Nourish and Manage African American Hair

This article is on how to Nourish And Manage African-American Hair. African-American Hair is very hard to manage and often gets tangled, breaks off and has many split ends. This shows you how to wash, (deep) condition, dry, untangle, straighten and manage hair along with tips and product recommendations and tips.

Steps

  1. Wash.
    • Either in the shower or not, wet your hair thoroughly and apply a palm's sized amount of shampoo (Paul Mitchell, Matrix or Motions are suggested) on the each side of the head and lather well.
      • Tip: Don't plop it all on top of your head, tangles and frizzed your hair. Rinse and repeat.
  2. Condition.
    • Gently comb out your hair with a wide tooth comb as to not pull out any hair. As you comb, apply conditioner throughout your hair and massage the scalp (Affirm, Matrix or Motions are suggested). Put a plastic shower cap over your head so ALL of you hair is in it. Leave it on for about 30 minutes and rinse your hair out. Comb it out as you rinse ( using slightly cooler than lukewarm water adds natural shine to the hair).
      • When Deep Conditioning, add a bit more conditioner and leave it in for 45 minutes to an hour and stay under heat for 15-20 minutes***
  3. Dry, untangle, and separate.
    • Begin with towel drying (Pat your hair dry, when you rub, it causes hair to frizz). After towel drying it, comb out your hair (this involves a lot of combing and brushing)and work in heat protection product (Pantene Pro-V and Keranique hair care works well). Blow dry it on warm, (The hot setting will dry out your hair. As you dry, work in a smoothing serum. Paul Mitchell works like magic) and brush it downwards (root to tip) with a circular brush. When you are done, separate it into four large sections (right front, left front, right back, left back and bangs if you have then).
  4. Straighten.
    • It is best not to put any heat on your hair whatsoever; however, if you think you must straighten your hair, make sure that you are protecting your hair as much as possible. Spray on a little more heat protection and straighten it one section at a time until it's straight completely.
  5. Maintain.
    • Every night, before bed, oil your scalp, brush your hair and wrap it.
  6. Repeat this process once every one to two weeks and deep condition once a month. Go to a salon and get a trim or style every 3-4 months.

Tips

  • Suggested: Paul Mitchell, Matrix and Motions work amazingly! Pantene should only be used for heat protection. Even the "Women of Color" Line doesn't work as well as it should on our hair. Don't use herbal essences (it contains alcohol), Garnier Fructis, Keranique or other shampoo's and products made for Caucasian hair.
  • Don't think that you have to relax your hair in order for your hair to be healthy. Being natural is a wonderful thing. Although the process of growing out your hair and learning how your hair wants to be treated is often cumbersome, it is well worth it. Check out YouTube channels of people that have already gone through the process.

Warnings

  • Don't wash your hair too often or use scalding hot anything. It will dry out your hair.

Things You'll Need

  • Shower cap
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Towel
  • Wide tooth comb
  • Circular Brush
  • Blow Dryer
  • Straightener
  • Heat Protection Spray
  • Smoothing Serum
  • Scarf or Wrap
  • Hair Oil

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