By Charleme Salomon

Think you know everything there is to know about hair care? The truth is that there are some common myths floating around about how to take care of black hair. Learning what is fact and what is fiction will help you take better care of your hair.

Black Hair Care Truth 1: Hair loss does not have to happen when you wear weaves or braids. 

Problems with hair loss occur when your hair is pulled too tight for long periods of time. Either ask your hair care specialist to go a little looser on the scalp or alternate braids or weaves with a looser style on a regular basis. 

Black Hair Care Truth 2: Satin or silk does protect your hair.

Friction is your hair's biggest enemy. When you sleep on a smooth satin pillow or wrap your hair in a silk scarf before you retire, you are preventing the hair breakage that occurs when friction gets hold of your head. When your hair rubs against a coarse fabric while you sleep, hair breakage accelerates.

Black Hair Care Truth 3: Hair growth naturally accelerates during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, a woman's body is flooded with estrogen which places hair into a permanent growth phase for the duration. Once the pregnancy ends, hair stops growing and begins to shed in copious amounts. Those prenatal vitamins don't have anything to do with hair growth although they are great for you and the baby's overall health. 

Black Hair Care Truth 4: Black hair is more subject to breakage.

Black hair is curly and because of this, its internal structure is more subject to breakage. The tighter the curl, the drier and weaker the hair will be. That is why good hair care should be on your list of priorities.

Black Hair Care Truth 5: Having long black hair is possible. 

Many people think that black hair simply won't grow long because of the problems with breakage listed in Truth 4. However, with proper care, black hair can grow quite long. Think about how long dreadlocks can grow for starters.

Black Hair Care Truth 6: Black hair grows just as rapidly as any other type of hair.

It's true. Hair grows at an average of one-half inch each month and black hair is no exception. Because of the curls, it only seems like black hair grows slower than other types of hair.

Black Hair Care Truth 7: Natural hair can be easy to manage.

Most black women have learned how to take care of their relaxed hair and don't quite know how to take care their natural hair. The good news is that with proper care, you can alternate your styles between relaxed and natural while always looking great.

Black Hair Care Truth 8: Black hair won't dry out if it is washed more than once a week.

Water is a moisturizer and the number one cause of your hair not growing comes from product build-up so it is important that you wash your hair as needed.

Black Hair Care Truth 9: Greasing your scalp will actually dry out your hair.

In an attempt to moisturize their hair, many women go overboard with hair care products used to grease and moisturize their scalp. The bad news is that these products can actually lock moisture out of the hair follicles. Using products designed to bring moisture into the hair itself will deliver much better results.

Black Hair Care Truth 10: It is not necessary to go to the salon every week to grow your hair long. 

When you follow these truths, you can have great looking and long hair without the need to go to the salon every week. However, where's the fun in that? Why not take excellent care of your hair at home and let your stylist deliver even more outstanding results?

These hair truths might fly in the face of what you have always been told about black hair care, but they work. Regular hair care will help you grow your locks long and lush if you wish or set you up with a perky short look. Let us know which of these truths was most illuminating to you.

Charleme Salomon is a successful business owner and fashion enthusiast. She operates the website, AfricanAmericanHairStyleVideos.com, which provides helpful and up-to-date videos straight from black natural hairstyle aficionados.

By Sherry Harris​

​For your body to perform optimally and stay healthy, you need to take in the right nutrients on a daily basis. Just like your body, your hair too needs a daily dose of vital minerals for it to grow properly. Otherwise,your hair will grow dull and, within time, start breaking.
 
One of the vital, but little talked about, minerals that your hair needs to obtain and remain healthy are magnesium. In this article, we will discuss why magnesium is needed for your hair to grow properly.It also provides tips on how you can incorporate this mineral into your daily life. Lets get started!
 
It Great For Your Body Cells
 
Magnesium comes fourth on the list of most abundant minerals in the body. The mineral is an essential electrolyte responsible for more than 300 biochemical reactions. This naturally occurring substance basically works to help body cells produce and store energy. So, you might be wondering what does that have to do with hair growth.
 
Well, it means that without any magnesium in your body all of your body cells would die. All of the cells in your body including those lining the hair follicles, therefore, need the right supply of magnesium for them to remain healthy.

