How To

How to Care for African American Hair

Contributor
By Lovelyn Bettison
eHow Contributing Writer
(4 Ratings)

Because of its structure, African American hair is tends to be dry and breaks easily. It is quite fragile and requires good care to maintain its health. All heads of hair are different. What works for one person may not work for another, but if you use the right basic products you will be able to find what works best for your hair more easily. Caring for African American hair can be easy once you know what to do.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • shampoo
  • conditioner
  • hair moisturizer
  • large tooth comb
  1. Step 1

    Shampoo your hair regularly, but not too often. Shampoos dry the hair stripping away natural oils. Dry hair is prone to more breakage. Some shampoo a couple of times a week. Some only once a week. Try to figure out what works best for your hair. I'd advise using a gentle shampoo that doesn't lather. This will still get your hair clean but won't strip it of natural oils.

  2. Step 2

    Condition your hair after you shampoo. Use a conditioner that is for dry and brittle hair. Conditioners that don't contain alcohol are the best. Look for a conditioner that contains natural ingredients.

  3. Step 3

    Deep condition or do a hot oil treatment on your hair once a month. This helps restore the hair's moisture.

  4. Step 4

    Use moisturizer on your hair. Using oils like jojoba oil or castor oil are good. You can use already made products but try to avoid things with petroleum or mineral oil in them. At first they made the hair look shiny in healthy but they actual dry the hair and clog the pores in your scalp.

  5. Step 5

    Comb out tangles with a large tooth comb and style.

Tips & Warnings
  • If you use a protein conditioner, don't use it too often. It will cause your hair to harden and get brittle if you use it all the time.

Post a Comment

Post a Comment
I Did This

Related Ads

Copyright © 1999-2009 eHow, Inc. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the eHow Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.   en-US

eHow Fashion, Style and Personal Care
eHow_eHow Fashion, Style and Personal Care