In the world of black hair, mixed girls are labeled as having "good hair." But for those of us who have spent hours untangling, finding the right product combination, and defrizzing, we might beg to differ. Bi- and multi-racial hair is considered "good" because it usually has a natural wave or curl which means you don't always have to straighten it. The downsides are it frizzes, dries out easily and is hard to manage. If you do have what I like to refer to as "the gift and the curse" of mixed hair, the good news is there are a few easy steps you can take to get your hair at its best.

1. Embrace Your Texture.
Growing up, I spent hours trying to flatten down my hair and hide the fact that it was big, thick and frizzy. It wasn't until someone finally told me that my hair looked so much better fuller and natural that I decided to let my hair do it's own wavy thing. Whether it's a slightly kinky fro, spiral curls, or crimpy waves, once you learn to embrace your texture and the hair you were given, you can move forward to making it as healthy as possible, finding the right product regimen to maintain it, and rocking your natural look.

Moisturize!
Although it might seem like it would do the opposite, the more often you shampoo your hair, the drier your hair will get. In order to fight dryness and frizz, use a protein-rich, moisturizing shampoo about once a week. And while you don't want to over-shampoo, you do want to condition. One of the biggest complaints about bi-racial hair is that if you don't wash it often, the curls get flat and dull. But, you can condition and rinse your hair daily to keep your hair looking fresh, or a daily leave-in conditioner is good to lock in moisture and fight frizz through the day.

Comb, Don't Brush
Untangling can be a mixed girl's worst nightmare, but the best remedy to untangle those kinks and curls is to use a wide toothed comb while your hair is wet, and not a brush, which will tear and break your hair. If you feel like you really need a brush to help get those knots out, use a natural boar-bristle brush.

Trim Your Hair Often
Getting your hair trimmed about half an inch to a quarter of an inch every 8-10 weeks or so eliminates and prevents split ends, which tend to pop up more often for people with multi-racial hair. Also, curls and waves look their best when they are trimmed and healthy, and non-split ends result in less frizz and tangles.

Try These Products
Here are some of our favorite products that work well for various types of mixed hair:

• Mixed Chicks Hair Products: Created by "mixed chicks" Wendi Levy and Kim Etheredge, this line of hair products is specifically for girls with bi-racial and multi-racial backgrounds. The variety of products work great with multi-racial hair types and smell good, too. To lock in that moisture, I especially love the leave-in conditioner styling cream ($16.99). To check out all of their products, go to mixedchicks.net
• Sunsilk's Waves of Envy or Captivating Curls, or Hydra TLC: What's great about Sunsilk's hair products is that they have different categories that offer regimens depending on your hair type. Whether your hair is wavy, curly, or dry, each of these three product groups offer shampoos, conditioners, sprays and more at affordable prices at local stores like Walmart and Target.
  
• Carol's Daughter: To avoid too much product or crunch in your hair, Carol's Daughter Hair Milk is an all-natural product that you can use daily to maintain curls and smooth frizz. ($12 for 4 fl. oz, carolsdaughter.com)