I know I am going to get into trouble for this but I am tired of seeing black women wearing false hair. It is so prominent now that some people would not be caught dead without having their ‘hair’ on. The claim is that it makes them look better. Heavens help us! Some of the weaves, wigs and other attachments look so fake and unattractive that *I sah*. Anyway, I am really worked up for this blog because recently a lady died from her weave glue and I just found out she is Jamaican. I am not espousing that everyone go natural. I couldn’t talk, I have relaxed hair.

All I am saying is that when you take care of your real hair, you can cultivate it to look very good, and even better than the fake stuff that is thrown, glued or sewed on to the head. All it takes is a little research and stop listening to the old wives tales that say that black hair can’t grow. The persons who say that, have no real concept of the science behind hair growth and no idea that some of the very practices that we participate in like wearing weaves and braiding our hair is keeping it low, tough and dry. I originally started blogging and writing about hair because I wanted to share  what I researched about hair through the years and how my once shoulder length hair is now almost to my hips. I am not mixed, at least not in my immediate family, yet I grew my hair.

The thing is anybody can do it, it takes a while but your hair can grow to great lengths. I agree that not everybody is genetically programmed to have great hair lengths, however, if you treat your hair right  it will look healthy and full and you will have no need of wearing other people’s hair, I guess the case of the lady who died from her hair glue should indicate to us that some hair practices can kill you.

Here’s a general list of things that you need to do in order to have lush, manageable hair:

• Forget store bought shampoos riddled with chemicals especially sodium laureate sulphate.
• Using heat to dry hair is not good. Heat is not your friend, it creates bubbles on your hair surface and will make your hair break overtime.
• Do not use hard hair brushes.
• Moisture and protein balance very important for black hair.
• Conditioner is key to moisture and sealing cracks on your hair shaft.
• Petroleum and mineral oils only trap moisture already on the hair shaft, it does not moisturize.
• Coconut oil, castor oil and olive oil are good hair oils to use.
• Less is more, the less products with added chemicals you use, the better off your hair.
• Relax your hair as infrequently as possible. Try stretching your relaxers and learn alternate ways to care for your two textures between relaxers.
• Search and destroy split ends before they split up to your roots.
• Eat a balanced diet and exercise.

That’s it in a nut shell, check out my site blackhair101 for lots more information.