African American Hair Care: Tips and Comprehensive Guide

Black hair is incredibly diverse and versatile, with a wide range of textures and thicknesses. Black hair often has a curly or spiral shape, with curls that can be loosely or tightly coiled, resulting from the shape of the hair follicle. Caring for Black hair requires understanding its unique characteristics and adopting a regimen that promotes health and hydration. This article explores the characteristics of Black hair, how to care for it, and styling options while avoiding clichés and misconceptions.

Understanding Black Hair

Black hair differs from other hair types in several key aspects, which can significantly affect how it should be cared for. These include:

• Cuticle Breadth: Black hair has a thinner cuticle layer compared to other hair types. This means that the outer protective layer of each hair strand is more delicate, making the hair more prone to breakage.
• Overall Density: People of African descent tend to have fewer hair follicles than white people. On average, Black hair has around 90,000 follicles, compared to 120,000 in white hair. This lower density can make hair loss more noticeable and the scalp more visible.
• Dryness: The scalp produces sebum, an oily substance that hydrates the skin and hair. Sebum travels along the hair shaft, sealing in moisture. This process is more efficient in straight hair, making curly hair prone to dryness. The natural curl pattern of Black hair makes it harder for sebum to distribute evenly, leading to increased dryness and the need for moisturizing practices.

Essential Hair Care Practices

Given the unique characteristics of Black hair, specific care practices are essential to maintain its health and prevent damage.

Washing and Conditioning

• Washing Frequency: The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends washing tightly coiled hair once a week or less. Frequent washing can strip the hair and scalp of natural oils and care products, leading to dryness. However, individuals with scalp conditions like seborrheic dermatitis or dandruff may need to wash their hair more often, possibly twice a week, as recommended by a dermatologist.
• Shampoo Selection: Choose gentle, moisturizing shampoos free from harsh ingredients like sulfates, which can remove natural oils and cause dryness.
• Conditioning: Use a conditioner with each wash, ensuring it coats the ends of the hair to help retain moisture. After applying conditioner, feel the hair to determine if it is adequately moisturized. Some hair types may benefit from conditioner to aid in detangling, while others may experience buildup from excessive use.
• Washing Technique: Concentrate shampoo application on the scalp to address product buildup and avoid over-drying the hair shaft. Gently massage the scalp with your fingertips, avoiding the use of nails to prevent irritation. Pat the hair dry with a towel instead of rubbing it to minimize friction and breakage.

Deep Conditioning and Oil Treatments

• Frequency: Incorporate deep conditioning or oil treatments once or twice a month to add moisture to the hair.
• Application: After shampooing, apply a deep conditioner or natural oil, such as jojoba, to the hair and scalp. Wrap the hair in a warm towel and leave it for up to 30 minutes to allow the moisture to penetrate deeply.
• Oil Selection: When using oils, choose those that melt at body temperature to avoid preheating. Experiment with different oils to find the best fit for your hair. Popular options include jojoba oil, shea butter oil, and emu oil.

Detangling and Combing

• When to Comb: Curly hair is prone to tangling and breakage when brushed dry. It is best to comb textured hair while it is wet and saturated with moisture.
• Detangling Process: Apply a moisturizer or leave-in conditioner to wet hair. Divide the hair into sections to make the detangling process more manageable. Use a wide-toothed comb or detangling comb to gently comb each section, starting from the ends and gradually moving up the hair shaft. Use gentle strokes to avoid causing breakage.
• Maintaining Moisture: Use a spray bottle filled with water to dampen the hair if it begins to dry during the detangling process.

Protecting Hair During Sleep

• Reducing Friction: Movement during sleep can cause friction, leading to damage and moisture loss.
• Protective Measures: Remove any tight hair bands before bed to prevent breakage. Use a smooth, silk or satin hair wrap to minimize friction. Alternatively, use a silk or satin pillowcase. A silk pillowcase is one way to prevent hair from breaking or becoming frizzy, and it extends the life of a child’s hairstyle. Another popular way to go is with a silk bonnet.

Regular Trimming

• Purpose: All hair develops split ends over time. Trimming the ends of the hair regularly helps maintain its health and promote growth.

Styling Options

There are numerous styling options for Black hair, each with its own set of considerations.

Heat Styling

• Potential Damage: Heat can dry out the hair and cause damage over time.
• Minimizing Damage: If using heat styling tools, use ceramic-coated tools, as well as the lowest heat setting possible. Wait until the hair is clean and dry before applying heat. Apply a heat protection product to create a barrier between the hair and the heat. Limit the use of heated tools to once a week at most.

Braids

• Versatility: Braided hairstyles vary widely in shape, style, and complexity.
• Traction Alopecia: Braids that are too tight can pull on the scalp, leading to breakage, irritation, and hair loss, a condition known as traction alopecia.
• Prevention: Keep braids as loose as possible and communicate any discomfort to the stylist. Change the direction of braids regularly to reduce tension on the scalp. Avoid securing braids with rubber bands or bands that have a metal join.

Locs

• Creation: Getting locs involves locking, twisting, or matting the hair into rope-like strands.
• Maintenance: Locs require special maintenance to prevent unraveling.
• Considerations: Consult a stylist about the maintenance requirements before getting locs.

