Is it time to throw away your hair relaxers? Are you at least considering the natural hair route?
African American hair care, do you like it “Straight” as in permed or do you like it “Natural”?
Caring for African American hair is different because the components that make up our hair are what create its unique texture.
Your hair can contain twice the amount of cuticle, the outer layer of the hair, and make the texture thick and the strands, larger in size.
African American hair can be tightly curled. This makes it more difficult for the oil produced by the scalp to travel down to the ends of the hair. One of the biggest myths that surround African American hair is that it is stronger than other types of hair because of its texture.
However, the truth is that our hair is actually more prone to breaking. Thus, there is a need to properly treat our tresses with care, especially when using the different African American hair care products.
Relaxers, Are They Really Necessary for Great Looking Hair?
Until recently, one of the most commonly used products on our hair was the relaxer. Relaxers are products that may or may not contain lye. Regardless of its components, they all have a high pH, or measure of acidity.
Relaxers break down the bonds of your hair, making it straight. The tradeoff is that the bonds that are broken down are actually the ones that give your hair its strength. As a result, the relaxed hair can be significantly weaker than untreated or hair in its natural state. Hair relaxers can also strip your hair of its moisture.
If you choose to use relaxers on your hair understand that you will experience breakage and dryness. When the new growth meets the relaxed hair you’ve just opened it up for another breaking point.
The Best Ingredients For African American Hair Care
Essential oils are sleepers when it comes to black hair care. They’ve been known to do great things for your skin. Yet they are often over looked when it comes to hair care. Did you know that rosemary, sage, sea buckthorn, chamomile and lavender are considered some of the best essential oils to stimulate hair growth. Go figure!
Shea butter is a good moisturizer for your scalp. It’s best to use the shea butter that’s been formulated in a hair care pomade or hair butter. It will melt into your scalp easier and not produce residue that can suffocate your hair follicles.
Oils – Olive, grapeseed, castor, avocado, jojoba and coconut oils are all used to soften the curly texture of your roots. They’ve been known to add moisture to your hair and scalp. Oils can be less invasive than a butter or pomade because of their liquid nature. They have easier access to penetrate your scalp and can be used for hot oil treatments as well as for scalp massages.
These three categories alone can give you a head start when caring for your hair. Use them wisely. They are very potent in nature. When over used, you can damage you hair by suffocating your roots.
At Nyraju Skin Care …
We choose “Natural and Organic” ingredients for our hair. However, it doesn’t mean that our products can’t be used on relaxed (permed) hair. We understand relaxed hair, we haven’t always had our beautiful head of long flowing locs. We made the switch and love the results. However, the choice straight or natural, is ultimately up to you. That’s it for this week. As always we’re …
Dedicated to Your Beauty
Juliette Samuel
Esthetician/Author/Publisher
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