Caring for Your Black Woman Hair

There’s a general view that black women’s hair never grows longer than a few inches – at least not longer than the average length of the white people’s hair.

Black Woman Hair

Well, studies show the total opposite of this opinion.  It grows at the same rate as other hair types -- half an inch per month. 

However, the hair is extra dry and fragile, which makes it prone to splintering. In fact, it can break at the same rate that it's growing. The hair can grow long if you moisturize it all the time and nourish the hair with the right products.

The trick is in how you take care of your hair.  African hair is naturally drier, washing it time after time would over-dry the hair -- moreover it's highly unlikely your hair will look oily in a week.

Due to the extra curly, kinky nature of the hair, oil doesn't get a chance to travel the whole way down the hair shaft.

Using a comb attachment to the blow dryer is a must. Blow-drying wet hair takes a lot of pulling with a brush, and that can end up breaking the hair. Since African hair is much more fragile, letting the hair air-dry or sitting under a dryer for a short period before blow-drying will minimize on tugging time.

Weaves can also be good for your hair as long as the proper care steps are taken and you go to an experienced stylist. In fact, a sewn weave protects your natural hair since you won't be straightening or exposing your natural hair to any outside elements. Glued-in weaves, however, tend to rip out your natural hair at removal and should be avoided.

Visiting your stylist every two to three weeks to make sure your weave stays as tight as possible is advisable as a loose weave can pull on your hair. Stylists recommend that you make sure to cleanse your scalp as thoroughly as possible to prevent dandruff buildup and flaking. Between 1.5 and 3 months, you should take out your weave and put in a new one. And after two consecutive "weavings," you should probably let your hair rest for a few weeks before putting in a new one.