The How-to African-American Hair Guide

Volume 3 | Issue 1

the

HOW-TO

10 Myths About Black Hair • The Truth About Relaxers Hair Structure 101 • What Can Hair Vitamins Do For You?

Co

s t n nte

10 Myths About Black Hair • • • • • • • • • • • • • pg4

Hair Structure 101 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • pg6

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • pg8 Hair & Scalp Problems Hair Phases • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • pg12 Hair Vitamins Do For You? • • • • • • pg14 What Can About Relaxers • • • • • • • • • • • • • pg16 The Truth Protective Styling • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • pg18

HAIR MAKES IT YOUR SCALP IS 1CUTTING GROW FASTER 4GREASING GOOD FOR MOISTURE Hair is dead. Otherwise, it would hurt when you cut it. There is nothing you can do to your hair strands that will make it grow faster. Cutting the hair does however make it appear healthier since damaged ends are being removed. While getting a cut twice a year will improve the overall look of your hair, it does not make it grow faster.

If you have noticed that your hair is dry even though you are using a variety of moisture products on it, the reason is that grease, oils, and other moisturizing products that contain petrolatum, lanolin, and mineral oil do not moisturize your hair effectively. Instead of moisturizing, they actually seal moisture in or out of your hair.

These types of products should

10 MYTHS about 2

BLACK HAIR IS STRONGER THAN OTHER HAIR TYPES

The internal structure of black hair actually makes is more susceptible to breakage than any other hair type. If hair is chemically relaxed this adds to the possibility of breakage. Protein and moisture treatments should be used to rebuild the structure of relaxed hair and minimize breakage.

Organic, virgin coconut oil is very effective at moisturizing and strengthening the hair.

These oils actually penetrate the hair shaft to moisturize inside the hair, unlike most oils which only coat the hair.

YOUR HAIR 3BRUSHING MAKES IT GROW FASTER Brushing your hair excessively can actually lead to breakage, especially when hair is relaxed.

4

only be used to seal the hair and add shine. Water based moisturizers (and virgin coconut oil) effectively penetrate and moisturize the hair. Moisture is the key to healthy hair.

VITAMINS MAKE 5PRENATAL HAIR GROW LONGER Many women experience very good hair growth during their pregnancies and attribute this growth to hair vitamins. In fact, the hormone estrogen, which is present in large amounts during pregnancy, locks the hair into the growth phase. This allows hair to grow much longer than it normally would. However, once the baby is delivered, the hairs will start to enter the shedding phase. At this point, many women experience extreme shedding and hair loss. Eventually the hairs will get back into their normal growth pattern and the hair will return to normal.

YOUR HAIR MAKES YOUR HAIR 6RELAXING MAKES IT GROW FASTER 9HEAT GROW FASTER Natural hair has a curly pattern, when the hair is stretched it may seem to appear longer, but in fact it is not. This is what happens when hair is relaxed as well. The hair is stretched out to its maximum, like stretching a rubberband. However, this leads to reduces elasticity, which is the hair’s natural ability to go back to its original shape without breaking.

Heat styling can actually damage your hair, especially if done too often. When you straighten your hair with heat, you are temporarily altering the protein bonds in your hair and weakening it. A good thermal protectant should be use when heat styling. This will protect your hair and keep the protein bonds strong. Remember, strong healthy hair is easier to grow.

TO THE SALON HAIR GROWS 10GOING EVERY WEEK WILL MAKE 7BLACK MORE SLOWLY YOUR HAIR GROW LONG Hair grows at an average rate of 1/2 inch per month. Black hair can sometimes grow a bit slower than this, but not much. Actually the natural curly pattern of black hair can make it seem to grow slower because it is not stretched. Also, use of relaxers and other products can cause breakage. If breakage is equal to growth, hair will seem as if it is not growing at all.

HAIR WILL NOT 8BLACK GROW LONG

Your hair will grow long if you properly care for it. This means using protein and moisuture treatments, using water based moisturizers correctly, limiting the use of heat, and treating your hair like a delicate flower.

If your beautician is using the appropiate treatments each week, this is only part of the equation. You still must do your part for daily care. Keep in mind, however, that all beauticians are not created equal. Finding a good one is like finding a good doctor, or a good bra.

Many women will feel as if their hair isn’t growing because the amount of breakage is equal to the amount of growth. The key to growth is stopping damage and breakage.

5

HAIRSTRUCTURE The CUTICLE is the outer layer which protects the hair shaft. It is coated with sebum, which gives the hair its shine. The cuticle is made of scale like cells that resemble the shingles on a roof.

The CORTEX gives hair its strength, elasticity, and texture.

The HAIR FOLLICLE is the part of the skin that grows the hair.

SEBACEOUS GLANDS produce the sebum that coats the cuticle.

MELANIN is the pigment in the cortex which gives hair its color.

However, black hair is elliptical in shape, giving it a unique structure that is more prone to breakage. Products must be used to cater to the uniqueness of black hair for it to grow very long.

Bl ac

e th t n air Li . ou c ke car ts c U a r . r e o N t ot ai l pa he IQUE must take in kh a kh

rh

6

air

r ac STRUC TURE of bl f seve type s, it is made up o

MOISTURE, POROSITY, & ELASTICITY OF BLACK HAIR Black hair care must address the main components that make up condition of black hair. These are moisture, porosity, and elasticity.

MOISTURE

is the amount of moisture water contained in the hair’s cortex. It is greater in humid areas, and less in drier areas.

POROSITY

is the hair’s ability to absorb water and chemicals. And if porosity is normal, it keeps the hair from absorbing or releasing too much moisture. Overly porous hair cannot hold its moisture.

Similar to a sponge. It easily sucks up moisture, but cannot hold it.

ELASTICITY

is the hair’s ability to stretch and return to its normal length.

Wet hair should be able to stretch about half of its length without breaking. If your hair’s elasticity is low, it will break when stretched. Elasticity can be restored with moisture and hair vitamins.

Black hair that is relaxed will often be over porous, have low elasticity, & have low moisture content.

For this reason, it’s necessary to take special steps t o keep hair healthy so that it can grow its longest.

7

8

HAIR & SCALP PRO written by: Brenda Champion

BREAKAGE is caused by

damage to the hair’s cortex. This type of damage causes the hair to become fragile and break easily.

Heat styling, over processing, and using harsh products can cause damage to the cortex. Heat styling reduces the moisture content in the hair and weakens the natural protein in the hair. Over processing hair with chemicals can lead to ma jor damage and air loss.

Chemically processed hair is already damaged to some extent simply because it has been chemically processed. So it is at greater risk of damage from styling.

Chemical processing can cause high porosity and low elasticity, both of which can lead to breakage.

phase. After the delivery, many hairs will go into the resting phase to be shed two to three months later.

Birth control pills and menopause can have the same effect. High androgen birth control pills can cause ma jor shedding and hair loss.

Other causes of severe shedding are fever, blood loss, low iron, drastic dieting, and thyroid disorders.

Excessive shedding can also cause thinning. To minimize thinning, you first need to identify what the cause of your shedding is.

To stop shedding immediately, garlic can be used on the scalp to tighten the pores and prevent the hair from shedding. To use garlic for shedding, simply blend garlic with your favorite conditioner until

"Hair problems such as breakage, dryness, shedding, thinning, and slow growth can be caused by different things."

In addition to this, using harsh shampoos which strip the hair can lead to further breakage. It is important that gentle shampoos be used on chemically treated hair.

it is a paste. Apply the mixture to your scalp and hair and cover with a plastic cap. Leave in for an hour before washing.

SHEDDING is a normal process.

being stripped from the hair shaft.

Black hair is dry naturally and must be moisturized regularly.

Most oils and moisture products do not effectively moisturize black hair, because it cannot penetrate the hair shaft. Only water based moisturizers and coconut oil can penetrate the hair shaft. Other oil products simply coat the hair giving it a look of moisture. However, the hair is still dry and susceptible to breakage. Remember to moisturize your hair on a daily basis.

When more than 80 hairs per day are shed, it may be excessive. This type of shedding can be caused by stress, hormonal changes, diet, or unknown scalp conditions.

Many women experience this type of shedding after giving birth.

This is because pregnancy hormones can lock all of the hair into the growing

BLEMS

DRYNESS is caused by sebum

9

HAIR & SCALP PROBLEMS Continued...

SLOW GROWTH

is a common complaint associated with black hair. This can be caused by the natural growth rate, breakage, or nutrition. Each person will have a different growth rate.

Some people will just have hair that grows faster or slower than normal.

10

However, breakage can also make hair seem to grow slowly. If your breakage is keeping up with your growth, it can make your hair seem like it is not growing at all. This is a common problem for black hair due to the damage and breakage caused by relaxers.

To speed up hair growth, you can use hair vitamins that are formulated to increase hair growth. SEE PAGE 14.

Black hair care must also cater to hair or scalp problems that most will experience at some point. Hair problems such as breakage, dryness, shedding, thinning, and slow growth has different causes, Scalp problems can be caused by bacteria, fungus, and other reasons. Dandruff, for example is caused by more cells being shed from the scalp. It is associated with a yeast present at all times.

The yeast will grow more quickly when dandruff occurs. Scalp itch can be caused by various problems such as fungal infections like ringworm.

Fungal and bacterial infections of the skin need to be treated by a doctor with oral medication.

Most topical shampoos, creams, and oils will not cure scalp conditions.

 

Because you

DON’T your strands

want looking like THIS



HAIRPHASES Most people have about 100,000-150,000 hairs on their head. Normal growth is about one quarter to one half inch per month. Actually hair that grows one half inch per month is considered fast growing. Black hair normally grows slower than this. Every hair on your head will go through three phases: growing, resting, and shedding.

GROWING PHASE GROWING PHASE the

can last from 3 to 7 years

If you have ever wondered why your hair will grow to a certain length then stop, it is because of your growing phase. Your growing phase (or anagen) is a certain length of time. This is something that we are born with, so there isn’t much that changes it.

A person with a very long growing phase will grow longer hair than a person with a shorter growing phase. Therefore, the anagen phase determines the maximum length your hair will grow.

RESTING PHASEPHASE the RESTING

lasts about 2 to 4 weeks

Every hair on your head goes through a resting phase. At this phase the hair strand is no longer growing and stays static for about a month.

SHEDDING PHASE PHASE the SHEDDING

can last from 3 to 4 months

This shedding is the natural process that replaces old hairs with new hairs. It is normal to lose about 50 to 100 hairs per day. Don’t panic, shedding is normal.

However, if you feel you are losing too many strands you may be facing another issue such as dryness, breakage, heat damage, etc.

12

you n

ee d do

In order

1.

Stop hair breakage: by following the hair care techniques in secrets for faster hair growth, you can minimize your hair breakage and allow you hair to reach its maximum length.

wing: follo

to a

the

ch ie ve

ir possibl e

to

e th

t ha ges lon

2. Increase anagen (growth) phase:

using hair vitamins with msm will naturallly lengthen your anagen phase and allow your hair to grow much longer before entering the resting and shedding phases.

3. Address any other problems that

may limit growth: using specific types of products as part of a hair care regimen can help reduce breakage and increase your hair length.

Since your hair growth phase is determined, by genetics, there is no way this will change unless you use a supplement containing msm. Msm is known to naturally increase the length of your hair’s growing phase.

SEE PAGE 14 for more info on hair vitamins

13

what can

HAIRVITAMINS do for you?

AKE MY HAI

RG RO

W

HA

Hair vitamins can be used to promote faster growing healthier hair. A healthy body is the ideal environment for healthy hair to thrive.

This means that a good metabolism, and immune system are also key factors for growing healthy hair fast. There are certain vitamins that are specific to faster hair growth. These vitamins are listed below:

F

AS TE

R?

WI LL

V IR

M INS M ITA

Biotin, for example, promotes cell growth, the production of fatty acids, metabolism of fats, and amino acids.

Niacin (Vitamin B3) promotes scalp circulation.

Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) prevents hair loss.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant that helps your body to produce healthy sebum in the scalp.

In addition to these vitamins, MSM lengthens the natural hair growth phase allowing greater lengths to be achieved.

For your hair vitamin to be effective, it should contain, at a minimum, the above ingredients.

14

VITAMINS FOR HAIR LOSS

MSM & HAIR GROWTH

Hair loss is a problem that plagues many people. Good nutrition is important for healthy hair growth because a well nourished body is the ideal environment for healthy hair to thrive. Vitamins that are related to hair growth are:

Msm is quickly becoming known for its role in hair growth. Msm is a naturally occurring form of sulfur found in many foods. However, conventional processing and cooking methods significantly decrease the effectiveness of msm from foods.

This is why it may be beneficial to supplement msm for hair growth.

Biotin - promotes healthy hair

growth and protects against dryness. It also increases the elasticity of the hair’s cortex, thus preventing breakage.

Niacin (Vitamin B3) - promotes

scalp circulation pantothenic acid (vitamin b5) – prevents hair loss.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant that

helps produce healthy sebum in the scalp.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that

helps maintain hair and skin health.

Vitamins B6 and B12- help to prevent hair loss.

In addition to these vitamins, msm may also be used to grow longer hair. Msm naturally lengthens your hairs growth phase, which determines the maximum length your hair can grow. An individuals growth phase can range between 2 to 6 years, and is genetically determined. For a person with a 3 year growth phase, their hair can never grow longer than 18 inches before entering the shedding phase.

For a person with a 6 year growth phase, their hair will grow 36 inches before entering the shedding phase.

How does it work?

Msm can naturally lengthen your hair’s growth phase.

Your hair grows in three cycles: growing, resting, and shedding. Each and every hair on your head (even body) is in one of these phases at all times. However, you may not notice significant shedding, because you have many other hairs in the other two phases at the same time.

(SEE PAGE 12 for more info on hair phases)

So how will msm make your hair grow longer?

If your growing phase lasts two years, and your hair normally grows one half inch per month, your hair will only grow 12 inches before entering the resting and shedding phases. (24 months times 1/2 inch per month). On the other hand, if your growing phase lasts 3 years, then it will grow 18 inches. (36 months times 1/2 inch per month).

Msm can naturally lengthen the growing phase of your hair.

15

THETRUTH lack hair is often chemically processed with relaxers.

Relaxers straighten the hair by breaking down protein bonds in naturally curly hair and loosening the curl pattern. However, the protein bonds are also what gives the hair its strength. When the hair is relaxed, the basic structure of the hair shaft is changed. The chemicals penetrate the hair’s cortex and enter the inner layer of the hair. They continue breaking down the bonds and stripping the hair of its strength and elasticity. This is why breakage is commonly experienced by women who use relaxers.

YOU CAN MINIMIZE DAMAGE & BREAKAGE FROM RELAXERS.

Relaxers should never be applied to already damaged hair, or on someone who has had scalp damage. Hair should be in its best shape before attempting to chemically relax it. This means that the porosity and moisture content should be normal. If hair is not at its best, then protein and moisture treatments should be used to restore the hair to a healthy condition.

The relaxer should not be applied until these issues have been completely resolved.

These are the main reasons breakage occur from relaxers:

OVER PROCESSING THE HAIR.

Excessive use of relaxers or applying the chemical to previously relaxed hair, is the most typical misuse of these chemicals.

16

about relaxers by: Marlene Jackson

NOT PERFORMING A STRAND TEST. A “strand test” should be performed prior to applying a chemical relaxer to gauge the result of applying the chemical.

NOT USING A PROTECTIVE CREAM on the scalp. A protective cream should always be applied to help protect the scalp from being damaged or burned.

NOT PROPERLY NEUTRALIZING THE HAIR. After the hair has been

processed for the appropriate amount of time, the relaxer must be completely removed with warm water. Then a neutralizing formula is used to lower the ph of the hair.

If the ph is not lowered, the hair will break. This is because the chemical will continue to work on the hair strand weakening it further.

PULLING OR COMBING HAIR WHILE RELAXING.

From the time the relaxer is applied to the time it is neutralized, the hair is in an extremely fragile condition and must be handled carefully. Avoid all pulling, tugging, and excessive combing of the hair during this time.

NOT USING PROTEIN AND MOISTURE TREATMENTS.

Protein and moisture treatments should be used to restore some of the natural moisture and proteins that have been stripped from the hair by the relaxer.

NOT MOISTURIZING DAILY.

c h e m ic a ls & s h o uld be

us

e ini

la x

a in

Excessive use of heat tools will only further damage chemically relaxed hair. This is due to the fact that they work by drying the hair our ever further. If heat tools are used, then they should be used along with thermal protectants.

m

ma

Re

s

c

t on

sh h ar

USING EXCESSIVE HEAT.

d

er

Daily moisture is needed to keep the hair soft and supple. If newly chemically straightened hair is not properly moisturized, it can become brittle, dry, damaged and break.

Relaxed hair will tend to be drier and break easier than natural hair.

lly 17

ProtectiveSTYLING What's protective styling?

The clue’s in the title! It is simply a style that protects your hair, specifically the ends from all the breakage causing dangers we face every day. There are many options out there for you to try. The main point of them is to keep the moisture in your strands where it belongs by keeping the ends intact.

Believe it or not, if your hair is about shoulder length, this is the period that it is most vulnerable to breakage. When your locks are constantly brushing against your shoulders, friction will do it’s nasty work and the clothes you are wearing, particularly cotton will sap

Protective styling doesn't have to be boring! There are so many different ways to change it up. the moisture from your ends and make them more prone to breakage.

Protective styles like weave extensions are utilized by longer haired ladies too. It stands to reason that if your ends are hidden then they cannot break right? So the long and short of it is that protective styling helps you retain length by keeping your ends intact. For example, twists and braids even at shoulder length would be

18

considered protective styles as the ends are intact hence less prone to breakage.

Now the all important question; Is protective styling necessary? That’s a difficult one to answer as it really depends on the person. If you are starting with a solid foundation of good hair practices and a simple effective regimen then chances are you will already have protective styling in your styling arsenal.

If however you are more carefree, it might be wise to err on the side of caution and add a few protective styles to your regimen weekly. Who knows, you might find one you like.

Whether your hair is shoulder length or longer, it’s wise to actually comprehend the purpose of protective styling.

It is simply a means to keep your ends intact and not a way to wear your hair every day until the end of time. A bun worn daily may protect your ends but can play havoc with your hairline especially if worn tight. Ask yourself, what is the point of having long hair if you can’t enjoy it sometimes?

Go on, show off your length,

ENJOY THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR!

19

 

Because you

DON’T your hair

want

feeling like THIS

