Black Hair Care Questions & Tips

Transitioning from permed to natural hair presents some styling challenges. Either you’re going to end up with very short hair, extensions or a wig or with hair of two different textures. Here are some recommended approaches to this dilemma:

• Cut off the relaxed hair- depending on how much new growth and your preferences you have a few styling options. You can wear a TWA (tweeny weeny afro) or two strand twists pretty easily with almost any length hair. For other styling ideas, see http://www.ourhair.net or http://www.hairweb.com
  
  
• Braids and/or extensions- you can have your hair braided until it grows to a length where you feel comfortable cutting off the new growth and going with other styling options
• Sisterlocks^TM- SisterLocks can be started with one and one half inches of new growth at the scalp. They are similar to dread locks but with a look more like micro braids or very small twists. They leave you with many styling options. For more information (including pictures) go to http://www.sisterlocks.com

• Find a transition style- This great tip was given to us by one of our customers. “I just wanted to send you another hair styling option for those who don’t know what to do while growing out a perm and going natural. I recently did this and when my roots began growing out, I would wet my hair and add oil to it, then braid it while it was wet (Black Earth’s Crinkles & Curls Styling Lotion would be perfect for this). After it dried, my hair was left wavy and with lots of texture and this helped to blend the natural roots with the permed ends. It is important to keep your ends clipped regularly during this process so that your split ends do not continue up the hair shaft and damage the natural hair. I was able to wear my hair like this until I was comfortable with cutting all of my permed hair off and wearing my ‘fro.” (thanks Sheena!)

Trying to transition in other ways, like pressing the natural hair as it grows in underneath the relaxed hair, are going to make your hair prone to breakage and can damage the natural hair you’re trying to grow in. We do not recommend it. While transitioning, try to find a style that will accomodate the new growth coming in like twists or braids.

The number one complaint we get about black hair is that it looks dry or dull.  Before you go too far to make your natural hair full of sheen and shine, it’s best to have the proper expectation.  Natural Black or African hair will not be as shiny as permed hair or Caucasian hair.  A major part of what makes hair shiny is the structure of the hair, not just the amount of oil or moisture it contains. If the cuticles lay flat (smooth hair), the hair will reflect light better (translated will appear shiny).  If the cuticles are raised, the hair will absorb light (translated will appear more dull).  Without changing the structure of the hair (as in getting a perm or relaxer for us African Americans), our hair will only be so shiny. By applying a bunch of grease to make it shinier, you could end up damaging the hair.  Having said that, natural African hair can appear healthy, smooth and have a nice healthy sheen.

By applying a moisturizer and/or natural hair oils on a regular basis you can give your hair the right amount of shine it should have as healthy Black hair.

We often (and I mean often) get questions concerning perms for young girls. And, we hear horror stories about how someone who didn’t know what she was doing destroyed her daughter’s hair.

Generally, we recommend against perms for prepubescent girls. Their hair and skin aren’t fully developed and changing their hair texture this early in life (especially a permanent change) can send the message to them that their hair isn’t good enough. Our ten year old is proud of her natural hair and says she will never perm it. But, our seven year old says she will. Ironically, it’s the older one who has the thicker hair. When they are old enough, they can decide on their own. I use Natural-Laxer MIX on our older daughter. It has made her hair much more manageable and improved the texture. I can comb her hair in about half the time it used to take and I’ve seen a large reduction in the amount of hair left in the comb after combing. Perming or relaxing the hair might seem like an easy solution to the kinky/frizzy/hard-to-comb problem. But, there are several things you should know before heading down this path. We’ve seen unaware mothers actually make things much worse by not knowing this before getting started. Consider the following before you start perming.

• We do not recommend home box perms. People often ask us to recommend specific perms to them. We do not recommend any perms- largely because we do not sell any. A beautician has told us that home perms are not the same quality as the salon perms. I don’t know if that’s true. But, even if it is not, a chemical relaxer or perm is a process that is best performed by a professional. Serious damage can be done to the hair (that can never be repaired- it has to grow out). A relaxer, improperly applied can do permanent damage to the scalp. The only compromise we would even contemplate on this would be to take your child to a local beauty school, if you just cannot pay the money the salons are charging. At least they’ll get the perm under professional supervision. And, the cost is usually a pretty small fraction of the cost in a salon.
• If you insist on applying perms at home, please read and follow the instructions carefully. Do not keep perming the part of the hair that has already been treated. Only apply the perm to the new growth (the kinky stuff underneath). Perming the same part of a strand of hair over and over again thins it a little each time. Eventually, it will break. This is not an “if” question. It’s a “when”.
• If you begin to relax your child’s hair, you must keep on doing it. When the natural hair reaches a certain length underneath the relaxed hair (hair grows from the root), the hair begins going through a transition stage. At this point, the hair is very vulnerable to excessive breakage. Generally speaking, a perm will be required every 6-8 weeks unless you are prepared to transition back to natural hair. Transitioning, without taking proper precautions can be very traumatic because of the breakage.
• If you relax your child’s hair, you weaken the hair and reduce the ability for the scalp to naturally oil itself. Permed hair is especially delicate and must be cared for even more diligently than natural hair. But, it’s better to perm hair than to fry it with excessive heat trying to make it straight or to end up breaking it off by combing it too aggressively.

