Black Hair Styles

This is a question we get quite often. First, we need to set some expectations. With the obvious caveats about how we all have different hair types due to our diverse ancestries, natural African hair is going to appear more dull than Caucasian hair or even Black permed hair. Let me repeat that. Natural hair is going to appear more dull than permed hair. It’s just the structure of our hair. The cuticles on our hair, because of the curvature, do not lay flat. Flat cuticles reflect light better making that hair appear shinier. If you try to make your hair shine like someone with permed hair or a White person, you’re going to end up making a mess of your hair. If your hairdresser tells you you need to put more oil on your hair because it looks more dull than the permed hair she’s used to working with, now you know better.Having said that, we can make our natural Black hair look very healthy. There are two things that many of don’t get enough of on our hair- Water and Oil. Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids and wash your hair often enough (as described elsewhere in this paper). Make sure you are oiling your hair with good, natural oils that the hair can absorb. Too much of the wrong kind of oils, can actually damage the ability of the hair to absorb moisture and make the hair appear even more dull. As discussed elsewhere on this site, conditioning after each washing is especially important for Black hair care. Natural African hair is beautiful. But, it must be maintained properly to be and appear healthy.