It Is Very Nourishing For Your Scalp
 
Hair loss is a chain reaction that ends with an inflamed scalp. As long as the scalp is healthy then the hair strands attached to it remains healthy.
 
Magnesium is known to detoxify and cleanse the dermis and this also applies to the scalp. It is also very effective in relieving and treating allergic reactions. Keep in mind; some of these reactions have been known to lead to excessive hair loss. By using magnesium oil on your scalp, you are virtually guaranteeing that you are not only nourishing your hair follicles, but also ensuring that your scalp stays healthy.
 
So what can you do to ensure that you get enough magnesium to promote hair growth?
 
Your first course of action should be to incorporate magnesium rich foods in your diet. What type of foods? So, glad you asked.

• Spinach
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Seaweed
• Sunflower Seeds

 
Eating these foods and other foods rich in magnesium on a daily basis ensures that your body gets a constant supply of this important nutrient. Because cooking and refining lead to magnesium loss, it is always advisable to eat the magnesium rich foods raw whenever possible.

​Another good option would be to apply magnesium oil to your scalp and hair. If you are particularly concerned about your hair due to hair loss, you might want to not only apply magnesium oil to your hair and scalp. Step it up a notch and be sureto eat a magnesium rich diet because it will work great for your hair.
 
It is worth noting that because your hair is not served by major blood vessels it is highly likely that your hair is not getting enough magnesium. How do you know for sure? Well, if your hairlooks frail, is growing slowly or even greying faster or prematurely, then you might not be getting enough magnesium.
 
Other Health Benefits of Magnesium
 

• It has been found to promote scalp health
• It addresses problems like dandruff and hair graying
• It is effective in slowing balding and restoring hair health

 
If you have always wondered why magnesium is needed for your hair to grow, now you have your answer. It is up to you now to take the right steps and ensure that your hair and bodyget enough magnesium on a daily basis.If you follow this advice, you will enjoy good health and a long and healthy mane as well.

Washing your hair under a shower is highly convenient for many because tangling can be minimised. 

Keeping hair strands dangling dowanwards prevents the tangling that occurs when you lean over a bathtub then stand back up. In addition, you can have a shower at the same.

One problem.

Black hair can be very delicate so if your shower produces water at a very high pressure delicate hairs will break.

Have you ever seen dirty walls and garden floors being cleaned using a strong jet of water? That shows just how powerful water under pressure can be.

If your shower's pressure can be adjusted, lower it a little bit when your head is under the shower just to make sure you don't incur unnecessary breakage.

If you walk into your local hair shop you will probably find three main types of shampoo none of which are suitable for fragile black hair. 

You see, for the most part shampoos are designed by people with type 1 or 2 hair (typically Caucasians and Asians) for their type of hair. Their key problem is greasy hair, very curly hair's key problem is dry hair - you cannot solve these two problems with the same product!

The main function of shampoo is to clean hair. It is a detergent. The difference between shampoo different shampoos is the strength of the detergent. The key types of shampoo:

1. Regular, commercial shampoo 

• Use sulfates as the key ingredient, e.g. ammonium lauryl or laureth sulfates (ALS) / sodium lauryl or laureth sulfates (SLS).
• These chemicals are too harsh for black hair because along with dirt they remove good, natural oils that black hair need to stay soft.

2. Clarifying shampoo

• Stronger than regular, commercial shampoos
• Designed to remove heavy product build up from thick greases, gels and pomades
• Even if you use very heavy products on your hair, you shouldn't be using clarifying shampoos more than once a month according to The Science of Black Hair

3. Chelating shampoos

• Stronger than regular, commercial shampoos AND clarifying shampoos
• Designed to remove mineral deposits that are sitting on hair
• Whilst clarifying shampoos just remove dirt from the surface of hair, chelating shampoo affect the hair's bond structure.
• If at all, this very strong shampoos should only be used every 4 to 6 weeks by those living in a hard water area

The better shampoos for black hair

• Cocomidopropyl betaine is a gentler cleanser and more suitable for black hair.
• Sulfate-free shampoos. That said, not all sulfate-free shampoos are equally good for black hair but that's a topic for another blog!