CURLY HAIR CARE

The texture of our hair is determined way before we are born. Your genetic code provided by your parents determines the shape of your hair follicles. If your hair follicles are straight then your hair is straight, curled follicles produce curly hair etc. Some of us have a mixture of textures because our follicles have varying shapes.

Hair texture is absolutely connected to our racial/ethnic heritage. People of African decent have very curly textured hair. This finely curled hair is called kinky or nappy or super curly. Many people of Jewish, Italian or Latino decent share the tendency to have very curly hair. Some Caucasians have curly hair. Asians have straight hair period. The more racially mixed the population becomes, the more people there are with curly hair! 

So, you were born with curly hair. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well, weighing in on the good side, is that curly hair is the most versatile hair. You can get more hairstyles and change your look any time you want! Curly hair is fun and sexy! Regardless of what the media tries to portray, men like big hair. A head full of curls is like a lion's mane. Nothing gets more attention than an Afro, that's why it is the most celebrated hairstyle in history! 

Now, the downside to curly hair; controlling it. When I was a little girl I would cry when my mother combed my hair. Of course, the adults said "You're just tender headed." Well, since I was the youngest and the only girl, I didn't know there were millions of other little girls just like me bursting into tears at the sight of the comb! ( I also got whacked with it so that might have been part of the trauma.)

Here is a survival guide to life with curly hair.

COMBING

1. Only use a wide-tooth shampoo or bush comb on your hair. Throw away those little combs and brushes. Combs with teeth close together pull out your hair. Brushes make the cuticle (top layer) of your hair rough.

CLEANSING

2. Shampoo every week to ten days. Curly hair tends to be dry and shampooing daily will increase the dryness and friction which leads to breakage. Of course if you are swimming or working in a dusty environment your hair will require more frequent cleansing.

3. Always follow every shampoo with a conditioner. The best conditioners for curly hair should be moisturizing. African Wonders Hydrolzer Conditioner is designed for curly hair.

STRAIGHTENING

There are two ways to straighten curly hair; with heat or with chemical treatments.