Tips for Caring African-American Short and Natural Hair

Women who have natural African American hair may face difficulties in managing it as most  hair products in the market are especially made for Caucasian hair. If you have this kind of hair and also have a short haircut, you can flaunt the natural shine.

The kinky curls that are the signature style of an African American’s hair can be managed by making use of proper styling techniques and the right hair products. Here are some of the top hair tips from well-known hairstylists who are experienced in working with this particular type of  hair and can guide you on how to take care of your hair in the best way possible.

Tip 1: Wash your hair only once a week

You must wash your hair only once in a week. And that is because the texture of African American hair is usually drier than other hair types. Moreover, most of the shampoos constitute of sodium lauryl sulfate which behaves like a detergent and can further dry your hair. Once a week is an adequate amount if your hair is kinky, it will not permit the traveling of oil down your hair shaft like it does on straight hair.

Tip 2: Avoid rubbing your hair too hard

You should pat and squeeze your hair to dry it after stepping out of the shower. Avoid rubbing your hair as it will lead to frizzing. Rather,  you should gently dry your hair using a towel and use a hair dryer that is available with a diffuser attachment. This will give your short hair a soft definition.

Tip 3-Use a special gel that suits your hair texture

Styling your hair can get easier and better by using hair gel that has been specially designed for the African American hair type.  Gels that are made of other types of hair can dry it up. Hence you should select your gel from the designated section of hair care products for African American hair. All these hair products have been especially formulated for drier and coarser hair and is a great way of keeping your short hair looking styled and not at all messy.

Tip 4-Apply a good hair oil

Use a good hair oil in the middle of the week after you have gotten it styled. After about 3 to 4 days, you may observe that your short hair style has fallen flat. Wax, oil or pomade however, can help your hair come back to shape once again without going for a hair wash and putting it through the drying and styling routine all over again. Simply make sure that the oil does not get on the skin since it may lead to breakouts.

Four Less Known Hair Care Tips

If you're searching for some lesser known effective hair care tips, then look no further. We have just the right list for you to take care of those gorgeous tresses. With hair tips that you probably were not aware of yet, we give you some simple yet effective solutions to manage your hair better :

1. Condition the ends and shampoo the roots

Hair care is not just about the products that you use, but also about how you use them. Even though getting the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair is important, learning about how to use them is crucial if you want better results.

Hair close to the scalp is much healthier and rich in keratin. A small amount of conditioner would work just fine if you apply it to your tips. Also, putting too much shampoo on your tips will make them dry and prone to breakages.

2. Consider co-washing

Co-washing is washing your hair with just conditioner instead of shampoo. It keeps your hair well hydrated. Although oily hair might not benefit from this as much as dry hair, many women with curls have been doing this for a long time.

3. Try baking soda on your oily hair

There are countless uses of baking soda when it comes to enhancing your beauty. You can occasionally use it as a scrub or to brush your teeth as well. If you're looking for a natural way to get done with your oily hair, baking soda is just the right thing for you. By adding one part of baking soda to three parts of water and applying it to your hair, you can certainly cleanse your oily strands and scalp. Use it like a shampoo whenever you want since it is an inexpensive and highly effective way to get clean tresses.

4. Use some vodka

As it turns out, vodka has some amazing beauty benefits. Cut a jalapeno in half and soak it in vodka inside a ceramic bowl for a few days. If you don't have time, add a shot of shampoo to it as well. Later, rub the jalapeno pieces on your scalp everyday for smoother, shinier hair. But don't use vodka too often on your hair because it may lead to dryness. However, make sure you don't get the jalapeno near your eyes and do expect some mild tingling when you rub it on your scalp.

Always make it a point to deep condition your hair once a week to keep it healthy.