Expectations are important when it comes to hair. No, expectations are crucial when it comes to hair. Trying too hard to change your hair into something it just is not is going to cost a lot of money and heartache. The first lesson we all have to learn is to work with what we were given.

Most of the time biracial children are not going to have hair that is as smooth as Caucasian or Asian children. So completely eliminating frizziness and/or curliness may require drastic methods and send a message that the natural hair is undesirable. But, we do have products that will help reduce (not eliminate) the frizzyness. Natural-Laxer MIX is a treatment that can be applied about once a month. It is all-natural and works to gently tame wild hair. We’ve had people of various ethnicities who are very pleased with it. It does not actually alter the structure of the hair like a relaxer would. It can be applied in the home and wears off after several weeks. For those looking for a more permanent solution, a mild relaxer, a texturizer or a kiddie perm might be something to consider. Before you do though, please read our precautions when it comes to them. If you’re not familiar with them, please be informed before you make that decision. Other products we offer that help when styling curly and/or frizzy hair include:

• Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm- Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm is a botanically rich, leave-in conditioning and styling balm that straightens and controls curly frizzy hair while, giving incredible shine and manageability.
• Treasured Locks Liquid Silk- A space age blend of silk proteins for redefining any texture hair. Curly hair becomes smooth and shiny.
• Treasured Locks Curl Tamer- just shampoo, towel dry, apply product and blow dry for those days when you want to wear your hair straighter. Fantastic product for biracial hair.
• Treasured Locks Locks of Curls Pomade & Gel- doesn’t eliminate curls, but defines them turning kinks into soft flowing curls or just smoothing out curls and making them more defined. With the proper styling technique, you can get those bouncy flowing curls you see on the stars (instructions are on our website)

Bound hairstyles are great for little girls. They keep the hair from going wild and from tangling. I can often get a few days out of a style, too. But, bound styles can lead to hair disaster- as in severe, and even permanent, hair loss. Here are some dos and don’ts you will want to be aware of:

• Don’t- use common rubber bands to hold her hairstyles. Also, avoid the bands with the metal clips, which grab and break kinky hair. Rubber bands cause too much friction on the hair and will eventually cause breakage. Buy covered bands or smooth bands made especially for hair.
• Do- remove any bands from the hair every night before bed time. Even the best bands should be removed before retiring for the evening.
• Don’t- pull the hair too tight. Let me say it again. Don’t pull the hair too tight. While it may be attractive, if you see your daughter’s eyebrows arching like she’s just had a face-lift you could be doing damage to her scalp. If you start to notice bumps around her hairline or elsewhere on her scalp, you could be causing traction alopecia. Normally, changing the hairstyle easily reverses this. But, if it is continued, this practice can lead to permanent hair loss.

Always remove tight bands from hair before sleeping. Using a satin pillowcase or a satin sleep cap will reduce friction with the pillow and help retain moisture in the hair. Cotton pillow cases can absorb moisture from the hair and rubbing against the pillow during the night can cause breakage.

The ends of the hair are the oldest parts because hair grows from the root. If the ends are neglected, they can begin to split; causing damage even further down the hair. It may be counterintuitive. But, trimming the ends can actually lead to having longer hair. If you notice the ends of the hair are very dry, you might want to make sure you are doing a good job conditioning. If you notice they looked frayed, more tangled than normal or split, have them trimmed. I neglected this for a long time with my girls. But, since starting, I immediately noticed an improvement in the manageability of their hair. It was actually easier to comb just after trimming the ends.

People often ask us for products to make their hair growth. These basically come in two forms, things that are applied topically to the hair and/or scalp and things that are taken orally.

