Black Hair Care Treatment

African-American hair comes in many different textures, lengths and shades. The person underneath the head of hair has to know how to maintain her locks to keep them healthy. While there are many different ways to treat and care for black hair, the top issues cannot be ignored if you want to keep your hair looking as gorgeous as you are.

Shampooing and Conditioning Black Hair

Because African-American hair is prone to be dry and brittle, it is not recommended to shampoo your hair on a daily basis. Shampooing too often will rob your hair of its natural oils. African Americans should wash their hair every 7 to 10 days in order to maintain those oils and prevent excess breakage. It is important that African American hair is washed in soft water, as the chlorine that is found in hard water can also be damaging to the hair. Use a shampoo that contains conditioner in order to help moisturize your hair and keep it healthy. If you prefer, you can also use a conditioner that is separate from your shampoo. However you choose to condition your locks, just make sure you do it.

Hot Oil Treatments

To keep African-American locks healthy with a hint of shine, incorporate a hot oil treatment once every two weeks. Olive oil is great for hot oil treatments. To perform a hot oil treatment on your hair, you will need to wash and shampoo your hair first. While the hair is still wet, add the oil. Cover your hair with a plastic shower cap. Sit under a hair dryer for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse the oil out of your hair and shampoo. Blow dry and style as normal.

Relaxing Black Hair

One of the reasons African-American hair suffers breakage is due to the overuse or improper use of relaxers. Relaxers contain harsh chemicals that are not friendly to African-American hair. While it would be great for you to go natural with your locks, for many this is not an option. If you are going to use a relaxer on your hair, use one that does not contain lye. Only relax the new growth at the roots and follow the relaxer instructions. If you have fine hair, do not leave the relaxer on your hair past the time specified for your hair texture. Touch up your new growth every 6 to 8 weeks. It is best to allow a trained and licensed cosmetologist relax your hair in order to prevent unnecessary damage to your hair.

Coloring Black Hair

There are two types of hair color that can be used on African-American hair. One is semi-permanent coloring, which lasts for a few months before wearing off. The other is option is permanent coloring that is permanent with the exception of new growth at the roots. As a rule of thumb, you should never color your hair before relaxing it. Only color your hair after you have relaxed it. If you are using a semi-permanent hair color, in most cases you can apply the color immediately after relaxing your hair. If the color is a permanent color, you must wait 2 weeks after applying a relaxer before you can add the color.

Weaving Black Hair

There are many different ways to weave African-American hair. You can use tracks or wefts of hair that are sown onto your natural hair. The tracks or wefts can also be glued onto your scalp. When done right, this is an excellent way to grow your hair out while keeping it styled. Others might choose to wear a weave in a braided style. However you choose to wear your weave, make sure that you do not neglect your natural hair care routine. You still need to wash your hair every 7 to 10 days and apply conditioners to your hair. If you neglect your natural hair while wearing a weave, when the weave is removed, you will likely noticed that your head of hair is severely damaged.