by Rosa Blake

Created on: August 25, 2010

When it comes to African American hair, it is by far the most difficult type of hair to take care of, and fortunately that does not mean that it can not be done. African American hair is constantly being called bad hair when in all actuality African American hair is the most versatile type of hair. It can be straightened, curly, wavy, long, short, and many other styles.

The key to a great hair care journey for the person of African American descent is patience. While on the journey there will be countless times where the intensity and frustration of keeping up with healthy hair may become too much, this is when patience is needed the most.

One of the best things you can do to keep both chemically treated and natural African American hair healthy is to make sure that you keep it moisturized. Keeping the hair and scalp moist will allow for easier styling and less stress on the hair shaft and the roots. Keeping the hair moist will also slow the shedding process.  

Moisture is different for every head, some people only need to moisturize once a week while others need to moisturize every day. Most of the time it takes a while to find out which moisturizer works best for your specific type of hair and when you do find it, you will see a great difference in the health of your hair.

Besides the extreme need for moisture, African American hair also needs a certain amount of protein. You can get protein in many different forms, from diet to hair products. Also just like moisture the amount of protein that is needed differs from person to person.

Once you can get the amount of protein and moisture needed down, your hair care journey will become simpler even in the slightest way.  After you have started to take care of your hair with the moisture and the protein, the next step is retention.

Retention for African American hair is a large problem. Many times people that have thicker or more brittle African American hair have a problem with retention. This can be because of previous damage, current damage, manipulation, or a medical issue.

Chemical processes, intense heat, and over manipulation is the main culprits for low retention. Many times those with the long flowing African American hair got to that length with very simple regimens. It is not necessary to put extreme heat to your hair to get it straight, in fact in the long run it is worse for your hair. Same thing goes for chemicals and over manipulation.

There are many products that you can buy that will promise you long hair, but for anyone especially those with African American hair, it is how you take care of it and not what you put in it that will allow for the best results.

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