STYLE

1. Avoid daily shampooing. Try shampooing once every 7-10 days with a mild moisturizing shampoo with a low pH level (pH 2.5-3.5). Your hair probably has a pH level of around pH 5. Shampoos with pH levels lower than 5 has more conditioning while shampoos with higher pH levels are created for cleansing out stubborn residue. Eventually, high pH level shampoos can make hair dry and brittle. If you sweat on a daily basis, try rinsing hair with water to avoid drying out your locks!

2. Snip often It’s a myth that African-American hair grows out more slowly than other types of hair. However, the natural, curly texture of the hair does make it appear to grow more slowly. It’s important to cut any type of hair every two months to restore and maintain health. Haircuts help minimize brittle and split ends.

3. Conditioner is your hair’s new BFF. Condition hair after every shampoo with formulas containing essential oils. A GL tip? Try running a pea-sized amount of lotion or oil on hair ends to give it a much-needed kiss of moisture! Otherwise, deep condition on a weekly basis.

4. Avoid 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioners. They don’t do dry hair any favors! Also avoid volumizing shampoos that can strip dry hair of its natural oils in order to create lift.

5. Wrap it up. Some swear by wrapping hair in a satin scarf before hopping into bed. There’s a reason for that! Cotton pillowcases can actually zap away moisture in your hair as you sleep. So wrap your head in cute and colorful head scarves. Who knows? It could be the new sleepwear fashion statement!

6. Use a wide-toothed comb. Brush through hair when the hair is damp (not when it’s soaked with water!). Hair is most fragile when it’s wet.

7. Put down your weapon. If you come across a tough knot or tangle as you’re brushing, put down your weapon (err, hair comb)! These tough spots should be handled with care. Use your fingers to gently loosen the knots before brushing through to avoid yanking and breaking locks.

8. Brush often. Throughout the day, brush your hair with a soft, natural boar bristle hairbrush. The boar bristles help distribute the oils at the scalp to the rest of the hair giving it shine and locking in moisture.

9. Don’t over-color or over-relax your hair. You should wait a minimum of 6-8 weeks before going in for another process. When using these processes, make sure to condition (condition, condition, condition!).

10. Find a perf product to help control frizz. Dealing with frizz on an important day? Use a hair product that helps control frizz before a blow-dry. We recommend Urban Therapy’s Twisted Sista Blow Dry Creme. This little miracle-worker helps create salon-perfect, shiny shapes while smoothing out frizz. It’s also formulated without parabens or sulfates! Sulfates give shampoos a nice lather, but it also breaks down the protein in your hair. This means that heavy sulfates can make your hair a disaster in the long run. Yikes!