Did you catch Chris Rock on Oprah on 09/30 (Wednesday this week)? He was promoting his new movie “Good Hair” which should prompt a lot of good discussion among not only black people but the larger community about what good hair means. It was a great show about the often painful things black women have to go through to care for their hair. But, some points about white women’s obsession with their hair were also interesting as one of Oprah’s correspondents talked about how much she hates her natural hair color and Chris and Oprah talked about how almost all white women color their hair. Solange Knowles (Beyonce’s sister) was on. She recently cut all of her hair off tired of being a slave to it spending (she reported) $40-50,000/year on her hair and half of her life maintaining it.
You know we support women whether they choose to perm their hair or wear it natural. But, Chris made a really good point regarding “kiddie perms”. We agree that you should avoid putting perms in children’s hair at least until they are teenagers and can decide for themselves. It’s not only about the physical damage that can be done, but the emotional message sent telling them that the only good hair is straight hair.
We often (very often) get questions from clients asking us our opinion on someone else’s “natural” relaxer. Our policy is that we do not comment specifically on other people’s products. We cannot be experts on products we do not sell and have not used. And, as a professional courtesy, we choose not to disparage our competitors. However, we can comment on natural relaxers, in general.
Treasured Locks was in business for a couple of years before we began selling anything like a relaxer. To this day (after almost 7 years), the only product we sell that relaxes the hair is Baka Beauty’s atural-Laxer MIX and Natural-Laxer Plus. However, this product is not a traditional relaxer in that it does not straighten the hair, does not have a permanent effect on the hair and is very mild. We believe in the motto “First do no harm.”. We simply do not feel it is worth it for us to sell products that could potentially do major damage to a client’s hair and/or scalp. Even a good relaxer, in the wrong hands, can cause serious damage to your hair and scalp. We believe that putting permanent relaxers into the hair is best left to a professional.
Because of the way black hair is structured, it is simply not possible to permanently straighten it with a mild product. While what someone calls “natural” is debatable, what we have found in common with every natural relaxer we have researched is this. If it permanently straightens the hair, it is either extremely “basic” (high pH) or extremely “acidic” (low pH). What this means is it is very chemically reactive and works pretty much the same way a chemical” perm does. Many of the companies selling these natural” relaxers will not tell you what the ingredients are. And, we have found a few dressing up the ingredients to sound more natural than you would think. As we’ve said elsewhere, sodium laurel sulfate (derived from coconuts) could be termed “coconut
oil derivative”. Every chemical is derived, ultimately, from something natural. Lye is produced by running water across ashes from burned wood. So, lye is “natural”. But, instead of calling it lye, you could call it something like “natural ash extract”.
A natural, mild product that would straighten black hair would be the “Holy Grail” in this business. Black women would be beating our doors down if we found one. And, if we ever do, we’ll be sure to let you know! As
we’ve examined the claims of people trying to sell their products to us, we look for clues like ingredients that aren’t straight forward as o what they really are, extreme precautions on how to use the product, not listing the ingredients at all, etc. These, to us, are clues that these products are probably every bit as caustic as a
traditional perm and we steer clear of them.
There have been several attempts to define hair “typeâ€. You may ask “Why should I care?†Well, mostly you shouldn’t.  We think typing systems actually complicate what can pretty easily be conveyed in a few words.  By the time you sort through what a 4b or 1a really means you might as well just say “I have thick kinky African hair” or “I have straight, thin Caucasian hair”.  And, hair typing systems are so subjective as to be almost worthless in our opinion.  Who determines whether your hair shafts are thick or thin?  And whether the curl pattern is “loose” or “tight”.
There are controversies surrounding hair type methodologies that use works like kinky, nappy and other words that have less than positive connotations for some people. Other systems use numbers. But, they tend to lump all African American hair into one big category with a few variations. So, how useful is that really? Considering everyone’s hair is slightly different and people can even have different types of hair on their head at one time, categorizing hair is a difficult proposition at best.  There are two major systems that seem to be the most popular. There is a system called LOIS that uses the hair shape as the defining hair “typeâ€. For more on LOIS, do a Google on “LOIS Hair Typeâ€. Until many people switch over to the LOIS system, the standard seems to be the numbering system developed by Andre Walker.
In spite of our reservations about hair typing systems, knowing your hair type can allow you talk with others and research products, styles and regimens that are best for your particular hair. And you will often see people saying they have 4a or 4c hair. So you might as well know what it means.
The most common system seems to be one that categorizes hair based on curl pattern (with a number from 1 for the straightest to 4 for the kinkiest) and on the thickness of the shaft (note this is not the amount of hair strands you have but how thick each one is).  The thickness is rated with a letter ranging from a to c. The following numbers refer to the amount of curl or wave in a hair.
Type 1 Hair- Type 1 hair is straight with no discernible curl or wave pattern. This type of hair tends to get oily and is usually shiny.
Type 2 Hair- Type 2 hair is hair that has some soft waves, but little to no real curl. It doesn’t form rings, just waves.  It typically is more coarse than Type 1 hair and will cling to the scalp in long “S” shaped waves.
Type 3 Hair- Type 3 hair has a more definite “S” pattern to it with the “S” being more tightly formed.  It will typically be relatively soft and will have less shine than type 1 or 2 hair. It will straighten out or form ringlets when wet but will draw up into a curlier pattern when it dries.  This hair type is typical of biracial (African and Caucasian mix) people and of Blacks of a more mixed heritage.
Type 4 Hair- Type 4 hair will have kinks and twists and possibly coils but does not form an “S” shape. It may be “L” shaped with bends in it. It may form tight coils or “O” shapes (not really the same as the “ringlets”formed by Type 3 hair.  This type of hair generally doesn’t change shape much wet or dry.  It can be wiry and usually is fragile.  It tends to be drier than other hair types because the bends and twists not only provide points that are more fragile, they actually make it hard for the natural oil (sebum) produced by the scalp to reach the ends of the hair shaft. Because the cuticles do not lay flat on Type 4 hair, the hair tends to be less shiny than Types 1, 2 and 3 and people will often think natural Black hair is dry or dull looking.  Most African-Americans have Type 4 hair, which is why this designation alone is not really super descriptive.  It seems we are the ones most concerned with categorizing our hair and by this pretty crude system, most of us fall into basically the same category.
Chemically Straightened Hair- Chemically Treated or Permed hair is a hair type we think we have to add. Perming the hair changes the natural structure of the hair creating its own hair type.  It is going to be anywhere from a Type 2 to a Type 1 in terms of straightness (depending on the strength of the perm).  In spite of the fact the hair shaft is slightly thinner due to the action of the perming chemicals, it might still be a relatively thick hair shaft.  It will have more shine than natural hair because the cuticles lay more flat.  But, it will tend to be dry.
The letters a, b and c after the number tell you how thick the hair strand is.  One would think the thicker the strand the less fragile the hair.  But, actually type 4c hair can be the most fragile because of the curl pattern and the dryness of the hair. Type 4c hair needs to be moisturized regularly, treated gently and should never be brushed with a bristle brush that can catch the bends and break the hair.
