Crown and glory:

Black women’s struggle for healthy hair

 By PORSCHE SLOCUM      

5/11/2007

It's a struggle to get the beautiful full set of hair that we see in the magazines and on the TV screen. For African-American women, their hair is their crown and glory and the struggle is greater. You often see black women come out of the beauty salon with the sharpest cuts like Halle Berry, or gorgeous manes down their back like Beyoncé, but much more goes into maintaining hair than biweekly visits to the hair shop.  

There are many factors that contribute to the struggle that women have to achieve gorgeous locks: improper hair care, genetics, scalp disorders, unhealthy lifestyle habits and stress.  

To get beautiful manes, some African-American women are turning to hair growth vitamin and supplement in-take, changing their unhealthy eating habits, using homemade hair products and topical growth oils, and exercising more.  

Women are even using products such as Mane 'n Tail, which are made for the upkeep of horses' hair, to obtain thicker and longer hair for their own.   But what really works for your hair?

Deep conditioning

“I do everything for my hair,” said Simone Herndon, a 21-year-old college student. “My hair is thick and it tends to soak up products quickly.”  

She does everything from washing and conditioning to trimming and coloring.  Herndon, who has relaxed shoulder-length hair, only goes to a hair stylist for the application of chemical relaxers and extreme cuts.

“It used to be longer but now it’s recovering from damage,” said Herndon, who has sun kissed-brown colored hair. The New Jersey native is now taking the proper precautions to nurse her hair back to health, which got damaged from improper hair care.

African-American women’s hair, which thrives better on silk or satin surfaces (such as scarves and pillowcases), will suffer when it is not wrapped properly or brushes up against harsh material such as cotton to prevent breakage.

 “I wasn’t wrapping it every night as I should have,” said Herndon.  “Also, I attempted to wear my hair curly, as it is naturally, without using the right products.  It dried out and began to break off.” 

Herndon said that she doesn’t get a relaxer as often as it is often instructed by the directions or by some professionals, which is six to eight weeks.  “I don’t get a touch-up often enough,” she said.  “Probably every three months.”

Tiffany Dales, who has been a licensed hairdresser for 11 years in Philadelphia, said the most popular hair problems she has seen amongst her clients are breakage of hair and hair loss.

 “Black women over-process or under-process their hair with relaxers,” she said.  Though adding hair chemicals to the hair triggers the most damage and require the most care, there are many more causes of damage that are just as serious.  

“Too much heat from blow dryers and curlers and tension from braids and weaves also contribute,” said Dales. “The list goes on and on.”

The Berean Institute graduate has been a key player in repairing damaged hair through giving conditioning treatments, advocating the use of less heat and applying relaxers properly. 

Dales believes that a simple regimen goes a long way: “Bottom line, we do too much to our hair.”

Get to the root of the problem

“Underlying illnesses are a factor in hair growth,” said editor-in-chief Nicolle Epps of the Web site BlackHairMedia.com.  “If you suffer from lupus, a thyroid disorder, alopecia, or some other illness, it can affect you hair growth and health in general.”

 Kisha Jefferson, a hair stylist at Essence of Ebony Hair Salon in Hampton, Va., suggests seeking medical advice for any scalp problems or disorders as an important start. 

 “For scalp disorders like eczema,” she said.  “See a dermatologist to see if you need any medicated shampoo and take it from there.”  Once clients have been diagnosed properly, hairdressers will be able to better assist the problem and use the appropriate products.   Jefferson offers advice for people who suffer from a dry, itchy scalp, a problem she sees the most. 

 “Use any therapeutic shampoo for dandruff,” she advised.  “It has the menthol in it to kill the flakes.”  “People with dry, itchy scalp have to get their hair done more often,” she said.  “They have to get it washed once a week or every couple of days.  Usually, they can’t hold styles long because of it.”

 Lettie Way of Philadelphia, who goes to the hairdresser once a month, suffers from what she describes as a “really dry” scalp.

  “About two days after I get my hair washed, my scalp gets dry and flaky,” said Way, who has relaxed, mid back length hair.  “That’s why I grease my scalp often to prevent it from flaking.”

You grow girl

Samer Alaiti, M.D, who is a Clinical Assistant Professor of the Departments of Dermatology and Internal Medicine at the University of California, says in his Emedicine.com medical article that scalp hair grows at a rate of .5 inches per month.  However, some hair growth oils can help speed up the growth process.

 Dena Bruno has been a user of growth serum Boundless Tresses since mid-January and believes this oil is essential in achieving fuller hair: “This product is awesome. The texture of my hair changed and my curls were more defined.” 

 Bruno, who was suffering from hair loss, found this product to be a staple to aid thinning hair. 

 “My edges were thinning,” she added.  “Now they're filling in quite nicely. This is the only oil I use for my hair and scalp no other product.”

 To achieve optimal hair growth, some women, along with some men use Mane ‘n Tail products, items such as shampoo and conditioner that are used for the upkeep and grooming of animals.

 According to the official Web Site for Mane ‘n Tail products (www.manentail.com), people started using the products to achieve the results they saw with their own horses' manes and tails. 

 Some women like to keep their regimen simple, believing that too many products do more harm than good.  “I try not to put a lot of products in my hair and on my scalp because it can clog up your pores,” said Herndon.  “Your scalp needs to be able to breathe.” 

 The myths

There are a lot of discrepancies in the black hair care world about which ways are best to achieve long and healthy hair.  Apparently, misconceptions dictate what women think about their hair.  For instance, many women mistake hair shedding for hair breakage.  Actually, an average of 100 hairs shed from the head a day, so hair shedding is perfectly normal according to keratin.com.  But whether it is opinion or fact, thoughts on hair care are varied considerably. 

While some people, mostly professional hair stylists, trust that getting a trim every six to eight weeks is imperative, while others only suggest a trim a few times a year in order to achieve optimal length.  Trimming the ends of the hair prevents split ends splitting all the way up to the stronger hair and produces a thicker, healthier looking head of hair in minutes.  

Also, how often to apply a relaxer or get a “touch-up” varies from one woman to the other. 

Some professional hairdressers and others propose getting a touch-up every four to eight weeks to avoid breakage. However, others suggest waiting even longer, as adding chemicals too frequently to the hair makes it weak and brittle.  A number of women can stretch the time between each relaxer to anywhere from three months to even much longer.  On the other hand, some women prefer to relax more often because they experience a great deal of breakage if they exceed eight weeks between touch-ups. 

Even the way one wraps their hair at night is another factor to be argued. There are countless ways to wrap the hair.  By rolling, “bunning,” and pin curling, women can switch the way they wrap their hair whether a new style requires it or because less work equals less hassle.  The hair wrapping technique that gets the most criticism is the act of actually wrapping the hair around the head.  It is said that literally wrapping the hair is the healthiest way to tie the hair up at night.  However, some believe that the high manipulation – for example, by combing the hair around the head – can be detrimental to the edges of the hair and cause breakage at the ends.

Your hair, your life

Lesson learned; do what works for you and your hair.  Listen to your hair and do what it tells you.  Once you have found a regimen, stick to it.  The road to healthy, long hair can be a long one but patience is always a virtue in this case.  After all, stress does have a bad affect on the health of your hair.

India Arie explains in her 2006 hit “I am not my hair” how she tried everything with her locks from press and curl to Jheri curl to relaxed hair to going all natural.  It wasn’t until after all these changes that she realized the way she wears her hair should not define her as a person. 

 “As a black American woman, a lot of your integrity is dictated by how you wear your hair,” she explained in an interview.   “This is my hair and it’s my life.  I’ll choose how I express myself.”

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.