Friz-free Curly Hair – Natural Ways to Tame Friz

With African American hair, frizz is usually inevitable; but if you’re one of those women who loves wearing her hair all silky and shiny, taming your frizz is one of the first places that you may want to start. Frizz can be as a result of humidity or heat. Using heat-styling tools on your hair can also make it frizzy. Blow drying your hair is yet another cause for frizzy hair. Yes, we understand that it does seem like a long list of things that you have to keep away from to make your hair frizz-free, but before you get to that, here are some natural ways through which you can achieve the same!

Beer

Beer is a good pick for a rinse if you’re looking to anti-frizz your hair. Beer can restore the moisture lost in your hair so it appear more hydrated and nourished. In fact, choose dark beers if you’re looking to try the beer rinse as these are seen to be packed with moisture and nourishing nutrients. Coat the hair with a beer rinse solution and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Rinse it off with cold water, and watch your hair turn smooth and frizz-free.

Hot oil

Oil is probably one of the best natural remedies for fighting frizz. Oils have conditioning effects and seal in the moisture when applied to the hair. Olive oil or coconut oil have deep hydrating effects on the hair. Warm coconut or olive oil in a jar, and apply it evenly on your hair. Then wear a shower cap over it, and use a hot towel to wrap around you head so moisture is easily absorbed. Leave the hot towel on for about half an hour or so, and rewarm it if required. Rinse with shampoo and cold water to finish.

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar does double duty taming frizz and giving your hair a lustrous shine when used as a rinse. Wash the hair first (try the no ‘poo method, if you like) and then use a rinse solution that contains apple cider vinegar and water in equal parts on your hair. Let it rest for a minute. The acidic component of apple cider vinegar smoothens out the frizz and makes your tresses appear shiny. You can go about conditioning your hair, as you normally would after washing off the apple cider solution rinse.

Styling Your Curly Hair

Let face it ladies, styling curly hair is no easy task. In fact, it can present quite a challenge. A majority of the time, humidity, dryness, and frizz develop into obstacles that test patience and skill of the most experienced curly haired women. Curly hair is full of character and personality that changes often, making it incredibly difficult to style your hair on a daily basis.

If you’re new to the natural hair scene, or veteran curly looking for some inspiration, here are some helpful tips and advice on how to style your curly hair better.

It’s all about moisture

Moisturizer is the key to frizz free hair. Not only does natural moisturizer protect and benefit overall health, but also keeps frizz away. Make sure you wash and condition your hair with natural moisturizers before you begin styling your curly hair. This helps prepare your hair and makes it behave and work well, in addition to treating your hair to a healthy dose of much needed nourishment.

Begin fresh

Before you style your hair it is important to rid your locks of any remains of product or serum. Cleanse and wash your hair thoroughly to ensure you clean out any excess conditioner or leftover product. Be sure to use a gentle and preferably sulfate free natural shampoo or cleanser when rinsing out your locks.
 
Avoid excessive use of product

An overload of product usually leaves hair crunchy and difficult to style. Make sure the product you use does not overwhelm your hair. If the product you prefer is too strong, then it would be good to dilute it with a little water before applying it.

Treat your hair in sections

One of the more pronounced problems when styling curly hair is that some sections turn out better and curlier than others. To obtain an even look, make sure you apply product evenly across your head and locks. You can improve your technique by using clips and section your hair when applying product, to ensure each part receives the same amount of attention.

The wetter the better

A trade secret to achieving great curls is to apply product into your hair when it’s wet. Hair reacts much better to product when wet. This makes for far more defined curls, if you have a long wait time between post shower and styling time, then re-soak your hair before you apply product. 

Why you Should Stick to your Naturally Curly Hair

Nothing compares to originality, and going natural is to accept and own your true self. Natural curly hair is amazingly sexy and comes equipped with beautiful texture, body and volume. A feature of rocking naturally curly hair is the personality it brings to your look.

Besides, sticking to your natural hair is healthy and avoids unnecessary use of chemicals and chemical products to maintain your style. Here are some of the top reasons in my book why staying natural is the best thing you could do.

Natural hair is stunning

Natural hair is instant statement style in addition to being totally hip and cool. Unlike relaxed hair that requires heaps of products and methods that can cause near permanent damage, natural hair is absolutely safe.

