HAIR CARE SECRETS THAT WILL LEAVE YOU WITH A HEALTHIER HAIR

Find hair care tips to have your hair looking healthy and beautiful!

Woman with beautiful natural hair

Hair is one of the vital parts of the body which is formed from keratin (a tough protein). The head hair which is often times referred to as the hair on the scalp is the most noticeable of all human hair, which may grow longer than on most mammals and also denser than most hair found on the human.

As hair begins to grow it pushes up from the basis (a small tube within the skin) and out of the follicle, through the skin where it is often seen. Every follicle is attached to a sebaceous follicle (oil gland). These sebaceous glands produce oil, which makes the hair shiny and waterproof.

The African woman's hair is available in spirals, coils, loops, zig-zags, or other curves which is uniquely different from other races with straight, wavy, or curly strands, most black people have varying degrees of tightly curled strands. This is often why it tends to get higher instead of down and may make gravity-defying shapes like Afros and puffs.

African hair is drier, more brittle and vulnerable to chemical and physical damage thanks to its spiral structure, it also has some advantages, especially in hot climates where it forms a natural barrier against the sun. Its spiral curved form causes the air to chill up and simply circulate through the scalp, another advantage is that fluids like water and sebum don't distribute themselves completely evenly along the hair strands, reducing the water loss capacity.

TYPES OF HAIR TEXTURE

In general, there are basically four hair types (type 1 to 4): straight, wavy, curly, kinky curly and this classification is based on the shape of the hair fiber. In this article we will discuss more on Type 3 and Type 4 which is predominant within the black community.

TYPE 3 HAIR TEXTURE

This hair type looks like the letter “S” or “Z”, it is usually voluminous, tight, curly tendrils to light curls. It generally has a combination of different textures. It is highly climate-dependent and can become frizzy and get damaged easily. Proper care is required to maintain healthy, well-defined curls.

TYPE 3A	TYPE 3B	TYPE 3C
Very shiny and loose	Curls also voluminous	Its tight spiral curls are densely packed
It’s often prone to frizz	Texture may be coarse and dense	Prone to dryness
They are s-shaped	Hair is generally dense and less frizz	Tends to have the highest amount of volume

TYPE 4 HAIR TEXTURE

This hair type is coiled very tightly and It’s the most fragile texture due to having the fewest cuticle layers protecting it from dryness. The top hair concerns with type 4 hair are avoiding tangles, maintaining moisture, and fighting off shrinkage.

TYPE 4A	TYPE 4B	TYPE 4C
They’re still dense and springy with a notable S pattern	They look quite a bit like the letter Z	Densely packed as 4B but more tightly coiled
It retains moisture fairly well, but as with most curly hair type	The strands range from wiry and coarse to fine and thin	Many 4c naturals have shrinkage up to 70% or more
Prone to dryness.	It is highly susceptible to dryness and breakage.	It’s incredibly delicate hair.

HAIR CARE TREATMENT

Black woman hair

• Washing weekly

• Deep conditioning

• Combing while the hair is wet and also use an only ceramic wide-tooth comb on your hair to avoid excessive breakage

• Use a hot oil treatment twice a month to increase elasticity and moisture

• Use a hot oil treatment twice a month to increase elasticity and moisture

• Ensure your weaves and braids are not too tight as this will damage your hair

HOMEMADE HAIR TREATMENT TO ACHIEVE A HEALTHIER HAIR

HOMEMADE HAIR TREATMENT TO ACHIEVE A HEALTHIER HAIR

1. Natural Hair Detangler

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. Distilled water

• 1 tsp. aloe vera gel

• 1-2 drops glycerin

• -2 drops of essential oil

• 15 drops Grapefruit seed Extract

Instructions:

Combine in a spray bottle. Shake before each use.

2. Shine boost hair rinse

This simple rinse helps to close the hair cuticle and restore the pH

Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar or non-petroleum-based distilled white vinegar enough filtered water to bring vinegar mixture to 1 cup

• 8 drops essential oil - rosemary and peppermint work well for most hair types

Instructions:

Combine in a spray bottle. Shake before each use

3. Natural herbal hair shampoo

Ingredients:

• 4 oz of nettles, calendula & rosemary combined 1 1/4 cup boiling water

• 2 1/2 T of liquid Castile soap

• 1 tbsp jojoba or virgin coconut oil (for extra conditioning)

• 2 drops geranium and 2 drops carrot seed essential oil

• 10 drops grapefruit seed extract

Instructions:

• Mix herbs together in a bowl. Add water to herbs, cover and let steep at least 30 minutes. Pour Castile soap into a bottle.

• Strain herbs and funnel into soap.

• Add a few squirts of jojoba oil and essential oils, and also 10 drops of grape seed extract. Shake well before each use to mix the oil with the soap.

Note: Feel free to experiment with different herbs and essential oils for this recipe.

4. Shea butter hair conditioner

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Shea butter

• 5 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil

• 1 Tablespoon jojoba oil

• 10 drops essential oil (lavender, peppermint or chamomile)

Instructions:

• Melt Shea butter in a saucepan or you can as well blend it with the jojoba oil till it becomes smooth

• Wait for the Shea butter to cool down before adding vitamin E oil.

• Add vitamin E oil and essential oil and mix properly and pour into a clean container.
  

5. Honey Hair Conditioner

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 Tablespoons honey

Instructions:

• Mix together- honey and olive oil and warm on low heat for about 10 minutes.

• Add both the eggs into the warm mixture and whisk thoroughly to attain a homogenous mixture.

• Divide your hair into different sections, apply the Massage gently onto your scalp and leave on for about 30 minutes and rinse completely.
  

6. Coconut Milk Hair Conditioner

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Coconut Milk

• 5 drops essential oil

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Instructions:

• Whisk together all ingredients, add water and essential oil

• Place mixture in the fridge for a couple of hours. As it cools, a thin layer of cream will harden on the top.

• Remove mixture from the fridge, give it a whir in the blender, and then pour it into a spray bottle.
  

7. Avocado Hair Conditioner

Ingredients:

• 1 fully ripe avocado

• 3 teaspoons honey

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

• 1/4 cup aloe vera gel

• 1 teaspoon citric juice

• 1 cup of water

Instructions:

• Cut up the avocado, mash with a mixing spoon or simply blend it together with honey and coconut oil, aloe vera gel, citric juice and water.

• Apply to hair and cover with a shower cap; Leave on hair for at least 30 minutes and rinse.
  

8. Hair oil

Ingredients:

• 3 tsp herb-infused olive oil

• 3 tsp liquid lecithin

• 6 tsp of melted Shea butter

• A few squirts of jojoba oil

• A few drops of essential oil for scent

Instructions:

• Melt the oils and pour them into a bottle.

• Use only a small amount at a time.

Check out these additional resources on healthy hair.:

drugwatch.com/legal/hair-straightener-lawsuits/

drugwatch.com/health/collagen/