How to Stop Breakage and Damage to African Hair
Search for products safe for your hair., Figure out how often to wash your hair., Moisturize your hair before washing or styling., Take special care of your ends., Apply shampoo carefully., Consider replacing shampoo with conditioner., Dry gently...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Search for products safe for your hair.
You may need to try several varieties of shampoo or conditioner before your hair health improves.
Products made for African hair are a good place to start, but your search doesn't end there:
Avoid products with sulfates, alcohol, or glycol, which strip oils or dry out hair.
Look for moisturizing shampoo or conditioner, or "leave in" options that don't need to be washed out.
Look at the description and directions on the bottle to identify which products are "leave in".
It can take several weeks to notice major changes.
Give a product time to work before you give up on it, unless you notice drastic negative effects. -
Step 2: Figure out how often to wash your hair.
Washing is required to remove dirt and old oil, but too much can leave your hair fragile.
People with fragile, African hair may want to wash only once every one or two weeks.
If your hair is relatively healthy and you've found products that don't damage your hair, you can consider increasing this to twice a week. , Rub coconut oil, jojoba oil, or another natural oil treatment into your hair, to restore and retain moisture.
Leave the oil in for thirty minutes, then wash your hair as usual.
This is especially important if you're using a shampoo that leaves your hair dry.
Follow the same treatment before exposing your hair to chemical relaxers, heat appliances such as blow dryers and flat irons, or other stressful styling treatments.
For easy application, fill a spray bottle with conditioner, natural oil, and water.
Shake well and spray onto your hair before shampooing, or daily if your hair is extremely dry.
Alternatively, apply a leave-in deep conditioner in the evening.
Leave in overnight and wash or style your hair the next morning.
Conditioner is essentially a cream that smooths the cuticle, softens hair, add sheen, and restores moisture. , The ends of your hair have gone through more tugging and tangling than the rest of your hair.
Give them some tender, loving care with an extra application of oil.
Shea butter is especially effective at sealing in moisture. , Rub shampoo on the scalp only, lathering very gently.
This will unclog your pores, and clean your hair with a minimal amount of lather dripping down your hair.
Rubbing shampoo directly on the ends can make them brittle.
For an even gentler treatment, dilute one part shampoo with two or three parts water. , If your hair is still damaged after a few weeks, skip shampoo entirely and wash your hair with a cleansing conditioner instead.
This will clean your hair without stripping it of moisture and protective oils.
Some people can wash as frequently as every other day with this treatment.
Reduce frequency if you notice dry hair.
Some people prefer using a homemade conditioner for this purpose.
You can use eggs, mayonnaise, yogurt, honey, olive oil, vinegar, or avocado.
Rinse thoroughly after applying to remove any odor. , After washing your hair, never rub it with a towel.
Just gently squeeze sections of your with the towel, almost as if you were scrunching.
There should be no pulling or yanking.
Replace the towel with a cotton T-shirt instead of extra-gentle drying. , Lubricate the strands of your hair with oil before you begin detangling.
With a wide-toothed comb, start detangling at the tip of the hair strand, working your way slowly to the root.
Do not yank your hair.
Slowly work out tangles and knots, or you will end up ripping your hair out.
After a certain thickness or length, it may help to section your hair and detangle each section separately.
Do not over-brush.
Detangle slowly and only when necessary.
If detangling is painful, brush the outside of your hair with a wide brush first.
Comb the lower layers of hair with a fine-toothed comb, if possible without tearing your hair. -
Step 3: Moisturize your hair before washing or styling.
-
Step 4: Take special care of your ends.
-
Step 5: Apply shampoo carefully.
-
Step 6: Consider replacing shampoo with conditioner.
-
Step 7: Dry gently.
-
Step 8: Detangle hair carefully.
Detailed Guide
You may need to try several varieties of shampoo or conditioner before your hair health improves.
Products made for African hair are a good place to start, but your search doesn't end there:
Avoid products with sulfates, alcohol, or glycol, which strip oils or dry out hair.
Look for moisturizing shampoo or conditioner, or "leave in" options that don't need to be washed out.
Look at the description and directions on the bottle to identify which products are "leave in".
It can take several weeks to notice major changes.
Give a product time to work before you give up on it, unless you notice drastic negative effects.
Washing is required to remove dirt and old oil, but too much can leave your hair fragile.
People with fragile, African hair may want to wash only once every one or two weeks.
If your hair is relatively healthy and you've found products that don't damage your hair, you can consider increasing this to twice a week. , Rub coconut oil, jojoba oil, or another natural oil treatment into your hair, to restore and retain moisture.
Leave the oil in for thirty minutes, then wash your hair as usual.
This is especially important if you're using a shampoo that leaves your hair dry.
Follow the same treatment before exposing your hair to chemical relaxers, heat appliances such as blow dryers and flat irons, or other stressful styling treatments.
For easy application, fill a spray bottle with conditioner, natural oil, and water.
Shake well and spray onto your hair before shampooing, or daily if your hair is extremely dry.
Alternatively, apply a leave-in deep conditioner in the evening.
Leave in overnight and wash or style your hair the next morning.
Conditioner is essentially a cream that smooths the cuticle, softens hair, add sheen, and restores moisture. , The ends of your hair have gone through more tugging and tangling than the rest of your hair.
Give them some tender, loving care with an extra application of oil.
Shea butter is especially effective at sealing in moisture. , Rub shampoo on the scalp only, lathering very gently.
This will unclog your pores, and clean your hair with a minimal amount of lather dripping down your hair.
Rubbing shampoo directly on the ends can make them brittle.
For an even gentler treatment, dilute one part shampoo with two or three parts water. , If your hair is still damaged after a few weeks, skip shampoo entirely and wash your hair with a cleansing conditioner instead.
This will clean your hair without stripping it of moisture and protective oils.
Some people can wash as frequently as every other day with this treatment.
Reduce frequency if you notice dry hair.
Some people prefer using a homemade conditioner for this purpose.
You can use eggs, mayonnaise, yogurt, honey, olive oil, vinegar, or avocado.
Rinse thoroughly after applying to remove any odor. , After washing your hair, never rub it with a towel.
Just gently squeeze sections of your with the towel, almost as if you were scrunching.
There should be no pulling or yanking.
Replace the towel with a cotton T-shirt instead of extra-gentle drying. , Lubricate the strands of your hair with oil before you begin detangling.
With a wide-toothed comb, start detangling at the tip of the hair strand, working your way slowly to the root.
Do not yank your hair.
Slowly work out tangles and knots, or you will end up ripping your hair out.
After a certain thickness or length, it may help to section your hair and detangle each section separately.
Do not over-brush.
Detangle slowly and only when necessary.
If detangling is painful, brush the outside of your hair with a wide brush first.
Comb the lower layers of hair with a fine-toothed comb, if possible without tearing your hair.
About the Author
Danielle Ryan
Creates helpful guides on practical skills to inspire and educate readers.
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