Women with natural curls love their hair because it’s wonderfully fun and suits face and features best.

Healthy

It’s a known fact that natural hair is healthy and perhaps the best lifestyle choice you can make. Naturally curly hair doesn’t need an overload of hair care products and you’ll come to love and appreciate your locks better. Look and feel great naturally, besides you stand to save heaps on product and upkeep.

Get playful and creative

There isn’t much you can do with straight hair, while naturally curly hair allows for heaps of styles that completely transform you look. Play with texture and get creative with your locks. Something as simple as an updo tied in with some funky and bold accessories introduces a variety of styles and variations to create completely new and different looks every single time.

Natural curls are fun to style and can be worn in so many absolutely chic ways, to suit any kind of event or mood.

Freestyle 

Natural hair is all about you and your personal style, and a great way to let your personality shine. There’s no way you can go wrong with natural afro hair. You can change it whenever you feel like and wear it any which way you like.

Feel free, uninhibited, and truly relaxed. Natural hair doesn’t come with many restrictions and rules you need to stick to unlike chemically relaxed hair. Enjoy a swim or live as active a lifestyle you wish. Quit worrying about how exercise makes you sweat, which might possibly ruin your hairstyle. Live the way you want with natural hair. 

Home Remedies for Split Ends in Afro Hair

Split ends can take away the beauty from your hair. No matter how great your hair style is, split ends affect the overall appearance and feel of hair. Everyday, your hair battles the most trying conditions by fighting exposure to dust, sun and pollution, which strip natural oils from your hair and make it unhealthy.

Split ends along with frizzy and dry hair are common complaints faced by women. They are caused by common practices like over washing, infrequent moisturizing and excessive use of heating tools.

Here are some quick and simple home remedies to treat split ends.

Egg mask - Three of a kind!

Perhaps one of the most nourishing items resting in your kitchen, eggs work wonders on hair, especially in preventing split ends.

• Mix well either just the egg white (albumin) or the entire egg with some olive or almond oil and honey. Apply the mixture to your hair strands and leave it for about 45 minutes. Rinse it off with cold water and a natural, mild shampoo.
• Beat an egg with some water in a bowl and use it as a conditioning shampoo to treat damaged ends. Rinse off with a gentle shampoo and feel the immediate difference in your hair.
• Blend an egg with a banana and a few drops of orange juice. Apply it to hair and leave it for about 30 minutes before rinsing it.

Remember to always wash off egg masks with cold water.

Papaya treatment

• Blend half a cup of yogurt with a diced ripe papaya to make a thick paste. Apply the mask onto your hair, leave for about 30 minutes and then wash off. It works as a natural hair conditioner.

Fresh cream

You may find it hard to believe, but fresh cream is a superb hair conditioner and a brilliant remedy for split ends.

• Whisk together half a cup of milk and a tablespoon thick cream. Leave the mixture on your hair for 15 minutes and wash off.

Avocado paste

• Mash the flesh of an avocado. You can also add a teaspoon of olive oil to it. Massage it into damp hair covering the split ends and leave it on for about 30 minutes. Rinse it with a mild shampoo.

Mayonnaise delight

Surprisingly mayo works wonders as a hair and scalp moisturizer. Simply treat your hair to a mayo mask (leave in for 30 minutes) twice every week. 

How Can Hair Extensions Damage Your Hair?

Get the look you always wanted and make it happen in just a few days with transformational hair extensions. An incredible way to create a ‘to die for’ look enjoy the freedom to choose style, color and length with the ever versatile hair extension or weave.

Add volume and color or bring in a completely different style, over all hair extensions also help protect your natural hair and let it grow out. Although weaves aren’t your natural hair, they do need care and have to be maintained and looked after to maintain wonderful style. Here are some easy tips to follow to avoid damaging and ensure healthy natural hair.

