water-free shampoo to cleanse your scalp (for example while you’re waiting for your locks to lock).
• Remember that water (moisture) is your friend and get plenty- inside and out. If you used to press your hair or blow it out and learned to fear water on your hair because it would draw up, you need to get over this. Spritzing a little water on your hair every day is a good idea. Get a spray bottle and just spray it just a little.
• Eat a proper diet. Vitamins and protein are essential for proper hair growth. We have nutritional supplements specifically designed for hair and skin health. Hair Growth Supplements
• Find a style that works with your natural hair type and growth pattern. The less you work against your hair, the less stressed it will be.
• Do not relax your hair until it is bone straight. This is just asking for trouble. Why relax your hair until it has absolutely no body or curl and then put heat on it to try to get that curl back?

Some tools you should have in your kit

• A good shampoo: They will be more expensive. But, they’ll use more gentle cleansers and be more concentrated. You may find they save you money in the long run. And, your hair will definitely show the difference. We offer several.
• A good acidifier (a conditioner with a low pH): Acidifying the hair adds shine and detangles.
• A good hot oil treatment or deep conditioner: It is an all natural based shea butter treatment. Apply the conditioner or hot oil treatment to the hair and scalp, cover with a plastic cap and sit under a dryer for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can wrap your head in a towel. Then wash the hair thoroughly. This is very important for dry brittle hair. We have several here: Hair Repair Products
• A good leave in conditioner or daily moisturizer: This is what you’ll put on your hair after you’ve thoroughly cleaned it to continue to provide oil and moisture.
• A comb for your hair type. Don’t try to drag one of those skinny toothed combs through your natural kinky or curly hair. You’ll just end up pulling it out and breaking it off.
• A good boar bristle brush (use sparingly though)
• A spray bottle to mist your hair
• A scarf, cap, or wrap to wear on your head at night- or a satin pillow case (well, two)

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There have been several attempts to define hair “type”. You may ask “Why should I care?” Well, mostly you shouldn’t. But, knowing your hair type can allow you talk with others and research products, styles and regimens that are best for your particular hair. There are controversies surrounding hair type methodologies that use works like kinky, nappy and other words that have less than positive connotations for some people. Other systems use numbers. But, they tend to lump all African American hair into one big category with a few variations. So, how useful is that really? Considering everyone’s hair is slightly different and people can even have different types of hair on their head at one time, categorizing hair is a difficult proposition at best.There are two major systems that seem to be the most popular. There is a system called LOIS that uses the hair shape as the defining hair “type”. For more on LOIS, do a Google on “LOIS Hair Type”. Until many people switch over to the LOIS system, there is the numbering system by Andre Walker. This system is kind of the standard. Frankly, we don’t put a lot of stock into these hair typing systems. They are far from “scientific” or definitive, relying on subjective judgments and just as much as you would be using if you didn’t have a “system”.

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The short answer is “no”. You cannot remove a relaxer from your hair. Permanents are called permanent for good reason. If you are considering getting a permanent or putting one in your child’s hair, be prepared to have it for a very long time. To get rid of it, you will have to go through a transition process. But, the hair that is permed will never be natural again.When a perm is put in the bonds in the hair are destroyed. The part of the hair that has been relaxed will always be relaxed. The only way to get rid of relaxed hair is to cut it off or wait for it to break off. Waiting for the hair to break off is not a good transition option. But, some women choose allowing the hair to break off because they are uncomfortable giving up the length they’ve worked hard to get. There are ways better ways to transition from relaxed hair to natural hair. But, removing the perm is not an option.

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You should be very careful when finding someone to put a relaxer in your hair. For something as important as choosing a stylist or someone to do major work on your house or car, we like to get first-hand references. If you can, find someone with hair you like and ask her where she gets her hair done. If she lets you touch her hair, touch it to make sure it’s healthy (please ask first!). Talk to the stylist before you make an appointment. Make sure she seems professional and knows what she’s doing. A bad perm is a horrible thing. You could end up with damaged hair, bald or even permanently disfigured. And, remember a perm is permanent. Mess one up and that hair is ruined permanently (until you cut it off).

Before she begins:

• She should check the condition of your hair and scalp before she begins. If your hair is weak or your scalp has any cuts, scrapes or sores, she should not do the perm. A perm on already weak hair can cause your hair to break off. A perm on a scalp that is not healthy can be absorbed into the body and cause problems.
• She should check for allergic reaction and test the perm on a strand of your hair
• She should choose a perm appropriate for your type of hair. Not all relaxers are the same. Some are more reactive (stronger) than others. The stylist should consider- whether your hair has been relaxed before (touch up or retouch), whether your hair has never been relaxed (virgin), whether your hair is colored and whether your hair is fine or coarse.
• She should protect your skin (and clothes) with a cape and or a towel
• She should protect your scalp with a jelly or thick cream

Once she begins:

• Once the stylist starts applying your perm, she should pay attention to your head and not talking on the phone, taking lunch breaks or attending to other clients. Applying a perm requires her complete attention. She should work quickly to avoid over-relaxing your hair and/or burning your skin.
• Retouches should only be done on new growth. This is a common mistake people make when putting in perms at home. I know I used to. Do not keep relaxing the ends of your hair over and over again.
• Your stylist should use a timer (and pay attention to the timer). It’s always better to leave the hair a little underdone than overdone. Even with the timer, she should check your hair continuously.

After she’s done:

• She should rinse your hair very well with warm water.
• She should wash your hair with a neutralizing shampoo. It’s important to use a shampoo with a lower pH to neutralize the high pH of the relaxer. The reason this is important is the pH of the neutralizing shampoo stops the reaction of the lye. Using a regular shampoo will allow your hair to continue to break down beyond the point where you want it to be.
• She should rinse your hair again.
• Before it is dried, she should deep condition the hair
• She should handle your hair gently as she’s drying and styling it.

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