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Free Preview Of Black Hair Book:
Download a free preview of the book Twelve Steps For Growing Black Hair. The preview is in Adobe PDF format. To download it visit http://www.black-hair-growth.info/Twelve-Steps-Preview.html

Twelve Steps For Growing Black Hair is now available at Amazon.com. So, if you are an Amazon shopper, and you’d like to get a copy of our book, you can order it through Amazon. Or, if you prefer to shop in person, and you have a favorite bookstore that you would like to support, you can give them the ISBN number and they should be able to order a copy for you.

I have an article titled "Dealing With Dry Hair" at black-hair-growth.info. To read it click here

My mom, who has very dry hair, let me know the results of her recent deep conditioning treatment with Northwest Scents™ hair conditioner. She normally just leaves the hair conditioner on a few minutes after she washes her hair and then rinses it out. Her hair was still dry, so this time she slathered on the conditioner, tied up her hair in a scarf, put a plastic shower cap on, and left her hair like this overnight. When she got up the next morning she rinsed out the conditioner and was left with soft, moisturized hair.

QUESTION: I am truly impressed with what you are saying. I am currently wearing box braids and usually after taking out braids, you lose a lot of hair. What do you recommend? Also.. what is thermal pressing. How does that work and where can I get it done. Because I do wear my hair permed.

ANSWER: Hi. When you take out braids, it will seem like you are losing a lot of hair because it is normal for everyone to lose about 100 hairs a day. If you wear braids for a few weeks, when you take them out, the hair that you would have lost on a daily basis will come out all at once making it seem like you have lost a lot of hair. The real thing to watch out for with braids is traction alopecia (see http://www.dermweb.com/hairinfo/06.html and also http://dermatlas.med.jhmi.edu/derm/result.cfm?Diagnosis=-1373577218). This is when you lose hair along your hair line as a result of certain hair styles. As you can see from the links traction alopecia affects all races. Tight braids put into the hair pull at the hairline, and will cause a loss of hair around your face. If you are having this problem you will either want to vary your hairstyle, and make sure your braids aren't put in too tight. Thermal pressing is when you take a hot comb (also called a straightening comb or a pressing comb) and run it though your hair to straighten it. It should only be done on hair that has not been chemically treated. It is the old fashioned way to straighten black hair. Some salons specialize in pressing, you just have to ask around. The key to success with pressing is to do it only on hair that has not been processed any other way, and to do it on hair that has been freshly washed, conditioned, and detangled, and to not overdo it with the heat so that you don't burn your hair. I talk about how to do pressing yourself in my book Twelve Steps For Growing Black Hair.

QUESTION: Hello, We were discussing your book on a hair board and your sister posted some info and suggested we contact you w/questions. I have had bad experiences with heat and am interested in knowing how often you press and whether or not pressing has changed your texture? I like to wear my hair in its curly state and am concerned about it not curling back up after using heat consistently. I know others who have had this happen and had to cut their hair. Thanks in advance

ANSWER: I press my hair after I wash it which is approximately every two to three weeks. Pressing my hair along with using the hair care products I make has caused my hair to be a little softer that it was before, but it has not taken away the curl or texture of my hair. You can see photos of my hair in its natural state on my blog at http://myblackhairjourney.bravejournal.com/ entry/19208/. These photos were taken on 4/21/06, which is about four and a half years after I started pressing my hair again. If you look at the last two photos of my hair at http://www.black-hair-growth.info/my-hair-growth-pictures/ you can see that even in the pressed state my hair retains some of its body and curl. I understand your concerns, because when I was a child and had my hair pressed using a stovetop pressing comb, some of my hair did change texture. I have seen people who have pressed their hair so much and at such a high temperature that it permanently changed their hair to straight. My opinion based on my experiences and observations is that limited heat applied at the proper temperature to the hair is not bad. However, problems occur when too much heat is applied to the hair too frequently. The pressing comb that I have used for the past several years has 20 heat settings. I press my hair at 14. With this comb I do not go higher than that. And I only press my hair twice in between washings. The first press is to go from tightly curled to straighter. The second press, which is usually a day after the first press, is to touch up any areas that I might have missed. I could get it done faster if I turned up the heat on the pressing comb, but then that would burn up my hair. I do not apply the pressing comb again to my hair until after I have washed it. My personal goal in pressing my hair is not to have it perfectly straight (as you can see from the pictures). My goal is to detangle my hair and make it easier to maintain. I hope that has helped and if you have any other questions please let me know.

Andre Walker, author of "Andre Talks Hair," came up with a hair classification system that is the most popular one used when referencing hair. He references four hair types as follows: Type 1: Straight hair that won't hold a curl. Type 1A is fine and thin, type 1B is medium textured, type 1C is coarse. Type 2: Wavy hair. Type 2A is fine and thin, type 2B is medium textured, type 2C is coarse. Type 3: Curly hair with soft smooth curls. Type 3A has loose curls, type 3B has a medium amount of curl. Type 4: Kinky or very tightly curled hair. This hair is very fragile. Type 4A is tightly coiled in a S pattern (like ringlets). Type 4B is in a Z pattern, and the hair bends at angles. I use the term 4a/4b to describe my type of hair because Mr. Walker's hair classification system is widely used and is a common point of reference when describing hair. Most black hair can be described as type 4, but there are huge variances in hair types within every race. Many times we think that only people of African descent have kinky or nappy hair.  However, this type of hair occurs in every race. I have seen Jewish people, one Asian, and Caucasians with kinky hair. One problem I have with Mr. Walker's hair type classification is that there are more than two types of black hair. On my head alone there are at least four types: Type 4A; tightly coiled in ringlets. Fairly coarse. Type 4B: hair in a Z pattern that bends at angles. Type 4C: baby soft hair that is thinner and finer that the rest. (the hair at the nape of my neck). Type 4D: Coarse, wiry and rough, (the hair at the crown of my head). To determine your hair type look at 1 inch or more of untreated hair (hair that has not been chemically processed or straightened) and see where it falls.

I have been researching and formulating my own hair care products for several years. During my research I've studied the best ingredients for my type (4a/4b) of hair. Up until recently I've been creating these products for myself, family, and friends, but now I'm making my products available to the general public. Currently I'm selling the hair oil that I use. It is formulated for all extra curly hair types. There are several members in my family who use this oil, and not all wear their hair pressed. My sister wears her hair curly (she has type 3a/3b) and she uses the oil as a daily moisturizer and a hot oil treatment. This hair oil is formulated with a proprietary blend of carefully chosen natural vegetable oils. The first ingredient we use is organic coconut oil. Researchers at Marico Industries Ltd., Mumbai, India studied the effects of coconut oil, mineral oil, and sunflower seed oil on hair. Mineral oil and sunflower seed oil were chosen because of their extensive use in the hair care industry. The researchers discovered that "Among three oils, coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product. Both sunflower and mineral oils do not help at all in reducing the protein loss from hair. " The second ingredient, castor oil, adds gloss and luster to the hair. Olive oil is used as an additional moisturizing ingredient. Lanolin helps to make dry, African American, type 4a/4b hair more manageable. If you are interested in purchasing this hair oil, please visit this link: Northwest Scents(TM)

These photos were also taken on 4/21/06. They show my hair during and after pressing. Thermal pressing is not for everyone because it does take some time, but I like it because it has helped me to manage my hair and encourage it's growth. I formulate my own hair care products which help me to detangle, soften, and moisturize my dry, dense hair. This has helped my hair to grow more than it has at any other time during my life.