Stopping Afro Caribbean Hair Breakage

When you comb or touch your afro does it snap and break easily? Are you suffering with breakage from a relaxer? The following practical advice will work towards stopping the breakage.

Afro hair, whether it is in its natural state or relaxed has a tendency to be dry. In natural hair the kinks in the hair strand make it difficult for oils from the scalp to travel the length of the hair. This results in the hair being dry. In relaxed hair the chemical process it goes through destroys the bonds that give the hair its curl, therefore making it straighter. Unfortunately the relaxer also makes the hair weak, dry and more prone to breakage.

The key to solving the most common form of Afro-Caribbean hair breakage is to raise the moisture levels within the hair shaft. Deep conditioning with heat is the most effective way to achieve this. It works because the heat opens up the hair shaft so that it can receive moisture. Do not use grease or pomades to make dry hair more moisturised. Pomades are an ineffective way to moisturise your hair because it does not contain water. For a product to be an effective hair moisturiser it must contain water as its first ingredient. It is a common misconception to believe that these types of products will moisturise. Instead they create great shine, but ultimately dry the hair out.

So next time you are purchasing afro hair products check the ingredients list, it is a real eye opener. It is not unusual to find petroleum and mineral oil are the first ingredients on the list, avoid them if you can because they are not moisturising. Another contributory factor to dryness is the use of heat. Particularly the use of flat-irons and blow dryers they add to the problem considerably. Both of these implements are drying and increase the chances of hair breakage.

The first step toward stopping black hair breakage is to use a moisturising deep conditioner with heat on a weekly basis. It is very important the conditioner states that it is moisturising deep conditioner and not a protein conditioner, because you are working to increasing the moisture levels in your hair. The next step is to eliminate the use of direct heat. The heat from flat-irons, blow-dryers and curling tongs is drying and damaging. Instead allow your hair to air dry and use a leave-in conditioner; it will prevent the hair from becoming frizzy as it dries. To make life easier as you implement the new hair care regime, decide on the hair style you are going to wear during this time. Try to select a style that requires little to no heat to achieve and maintain, plaits, cornrows, buns, and two-strand twist are good examples of these. Alternatively you could use a hood-dryer and roller-set your hair. Always use your hood dryer on a low setting.

Finally commit to weekly deep conditioning and reducing heat for a minimum for 3 months, as it will take this long before you will begin to see the benefits. Enjoy the results! Aim to change your hair care regime so that it incorporates the use of moisturising afro hair products from your hair lotion to your deep conditioners. In addition to this make a general step towards using less heat in your hair care regime.