All of these questions and more are answered in this guide. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you exactly what’s best for you or for your child. I purposely have avoided a cookbook because proper maintenance of hair is more of an art than a science. Every person’s hair is slightly different and therefore requires a slightly different maintenance routine. Even my two daughters, with the same father and mother, have different hair types. I find that an oil that is great for one is too heavy for the other. After years of trial and error that I have developed regimens that work best for each of the three of us. I am still tweaking those as I find new products and as I gain more experience. But, I will share my routines with you. These should be useful starting points for you to develop your own routine.
We are receiving a lot of requests from Caucasian mothers who have adopted children of African descent and know almost nothing about Black hair care. Most African Americans are multi-racial. So, African American hair has a wide variety of textures and needs.
Expectations for African American Hair
The number one complaint we get about black hair is that it looks dry or dull. Before you go too far to make your natural hair full of sheen and shine, it’s best to have the proper expectation.
Natural Black or African hair will not be as shiny as permed hair or Caucasian hair. A major part of what makes hair shiny is the structure of the hair, not just the amount of oil or moisture it contains. If the cuticles lay flat (smooth hair), the hair will reflect light better (translated will appear shiny). If the cuticles are raised, the hair will absorb light (translated will appear more dull). Without changing the structure of the hair (as in getting a perm or relaxer for us African Americans), our hair will only be so shiny. By applying a bunch of grease to make it shinier, you could end up damaging the hair. Having said that, natural African hair can appear healthy, smooth and have a nice healthy sheen. You’ll have to observe your hair to see what is possible for you.
Another complaint we sometimes get (again it seems usually from White mothers) is that their child’s hair is too curly or too frizzy. There are some things you can do to control frizzyness and curliness. But, if you want to effect “permanent†(permanent until it grows out anyway) changes, you are looking at a chemical process. One thing we often advise mothers about though is please do not expect your child’s hair to be like yours. And, please do not make her feel as though something is wrong with her hair because it’s “frizzy†or curly.
You should picture your child’s hair as a collection of fine fibers. You should treat it as gently as you would a fine washable silk blouse. The better you treat her hair, the easier it will be to grow and the better it will look. You should be aware that African hair and biracial hair tends to be drier than Caucasian hair. The structure of our hair makes it more difficult for the oils to work their way from the scalp to the ends of the hair. Because our hair is kinky, it tends to tangle more and pulling these tangles out can cause breakage. In spite of appearances, black hair and biracial hair tends to be more fragile than Caucasian hair. The lack of moisture and elasticity and the kinks that get grabbed when styling or combing make for hair that can be broken easily.
Someone once asked me if natural hair is meant to be combed. Actually, the answer probably is no. I don’t think our hair was structured to be combed at all. So, as long as we’re going to do it, we have to do it causing the least amount of damage possible.
Both of my daughters have natural hair. We receive a lot of compliments about their hair. We have a mixed heritage (as do most African Americans). But, many of the same things I do for them can be adapted for biracial hair care. Here are my “secretsâ€.
Tools for Maintaining African American Hair
Before you set out to perform any task, it’s important to make sure you have the right tools. While many products can be picked up on the cheap in the drug store or at your grocery store, you owe it to yourself to get the best products you can afford. While we don’t believe in paying a lot of money for fancy packaging, a name brand or a foo-foo salon, we know that there are much better products available from specialty stores like Treasured Locks or even your local salon.
Wide tooth comb or pick or brush made for African American hair. We like “detangling†combs and the Kakakiki KombBrush
This section will be particularly important to those of you who have not worked with kinky hair. Never try to comb out kinky hair while it is dry. Use a moisturizer to provide elasticity to the hair and to reduce friction. Be sure you have a wide tooth comb. You might want to look for a “detangling†comb. If nyou’re used to fine tooth combs, it might look a little strange to you. But, generally speaking, the farther apart the teeth the better. I generally do not use bristled brushes because I find they tend to grab the hair. I
have aKakakiki KombBrush, which does a great job on the girls’ natural hair. It’s a combination comb and brush in one device. It’s shaped like a brush, but has round teeth more like a comb.
Be patient and gentle when combing kinky hair. If your daughter is screaming, you might want to consider that you are pulling too hard. I begin by working in sections. I part the
hair and tie off the part I am not working on at the time. I gently grasp the hair near the scalp with my free hand and work the comb against that hand, rather than against the scalp. Comb gently beginning near the roots and work your way up- until all kinks are free. I then tie that section off and start on the next section.
Tips for Washing Black Hair
I wash their hair about once a week. In the winter this might stretch out a little longer. I wash more often in the summer. But, one of the mistakes non-African American parents
of Biracial or African children commonly make is to wash their hair too frequently. Many of my Caucasian friends wash their hair daily. In a child with Black or African hair, this can lead to dullness and dryness. I like to use different shampoos to eliminate the possibility of build-up from a particular shampoo. I alternate between:
Huminature Nothin’ But Nature Shampoo
SheaMoisture Shea Butter Shampoo
Treasured Locks H2G Awaken Emu Oil Shampoo
Treasured Locks Huminature Moisturizing Shampoo
Treasured Locks Free & Clear Shampoo
If your child is very young (too young to keep her eyes closed), use a baby shampoo. These shampoos contain agents that keep the eyes from stinging. However, many of them are particularly drying for African-American hair. So, transition to a nice mild, moisturizing shampoo as soon as possible.
Wash gently, but thoroughly, massaging the scalp while washing. When you dry, blot with a towel rather than rubbing vigorously. Avoid heat as much as possible for
drying. Allow the hair to air dry as much as possible before blasting it with forced hot air.
Between Washings
If your child swims or sweats from her scalp, you may be tempted to wash too often. One way to stretch out the time between washings is to just rinse the hair with warm water, condition and go from there.
How to Condition African American Hair
Biracial and African-American clients often complain about dull, dry hair. But, many of them skip the essential step of conditioning their hair after they wash. Conditioner is vital because conditioner helps leave the hair feeling smooth by leaving a thin wax-like coating. Conditioner also helps lessen the breakage and pulling caused by tangling. Tangling happens when the cuticle of one strand of hair (which are more raised in Black and Biracial hair) catches on the cuticle of another hair. Conditioner also smooths over rough broken edges of the outer layer of hair. By smoothing over the outer layer of the hair, conditioner makes the hair feel softer, reflect light better and keeps it from tangling
and breaking as much. Lastly, the protective coating left on by conditioner holds moisture and reduces static electricity.
After washing, I condition with one of these three products:
At least once or twice a month, after shampooing, I deep condition their hair. I will use one of several products:
Treasured Locks Deep V Conditioner
Treasured Locks Hot Hair Repair
Baka Beauty Sahara Clay
HumiNature Rhassoul Clay
I put one of the deep conditioning products on after shampooing and use either a microwave or professional heat cap for 30 minutes or so. The moist, gentle heat allows the cuticles to open and the moisturizing product to penetrate the hair shaft. A good hot oil treatment could be done here instead.
How to Properly Moisturize African American Hair
Probably the most important key to healthy African American hair care is moisture. Because of the structure of our hair, it tends to become dry easily. Dry hair lacks elasticity and therefore is brittle and prone to breakage. Moisturize with good products and do it often. Moisturizing is not necessarily the same as oiling. And it is certainly not the same as putting on what we used to call “grease†(see below). After the Deep Conditioning or Conditioning I moisturize. I use one of these products:
Treasured Locks Leave-in Spray Conditioner
Black Earth Protective Mist Bodifier
Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm
SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner
Treasured Locks Locks Of Curls Pomade & Gel
Should I Oil My Hair and Scalp?
