Black Hair Care: Grow the Locks You Crave

As a little girl I spent countless hours with my head bent in cramped positions as a hot comb was pulled through my hair to make it straight and shiny. Sometimes by my mother, sometimes at the beauty shop but the smell of burning hair and the fear of seared flesh were constant companions.

My mother tried to get my hair to grow longer but with little success. The logic of how the treatment of my hair was actually causing more damage escaped her. Asking the beautician for help was a lost cause.

My hair is now rather long. Through the years I watched and listened to the suggestions other women made to each other. Myths and superstitions get passed around but no real sound techniques for creating beauty that mimicked a European model, when it came to hair.

These myths all had one common flaw. They perpetuate the idea that what you do once the hair grows out of the scalp can cause growth. Remember, the growth of the hair is handled internally. Your metabolism and genetics take care of that.

1) Cutting hair makes it grow.

I have heard ALL beauticians use this lie. The fact is cutting will make the hair look better and thicker because the ends are all about the same length. This is grooming and visual affect, not growth. Having the ends about the same length helps the comb move through the ends without snagging which slows breakage. If you slow breakage the hear will remain longer but it doesn't grow any faster!

If you you are growing your hair out it is necessary to keep the ends as free from splits and snags as possible to allow the hair to remain attached to your scalp. When someone starts to trim your hair be sure to have a mirror to watch what they are doing or check the floor where your cut hair is falling. A trimming should take off no more than 1/16 inch. Do not let the stylist try to create a "style". Do not allow the stylist to "even the ends up" as they will cut off more hair than necessary for a trim.

2) Oiling the hair and scalp will make the hair grow.

Heavy pomades on the scalp will create a barrier that prevents air from from circulating and attract dirt and grime. This not a healthy state of affairs for skin anywhere on the body. The ends of longer black hair will get dry though.

Using Jojoba oils at the ends can take care of this problem nicely, and massaging a small amount on freshly straightened hair will soothe a scalp that has been dried out by chemical processing. Jojoba oil is close to the oils the body produces naturally. Avoid petroleum based oils as they are too heavy.

3) Braiding makes the hair grow.

Braiding simply stretches the hair shafts out. It doesn't encourage the body to produce more proteins and, therefore, build new strands of hair. Tight braids will actually break the hair that you DO have off!

Try the following steps for 6 months and watch what happens!

1) Using chemical relaxers.

The beauty of a properly used chemical relaxer is it doesn't burn the ends of the hair off the way the use of a searing hot comb does. The strands of hair can retain their structure and get longer. Be sure to watch what the stylist is doing. Relaxer should only be applied to new growth.

It is appropriate for the relaxer to be applied through to the ends of the hair if and only if it is the first time the hair has been relaxed. The touch ups should focus on the new growth closest to the scalp only. Some stylists will comb the product all the way to the ends every time. This will keep the hair over processed and in poor condition, and the stylist will then feel justified in cutting your hair again. You might have to find a new stylist if the stylist ignores your wishes.

2) Have your touch up every 6 weeks, without fail, until your hair gets past shoulder length.

DO NOT go to the stylist more often than you need to for those touch ups. That means that you aren't going in every two weeks for a wash and set. Each time someone other than you combs through your hair they are going to be rougher with it than you will be. This is because part of the stylists focus is speed. They cannot take the time to carefully comb out shampooed hair. Another aspect is that they cannot feel the amount of pressure they are using when combing your hair, and they will comb out alot more healthy hair than you when they run into snags.

Once your hair is heavier, at about shoulder length, you can have your touch ups every 7 weeks.

3) Wrap your hair at night.

Get some do-rags and gently comb your hair back. Secure it with one of those plain brown hair combs, the type you leave in, then put on the do-rag. This protects the hair from the friction of the pillow as you sleep, and helps your natural oils stay on the hair shaft instead of dissipating into the pillow case. This also makes morning simpler as you will have fewer "Bed-head" issues.

4) Wash your hair in the shower.

Keep the hair down so that washing and then rinsing all goes with the pull of gravity. Puling the hair forward or having in pool in a sink raises the likelihood that it will tangle. You want the combing out process to be as gentle as possible.

Put shampoo in the palm of your hand and rub your hands together. Gently pull areas of hair apart at the scalp, not further down the hair shafts, and wipe the shampoo on the scalp. Apply more shampoo to your hands as needed and repeat that process until your scalp has a good amount of shampoo on it. Then get more shampoo on your hands and wipe it on the hanging hair.

When you begin the massaging action of the shampoo process, concentrate on the scalp, moving back and forth using finger tips only, not side to side or circular. We you are trying to avoid tangles, remember. Gently wash the rest of the hair. do not rub it between your hands but squeeze the hair, forcing the shampoo through the hair. Rinse beginning at the top of the head and working your way to the back and sides. Do not move the hair around too much, Let the water do most of the work.

Put your conditioner on. Here you can gently place the hanging hair on the top of your head. Let the conditioner stay on while you scrub the rest of your body with your favorite bath products. Then begin your final rinsing process at the top of your head again. Dry your hair as you normally do but be sure to squeeze the moisture from your hair, do not rub the hair.

Following these steps creates the environment for your hair to become the crowning glory that you crave. Be diligent with its treatment by the stylist and be gentle with its treatment at home. I just know you will be pleased with the results!