Perms and Relaxers

• Chemical Treatments: Perms and relaxers are chemical treatments that straighten the hair permanently until it grows out.
• Potential Damage: These treatments can weaken the hair, and repeated treatments increase the risk of breakage.
• Professional Application: Always have a professional stylist perform these treatments in a salon to minimize the risk of damage to the hair and scalp.
• Touch-Ups: Chemical treatments need touching up every 2-3 months as the hair grows. New treatment should only be applied to new hair growth.

Protective Styles

Protective styles help to prevent matting, tangling, and undue damage to hair. There are so many fun options when it comes to styling African American hair! Some youth may want to straighten their hair. Teach them how to straighten it safely by using a good quality heat protectant, detangling the hair, and blow drying it straight to avoid multiple passes with a flat iron. Tilt the flat iron in a downward motion toward the face to smooth the hair down, then deep condition it.

Read also: Ultimate Shampoo Guide: Black Hair

Addressing Discrimination and Promoting Natural Hair

The dominance of white beauty standards has resulted in racist perceptions and stereotypes about Black hair. Some Black people are not allowed to wear their hair naturally, in braids, or in locs at work, due to the racist idea that it looks unprofessional.

The CROWN Act

In 2019, California passed the Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act, or CROWN Act, making it illegal for an employer to discriminate against an employee based on their hair. Still, the prejudice persists, and in most states, hair-based discrimination is still legal.

The Natural Hair Movement

There is currently an ongoing rejuvenation of the natural hair movement, which began in the 1960s. It encourages Black people to wear natural hairstyles and counter related bias.

Lack of Knowledge Among Doctors

There is also a lack of knowledge about textured hair among many doctors. In a 2014 study that included Black female participants, 68% reported that their physician did not seem to understand Black hair. This can make it difficult for people to get advice about issues such as hair loss, which can affect self-esteem and mental health. It is important for all doctors and stylists to familiarize themselves with Black hair care to ensure that all patients’ and clients’ needs are met.

Additional Tips for Child Hair Care

When caring for a child’s African American hair, keep the following tips in mind:

Read also: Short African hair: find the perfect style

• Determining Hair Texture: Figuring out the texture of your child’s hair can be tricky. Some individuals can even have multiple textures in their hair. This is typical for the hair on the crown of a youth’s head and can especially be true in younger children until their curl pattern is solidified. Hair can change over time, but all hair textures are beautiful and can be worn in interesting ways.
• Developing a Care Regimen: Once hair type has been determined, it’s time to develop a care regimen. You’ll need to determine the goals you want to accomplish with the hair (i.e. a full wash, a rinse, a new style, maintaining an existing style) and then decide how much time you need to accomplish this.
• Maintaining Styles: If your goal is to simply maintain a current style before leaving the house, include this in part of your routine. Teach the child to take some ownership and pride in their hair. For example: after brushing their teeth, spray water in their hair to refresh the curls. Add more curling product and twist through fingers to re-shape some of the curls that may have flattened out.
• Establishing a Wash Day: If you are doing a full wash, pick one day per week that you consistently have enough time to commit to a full weekly routine. Shampoo must be used sparingly in order to avoid drying out the hair. It is not necessary to wash more than once per week in most cases. Sometimes, you can wash only once a month. Concentrate on the scalp and where you see product build up. Do NOT scrub the scalp with your nails.
• Experimenting with Products: Oil may not be necessary for every child’s head of hair. Test out a quality conditioner, and feel their hair after you rinse it out. Popular oils include coconut, olive, castor, avocado, and almond.
• Brushing: Experiment with brushes until you find ones that work best for your child’s hair type AND sensitivity of scalp. You will also most likely need multiple types of brushes for brushing/styling/detangling. Remember: brushing textured hair can be painful so be patient, especially with younger kids.
• Listening to the Child: Listen to the children in your care about what styles they prefer and what they need from you in regards to hair care.

Embracing Natural Hair

Your natural hair journey is all about self-discovery. If your hair has been damaged and the integrity of your hair is weakened, going natural can help your hair return to a healthier state. Without the damaging product applications, your hair may feel like it’s growing back thicker.

• Wash and Condition Regularly: Wash and condition weekly or within every 12 days. There’s long been a misconception that because textured hair can be drier, you don’t need to wash it very often. Yet you want to keep your scalp clean and healthy. Start a consistent wash schedule and stick with it. If scalp dryness is an issue for you, you can apply a moisturizing cream or oil to your scalp while your hair is still dry and give it about 10 to 15 minutes to absorb.
• Use Moisturizing Products: After you’ve washed and conditioned, exit the shower and gently squeeze out excess moisture from your hair with a towel. Apply a moisturizing mask, and let it sit in your hair for an hour each week while you relax or do some chores.
• Consider Intensive Salon Treatments: K18 brings hair back to its original health by repairing broken keratin chains in just minutes, and it can be used for any kind of hair damage - heat, color processing, or chemical relaxers.
• Experiment with Protective Hairstyles: You can go from two-strand twists to buns, cornrows, braids, or other styles - just be careful not to go too tight or too small, which can pull on or stress the hair and scalp.

Read also: Learn More About Braids

tags: #African #American #hair #care #tips

---

---