The subject of whether to oil or not is controversial in African hair care. You’ll have to
decide for yourself. My experience has been that, for my daughters, and me, oil is good for our hair.
The right oil though is of vital importance. We only use all natural oils, mostly plant
oils. We avoid mineral oil and petroleum based products. The one notable exception to the plant oil rule is emu oil (an animal oil). I love emu oil! This is one of those places where you’ll really have to experiment. One of my daughters can use a heavier oil than the other. She can even use pure Shea Butter. The other daughter’s hair is too thin and looks weighed down with Shea Butter. To apply the product, I put a little of the product in the palm of my hand (and melt it, if it’s a solid product). I then rub it on the hair and massage into the scalp. I will not use anything that doesn’t melt at body temperature. That’s why I avoid products with much beeswax, which melts at somewhere over 140 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s well above the temperature your water heater should be
set at and is hot enough to scald you. In other words, if you put beeswax in your hair, expect it to be there for a long time. If I happen to use something with a little beeswax (which has a relatively high melting point), I make sure it still melts at body temperature so that it doesn’t build up. I often mix a couple of the products. To be safe, I mostly use
products that are liquid at room temperature. Some of my favorite oils are:
Shea Butter Oil- has the wonderful properties of Shea Butter, but in a much lighter, liquid form. We began our company selling nothing but Shea Butter products. That was before Shea Butter was as popular as it is now. It’s still a key ingredient in many of our hair and skin care products.
Emu Oil- unbelievably good for scalp health. Improves circulation, reduces inflammation and has natural antiseptic properties. All help promote hair growth.
Jojoba Oil- the closest thing to natural sebum itself. Jojoba oil is technically a wax, not an oil. It can actually make oily skin less oily and dry skin more oily, In other
words, it helps bring skin into balance. In the case of biracial hair care, we are generally seeking to add oil to the scalp.
Castor Oil- nice all natural plant oil that helps humectify (draw moisture to) the hair and scalp.
You can choose from the following products (from heaviest to lightest in order)
Pure Shea Butter
SheaMoisture Shea Butter Herbal Pomade (does contain some petroleum)
Black Earth Strengthener- (does contain some petroleum)
Treasured Locks Herbal Hair Balm- Shea Butter based with other natural butters and oils. Solid product with a low melting point.
Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Serum- with Emu Oil. My favorite.
Tips for Styling Black Hair
Generally, I style the girls’ hair without the use of styling products. Since they are young, mostly, they’re in ponytails, plaits, braids or the like. But, I mix it up and am very cautious about overly tight styles that can lead to scalp damage and even a certain type of hair loss. I especially avoid any styling products that might be drying to their hair. You’ll want to be very careful with hair sprays, mousse products, gels etc. But, there are a few aids I use for certain hair styles to provide hold or some straightening:
Treasured Locks Curl Tamer- I use this on the occasions when I want their hair straighter. Combined with a blow dryer, this allows me to easily get their hair ready for styles for certain occasions.
Nubian Heritage Raw Shea Butter Loc Butter- great all natural Shea Butter based loc butter that I’ll use for twists or styles where I want a little more hold.
Treasured Locks Locks of Curls Pomade & Gel- provides hold and moisture in one product. An aloe vera based gel product with Shea Butter oil and other natural moisturizers & softeners. This is great for two strand twists, straw sets or to hold in braids for less frizzing. Also can be used to work kinky hair into curly hair.
Treasured Locks Thermo Shield- a spray that protect from heat and gives hair a shine when flat ironing or pressing
Repetition
This is very important. I repeat the Moisturize and/or Oiling steps above on a regular (almost daily) basis when I’m combing/styling the girls’ hair. Even if we’re in a non-comb style (like twists), I’ll touch them up just about daily, with something. I’m careful to avoid build-up and I don’t use a lot of product. But, I find that their hair is healthiest when receiving moisture on a very regular basis.
Controlling Frizzyness and Curliness in Black Hair
As we said earlier, expectations are important when it comes to hair. But, we do have products that will help reduce the frizzyness, to an extent. Natural-Laxer MIX is a treatment that can be applied about once a month. It is all-natural and works to gently tame wild hair. We’ve had people of various ethnicities who are very pleased with it. It does not actually alter the structure of the hair like a relaxer would. It can be applied in the home and wears off after several weeks. For those looking for a more permanent solution, a mild relaxer, a texturizer or a kiddie perm might be something to consider. Before you do though, please read our precautions when it comes to permanents/relaxers (see below).
If you’re not familiar with them, please be informed before you make that decision.
Other products we offer that help when styling curly and/or frizzy hair include:
Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm- Treasured Locks Conditioning Balm is a botanically rich, leave-in conditioning and styling balm that straightens and controls curly frizzy hair while, giving incredible shine and manageability.
Treasured Locks Liquid Silk- A space age blend of silk proteins for redefining any texture hair. Curly hair becomes smooth and shiny.
Treasured Locks Curl Tamer- just shampoo, towel dry, apply product and blow dry for those days when you want to wear your hair straighter. Fantastic product for biracial hair.
Treasured Locks Locks of Curls- doesn’t eliminate curls, but defines them, turning kinks into soft flowing curls or just smoothing out curls and making them more defined. With the proper styling technique, you can get those bouncy flowing curls you see on the stars (instructions are on our website).
Perms or Relaxers for Black Hair- Should I or Shouldn’t I?
We often get questions concerning perms for young girls. Generally, we recommend against perms for prepubescent girls. Their hair and skin aren’t fully developed and changing their hair texture this early in life (especially a permanent change) can send the message to them that their hair isn’t good enough. Our older daughter is proud of her natural hair and says she will never perm it. But, our younger year old says she will. Ironically, it’s the older one who has the thicker hair. When they are old enough, they can decide on their own.
I use Natural-Laxer MIX on our older daughter. It has made her hair much more manageable and improved the texture. I can comb her hair in about half the time it used to take and I’ve seen a large reduction in the amount of hair left in the comb after combing.
Perming or relaxing the hair might seem like an easy solution to the kinky/frizzy/hard-to-comb problem. But, there are several things you should know before heading down this path. We’ve seen unaware mothers actually make things much worse by not knowing this before getting started. Consider the following before you start
perming.
We do not recommend home box perms. People often ask us to recommend perms to them. We do not recommend any perms because we do not sell any. A beautician has told us that they are not the same quality as the salon perms. I don’t know if that’s true. But, even if it is not, a chemical relaxer or perm is a process that is best performed by a professional. Serious damage can be done to the hair (that can never be repaired, it has to grow out). A relaxer, improperly applied can do permanent damage to the scalp. The only compromise we would even contemplate on this would be to take your child to a local beauty school, if you just
cannot pay the money the salons are charging. At least they’ll get the perm under professional supervision. And, the cost is usually a pretty small fraction of the cost in a salon.
If you insist on applying perms at home, please read and follow the instructions carefully. Do not keep perming the part of the hair that has already been treated. Only apply the perm to the new growth (the kinky stuff underneath). Perming
the same part of a strand of hair over and over again thins it a little each time. Eventually, it will break. It’s not a question of “ifâ€, it’s “whenâ€.
