To help African-Americans keep their hair healthy, dermatologists recommend the following tips:

• Wash hair once a week or every other week: This will help prevent the build-up of hair care products, which can be drying to the hair.
• Use conditioner: Use conditioner every time you wash your hair. Be sure to coat the ends of the hair with conditioner, as the ends are the oldest and most fragile part of your hair.
• Use a hot oil treatment twice a month: This adds additional moisture and elasticity to your hair.
• Use a heat protecting product before styling: Adding this to wet hair before styling will help minimize heat damage.
• Use caution with relaxers: To minimize hair damage, always go to a professional hair stylist to ensure that the relaxer is applied safely. Touch-ups should only be done every two to three months and only to newly grown hair. Never apply relaxer to hair that has already been relaxed.

Use ceramic combs or irons to press hair: If you would like to press or thermally straighten your hair, use a ceramic comb or iron and only do so once a week. Use a straightening device with a dial to ensure the device is not too hot. Use the lowest possible temperature setting that gives you the style you want. A higher temperature may be necessary for thicker, coarser hair.

Make sure braids, cornrows or weaves are not too tight: If it hurts while your hair is being styled, asks the stylist to stop and redo it. Pain equals damage.

See a board-certified dermatologist if you notice any changes in the texture or appearance of your hair. Even the slightest bit of noticeable thinning can be the start of hair loss. The earlier hair loss is diagnosed, the more effective it can be treated.

Human hair grows approximately a half inch per month regardless of race. Growth occurs as dead layers of keratin are pushed up and out of hair follicles by the living cells below. The genetically determined shape of the follicle forms the hair’s structural shape.

 African-American women often have thin, elliptical shaped follicles resulting in fine, curly strands that entangle each other easily. This creates fragile hair strands. By following a care and maintenance regiment that protects hair from breaking, African-American women can maximize their hair growth and obtain long, healthy hair.

1. Eat Right

The first step in reaching your maximum hair growth potential is to eat right. A diet of lean proteins, leafy green vegetables, and healthy fats will provide your body with the fuel needed to produce keratin, the protein building block that makes up your hair, skin and nails. By providing your body with nutritious foods, you ensure that your body has fuel to maintain your important organ systems and the excess fuel to run secondary production systems—like those that produce keratin for hair and nails.

Conversely, eating the wrong foods can cause your hair growth to slow because your body does not have the energy needed to fuel any unessential functions.

2. Hair-Friendly Supplements

Taking a daily multivitamin supplement can help give your body a boost of nutrients which can help encourage hair growth. In addition to the multivitamin, consider increasing your doses of B-complex vitamins.

 The B-vitamins are nine essential vitamins which work together synergistically to support the creation of red blood cells, cell tissue, nerves, DNA, and a variety of other important elements in your body. B-vitamins, especially biotin, are believed to be very important to the mechanisms that create hair.

 The University of Maryland reports that there is preliminary scientific data suggesting that biotin may be able to affect the strength of hair and nails. Other supplements to consider are omega-3 fish oil supplements for added shine and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) supplements to help build elasticity and strength.

3. Moisture

Many of the products and tools used for styling African-American hair can strip the hair of moisture, causing the hair to become dry and brittle. Dry, brittle hair breaks more easily and this breakage can create the appearance of slow growth because you don’t seem to gain additional length.

The best way to add moisture to your hair is through regular washing and conditioning. Some experts on African-American hair care suggest performing conditioning washes in which you use to exchange your shampoo for a moisturizing conditioner to avoid stripping the hair of natural protective oils. These should be done at least weekly and can be done as much as every other day.

 After washing, try adding a leave-in conditioner to offer protection against heat styling, and seal in the moisture by coating your hair with oil like jojoba or olive oil. These oils are closer to the oils released by your sebaceous glands and won’t clog your pores.

  Conclusion

 The above tips are all you need to look cute and keep slaying in African American hair gens.