Twelve Tips To Keep Black Hair In Top Condition

Black hair, whether you wear it natural or styled, needs to be properly cared for to make sure it looks it’s best. Uncared for black hair can become dry and brittle, but with proper care, you can keep your hair looking smooth and shiny. Enjoy beautiful, manageable hair with these easy tips for your best hair ever. 

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One: Wash Your Hair No More Than Once A Week

Overwashing your hair strips it of its natural oils. This means your hair can become dry, brittle and more prone to breakage. Try not to wash hair too often, keeping hair washes to once every one or two weeks, to keep those important oils. 

Try and buy a shampoo designed for black hair, or at least made for dry hair. These shampoos will help your hair hang onto moisture. If you need an additional wash, dilute your shampoo with 50% water to prevent product build-up between washes. 

Two: Condition Regularly

Just because you’re washing your hair less often, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t condition it. Between washes, you can ‘wash’ your hair using your conditioner. This will help your hair lock in its natural moisture. Frizz will be kept at bay and your natural curls will stay glossy and easier to style. 

When you apply conditioner, concentrate on the ends of your hair. The ends get much drier than the roots, and will need the most help to stay moisturized. Focus the conditioner where you need it to prevent greasiness at the roots or dry ends. 

A deep conditioner treatment can be applied every couple of weeks for an extra boost to your hair’s moisture. Choose a conditioner that uses natural oils, like olive or coconut. These will add shine without the weight of heavy product.

Three: Avoid Silicones and Sulfates

Hair products with silicones and sulfates give shine at first, but these harsh ingredients can strip the hair of those all important natural oils. To avoid dry, easily breakable hair, avoid these ingredients, and instead look for more natural ingredients. To repair damage, apply a nourishing hair mask which will give you that shine without the harsh stripping.

Four: Comb Correctly

Remember to be gentle with your hair when you’re combing it. Avoid a brush, as they will cause frizz. Instead, on damp hair, detangle knots gently with a wide toothed comb, working upwards from the ends. Try not to comb too often, and use your fingers to detangle instead between uses of the comb. 

Five: Stay Cool

Heated styling tools like hair dryers or straighteners are very drying on the hair and can cause a lot of damage. Try to avoid using these tools too often. When you do use them, keep them on the coolest setting possible, and always a heat protective product like a serum or spray. For straighteners, opt for ceramic plates rather than metal. They’re much kinder to hair. 

Six: Don’t Over Style

If you’re using popular styles like braids or cornrows, be careful not to pull them too tight, as this can cause breakage or crimps in the hair. If you pull hair back too tightly too often, it may even begin to break and thin around the hairline. If a tied back style, it’s too tight. 

If you’re tying or clipping your hair back, choose the right tools. Avoid rubber bands, and instead choose a snag free hair tie, with no metal, to avoid accidentally ripping at your hair. For hair clips, avoid metal, as this can easily catch in your hair. 

Seven: Choose Sewn In Weaves

Weaves are very popular and are an easy way to get glossy, shiny locks. If you’re choosing them, make sure you don’t put them in too tightly to avoid pressure on the scalp. Remember though, a weave that isn’t tight enough will pull on the hair and cause damage. It’s important to have a weave put in correctly, so see your stylist frequently to keep the tightness right. 

Sewn in weaves are much gentler on your natural hair than the glued in version. The glue can rip at hair, causing a lot of damage, so stay away. 

Make sure you have your weave removed after one and a half to three months. Let your hair rest and have a break for a week or two before you have a new weave put in to replace the old one. 

Eight: Be Careful With Relaxing Treatments

Be careful using chemical hair treatments like relaxers. If you can, get the treatment done by a professional stylist. If you do use a relaxer yourself at home, make sure you read all the instructions very carefully before you start and then be sure to follow them exactly. 

If you already have relaxed hair, be careful not to put relaxer on hair that has already been treated. Over-treated hair is easily weakened and may break. Instead, only apply to new growth. Protect your hair during the treatment with a rich conditioner or oil. This stops the chemicals from drying your hair out. 

Nine: Take A Break Between Styles

Let your hair rest between elaborate styles. If you like your hair with a weave or a style like braids or cornrows, let your hair have a break before you reapply a new style. The break will help hair recover before being pulled tight again. 

During these breaks, you don’t have to give up keeping hair under control. A silk scarf or bonnets to protect your hair look stylish without risk of breakage. 

Ten: Change Your Pillowcase

Cotton pillowcases can catch and snag hair during the night, causing it to break. They also can draw out the moisture in your hair making it dry. Instead, reduce frizz and breakage during the night by sleeping on silk or satin pillowcases. Both fabrics are better for the hair, and are better for your skin too. 

If you can’t get a satin or silk pillowcase, consider wrapping your hair into a silk scarf at night to protect it that way instead. 

Eleven: Add Moisture

Keep your hair manageable by locking in plenty of moisture. Treat the ends with natural oils. Olive, coconut and castor oils are all great for helping dry ends look their best. Smooth an oil through regularly to keep things looking good. 

Twelve: Get Regular Trims

Serums don’t do much for split ends, so get rid of dry, split ends by getting regularly trims. Cutting off the ends will make hair look and feel much healthier and shinier. Finding the best salon near me will guarantee you can seek regular trims that will boost the health of your hair.