If you begin to relax your child’s hair, you must keep on doing it. When the natural hair reaches a certain length underneath the relaxed hair (hair grows from the root), the hair begins going through a transition stage. At this point, the hair is
very vulnerable to excessive breakage. Generally speaking, a perm will be required every 6-8 weeks unless you are prepared to transition back to natural hair. Transitioning, without taking proper precautions can be very traumatic because of the breakage.
If you relax your child’s hair, you weaken the hair and reduce the ability for the scalp to naturally oil itself. Permed hair is especially delicate and must be cared for even more diligently than natural hair. But, it’s better to perm hair than to fry it with excessive heat trying to make it straight or to end up breaking it off by combing it too aggressively.
Ponytail Do’s and Don’ts
Bound hairstyles are great for little girls. They keep the hair from going wild and from tangling. I can often get a few days out of a style, too. But, these bound styles can lead to hair disaster- as in severe, and even permanent, hair loss. Here are some dos and
don’ts you will want to be aware of:
Don’t- use common rubber bands to hold her hairstyles. Also, avoid the bands with the metal clips, which grab and break kinky hair. Rubber bands cause too much friction on the hair and will eventually cause breakage. Buy covered bands or
smooth bands made especially for hair.
Do- remove any bands from the hair every night before bed time. Even the best bands should be removed before retiring for the evening.
Don’t- pull the hair too tight. While it may be attractive, if you see your daughter’s eyebrows arching like she’s just had a face-lift you could be doing damage to her scalp. If you start to notice bumps around her hairline or elsewhere on her
scalp, you could be causing traction alopecia. Normally, changing the hairstyle easily reverses this. But, if it is continued, this practice can lead to permanent hair loss.
Sleeping
Please remove tight bands from hair before sleeping. Using a satin pillowcase or a satin sleep cap will reduce friction with the pillow and help retain moisture in the hair. Cotton pillow cases against the hair can absorb moisture from the hair leaving it dry. Also, the
friction (if you move a lot) can actually lead to breaking. Using a soft, smooth cap or a satin pillow case avoids these problems.
Should I Trim My Ends?
The ends of the hair are the oldest parts because hair grows from the root. If the ends
are neglected, they can begin to split; causing damage even further down the hair. It may be counterintuitive. But, trimming the ends can actually lead to having longer hair. If you notice the ends of the hair are very dry, you might want to make sure you are doing a good job conditioning. If you notice they looked frayed, more tangled than normal or split, have them trimmed. I neglected this for a long time with my girls. But, since starting, I immediately noticed an improvement in the manageability of their hair. It was
actually easier to comb just after trimming the ends.
Hair Growth/Health Supplements
I use the Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Supplement and Treasured Locks H2G Hair
Strength Supplement. I have had a noticeable improvement in the condition of my hair and nails since using these supplements.
Proper nutrition is essential to good hair health. Supplements can certainly help with that. However, we do not recommend these products for children under the age of 13. They are formulated for the needs of an adult. Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Serum (applied to the hair and scalp) and Treasured Locks H2G Awaken Emu Oil Shampoo and Treasured Locks H2G Awaken Emu Oil Conditioner are also great for stimulating the best possible hair growth.
Summary
I hope you find this guide useful. I know that what you really want is a cookbook approach. But, for the reasons we stated at the beginning, that just isn’t possible. If you follow these general guidelines and learn how to look for signs of hair health, you can easily begin to make your or your child’s hair more manageable and healthy. After a few days, weeks and months of using the right products and the proper techniques, you will see a noticeable improvement.
If you have any questions after reading this, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’re glad to help.
Here are some tips on removing styles such as braids, weaves, bonding glue, hair extensions and locks. Contrary to some opinions, locks can be safely removed. You will probably experience some hair loss and will see shedding of the hair that is no longer attached to the hair but is still in the lock. You probably will have to cut off some amount. But, with patience the proper tools, you can remove your locks. Continue Reading >>
Manageability is one of the key things our clients request. As you might imagine, we get a wide range of clients with many different hair types. But, making the hair easier to style, less frizzy and easier comb are common concerns among our clients.
We’d like to take a moment to review just a few products that could be beneficial in making your hair more manageable. (the model is this photo had her hair lightly blown-dry after applying Treasured Locks Curl Tamer to make it less frizzy, slightly less curly, easier to comb and smoother looking).
While you may have only recently heard of Shea Butter, its use is far from a recent development. The benefits of Shea Butter have been well known for centuries. Africans have used Shea Butter for many generations to protect and rejuvenate their hair and skin. Shea Butter is not only for those of African descent though. Everyone can take advantage of Shea Butter’s benefits. Today, Shea Butter is available in pure form and as an ingredient in many products to help with maintenance of the hair and skin and relief from many common ailments.
First of all, natural is a relative term. How you define “all natural” may vary from how the next person will define it. Once you mix two ingredients together, one could argue the product is not “all natural”. We believe that God put many wonderful things on this earth to take care of our bodies inside and out. Generally, speaking the less refined or manipulated a product the better. However, we also believe God gave man the ability to improve on his environment and some chemical formulations (especially medicines) are extremely beneficial. Swamp water is natural. But, I wouldn’t drink it. Aspirin is not as natural (it is an extraction of a natural compound found in willow bark), but it’s a fantastic drug. Blood pressure medications are not natural, but many of use could not live without them.
We promote products that we believe are healthy for your hair and body. All things being equal, we prefer natural products over highly refined products. Even when man tries to recreate nature by manufacturing or refining products. Time and time again, man has made “extracts” of things proven to be beneficial and research comes along later saying the supplement is not as good as the whole fresh fruits or vegetables. Often, there are delicate trace substances, a balance of substances or some other thing that we cannot quite recreate. But, sometimes the extractions are necessary. How’d you like to have to find and chew on willow bark if you had a headache?
However, all things are rarely equal. All natural products will be less stable, may not look as nice, will be more expensive and usually have shorter shelf lives than less natural products. If you like a lot of lather, you may be disappointed with all natural shampoos. If you buy all natural products, you may find they separate or go bad more easily. We have had people who thought they wanted all natural products call and complain about the products separating (an effect of not using artificial emulsifiers) or not being as thick or not lathering as well as what
they are used to. Besides just saving money, manufacturers often use chemically altered ingredients to make the products more palatable to the average consumer and more stable.
So, the decision is really up to you. Personally, we use an array of all natural products, less natural products and some completely manufactured products, depending on the product itself.
The same basic principles apply for children as for adults. Here are the differences. Find a good children’s shampoo if your child is very young (so that it won’t burn the eyes). Children who don’t understand keeping their eyes closed to keep soap out need a tear free shampoo. However, as soon as you can, move away from these. They tend to be drying for African American hair. I recommend avoiding perms for as long as possible. Children have more sensitive skin than adults. The chemicals in the perms are more likely to damage their skin and hair. Also, children don’t usually have the patience to sit through the process of getting the perm. My stylist told me the story of a three year old girl she was trying to give a perm. Once the solution was in the hair, the child decided she was ready to leave. The stylist had to literally wrestle the child to rinse the perm out of her hair. My older daughter is almost six now and has very thick and coarse hair. Her hair is natural. I did a lot of research on the best way to care for it. I intend to leave her hair natural as long as possible. It’s really not any more difficult to care for than if she had a perm. We use Natural-Laxer MIX on her hair to make it more manageable (not straight). That and just using the basic tips above have made caring for her natural hair much easier, she has less breakage and tangles than she used to and we love the way her hair looks natural.
