10 Black Hair Tips That You Really Ought To Know

Isn’t Scandal just the best thing on TV at the moment? OK I may be exaggerating a little. I am also a huge fan of The Game of Thrones, The Newsroom and Downton Abbey.

But curling up in front of the box and watching Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope fixing other people’s problems while trying to get over the love of her life President Fitz…. well that’s just a perfect evening.

What all good TV shows have in common is that the creators have stumbled on a recipe that speaks directly to a particular group of people.

Mix in ingredients like good writing, drama, intrigue, conspiracies, love and a touch of sensationalism amongst other things then you are guaranteed to create a hit TV show. Well that’s the theory anyway.

I got to thinking about what makes a good hair regimen. Is it the major things we do like long term protective styling and protein treatments that make the most difference or is it the little things like moisturizing and sealing daily and deep conditioning* often?

There is something to be said for each approach of course but I truly believe that the little things matter every bit as much as the big things. By complimenting each other at different times, the little and big things we do to our hair come together to create a great regimen and as such you really start to see progress in your hair’s length and health.

With that in mind here is my list of the top 10 black hair tips that you really ought to know:

1. Water is the best moisturizer – Surprise surprise (not). Water is what moisturizes your hair best, not oil, not hair creams or leave in conditioners. When your hair has been freshly washed, it has the maximum amount of water it can hold and the percentage only goes down in the days following your wash.

Expect to lose a large chunk of that moisture if you use heat to style your hair and just as large a chunk if you don’t seal the moisture into your hair with an oil or butter.

Think of leave in conditioners as a way of topping up the tank during the week but don’t expect them to completely take the place of the true moisturization that can only come from H20.

2. Always work with your hair in sections – If you are going about your hair regimen right then you should have pretty thick hair (relaxed and natural). The most stressful way to deal with your hair once it is at shoulder length or longer is to try and work with it all at once.

Invest in some butterfly or duck bill clips or even goody bands. They are cheap but they will make a world of difference in how much easier and productive your wash day will be.

With your hair in sections you will be ensuring that every single strand gets the proper attention it deserves.

3. Deep conditioning is a must – I would love to say that you can deep condition just once a month and your hair will start growing like a weed but that would make me a liar.

Nope, for most of us, especially at the beginning before your moisture-protein balance has been established (or you don’t even know what moisture-protein balance is) you need to get under that heat cap and get your deep conditioning on every single week!

Nothing softens hair like regular deep conditioning*, and nothing corrects porosity issues as quickly either.

4. Shampoo your scalp, condition your hair – This is a basic mantra that I learned back in the day when I started my own hair journey. For a full read up on why this is important go to the article here but the basic idea is that when you are shampooing you should concentrate on your scalp because that’s where the dirt is. When you are conditioning however concentrate on your hair, particularly those ends as they need it the most.

This tip is a lifesaver if you haven’t got access to sulfate free shampoos because it reduces your hair’s overall exposure to the drying effects of sulfates while still allowing you to cleanse your hair.

5. A little protein is better than none – Protein is of course very important in our hair journeys. These little molecules are what strengthen your hair and allow you to be creative with your styling week after week without your hair breaking like crazy.

But there are some people with established protein sensitivity which means that protein actually makes their hair more brittle instead of softening it. Still a little protein is better than none at all.

If you are protein sensitive give hard protein treatments a wide berth instead picking conditioners with protein much further down the list of ingredients aka light protein conditioners.

Don’t use them too often but on occasion top up your hair’s strength reserves with a light protein deep conditioning* session. You can even follow this up immediately with a moisturizing conditioner* if you wish.

6. Detangle your hair when wet only – Ok, you can get away with damp too but err on the side of wet hair if you are natural. This is a no-brainer really.

When your hair is wet, the moisture increases it’s elasticity meaning that the strands are able to stretch before breaking. If you are very careful and gentle while detangling with your hair wet, your breakage will subsequently be greatly reduced keeping more hair on your head.

7. Clarifying should not be ignored – Shampoos dry hair it’s true yet they serve an important purpose in our hair regimens. With all the oils* and products that you will undoubtedly use while trying to figure out what you hair likes and dislikes, you will collect quite a bit of build up in your hair and scalp.

Without washing away this build up away you may find that you hair simply stops responding to products as it once did and you will soon find yourself with hair that gets progressively drier and more brittle without explanation.

You don’t have to clarify often, every 6 -8 weeks will be fine to keep build up in check.

8. Hair growth rate varies widely – We’ve all heard that hair grows an average of 6 inches a year and although this is true for some people there is a huge variation on what the facts actually are in real life.

With research showing that some people of African origin get as little as 4 inches a year, it is important to be prepared for the fact that your hair growth may not quite make the average 6 inches. Just be patient and do all the right things and your hair will grow.

9. Direct heat will kill your hair growth dreams faster than anything else – If you are a newbie to the long hair care community the fact is you are more likely to be successful without regular direct heat use than with it. It’s just the way it is.

Now I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with using direct heat occasionally and correctly but the problem is a lot of people simply don’t know how.

The best time to include direct heat into your regimen is when you know your hair, your moisture-protein balance is sound and you have taken all the necessary precautions (deep conditioning*, heat protectants, temperature controlled tools etc). Otherwise give direct heat a miss and concentrate on heat free styling.

10. Be Patient – Hair growth doesn’t happen overnight. If you cut all your hair off today, you can still make great strides and you will probably be considered as someone with long hair in as little as two years. But for super long hair that is hip length and longer, be prepared to give it 5-7 years to realize your goal.

The great thing however is that by being in the know about good hair care practices, your hair will be longer that most average black women for the majority of your journey. And that’s saying something!

This is by no means a comprehensive list so if you feel that I have missed something glaringly obvious or you have a tip that has worked incredibly well for you please feel free to share in the comments below.

Happy hair growing girls.