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			The Black Woman's Guide to Beautiful, Healthier Hair in 6 Weeks! The 2003 Edition


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Sample Tips from the 2003 Edition

Here are a few of the MANY hair care tips you will find in the 2003 Edition of the book (an excerpt taken from Chapter 2, Getting Started -- there are 56 tips in this chapter alone):

19. If your ends tend to be really dry, in addition to not putting any shampoo directly on them, you could put a small amount of cr�me conditioner on the bottom three inches of the hair (from the ends up) before shampooing to protect them. Then shampoo as normal, avoiding your ends as much as possible. You could also do a more intensive pre-shampoo conditioning routine by putting your favorite cr�me conditioner on all of your hair (not scalp) for however long you have to spare before shampooing (e.g., 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc.).

20. Another dry hair treatment is to apply Aveda Sap Moss Nourishing Concentrate Pre-Shampoo Healing Treatment for Dry Hair to damp hair for 1-2 minutes (I have kept it on longer) before shampooing. This stuff is expensive, but it is great! It is only sold at Aveda Concept stores (see www.aveda.com). The bottle says that it can be used every five shampoos (once or twice a month, depending on your routine), so it should last a while. I have also found that this product works very well for me as I try to make it to the 12th week in my relaxer - it definitely helps soften new growth. See the Severely Dry Hair Treatment section in Chapter 3.

21. Before shampooing, clip or file any jagged or split fingernails that might snag your hair. There have been times during my shampoos where I have had at least one fingernail that gets caught on a strand of hair, and the strand usually breaks. So to avoid unnecessary breakage, check out your nails before each shampoo.

22. Start every shampoo off by rinsing your hair thoroughly with warm water (a few minutes or seconds, depending on your water pressure, hair texture, etc.). The more you rinse, the easier it is to create a lather and the less shampoo you will need to get your hair clean - this saves money and minimizes the drying effects of shampoo. If you'd like, you could also try KeraCare's 1st Lather Shampoo first to remove excess oils and product build-up, then do your actual shampoo. One of my cousins uses this on her hair and her daughter's hair with really good results.

23. Realize that there are different focuses for shampooing vs. conditioning. During your shampoo, you should focus on cleansing the scalp, not the hair and ends, trying not to rub the hair excessively. As the hair is rinsed, the shampoo that runs down the hair shaft is usually sufficient to clean it, unless you are trying to remove chlorine or some other chemical. If not, applying shampoo directly to the ends wastes shampoo and causes unnecessary drying. On the other hand, conditioning should focus on the hair and ends, especially the ends - these areas are often in need of the most care. Putting creme conditioners on the scalp can cause build-up, flaking and itching. Hot oil treatments (ones that don't contain mineral oil or petroleum) would be the exception, which are for the hair and scalp.

24. When shampooing your hair, gently massage the scalp with your fingertips - do not use your fingernails! Even if you have flakes or build-up on your scalp, just massage it away with your fingertips. Many women, especially stylists, use their fingernails when shampooing hair. Not only is this unnecessary, it may also damage your scalp - regardless of how good it feels at the time!

25. When you shampoo or rinse, keep your hair in a straight back position if you can (usually accomplished by shampooing in the shower or a stylist's chair) and massage the scalp without vigorously rubbing the hair. A lot of scrubbing and rubbing of the hair in different directions causes hair to tangle and mat - no one needs this, especially ladies with natural hair. Keeping the hair in the direction it normally falls, while it is wet, can help to prevent tangling and matting, especially if you have braids, extensions or a weave. With my relaxed hair I noticed that flipping it forward in the sink or tub to rinse out a conditioner and putting it up high on my head with a towel causes me unnecessary tangling. As a result, I now try to rinse out my hair in the shower or turned to the side in the sink or tub, and then gently use the towel to remove excess moisture as the hair hangs, instead of putting the hair up high on my head. The more tangling we can avoid, the less breakage we should experience.

26. Some ladies with really dry hair may benefit from a mid-week shampoo. See the Mid-Week/Refresher Shampoo section, which follows Week 6 of the regimen in Chapter 3 for a suggested routine/regimen.