Is there something to make my hair grow really fast?
Is there something to fix my hair loss?
The difference between the two questions is the first group of people have hair growing in a normal pattern but it is not as thick or growing as quickly as they would like. The second group of people actually have areas where hair is growing either extremely slowly or not at all.Hair loss is a fairly complicated subject. We will cover that elsewhere. But, quickly, hair loss can be caused by a variety of reasons some easily treated (such as improper nutrition) and some not so easily treated (like male pattern baldness).
Generally speaking over-the-counter products such as our supplements will help with the easier to treat forms of hair loss. They will also help hair grow faster, longer , stronger and thicker. There are also supplements that can help with hair growth (see our Hair Growth Supplements). If your hair is damaged, your nutrition is not optimal (and whose is?) or you have a scalp condition there are things that can promote normal hair growth that will make it appear your hair is growing faster. Also, if you hair is breaking off, it will appear that it is not growing. By preventing that breakage, your hair will become longer. Before you run out and buy a super pill or an ointment, make sure you’re doing the day-to-day things to give your hair a chance to grow on its own. Our Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Serum is a topical (you rub it on your scalp) product that can help with hair growth. Our hair growth serum is a carefully selected blend of Emu Oil, Shea Butter Oil and other plant oils along with some Essential Oils that have been clinically shown to improve circulation, provide moisture, reduce inflammation and help hair grow to its fullest potential.
There are only a couple of over-the-counter medications that will help with serious hair loss. For men, there is Minoxidil (aka Rogaine) and Propecia. For women, there is Rogaine. These have been formulated in different packages and formulas with enabling compounds added.
Well, people don’t always ask if there is literally a pill. But, we do get a lot of people who want a quick fix. They want to buy a single product that will cure all their ills. The short answer is there isn’t one. To the pill question, proper nutrition is essential for the health of your hair and protein is necessary. We do offer supplements that can help with the health of your hair and skin. However, there is no pill that will overcome the damage you do to you hair by not properly maintaining it. Taking proper care of your hair is the only way to ensure it will remain healthy. There is no single thing you can put in your mouth or put on your hair to make it begin growing like a Chia pet (at least nothing that you’d really want in your body or on your hair). The way to fix your hair problems is the old fashioned way “Earn it”. You’ve got to develop a healthy regimen for your hair and stick to it. We’re here to supply you with the knowledge and the products you need. We want to help you get your hair in the best shape possible. But, we will not promise you a quick fix or sell you snake oil that cures all ills.
Transitioning from permed or relaxed hair to natural hair should be an exciting time for you. It should not be a time of intimidation or of a feeling of loss. Many women face objections from boyfriends, husbands, family and even in the workplace. While we can’t help you with those social and political pressures, we can give you some tips on what to expect and how to make the transition as easy as possible.
What to Expect When Transitioning to Natural Hair
People often ask us how they can make their relaxed hair “revert” back to natural hair. The true answer is you cannot. Nothing will make hair that has been chemically relaxed go back to its natural state. You have two choices, you can live with the permed hair at the end of the natural hair that is coming in or you can cut the permed hair off. Should you decide you just can’t let go of that length, be prepared for some breakage. The place where the natural hair joins the permed hair is a weak point. Many people experience a lot of breakage when growing out a perm. By treating the hair gently and minimizing combing during the transitioning stage, you can minimize the breakage. How much breakage you get is dependent on your hair type and how you treat your hair during the process. Baka Beautiful’s Natural-Laxer MIX is excellent for minimizing breakage during this phase. By gently softening the natural hair and strengthening the entire hair, the Natural-Laxer makes the transition from permed hair to natural hair easier and less traumatic. Natural-Laxer MIX is applied to the entire length of the hair (natural and relaxed).
One thing to keep in mind when you are considering natural hair is this. Some women are attached to the length of their hair and want to keep that length. If your hair is relaxed, it appears much longer than your hair would naturally. Six inches of relaxed hair is going to appear much longer than six inches of natural hair. Whether you decide to do the big chop or transition over time, unless you’re going to wear locks, braids, extensions or some similar style, your natural hair is probably going to appear much shorter than the relaxed hair you are used to.
First of all, make sure you have a good stylist. If you do apply your perm at home (which we do not encourage), be sure you follow the directions religiously. Make sure you apply touch ups only to new growth. Do not overlap the perm on to the already permed hair. Follow the general directions hair care outlined elsewhere on this site. Additionally, for permed hair:
Dry your hair slowly and with as little heat as possible. I try to allow a couple of hours to wash my hair. I wash it and towel blot it. I apply a hair and scalp oil. Then, I walk around the house for a couple of hours and let it air dry as much as possible. Finally, I blow it dry the rest of the way and begin my conditioning and styling routine.
Wet your hair as much as possible (at least twice a week). Spritz it with water daily or rinse it in the shower every day or two.
Use a leave-in conditioner and/or moisturizing pomade. Again, this is especially important for relaxed hair as you’ve stripped the hair of some of its ability to oil itself and its protection against moisture loss.
Have your hair trimmed on a regular basis (whenever you have a perm applied). If your ends split, this split can travel along the hair shaft causing damage to the hair further up. Don’t hang on to damaged hair for the sake of its length. If your hair has been damaged by a bad perm or general abuse, trim it back and let the healthy hair grow out to make up for it. Keeping the damaged hair around can actually begin to damage the healthy hair.
Touch up frequency will vary depending on your hair type and how fast it grows. I need to go pretty often. Six weeks is what some people need. Up to two to three months is fairly normal.
This is a question we get quite often. First, we need to set some expectations. With the obvious caveats about how we all have different hair types due to our diverse ancestries, natural African hair is going to appear more dull than Caucasian hair or even Black permed hair. Let me repeat that. Natural hair is going to appear more dull than permed hair. It’s just the structure of our hair. The cuticles on our hair, because of the curvature, do not lay flat. Flat cuticles reflect light better making that hair appear shinier. If you try to make your hair shine like someone with permed hair or a White person, you’re going to end up making a mess of your hair. If your hairdresser tells you you need to put more oil on your hair because it looks more dull than the permed hair she’s used to working with, now you know better.Having said that, we can make our natural Black hair look very healthy. There are two things that many of don’t get enough of on our hair- Water and Oil. Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids and wash your hair often enough (as described elsewhere in this paper). Make sure you are oiling your hair with good, natural oils that the hair can absorb. Too much of the wrong kind of oils, can actually damage the ability of the hair to absorb moisture and make the hair appear even more dull. As discussed elsewhere on this site, conditioning after each washing is especially important for Black hair care. Natural African hair is beautiful. But, it must be maintained properly to be and appear healthy.
Someone once asked us if we thought Black hair was “designed” to be combed (or brushed). Well, the answer to that would be “no”. The kinks in our hair are great places for combs and brushes to get caught and, if the hair is dry an inelastic, it can snap right off. However, modern society demands we do certain things that are “unnatural”. We brush our teeth, shave our legs, pluck our eyebrows, wear deodorant. So, the question we think is relevant is what is the best way to comb or brush my hair?We think that bristled brushes are a bad idea for natural hair and stay away from them entirely. The sharp ends on the bristles tend to catch and snap off natural Black hair. Brushes with rounded “bristles” (really more like teeth or tines) are much better. These can be found in many beauty supply stores. The Kakakiki KombBrush is uniquely designed for African-American hair. It is a combination of a comb and brush with multiple tines laid out similar to a brush. But, they are rounded, placed and designed specifically for Black hair care.As for combs, for natural Black hair, wide toothed combs are a must. African-American hair (and biracial hair) varies widely. So, you’ll have to decide which width is best for you. But, if you are going to use a rattail comb (great for detangling hair, making parts, etc.), remember the rattail is the end you want to use. Leave the other end alone!
