Black women face specific problems when dealing with the care of their hair. Most hair products available on the market are targeted and made for Caucasian women with certain hair textures and features. Black women's hair texture, color and style requires certain products and techniques to properly care for it. With the right hydration and hair care techniques, hair can be healthy and manageable.
Shampoo Infrequently
The low oil content in most black women's hair means they don't need to wash it daily like Caucasian or Asian women might. In fact, washing African American hair too often can leave it dry and damaged. Most shampoos contain the detergent sodium lauryl sulfate, which can dry out the hair shaft and leave it prone to breakage. Wash no more than once or twice per week, suggests TreasuredLocks.com, to keep hair soft and healthy.
Stay Hydrated
One of the biggest hair care challenges a black woman may face is the texture of her hair. African American hair is notoriously dry, thanks to its density, notes Hair-Science.com. Because of this, even if a woman doesn't wash her hair every day, she should add moisture for softer locks. Using a leave-in conditioner after washing the hair will protect it through styling. Hydrate the hair by applying coconut oil or jojoba oil daily, suggests CareFair.com.
Stop Chemical Processing
Many black women choose to chemically color or relax their hair. Unfortunately, these processes wreak havoc on the hair, burning the hair shaft and even damaging the follicle, says SkinBiology.com. If a black woman must chemically treat her hair, she should do it no more than every six weeks to allow her hair to "recover" after each treatment. Better yet, she should ask her hairstylist for a cut that works with her natural hair texture and shape so she doesn't need so much treatment. If she wants to color her hair, choose semi-permanent color over permanent for a fresher color without the damage.
Get the Right Weave
Traction alopecia, a condition in which the hair is thinned due to a pulling or tugging on the hair follicle, often plagues black women because of the prevalence of weaves, notes the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. If weaves are a black woman's hairstyle of choice, she should look for bonded weaves, where the hair is glued to her own natural hair, over braided weaves, where her natural hair is braided tightly and the tracks of hair are sewn in. This will eliminate the pulling and tugging so that the natural hair still looks healthy when the weave is removed.
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