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Q: Hi Gennifer, I want to start taking better care of my hair at home but I have no idea which products to buy. I have no idea where to start and am thinking about giving up. Please help!
A. Finding the right products for your hair can be quite frustrating. My advice to you is:
1) Start with your stylist. Usually, he or she will have a few product lines in their salon. Ask to try a new line of products each time and talk to them while they are styling your hair. Ask you stylist what they like or dislike about the product. Also, make your own observations - does your hair seem to tangle more? Did it feel softer or more moisturized in the end?
If you like it, make a note. If you don't, you know now to stay away from that product. And if they say a line will not work for you, trust them. Most likely, they have tried that product on a similar hair texture before with poor results.
2) Ask your stylist for recommendations. If your stylist does not have a lot of products or if the products they do have tend to be on the pricey side, ask for recommendations. Sometimes stylist have a few gems they like to use at home that are lesser known but great products.
3) If you are thinking about buying a certain product, join the Healthy Textures' Social Network and ask. Start a thread or blog post and chances are, at least of the 3,100 members has already tried it and can give an unbiased review of the product for you. Or, seek out people on the network that have a similar hair texture and ask or read what they use.
4) Lastly, always ask for samples. Beauty supply stores, salons, and retail locations will often have samples for you to try. Call or email the product manufacturers for free samples. You won't get the instant gratification of opening a new bottle that afternoon, but its a lot better than collecting dozens of half used shampoo bottles under the sink.
Finding great products can be overwhelming but hopefully, these tips will provide some guidance. As always for more healthy hair tips and techniques, join me at www.healthytextures.com.
Comments: (3)
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By: BellaY on 6/29/2008 3:17AM
I started taking better care of my hair and it is really showing me how much it appreciates it. The words: pre-poo, no-poo and co-wash should be in EVERY black woman's vocabulary. I like to pre-poo with a mixture of mayonnaise, coconut milk, honey and half of an avocado. You can literally change the texture of your hair and make it strong and healthy by doing this. Wether you wear your hair straight or natural, we should ALL be doing this to our hair. I have learned over the past few months, that there is no such thing as "good" or "bad" hair. Its ALL good if you take care of it properly. GOOGLE the terms pre-poo, no-poo or co-wash and you will get a wealth of information. Most stylist's are clueless when it comes to these topics.
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By: Caitlin Gunn on 7/03/2008 5:43PM
I have been wearing my hair natural since the year 2000. I wore it natural as a child, started relaxing it at 17, then went back to natural hair at age 30. My mother taught me how to care for my natural hair as a young girl so the transition back to natural from relaxed was easy. I switched back because chemical straightening was not for me and I never experienced "hair issues" such as breakage and split ends with my natural hair. It is tightly coiled, thick, and long (very ethnic). As a matter of fact, for years, family members have commented that they couldn't understand how hair as "nappy" as mine could grow so long. I keep my scalp clean and moist by shampooing twice a week and spraying it with a diluted water soluable leave-in conditioner every other day then let it air dry. I am currently using Pantene hydrating curls products and I trim my ends every two to three months. If the weekly salon routine works for you, by all means continue. But for me, all it took was one bad relaxer at the hands of a highly reputable stylist and an in-depth conversation with a woman suffering from mechanical alopecia (from relaxer burns and braids) to re-embrace the beautiful, healthy, thick, tightly coiled hair that God gave me. And for the record, my natural hair has not created problems with my professional career. I am an attorney earning six figures and no one cares about the texture of my hair.
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By: Black Hairstylists on 7/04/2008 12:24PM
I use an array of black hair care products. I love the dudley line of products. I also like several others, I do however try to use black-owned products with my clients. You can get product reviews at http://forum.blackhairplanet.com is cool little black hair care forum.
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