I use the Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Supplement and Treasured Locks H2G Hair Strength Supplement. I have had a noticeable improvement in the condition of my hair and nails since using these supplements. Proper nutrition is essential to good hair health. More important than taking supplements, you should eat a balanced diet, get plenty of exercise, avoid stress (as much as possible) and drink plenty of water. Supplements can certainly help with that. However, we do not recommend supplements for children under the age of 13. They are formulated for the needs of an adult. I can recommend the use of our Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Serum. I use it for both myself and the girls. The blend of essential oils and emu oil help promote hair growth by stimulating the scalp and by keeping the hair well oiled and soft.

The number one complaint we get about black hair is that it looks dry or dull. We get the same complaint about biracial hair, followed closely by complaints of “frizzyness” and difficulty in combing. Before you go too far to make your natural hair full of sheen and shine, it’s best to have the proper expectation. Natural Black or African hair will not be as shiny as permed hair or Caucasian hair. A major part of what makes hair shiny is the structure of the hair, not just the amount of oil or moisture it contains. If the cuticles lay flat (smooth hair), the hair will reflect light better (translated will appear shiny). If the cuticles are raised, the hair will absorb light (translated will appear more dull). Without changing the structure of the hair (as in getting a perm or relaxer for us African Americans), our hair will only be so shiny. By applying a lot of grease to make it shinier, you could end up damaging the hair. Having said that, natural African hair can appear healthy, smooth and have a nice healthy sheen. As I said, the second complaint we get most often about biracial hair is that it is too curly or too frizzy. There are some things you can do to control frizzyness and curliness. But, if you want to effect “permanent” (permanent until it grows out anyway) changes, you are looking at a chemical process. One thing we often advise (White) mothers about though is please do not expect your child’s hair to be like yours. And, please do not make her feel as though something is wrong with her hair because it’s “frizzy” or curly.

You should picture your child’s hair as a collection of fine fibers. You should treat it as gently as you would a fine washable silk blouse. The better you treat her hair, the easier it will be to grow and the better it will look. You should be aware that African hair and biracial hair tends to be drier than Caucasian hair. The structure of our hair makes it more difficult for the oils to work their way from the scalp to the ends of the hair. Because our hair is kinky, it tends to tangle more and pulling these tangles out can cause breakage. In spite of appearances, Black hair and Biracial hair tends to be more fragile than Caucasian hair. The lack of moisture and elasticity and the kinks that get grabbed when styling or combing make for hair that can be broken easily. Someone once asked me if natural hair is meant to be combed. Actually, the answer probably is no. I don’t think our hair was structured to be combed at all. So, as long as we’re going to do it, we have to do it causing the least amount of damage possible.

Both of my daughters have natural hair. We receive a lot of compliments about their hair. They are technically not biracial. We have a mixed heritage (as do most African Americans). But, many of the same things I do for them can be adapted for biracial hair care. The things I’ve learned from working on their hair and the hair of my nieces, nephews and other Biracial children, I am now sharing with you.

We often receive emails from adoptive mothers of African American children and white mothers of biracial children. That guide gives some rules-of-thumb that are useful in developing your own hair care regimen or one for your child. But, we have found that people are requesting more detail as to exactly what to do. They want tips for bi-racial hair care that are more specific. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you exactly what’s best for you or for your child. We purposely avoided a cookbook approach because proper maintenance of hair is more of an art than a science. Every person’s hair is slightly different and therefore requires a slightly different maintenance routine. Even my two daughters, with the same father and mother, have different hair types. I find that an oil that is great for one is too heavy for the other. After years of trial and error that I have developed regimens that work best for each of the three of us. While my own children are not biracial, I do have several biracial nieces and nephews and have helped many people with biracial children. So, I do have hands-on expertise in this area. I am still tweaking the routines for my daughters as I find new products and as I gain more experience. But, I will share my tips and routines with you. These should be useful starting points for you to develop your own routine. Biracial hair care can be even more difficult to figure out than African hair care. We are often approached by White mothers who have given birth to children with hair very dissimilar to theirs and what they are used to. Interracial (actually, transracial) adoptions are becoming more common, creating the same situation. Most African Americans are multi-racial. So, African American hair has a wide variety of textures and needs. Biracial hair care must cover an even broader range of textures and needs.

We hope you find this website useful. We know that what you really want is a cookbook approach. But, for the reasons we stated at the beginning, that just isn’t possible. If you follow these general guidelines and learn how to look for signs of hair health, you can easily begin to make your or your child’s hair more manageable and healthy. After a few days, weeks and months of using the right products and the proper techniques, you will see a noticeable improvement. If you have any questions after reading this, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’re glad to help. We’re available at http://www.treasuredlocks.com.