How to Stop African American Hair From Breaking

By following a healthy hair regiment, you can have long, natural hair.

The molecular structure of African American hair creates kinky, thin spirals. Although this structure allows African American hair to hold many hairstyles that other types of hair cannot accomplish, it also causes the hair to dry out and break easily. Use special hair care techniques to stop African American hair from breaking and promote healthy hair growth.

Things You'll Need

• Olive oil
• Honey
• Hair-trimming scissors
• Protein conditioner
• Comb
• Brush

Instructions

1. Trim your ends every two to three months. Trimming your ends by 1/4 to 1/2 inch removes split ends, which will eventually travel up the hair shaft and break off more of your hair. By trimming your hair before split ends become this severe, you will encourage your hair to grow.

2. Moisturizing is very important in avoiding breakage. African American hair is coiled, and therefore the sebum, which is the natural oil produced from your head, takes longer to travel down the hair follicle of coiled hair than down the follicle of straight hair. This is why African American hair is usually drier than other types of hair. Avoid using products and shampoos with harsh chemicals such as sulfates. After every shampoo, mix honey and virgin olive oil together. Apply the mixture to your hair and sit under a hair dryer with a plastic cap for about 30 minutes to an hour and rinse. Do the same routine with a protein-induced conditioner -- you can make your own by adding an egg to your current hair conditioner -- instead of the honey olive oil mix once a month for an even deeper conditioning.

3. Avoid brushing and detangling you hair while it is just wet with water. African American hair's fragility is heightened when wet with just water. The trick is to comb and detangle the hair with a conditioner, like olive oil. Do not brush your hair while it is wet, even if you have applied conditioner. The brushing expands the hair, causing it to break.

4. Avoid using too much heat when styling hair. Excessive use of blow dryers, curling irons and other heat-producing hair styling tools cause the protein structure of the hair to temporarily denature, allowing the hair to become straight and severely fragile. If you must use heat, use a thermal protective moisturizer, which can be purchased at any store that sells products for African American hair.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a satin wrap for your hair before you go to sleep. Cotton absorbs moisture from your hair, while satin does not.

References

• Hairfinity: 10 Steps to Grow Black Hair Longer
• WebMD: Black Hair Care

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish