Black hair care 101

Jet, August 18, 2003

Welcome Sisters! Class is in session. Today's lesson is "loving and understanding your hair."

Hair is a fragile thing. It needs constant protection from intense heat, harsh chemicals, rough styling tools and the outside elements. It craves kindness and attention. If you treat those tresses well, your reward will be beautiful, healthy hair.

Take out your combs and brushes, let down your locks and prepare to give your hair tender, loving care.

HISTORY

Many of us remember those Saturday mornings sitting in the kitchen by the stove, sweating from the heat. and praying momma wouldn't burn the back of your neck as she pressed. your tresses with the hot comb, which by the way was invented by a Black woman, Madame C.J. Walker.

Today, just thinking about all the styling options available for Black hair can make your head spin--relaxers, texturizers, dyes, waves, weaves, braids, coils, twists, dreadlocks, straw sets, hand rolls, afros, naturals and the good ol' press-and-curl. Whew!

But it's not enough to rock the hottest style if your locks are fried. The first step to healthy, gorgeous hair is learning about your hair structure and type. Class, take out your magnifying glasses and let's get to science.

SCIENCE

A strand of hair actually is made of three concentric layers: the medulla, cortex and cuticle. The medulla, the innermost layer, is not affected by hair care products or styling processes like chemical relaxers or heat straightening.

The cortex is the middle layer where pigment is located. Relaxers, texturizers, dyes and heat straightening all work by altering the chemical bonds of the cortex, either permanently, as with relaxers and hair color, or temporarily by blow drying or flat ironing.

The visible outer layer, the cuticle, is the layer that comes into contact with the environment. The cuticle is made of tiny overlapping scales that protect the cortex. When the cuticle is healthy, its scales lie flat, giving hair that smooth, shiny look. But when the cuticle and cortex get damaged, the scales stick out and problems like split-ends, dry hair and breakage can occur.

When it comes to hair type, people of African descent have hair strands that are thick at certain points, thin at others. This alternating pattern of thick and thin results in the characteristic curl of our hair. It also makes our hair fragile and prone to breakage at the thin points.

In terms of texture, African hair can range from fine and thin with a loose wave to coarse and thick with a tight corkscrew or spiral pattern. Coarse hair, which tends to look dry even if it's not, usually is porous, which means it quickly absorbs any moisture or chemicals exposed to it. Also, hair that is relaxed, straightened, or permanently dyed is more porous than natural hair.

MATH

The formula for, healthy hair is simple: clean condition care = beautiful hair.

Clean: For natural hair, wash every two to three weeks with gentle, moisturizing shampoos formulated to remove any hair-product buildup. If your hair is on the coarse, dry side, try shampoos with built-in detanglers to help make it more manageable. Also look for shampoos with humectants--ingredients like glycerin and panthenol that help bind water to the hair to reduce dryness.

For relaxed hair, which is more fragile, clean with an extra-moisturizing shampoo and don't wash relaxed hair more than once a week.

If you need to freshen your hair after a workout or a night of clubbin', use a spray-on hair odor neutralizer, which you can find at the drugstore. To clean your scalp between shampoos, especially if you wear braided or dreadlocked styles, wipe it with an astringent-soaked cotton hall or pad.

Condition: Natural and relaxed hair should be conditioned every time you wash. Conditioners revitalize natural oils, hydrate and protect hair. If your hair is very dry, damaged or chemically treated, treat yourself to a deep conditioning once a week. After shampooing, squeeze out (don't rub) excess moisture with a towel and apply a good conditioner. Cover your head with a plastic cap and sit under a warm hood dryer for 15 minutes, or put a towel over the cap and sit for at least an hour.

To combat daily dryness, use light oils like almond and vitamin E to moisturize your hair and scalp, but avoid heavy greases and pomades, which weigh, hair down and get stuck in braids and locks.

Care: The best way to combat split ends and breakage is to prevent them in the first place. Only use hairbrushes with super-soft bristles and wide-toothed combs. Don't overbrush your hair, which can tear it out. Never, ever brush wet hair since wet hair is more fragile than dry hair and more prone to tearing. Break up tangles with a wide-toothed comb or just your fingers. Take small sections and gently detangle from end to root.

Keep breakage at bay by avoiding too-tight hairstyles, weaves and braids. Also avoid elastic bands, which tear your hair. Instead, pull your hair back with a scrunchie or silk scarf. If you use rollers on your hair, avoid the sponge ones, which can damage those strands, and don't wind your hair too tightly around rollers. At night, protect your hair with a satin scarf, bonnet or pillowcase, which prevents split ends, tangling and matting, and preserves your hair style.