If you have super curly, kinky or (dare we say it?) nappy hair, your hair is best handled wet. You may find it easiest to comb it with a wide tooth comb while in the shower. Give up on that skinny little European comb and get one made for your hair. Try to avoid combing your hair while dry as the comb will tend to catch and break the hair. If you need to comb your hair while it’s dry, be gentle. Try to spritz with some water or a cream first. You can use an unbraid product like Black Earth’s Protective Mist Bodifier or Royal Roots Detangler, Softener, Remover. If you’re unbraiding your hair and get to some tangles, pull them loose with your fingers (or the end of that rattail comb) before you go on combing.
How often you should wash African-American hair will depend on your hair type and how prone your hair is to drying or becoming oily. Not all African Americans have the same type of hair. Generally speaking, our hair tends to be dry and shampooing too often will worsen that. Rinsing your hair with plain water on off days (if necessary) and washing once every week to ten days works for most of us. Starting off with washing weekly and adjusting up or down from there is a good rule-of-thumb.It’s important to use a good moisturizing shampoo designed for your hair type (which is probably normal to dry). It’s also very important to condition your hair afterwards (see our article on why it’s important to condition for more information on that).Bi-racial people may want to wash their hair a little more often as it may tend to be more oily. Again, start with once a week and adjust up or down as necessary.BTW, when you dry your hair, do not rub it. Rubbing your hair can cause breakage. Blot it with a towel.
Q.) I have never met a person who says that “relaxers have helped me grow my hair.” All it seems to do is ‘tame’ the hair and keep it straight. I am interested in getting a relaxer, however I want my hair to continue to grow. For many years I have been using hair oils such as “Long Aid,” “Indian Hemp,” and “Hair Food,” etc. When I do decide to get a relaxer, is it possible I can still use these products along with vitamins such as “biotin?” Will using hair oils and vitamins help grow my hair while it is relaxed? Or is it better to keep my hair growing natural?A.) Ooh. These are loaded questions! Let’s see if we can answer them without stepping on too many landmines.
You’re right. Relaxers don’t help to grow the hair. There are people who would tell you that chemicals will make it impossible for you to have healthy hair. But, we don’t think that is necessarily true. Relaxers do work by breaking down the hair. And, relaxers do tend to make the hair more dry. But, with the proper maintenance you can have healthy relaxed hair. People with natural hair can (potentially) damage their hair more than chemically treated hair with too much heat (blow drying and pressing) trying to make it straight “naturally”. So, there is a trade-off there. If you want to wear your hair straight, a perm may actually be healthier for your hair.
Now, whether you wear your hair natural or permed, it’s always a good idea to keep it moisturized and get the proper nutrition (possibly including hair supplements such as Treasured Locks H2G Hair Growth Supplement).
We hope this answers your question. We can’t say that natural hair is always easier to grow than permed hair for the reasons above. Many people with relaxed hair have long, healthy hair. But, proper maintenance is important either way.
We know that whether to oil or not oil African-American is the subject of an on-going debate. In our experience, the right oils, put on at the right times and in the right amounts are a great thing for our hair. Oils, pomades, daily moisturizers, leave-in conditioner and creams will make the hair feel more soft and flexible. They are particularly important to be added to permed hair which has been stripped of some of its ability to oil itself. Mineral oil and petroleum use should be minimized or avoided. These products can tend to clog the pores (known as comedogenic), are not easily absorbed into the hair and attract dust. If you use products with these oils, try to use the ones that have the least amount. But, really there’s no need to use such products when there are much better all natural alternatives available. But, just so you know, generally, the further down the ingredient list, the less there will be in a product. So, try to use products where these are listed near the end.Now, back to what you should use. There are so many great natural plant oils. We typically don’t use animal oils, with one exception- emu oil. Emu oils reduces inflammation and has essential fatty acids and vitamins. It also easily penetrates the hair and skin. Emu oil has been shown to stimulate hair growth and is also good for a variety of other conditions. Some natural plant oils to try are shea butter, jojoba oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil. Jojoba is another oil worthy of note. It’s great for hair and skin as it naturally is very close to the sebum we secrete to lubricate our own hair and skin. Jojoba oil helps balance the skin. Treasured Locks offers a great selection of oils, pomades and moisturizers for every hair type and style.Many people ask us how often they should oil their hair and how much oil to use. This is something you will have to experiment with. You’ll probably find that permed hair needs more oil. But, natural kinky hair will need more oil than straighter natural hair. Biracial hair will probably require less oil than Black hair. And so on and so forth. As long as you are using good, natural oils in reasonable amounts, you should not have to worry about any build-up.Oils are best applied to wet hair to help hold in the moisture already there. Creams or leave-in conditioners can be used on days when you don’t wash or wet your hair. The type of oil or cream you use in your hair is going to depend on your hair type and may take a little it of experimenting to find what works best for you. Also, the time of year and your hair’s exposure to the elements will vary your routine.
Several of our Black and Biracial clients complain about dull, dry hair. But, many of them skip the essential step of conditioning their hair after they wash it. Conditioner is vital because conditioner helps leave the hair feeling smooth by leaving a thin wax-like coating. Conditioner also helps lessen the breakage and pulling caused by tangling. Tangling happens when the cuticle of one strand of hair (which are more raised in Black and Biracial hair) catches on the cuticle of another hair. Conditioner also smooths over rough broken edges of the outer layer of hair. By smoothing over the outer layer of the hair, conditioner makes the hair feel softer, reflect light better and keeps it from tangling and breaking as much. Lastly, the protective coating left on by conditioner holds moisture and reduces static electricity. So, do not skip this important step in hair care. If your hair is dry, dull and/or tangled, it’s very important to condition.
In addition to regular washing and conditioning with a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, a good hot oil treatment or deep conditioner is essential to repairing and preventing damage done to the hair by chemicals, sun, heat, dry air, etc. Treasured Locks offers several hair repair products.This treatment should be done every 4-6 weeks for best results.
What you’ll need:
Deep conditioner or hot oil treatment
Disposable plastic conditioning cap (can be bought at any drug store or beauty supply store)
Nice to have:
Microwave or Professional Conditioning Heat Cap- these are devices that get warm and you can place on your hair to open up the cuticles and allow the conditioner to penetrate. They work better than a bonnet dryer because they produce warm, radiant heat rather than drying convective heat.
To do the treatment
Wash hair as normal. You can skip the normal conditioning step
Apply the conditioner or hot oil treatment to the hair and scalp
Cover with plastic cap
Place heated conditioning cap on the head and leave on for 15-30 minutes
If you do not have a heated cap, you can wrap your head in a towel or use a bonnet hair dryer
Here are just some real quick general tips. A five minute lesson in Black hair care. You should picture your hair as a collection of fine fibers. You should treat it as gently as you would a fine washable silk blouse. The better you treat your hair, the easier it will be to grow and the better it will look. African hair will tend to be dryer and more prone to breakage because the structure makes it more difficult for the oils to work their way from the scalp to the ends of the hair. If you relax your hair, you’ve weakened the hair and reduced the ability for the scalp to naturally oil it. The points where the hair curls and twists are also points where the hair tends to break. The more of these points (as in African hair), the more the hair is prone to breakage. Also, because our hair is kinky, it tends to tangle more and pulling these tangles out can cause breakage.