Go Pro

The best way to get a stellar look is to approach a professional hair stylist, who will not only set in your extensions beautifully, but also help you make educated choices in regard to most complementary hair type and color to use to suit your style and personality.

Care for your hair

Clean and wash your hair with gentle shampoo and natural conditioners before getting a weave. Treat your hair well with natural overnight oil treatments that will keep you natural hair healthy and your weave looking great for longer. Use coconut oil every night to condition and moisturize your hair, treat it with a mix of honey about 3 times a week for a deep and wholesome natural condition.

Keep it loose and easy

Make sure your weave isn’t too tightly done, as this can lead to natural hair breakage and hair loss if not maintained properly. Let your stylist know immediately after the first few braids or additions if the install is too tight or uncomfortable.

Treat your hair well

Give your head and scalp a nice protein treatment before you get your weave set in. This will increase strength of your natural hair, allowing it better withstand the pressures and pulls involved when adding extensions. It’s best to wait at least two weeks after any chemical treatment before you get a weave, allow your hair to get back to healthy state.

Get a trim

Prevent additional knots and tangles formed when attaching extensions by ridding your natural hair of dry and split ends with a trim. A couple of inches taken off at the bottom will help maintain your natural hair before a weave and proper treatment and care will have your hair grow back in no time. 

Eczema treatment for natural hair

Eczema or dermatitis is a skin condition that causes inflammation, itchiness, dryness and flaking of the skin. Eczema can affect the skin on the scalp as well, which could lead to hair loss. A dry, scaly and itchy scalp can be extremely irritable, not to mention an embarrassing condition.

How do you treat it?

Eczema can be treated temporarily with topical creams and shampoos, but it is important to treat eczema at its root cause. Treating the symptoms is easy, but getting rid of eczema completely is the difficult part. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of treatments available today and it is important to find the solution that works best for your scalp and hair type.

First it is always advisable to confirm whether it is in fact eczema and consult with your dermatologist, before starting any home treatments. A doctor can distinguish between eczema, and conditions similar to eczema. He/she could suggest certain prescription shampoos, topical creams and lotions, or oral medication to help treat the eczema. If you are using any deep conditioners, or leave-in conditioners, check with the doctor to make sure they aren't worsening your condition.

Try good quality, anti-dandruff shampoos or any shampoo that treats seborrhoeic dermatitis. They go light and easy on your scalp and hair. Even shampoos containing 2% sacylic acid will help relieve the dryness, itching and irritation. Also consider using natural hair products, they are gentle and do not cause any side effects. However, you might want to avoid shampoos containing an ingredient called sodium laureth sulphate (SLS), as this is a very harsh chemical and can worsen the eczema by causing more irritation to the already affected scalp. It could even lead to excessive hair loss.

Precautions to be taken

Remember not to use medicated shampoos everyday or every time you wash your hair, as it could cause your hair to become dry, rough, or dull. Eczema is a condition of the scalp, not the hair, so remember to go gentle on your precious tresses. Alternate your medicated or chemical shampoos with natural or herbal shampoos. Use shampoos containing lavender for fragrance, and coconut or yukka to help work up a good lather.

Certain shampoos like Kerytol, require you to leave it on for at least two minutes before washing it off, so remember to follow each shampoos’ washing instructions carefully, if you want them to work effectively.

Other important factors are to always use lukewarm or cold water while washing your hair and scalp as much as possible, instead of hot water, because it can irritate the infected scalp and cause excessive hair dryness and hair loss. Combing out hair with a wide-toothed comb after shampooing, helps remove flakes. Try not to wash your hair too often as it will only worsen the condition. Fish oil tablets are high in omega-3 fatty acids that help relieve a dry scalp too.   

Benefits of Shea Butter for Natural Afro-American Hair

Shea butter holds numerous beneficial properties and is  used in several beauty products. It shows best results when used directly on the hair or skin, and works as an exceptional additive agent too. Well-known as Mother Nature’s conditioner, shea butter is extracted from the nut of the karite tree, native to regions in Eastern and Western Africa.

