African American Hair Surface: Taking Care of Our Present
African American hair comes in an roughly infinite type of textures, from curly to woolly, from kinky to wavy, from natural and thick to straight and sleek. But whatever its grain, Black African American hair is a present that reflects both our beauty and our ancestry. Unfortunately, though, it’s often next to impossible to feel good about our hair. Why? Since it feels like we’re constantly at war using it.
The Basics
At any point in her life (or many times throughout her life!) virtually all woman wrestles using the question of expected versus relaxed/permed. There are advantages and disadvantages to all, but whatever the choice, it’s crucial to take care of your locks.
Good hair care starts from the inside out. That means eating a balanced diet to give your body every the nutrients it wants in order to grow the healthiest hair possible. It also means drinking plenty of water, to give your hair (and skin) much-needed moisture.
The Comb/Brush
The next critical element of hair care – regardless of your hair’s texture – is with the proper comb/brush. The truth is, the vast majority of combs and brushes are made for non-African American hair. The ultimate tool for our hair is a combination comb/brush that is designed so that the teeth easily slide under our coiled hair surface. It’s like a detangler that works by rolling out the hair instead of pulling it out. In the procedure, it naturally conditions and relaxes hair, making it soft and simple to style or braid. This kind of comb/brush also keeps our hair healthy and helps prevent breakage.
Next Steps
In addition to having the proper comb/brush, there are a lot of other things you can do to help prevent breakage. First, use heat sparingly, especially if your hair is permed. Second, don’t wash your hair too often – every seven to ten days is ultimate. When you do wash it, use a leave-in conditioner. In between, rinse your hair once or twice a week (and especially after a workout), and use a conditioner all day. And, don’t neglect your monthly deep conditioning therapy.
Embrace Your Grain
The hairstyles you choose will change over the course of your lifetime, but the greatest hair care advice is to embrace your usual surface and work with it. Hair that is naturally curly will act very differently than hair that is naturally woolly. Similarly, super-kinky hair will respond in a diverse way to treatments than naturally wavy hair.
When you work with the surface you have, you can still have a variety of style choices available to you. But the key is that you won’t be constantly fighting nature; instead, you’ll be working using the African American grain you were born using and maximizing its beauty. In the procedure, you’ll have less breakage and healthier hair. The result? You’ll sense more beautiful and project that self-confidence to the world. What could be greater?