Either section the hair and plait it, tie it back or wrap it up using a scarf before going to bed, this will reduce the number of tangles you have to comb out the next morning, reducing the chances of breaking your hair.
Sleep with a satin scarf or sleep cap on your head or with a satin pillow case. This helps avoid split ends caused by the rubbing of your hair against a “rough” cotton pillow case. It also avoids moisture being wicked out of your hair into your cotton pillow case.
Wash your hair no more often than every week to week and a half. More than that can dry it out.
Comb your hair out while you’re conditioning it to remove the tangles while it’s wet and relatively slick.
Oil your scalp on a regular basis with a good natural oil like shea butter. A daily moisturizer is not a bad idea.
Do a deep conditioner or hot oil treatment once a month.
Massage your scalp on a regular basis to promote circulation and oil production.
Avoid overuse of products with mineral oil or petroleum. They tend to block the pores and are not readily absorbed. If your mother used Vaseline® on your hair, stop.
If you exercise and sweat, rinse the salt out of your hair even if you don’t wash it. Condition it afterwards with a daily leave-in conditioner.
Always use a leave-in conditioner after washing your hair.
Put as little heat as possible on your hair. Heat, especially combined with perms is very damaging to hair.
Avoid alcohol based products unless you have a need for a water-free shampoo to cleanse your scalp (for example while you’re waiting for your locks to lock).
Remember that water (moisture) is your friend and get plenty- inside and out. If you used to press your hair or blow it out and learned to fear water on your hair because it would draw up, you need to get over this. Spritzing a little water on your hair every day is a good idea. Get a spray bottle and just spray it just a little.
Eat a proper diet. Vitamins and protein are essential for proper hair growth. We have nutritional supplements specifically designed for hair and skin health. Hair Growth Supplements
Find a style that works with your natural hair type and growth pattern. The less you work against your hair, the less stressed it will be.
Do not relax your hair until it is bone straight. This is just asking for trouble. Why relax your hair until it has absolutely no body or curl and then put heat on it to try to get that curl back?
Some tools you should have in your kit
A good shampoo: They will be more expensive. But, they’ll use more gentle cleansers and be more concentrated. You may find they save you money in the long run. And, your hair will definitely show the difference. We offer several.
A good acidifier (a conditioner with a low pH): Acidifying the hair adds shine and detangles.
A good hot oil treatment or deep conditioner: It is an all natural based shea butter treatment. Apply the conditioner or hot oil treatment to the hair and scalp, cover with a plastic cap and sit under a dryer for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can wrap your head in a towel. Then wash the hair thoroughly. This is very important for dry brittle hair. We have several here: Hair Repair Products
A good leave in conditioner or daily moisturizer: This is what you’ll put on your hair after you’ve thoroughly cleaned it to continue to provide oil and moisture.
A comb for your hair type. Don’t try to drag one of those skinny toothed combs through your natural kinky or curly hair. You’ll just end up pulling it out and breaking it off.
A good boar bristle brush (use sparingly though)
A spray bottle to mist your hair
A scarf, cap, or wrap to wear on your head at night- or a satin pillow case (well, two)
There have been several attempts to define hair “type”. You may ask “Why should I care?” Well, mostly you shouldn’t. But, knowing your hair type can allow you talk with others and research products, styles and regimens that are best for your particular hair. There are controversies surrounding hair type methodologies that use works like kinky, nappy and other words that have less than positive connotations for some people. Other systems use numbers. But, they tend to lump all African American hair into one big category with a few variations. So, how useful is that really? Considering everyone’s hair is slightly different and people can even have different types of hair on their head at one time, categorizing hair is a difficult proposition at best.There are two major systems that seem to be the most popular. There is a system called LOIS that uses the hair shape as the defining hair “type”. For more on LOIS, do a Google on “LOIS Hair Type”. Until many people switch over to the LOIS system, there is the numbering system by Andre Walker. This system is kind of the standard. Frankly, we don’t put a lot of stock into these hair typing systems. They are far from “scientific” or definitive, relying on subjective judgments and just as much as you would be using if you didn’t have a “system”.
The short answer is “no”. You cannot remove a relaxer from your hair. Permanents are called permanent for good reason. If you are considering getting a permanent or putting one in your child’s hair, be prepared to have it for a very long time. To get rid of it, you will have to go through a transition process. But, the hair that is permed will never be natural again.When a perm is put in the bonds in the hair are destroyed. The part of the hair that has been relaxed will always be relaxed. The only way to get rid of relaxed hair is to cut it off or wait for it to break off. Waiting for the hair to break off is not a good transition option. But, some women choose allowing the hair to break off because they are uncomfortable giving up the length they’ve worked hard to get. There are ways better ways to transition from relaxed hair to natural hair. But, removing the perm is not an option.
You should be very careful when finding someone to put a relaxer in your hair. For something as important as choosing a stylist or someone to do major work on your house or car, we like to get first-hand references. If you can, find someone with hair you like and ask her where she gets her hair done. If she lets you touch her hair, touch it to make sure it’s healthy (please ask first!). Talk to the stylist before you make an appointment. Make sure she seems professional and knows what she’s doing. A bad perm is a horrible thing. You could end up with damaged hair, bald or even permanently disfigured. And, remember a perm is permanent. Mess one up and that hair is ruined permanently (until you cut it off).
Before she begins:
She should check the condition of your hair and scalp before she begins. If your hair is weak or your scalp has any cuts, scrapes or sores, she should not do the perm. A perm on already weak hair can cause your hair to break off. A perm on a scalp that is not healthy can be absorbed into the body and cause problems.
She should check for allergic reaction and test the perm on a strand of your hair
She should choose a perm appropriate for your type of hair. Not all relaxers are the same. Some are more reactive (stronger) than others. The stylist should consider- whether your hair has been relaxed before (touch up or retouch), whether your hair has never been relaxed (virgin), whether your hair is colored and whether your hair is fine or coarse.
She should protect your skin (and clothes) with a cape and or a towel
She should protect your scalp with a jelly or thick cream
Once she begins:
Once the stylist starts applying your perm, she should pay attention to your head and not talking on the phone, taking lunch breaks or attending to other clients. Applying a perm requires her complete attention. She should work quickly to avoid over-relaxing your hair and/or burning your skin.
Retouches should only be done on new growth. This is a common mistake people make when putting in perms at home. I know I used to. Do not keep relaxing the ends of your hair over and over again.
Your stylist should use a timer (and pay attention to the timer). It’s always better to leave the hair a little underdone than overdone. Even with the timer, she should check your hair continuously.
After she’s done:
She should rinse your hair very well with warm water.
She should wash your hair with a neutralizing shampoo. It’s important to use a shampoo with a lower pH to neutralize the high pH of the relaxer. The reason this is important is the pH of the neutralizing shampoo stops the reaction of the lye. Using a regular shampoo will allow your hair to continue to break down beyond the point where you want it to be.
She should rinse your hair again.