An exceptional moisturizer, shea butter has been locally used in Africa for its many therapeutics properties, apart from its use as an active agent in skin and hair care. It is used to aid in the healing of burns as well as wounds and is also used to eradicate dermatitis, stretch marks and topical scars.

Here are some of the many benefits and uses of shea butter.

Natural hair sealant

The texture of Afro-American hair causes many to suffer from dry and malnourished hair. Sebum, a natural conditioner and strengthener produced by the scalp is normally blocked from its course along the strand of hair up to the tip, because of the thick nature and tight curls as well as bends in Afro hair.

Shea butter, known for its remarkable moisturizing properties, locks in vital nutrients and moisture in the scalp, and leaves the hair soft as well as supple without making it greasy. It protects hair against harsh climate, builds strength and vitality of strands, and also reduces hair fall. For healthy hair, apply shea butter directly onto the scalp or add it to your shampoo, conditioner or hair cream.

Relieve scalp irritations

People in Africa use the cream to treat dry and itchy scalp, and to get rid of dandruff. It transforms brittle hair into voluminous locks with ample moisture and works incredibly well as a base ingredient in after-shower hair creams as well as leave-in conditioners for natural hair. Shea butter also possesses anti-inflammatory properties and is readily absorbed into the scalp without clogging pores. It also revitalizes and nourishes hair that is colored, and chemically treated.

Hair shield

When applied, shea butter is immediately absorbed into the scalp and hair strand, leaving the hair feeling light and soft. It provides protection against elements of heat and excessive damage done while straightening or curling hair. In addition, shea butter contains sufficient amounts of SPF to protect hair and scalp from harmful and strong UV rays. Include this magical ingredient in your African American hair care routine to notice a stark difference in the quality of your locks.

Eczema Treatment for Natural Hair

Skin infections are hardly ever welcome, never pleasant, and are often the cause of restless nights and an irritable disposition. Dermatitis, the scientific term for skin irritations, is an umbrella term that encompasses several kinds of skin conditions. Eczema is a common form of dermatitis related to allergic reactions to the environment around, topical cosmetic products used, or even due to dietary irregularities. 

Untreated, eczema tends to set in as a chronic ailment, which prolongs heal time and increases efforts to rid of the skin affliction. Here are a few useful tips to curb the itch, especially in the scalp. 

Identify the source

Trace the cause of your skin rash by means of elimination. As stated earlier, eczema is the gross manifestation of an allergic reaction. This could be due to a certain ingredient in your cosmetics, detergent, soap, or brought on by exposure to pet dander, or dust and mites. Lack of certain bodily fats or subtle allergies to gluten or dairy can bring on conditions of eczema as well. 

Make necessary changes

• Replace your commercial shampoo or soap with an organic or more natural option.
• Choose natural handmade soaps or shampoos that include revitalizing ingredients like aloe vera, coconut oil, or neem. 
• Move to hypoallergenic products that are milder and more suited to sensitive skin types, if you’re not too keen on organic materials. 
• Clean your home thoroughly, make sure you vacuum carefully, especially areas like the couch, or spaces used to lounge in. 
• Wash all your linen and clothes with a detergent that cares for sensitive skin. 
• Add foods rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids to your diet, you can even take natural dietary supplements like Cod Liver Oil, to improve your intestinal system. 
• Introduce foods rich in Vitamin A, E, D and K to your diet. Eat fresh salads with carrot and leafy greens, or probiotics found in fermented foods. Eliminate processed foods as far as possible; also avoid dairy and dairy products. 

Topical treatment

There are several ways to treat eczema using natural products. Applications of blended oils like jojoba, chamomile and lavender will help soothe itchiness and alleviate irritation in the scalp. Aloe Vera is another fresh and natural element that works wonders on eczema. Blend the fresh pulp of the aloe plant to a smooth paste and apply frequently after a bath or with your deep natural conditioner. Neem application before or during bath is incredibly beneficial as well.