Black hair is almost the same as any other hair, the only difference is its unique physical structure, which is why black hair is a little difficult to maintain. It requires special care and techniques.
Tips to Take Care of Your Long Black Hair
Here are some tips to make your black hair look its best:
- Washing: If you have straight or wavy hair you know that it needs to be washed frequently, this is because it gets oily very fast. But black hair is different, the most common texture of black hair is curly, so curly hair traps the sebum produced by the scalp and doesn't let it reach the hair shaft, so black hair is dry. Over washing it will dry it out further which is damaging to the hair.
- Hair Products: The next time you pick up that bottle of shampoo or conditioner or even mousse, make sure its specifically for black hair. Black hair needs special care as it is more delicate and requires a lot of moisture. Most hair products are made in a way that strip moisture out of the hair and make it dry, this will cause a lot of damage to black hair, which is dry by nature.
- Brushing: Black hair is curly and coiled so if you were to use a regular brush, you would be only doing serious damage to your hair. Do not use a brush on black hair, only use a wide-tooth comb or use your fingers to work with hair.
- Accessories: While sleeping at night, make sure that your hair is loose, accessories like curlers, barrettes, scrunchies, hair clips can cause damage to black hair.
- Remember that while styling your hair is all fine and dandy, using too many accessories, extensions and hairpieces can damage the hair. People with black hair are prone to alopecia, so be careful.
You can try out so many different styles with long hair. You can go braided or get the popular dreadlock, or you could have a sleek and straight hair style. Whatever your choice, any and all hairstyles look great on black hair. Just remember that while choosing your hairstyle you complement your face structure and personality. Long hair suits most people, but if you want to style is make sure it suits you.
There are five basic face shapes; oval, round, square, heart and rectangular. Whatever your face shape maybe, remember the trick of hairstyles is to make your hair look more oval, this is because the oval shape is considered to be the most beautiful face shape. So if you are among the lucky few who have an oval shaped face you need not worry about hairstyles, anything will suit you. But if you have a round, square or heart shaped face, you need to work with your hair.
Round faces have to work with a hairstyle that lets the hair to balance out the cheeks, whereas a heart shaped face needs the hair to weigh around the chin to give the face a more oval shape. Square face needs a style that is texturized and has edges that are directed towards the face. Triangular faces need height and fullness near the crown.
These are some tips and styles for long black hair, but the best thing to do is to go to a stylist for a more personalized recommendation.