Before it is dried, she should deep condition the hair
She should handle your hair gently as she’s drying and styling it.
There are products on the market that call themselves “natural relaxers”. We have gotten many questions about them. After years of research, we finally found a natural hair manageability product we can sell with confidence. But, it is not a traditional relaxer. Read on for more information.The majority of product that pass themselves off as “natural relaxers” are just as potent and potentiall harmful as any “chemical” relaxer. After all, lye is, in a sense, natural. Lye was first produced by running water across ashes. So, don’t let the term natural make you think a relaxer is mild. If its effect on the hair is permanent, if it actually straightens kinky hair and if it instructs you do to things like wear gloves when applying, apply a neutralizer, not apply on chemically treated hair and/or isn’t clear about what its ingredients are, those are red flags that it is harsh, even though it might be “natural”.That relaxer is the Natural-Laxer MIXTM from Baka Beauty Products. However, the term “relaxer”, in this case, may be misleading. We think that may be why the natural relaxers have gotten a bad rap. The natural relaxer we sell is an all herbal hair treatment. It is kind of an herbal texturizer. It is not a straightener. You simply are not going to get kinky black hair to become bone straight in an “all natural” (as in mild and not potentially harmful) way. What our relaxer does is gradually allow the natural curl pattern to loosen. This causes the hair to be less kinky and somewhat straighter. It also makes the hair softer. Some interesting side effects of this relaxer is that you end up with less tangles, less breakage and the hair is actually strengthened and encouraged to grow by the relaxer. The relaxer also helps prevent reversion of pressed hair. The relaxer works with a cumulative effect. After the first application or two, the differences will be subtle, but noticeable. Over time, the relaxer makes the hair softer and softer. This is an excellent treatment for damaged permed hair, an aid in transition from perms to natural hair or a conditioner/detangler for natural hair.
There is a myth that no-lye relaxers take all the worry out of straightening the hair. Pardon the pun, but that’s a lie (lye). No-lye relaxers are more gentle on the scalp. But, more gentle is relative. No lye relaxers are not without their risks. The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) has received complaints of scalp irritation from no-lye relaxers as well as lye relaxers. The same safety precautions apply to both lye and no-lye relaxers. Lye relaxers contain sodium hydroxide as the active ingredient. With no-lye relaxers, calcium hydroxide and guanidine carbonate are mixed to produce guanidine hydroxide. It’s the hydroxide that makes the relaxer reactive (basic) and the way they work is the same. Both work by being highly alkaline and breaking the bonds in the hair. In fact, many people have reported no-lye relaxers leave their hair more dull and have gone back to lye relaxers. And some beauticians actually recommend against no-lye relaxers. If you’re having problems with scalp irritation using a lye relaxer, you might want to try a no-lye relaxer. But, don’t believe that it’s somehow more healthy for your hair.
Time for a really quick science lesson (keep reading, it will be really quick and painless, I promise). There is a scale called a pH scale. Solutions (liquids) are rated on this scale. It ranges from 0-14. Water is right in the middle with a pH of 7 and is “neutral” (neither acidic or basic). Substances with higher pH are called alkaline, caustic or basic. Solutions with lower pH are called acidic. The farther from the number 7 (either high or low), the more the solution will do in terms of burning or breaking chemical bonds. Something very acidic or something very basic can take your skin right off. The pH scale is a logarithmic scale. What that means is a whole number difference is greater than you might think. A solution that is pH 8 is ten times more basic than a solution that is ph 7. One that is a pH 5 is 100 times more acidic than a pH 7. That’s as far as we need to go for our purposes. End of lesson. Most relaxers, whether lye or no lye, have a very high pH (very near the top of the scale). In other words, they are caustic. A few companies have come out with relaxers that are not caustic. But, that doesn’t mean they are milder. Many have just slid down to the other end of the scale using acidic solutions to do the job.Relaxers work on the same principle as commercial products like Liquid Plumr® that you’d buy to remove hair from your sink or drain. Relaxers break the hair down. Relaxers work because they break the bonds that actually give strength to the hair. This causes the hair to straighten. Therefore, relaxed hair is, by definition, weaker than natural hair. Relaxers also deplete the hair of sebum (the oil your scalp secretes). Combine that with heat and you can really end up with a problem. That’s why it is of the utmost importance to be careful when putting in relaxers and to give relaxed hair the best care possible.Does this mean we are against relaxers? Absolutely not. If a quality relaxer is applied properly and the hair is maintained properly, your hair can definitely be healthy. However, your hair will be weaker than if it were natural and will be more prone to problems. These problems are not insurmountable as long as you are aware of how to take care of your hair.
Many people have asked us why we don’t sell relaxers. Our policy is that we do not sell relaxers because we think they should be applied by a professional in a salon setting.
What’s different about Black hair? Why do we need different products and routines from people who don’t have “textured” hair? African hair is made of the same “stuff†as non-African hair. The difference lies in the way those components are put together, or the structure of our hair. Hair is made of a strong protein called keratin. The structure of our hair can cause it to be more prone to breakage and dryness. Because of the structure and the potential problems, black hair care needs are different from those for other types of hair. Our hair can have up to twice the amount of “cuticle†or outer layer. This thicker cuticle layer makes our hair more kinky. Kinks make it more difficult for the oil secreted from our scalps to reach the ends of the hair. The kinks are places where brushes and combs can get caught and cause breakage. Using tools that aren’t made specifically for curly hair types can do a great deal of damage. But, keep in mind there is a continuum of hair types.The parts that make up your hair are:
Cuticle: Outer layer of the hair. It is made up of layers of scales which interlock with the cells of the hair’s inner root sheath to firmly anchor it in the follicle. This is a thin and colorless layer. Black hair’s cuticle layer can be twice the thickness of that of white hair.
Cortex: The middle layer. It is composed of cells which are tightly bound around one another. These bands provide the hair with elasticity and strength and are very receptive to chemicals. As a result, they can easily be influenced (or damaged) by dyes and relaxers.
Melanin: is contained in the cortex and is the substance that determines the color of our hair and skin. The more melanin, the darker the hair or skin.
Follicle: This is the name for hair before it emerges from the skin. Follicles are composed of many elements including carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Healthy amounts of these elements can improve the hairs’ condition and appearance once it emerges.
Sebaceous/Sudoniferous Glands: Attached to the hair follicle are the sebaceous (oil) and the sudoriferous (sweat) glands. The sebaceous glands open and close continuously to release a waxy sebum oil into the hair follicle and onto the scalp. The sudoriferous glands contain many small structures with porous openings leading to the skin. They produce substances which dry on the skin including salts, acids, water and bacteria. If not completely dissolved and effectively removed from the scalp, they can help cause severe itching and dandruff. Thus, the scalp problems some people experience in the early stages of locs.
Especially since most of us are of mixed heritage, African American hair and bi-racial people’s hair can and does vary widely. Even within a single head of hair, there are different hair types. So, there is no one solution for the care of all African American hair. Intuitively, you might think African hair is “tougher” than Caucasian hair and can handle more stress or abuse. After all, it is coarser and thicker. Actually, African hair (especially if treated like European hair) is more fragile than Caucasian hair. For this reason, we suggest using products made especially for our hair, whenever possible. Today, there is a wide range of excellent products made specifically for the needs of African American or Textured hair. Treasured Locks offers a wide array of high quality, reasonable price products especially suited for textured hair types.
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