The health and beauty industry is a bustling economy with billions of dollars being made from products sold that promote enhancement in one's physical appearance. Some products are specialized and targeted toward a specific gender or ethnicity. African-American or Black consumers are a niche market for beauty companies that look to cater their needs. From cosmetics to hair care, glamour in the Black community has many facets and hundreds of businesses are looking to satisfy their needs. Black consumers with natural hair are bombarded with a variety of chemical products that offer straightening for a sleek style and more manageable mane. But there is another option available to women who want to avoid the chemical process and damage that comes from relaxers and perms. Black consumers can utilize heat treatments with deep conditioning to care for their hair and maintain a natural state.
Hair Care: Heat Treatment Straightening for Natural Black Hair
To begin, one should wash their natural black hair with an organic shampoo like that made from olives, carrots, fruits, vegetables, or nuts. You can even make you own mix of shampoo from your kitchen to cleanse the hair of dirt, oil, and dead skin cells. Use warm water to clean the hair well and be sure to message the scalp during shampooing to stimulate the hair follicles to improve circulation and encourage hair growth.
Next rinse the hair well of all shampoo and add a generous amount of organic conditioner. Homemade mixes like that of egg yolks or mayonnaise, avocado, strawberry, and banana are great options for replenishing essential oils in the hair shaft. Allow the conditioner to sit on the hair for at least 10 minutes or more so that the rich fatty acids, vitamins, and protein absorb into the hair shafts. You can even cover the hair with a shower cap during this time to create a sauna–like atmosphere for the hair while it settles. Afterward, remove the cap and rinse away all the conditioner from the hair and scalp with warm water. Blot the clean and conditioned natural black hair with a towel to remove the excess water and allow the hair to air dry or blow dry on low heat with a dryer.
Once the hair is free from all water, add a light coating of natural oil like that from Shea, coconut, olive, sunflower, Bergamot, or Brazil nut. Heat up a hot comb or flat iron until the desired temperature is reached and begin to section off the hair for treatment. Use a wide-tooth comb or medium to hard bristle brush to remove any knots, kinks, or clumps in your natural black hair prior to straightening. Next, straighten the sectioned hair with the hot comb or flat iron using a downward motion from the roots of the hair to the ends. Straighten all the way through the sectioned hair up to three times to attain the desired straightness.
After the full head of hair has been straightened, you can style your natural black hair as wanted. Heat treatment straightening is an extreme process and shouldn’t be done frequently as it can cause damage to the hair. Monthly, bi-weekly, or even weekly treatments can be done to touch up the hair. Depending on your style of choice, you can straighten your hair and where it down in a bob cut or up in a ponytail. For those interested in hair beauty trends, you can apply hair extensions or lace front wigs to enhance your look for a change of pace. Regardless of your style, be sure to take good care of your natural black hair by giving it love and affection for a glamorous look any day of the week.
