By Ofe O.
Keeping and maintaining a healthy hair as a black woman is indeed a tasking job on its own. This is because our hair is mainly coarse, making it difficult to stay healthy. Most of our daily hair regimen have been discovered to be very harmful to our overall hair health. As a style preference, we often choose hairstyles that involve extensions.
These extensions tend to be heavy on our scalp and pull our hair from its roots. Overtime our hair loses strength and experiences a lot of breakage, so what do we do to make our hair healthy and strong?
- Know your hair type: Knowing your hair type will go a long way in helping you achieve your aim of healthy hair; it educates you on the best way of styling your hair and the products made just for you. Speak to your stylist about knowing your hair type to start the journey of keeping your hair healthy.
- Use mild products: Avoid shampoos and conditioners that contain harsh chemicals and ingredients as this weakens the hair gradually resulting in hair loss over time. When purchasing hair products take your time to look out for the ones with hair-friendly chemicals that will enhance the growth of the hair rather than break it. Carry out a research on the ingredients used in the product if possible.
- Wash off oil build up when necessary: As you use hair products over time there is a high tendency of oil accumulation and this is an enemy to black hair because it hinders the continuous growth of your hair. Oil in the hair blocks the hair pores or follicles and prevent the growth of healthy new hair. Wash off excess oil with water based hair products only.
- Avoid all forms of Heat styling: Stay away from hot hair treatments and procedures such as the use of hot irons and curlers; they weaken the hair follicle and this has been identified as the main cause of hair loss among black women. Look for other alternatives of heat styling.
- Detangle with your hands: Using the comb to detangle the hair makes it break more; our hair is naturally not strong for most comb tips; it is advisable to use the hands instead for better results and reduced breakage. The use of hands to detangle the hair helps you get to the root painlessly and gently allows the tips to be free from all forms of hair lumps. Do this especially when the hair is dry to get better results.
- Use cold water while washing the hair: Be sure to avoid hot water for your hair; use cold water instead because hot water tends to dry out your hair. Tangled hair leads to serious hair breakage.
- Apply hair protection treatments: Look out for hair products that contain protective properties because this helps to repair and rebuild damaged hair. These products work best when you use them to steam your hair.
The above rules if properly applied will produce great results and help go a long way in building healthy strong hair.
Source: http:www.stylist.co.uk
