The Black Woman's Guide
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Girl Friend's Corner
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Sister-to-Sister Nuggets©
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Life Changing Publications
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Healthier Hair in a Bottle! Products
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Five-Minute Foot Fantasy™
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Sitemap
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What's Different About This Book?
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As the author of this book, I know there are many black hair care books on the market, which is why the question, “What's different about this book?” is a very valid one. Even though I think my regimen is the best, I would never profess to have written the best, end-all-be-all book on black hair care, but my book has some unique selling points that I personally have not seen in books found in most books stores. To name a few:
1) This is the first book that I have seen that allows the reader to see the author’s own personal experiences (see pp. 14-18 of the book, I even use pictures of myself), not just textbook examples or someone else’s experiences. Unlike other books, my book was written as a result of many years of frustration and disappointment over my inability to grow long, healthy hair (hair past my shoulders, without split-ends). In fact, I was never able to grow hair beyond my shoulders (without split-ends) until I was pregnant with my first son (prenatal vitamins and hormones can work miracles!). However as soon as I stopped taking the prenatal vitamins, my hair went back to the state and the length it was before. My book tells readers how they can reach their hair care goals as I did, with step-by-step instructions!
2) This is also the first book that I have seen that provides a detailed shampooing and conditioning regimen that allows black women to “cross-train” (rebuild, revitalize, replenish, repair, rejuvenate and restore) our hair (relaxed or natural) by rotating shampoos and conditioners in an on-going six-week cycle. Although I am not a licensed hair stylist, I spent two years reading every hair care magazine I could find (Sophisticate’s Black Hair Styles and Care Guide, Hype Hair, etc.), talking to stylists and to women with healthy hair, visiting beauty supply stores and experimenting on my own hair to come up with a regimen (see pp. 28 – 83) that has worked wonders on my hair and that of many readers (based on testimonials).
The book is written like a technical manual, designed to allow readers to use it weekly as they wash and style their hair. It may appear repetitive, but the purpose is to allow readers to have all instructions readily available for the week they are currently in – the goal is to make the regimen as easy to follow as possible. The thing I like best about the regimen is the air-drying techniques described in each week’s section – many books may mention air-drying, but none I have seen so far tell us how to do it.
3) This is the only book that provides an actual shopping list of products that can be easily and inexpensively found in most beauty supply stores for black women to use in the six-week and daily hair care regimen. My book takes the guesswork out of devising a successful hair care regimen for black women to follow (see pp. 23-27, 89-90 and 152-160). Only a few books ever give the names of products to be used, which leads to sisters wasting time in beauty supply stores or overpriced salons/boutiques looking for “a good moisturizing shampoo” or “a hydrating deep conditioner”. Unfortunately, the few that I have seen were selling products (often overpriced) created or produced by the author!
4) Unlike many other books, my book has a section devoted to daily hair care, which includes many hands-on tips on hair handling, treatments and styling. I also tell readers how I incorporate these into my daily routine (see pp. 89- 101). It should also be noted that my book is not written to replace hair stylists, but to provide an at-home, day-to-day hair care regimen that will ultimately enable black women to have healthier hair.
5) My book also offers dry and wet set styling alternatives to allow sisters to pick healthy, stylish looks that work for them (see pp. 102-135) without the use of harsh, damaging heat appliances (e.g., curling irons, electric curlers, etc.). Many books tell black women to avoid excessive use of heat styling tools, but until my book I have seen hardly any that suggest styling alternatives other than wet sets or keeping hair in a bun. Unfortunately, most styles created in hair care magazines are either created by curling/flat irons or wet sets – this makes sisters think there is nothing in between. However, my book reveals one of the best kept secrets in hair styling, The Richard Caruso Steam Hair Setter. On the surface it looks like a product that will only work for white women, but in my book, I give detailed instructions on how to use the product successfully (pp. 105-112).
6) Unlike other books, my book recognizes the fact that many black women are frustrated by unsuccessful efforts to grow longer hair and keep it. As a result, I dedicated an entire section to that topic specifically, giving detailed, practical tips to help us reach that goal (see pp. 136 –144). This is something that I have experienced, and I have talked to many women who have asked for advice on the same topic. I don’t think most hair care books give women in this category enough practical examples. A number of books try to answer the question of why we are losing our hair, as if we really don’t know – if we are honest, we do know the answer.
Many of us are destroying our hair with the overuse of heat (blow dryers and curling appliances); overuse or improper use of chemicals without proper maintenance; rough handling of our hair with combs, brushes and items that pull our hair tightly; overuse of products that dry, harden and break hair (gels, sprays, spritzes, glues and bonding agents, etc.); lack of a consistent deep conditioning routine; and more time spent taking care of add-on hair than our own. This is evidenced by the fact that in many of the popular hair care magazines there are often at least five major hair ads (for weaves, wigs or extensions). The focus is slowly shifting from us taking care of our own hair to an attitude of “if you can’t grow it, buy it.” This mentality scares and saddens me. Of course there are other contributing factors that might relate to health, diet and emotional/mental conditions, but the first set of reasons seem to be most prevalent.
I think it is helpful that many books on the market talk about the science and the chemistry of hair – my book does not do that. That has been covered, but I think more black women today are looking for nuts-and-bolts basics of home maintenance and practical ways to keep their hair healthy and stylish.
7) Finally, I think my book is different because it is written very informally – spirally-bound, in a step-by-step manner, in a conversational tone, with a touch of humor thrown in. I let the readers know that I have been where many of them are, and can help them devise their own regimen. Unlike other books, I give my email and business addresses to allow readers to write me with comments and/or questions (all of which I have answered except for a couple that encountered mail errors or were purged from AOL). I have even helped people locate products, and at the request of a reader in London, I now sell products from my website. So my goal is not just to sell books, but it is really more of a ministry to help and encourage black women in areas where I have struggled. With this book it is hair care, but future books will focus on sisters deaing with topics such as succeeding in the corporate arena, coping with being fatherless, encouraging ourselves, and eating for healthier lives.
This book was a labor of love, and as you can tell, when I learn something, I love to share it with others. Believe it or not, I practice most of what I preach in this book, week-in and week-out. In fact, I can only think of a few times that I have not deep conditioned my hair every week. It has become a part of me, and my hair is now actually longer than it appears in the book. So just as I have reached my goals, I want to help others sisters reach theirs. In addition to working on an updated version of the book (will include more pictures, updated product info, a section dedicated to swimmers, a section addressing common hair ailments and complaints, and many more hair care tips), I also hope to hold a few hair care seminars/workshops in the Washington, DC area in 2002.
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