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Ebony

December 22, 2012 By Anastasia Nam

Make the Transition to Natural Hair

Many black women and men have tried to conform to society’s notion of “good” hair by straightening their hair with lye based relaxers and hot tools for almost two centuries.

For many years, it was considered normal to put up with the sting of relaxers and breakage caused by harsh chemicals and high heat.

Hair Hair Hair
Hair Hair Hair (Photo credit: SodanieChea)

Today more black women and men are refusing to continue to abuse their locks in the name of fashion. More people are embracing their natural beauty.

Sometimes it’s a cultural decision, while other times people may just be tired of the upkeep. Whatever is the basis of your decision to embrace your hair’s natural texture, making the transition can be a challenge.

If you decide you want to try dreadlocks but don’t want to wait for them to mature and grow, you can add human hair extensions or yarn to your hair. This is fairly easy to do. (One note of caution, if you use anything except acrylic yarn, your hair may lock into it. If you change your mind you’ll have to cut out the yarn and your hair off.)

Naturally curly human hair works the best since it is easy to place into your hair and lock. As you braid your hair add the extensions to give yourself the length you want. Next roll the hair and extension between your palms to form a lock. You can also roll your hair to form locks and skip the braids if you want. If you want to try the yarn method simply knot the yarn onto your hair and then braid it into your hair. Roll the braid between your palms to form a lock.

Another attractive option is twists. As the name implies, you take small sections of your hair and twist them. This is a very lovely short look. You could also wear braids or an afro. Either choice is an great natural look for men or women. Be careful, if your braids are too tight you may develop a condition know as traction alopecia. Traction alopecia presents as hair loss along the base of your braids. It is usually a temporary condition, but wearing tight braids constantly can make you lose hair along the base of your braids permanently.

With ethnic hair, it is important to keep it and your scalp moisturized. You can wash dreads and braids if you’re careful and use the correct products. Don’t wash your hair everyday since ethnic hair is generally dryer than other types of hair. If you sweat a lot you can rinse your hair with cool water to remove sweat and dirt. Oil your scalp after you wash your hair while your hair is still wet. Try to massage your scalp everyday to stimulate blood flow and the oil glads which produce sebum. Sebum keeps your hair from becoming brittle, and the increased blood flow will help your hair grow.

Ask your stylist for tips on transitioning to natural hair. Embrace your hair’s natural curl and texture. There is no such thing as “good” hair. Good hair is simply healthy, natural, and looks great no matter what type of hair it is.

Filed Under: Hair Straightening Tagged With: Black Hair, Ebony, hair extensions, hair salon, hair stylist, OKC, oklahoma city

September 8, 2009 By Anastasia Nam

Maintaining Ebony Hair

Ashley Moses as Beyonce at Laney College Cosme...
Image by TheBlackHour.com via Flickr

One of the most difficult types of hair for its wearer to take care of is ebony hair. Ebony hair, in contrast to European hair, is usually very curly, coarse, or even kinked, and is deep black, with rare variations in the natural hair color. Given these characteristics, it is sometimes very frustrating for its wearer to style, color, or get cut.

The most common issues with ebony hair include losing moisture as readily as it absorbs it, making it very dry and prone to breakage at times. Because of its usual coarseness, the cuticle of the hair shaft tends to be raised, making moisture retention an issue. It is advisable to moisturize ebony hair with oils or conditioners as often as possible. Another issue for women with ebony hair is the high instances of breakages in longer hair. This is mostly due to the methods of styling used on the hair. About 80% of African-American women straighten their hair with one method or another. These processes, whether chemical treatments or heat styling, are very hard on the hair and tend to strip it of its much needed moisture.

Coloring also damages hair. Coloring hair from black (level 1) up to level 4 or 5 is acceptable, but some hair colors need the stylist to bleach hair up to level 8 or nine, and this gives ebony hair a very straw-like texture even when professionally done. And hair products cannot “cure” hair of damage. The best they can do is prevent any further damage and make hair “look” healthy.

It is recommended that ebony hair be treated with mild gentle shampoo and highly moisturizing hair conditioner. Conditioning hair on a daily basis will also help in maintaining healthy hair. It also helps to have a deep conditioning treatment once a week and a protein treatment once a month to maintain hair. Work this out with your stylist.

Another alternative could be to adopt a natural hairstyle, meaning going organic with your hair and avoiding chemical treatments and heat styles. This new movement in hair fashion has been espoused by Nedjetti for 15 years and is slowly gaining popularity.

So decide which method you think is best for you, just keep in mind your hair’s beautiful differences as well as limitations, and you’ll keep it healthy and beautiful.

Anastasia is a salon hair stylist in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Out of town appointments welcome.
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Filed Under: Hair Color & Treatments Tagged With: African American, African American Hair, and Info, Barber, Beauty, Black Hair, Consumer Goods and Services, Ebony, ebony hair, Edmond, Fashion, Hair, Hair conditioner, hairdresser, Hairstyle, hairstylist, Health, Info & Advice, Middle school, Norman, OK, OK Salon, oklahoma city, Shampoo, Shopping, Tips

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