27. Some ladies have started replacing their regular shampoo with a shampoo-less washing/cleansing, where shampoo is replaced by a conditioner. Although I have heard a few people rave about it (it is said to be less drying than regular shampooing), I did not find it cleansing enough to replace my weekly shampoo. However, I mention it because everyone is different, and if you find you need to tweak the suggested shampooing and conditioning regimen I describe in Chapter 3, this might be something new to try. I also mention a similar mini-regimen in the same chapter (under the Work-out/Mid-Week Conditioning Rinse section) that I use after working out or before a touch-up.

28. Regardless of how you decide to shampoo or how often, whenever you do would also be a good time to clean your combs and brushes. You can do this by throwing them into the sink or shower as you shampoo. Then rinse them out as you rinse your hair. Keeping my combs and brushes clean is something I struggle to remember, so this is definitely a tip that I am trying to incorporate into my own routine. Re-using dirty hair appliances can get our clean hair dirty faster, so we do need to keep these items clean.

29. Don't believe the claims of products that combine a shampoo and conditioner and promise the same results of shampooing and conditioning the hair separately. When I was younger I loved the idea of saving time and effort by eliminating the conditioning step. I always washed my hair in the shower so the thought of a one-step shampoo and conditioner was very appealing. However, after years of not getting the results that I wanted, a stylist I visited in college told me that our hair should always be conditioned separately, especially if it has been chemically-treated. Despite its coarse nature, our hair has special conditioning needs - it needs to be moisturized as well as strengthened. To maximize the benefits of your conditioner, you can use heat or deep condition (with a heating cap, dryer or hot towel) as needed, unless the conditioner specifically recommends that it not be used with heat.
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Here are a few of the manyl tips from Chapter 5, Daily Hair Care:

1. No one hair care product can guarantee perfect hair. So, don't believe ads for products that make these claims. Healthy, gorgeous hair is achieved through the use of a number of quality products, a consistent (not just whenever you feel like it) hair care regimen and having a qualified hair professional if chemical products are used.

2. All the hair care products in the world cannot replace good daily hair care, no matter how good they are. You cannot abuse your hair and expect even the best products to deliver on their claims. If you continue to use heat appliances every day, week after week, don't be surprised if the wonderful moisturizer that you are using, that claims to prevent split-ends and eliminate breakage, is not working. When you improve your overall hair care habits, you may start to experience some of the benefits claimed by the product manufacturers. However, you won't know until you adopt healthier hair care habits.

3. How you treat your body is just as important, if not more, as how you treat your hair. The best hair care regimen in the world will not be successful if you do not have a healthy diet that includes adequate water, protein and leafy-green vegetables (greens, broccoli, spinach, etc.). In fact, you should avoid diets that drastically restrict you from eating these foods. Also, for your health and hair's sake, drink at least eight glasses of water each day - soda and coffee do not count! If you don't like water, try it in a mug or tumbler with lots of ice (my kids and I love ice cold water), or add a slice of lemon or lime to it. No matter how you fix it, just drink it! Finally, a good multi-vitamin can help make up for any nutrient(s) that you may be lacking in your daily diet, so take one with a big glass of water and a meal (see more detailed information on vitamins in Chapter 9) - your hair will thank you!

4. Go easy on the chemicals, especially the relaxers and permanent coloring - a few wrong moves and your hair can get really "jacked up" fast, where you are left wondering what the heck happened. Both are best used professionally and as rarely as you can stand. Try to wait at least 8 weeks for relaxers if you can hold out that long, or as long as you can go without experiencing breakage. I have been getting touch-ups every 12-13 weeks now, as opposed to the 5-6 week schedule I had been on for 3 or 4 years. Foolishly, I mistook the dryness I saw and felt around week 4 or 5 of my relaxer as being unmanageable new growth, when it really was not. I have been amazed at how wetting my hair at least twice a week (shampooing or doing a cleansing rinse) and using Healthier Hair in a Bottle! Oil Spray a few times a week helped with that. My hair was in need of additional moisture, not more chemicals. I am sure that I am not the only one who has made this mistake. The tips in this chapter can help stretch the time between relaxers - they have for me. Waiting longer has made a big difference in the health of my hair, and I have also saved time and money. See chapter 7 for more on relaxing with care.

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