How to Manage and Grow Thick African American Hair
- 1). Massage the scalp with fingers spread out over head. Move the fingers in circle circles to stimulate blood flow. The blood carries nutrients to the hair follicles in the scalp. Massaging the hair daily for one to two minutes also produces more natural oils that lubricate dry and coarse hair.
- 2). Wash hair using moisturizing shampoos. These products offer hydration for dry hair strands. Rinse out the shampoo in cool water. Wash African-American hair no more than three times a week. The frequent washing strips the hair of natural oils, making it drier.
- 3). Apply a moisturizing conditioner to the hair after shampooing. These products add emollients to the hair and detanglers. Rinse out in cool water. Cool temperatures are less drying to the hair than hot water. The conditioner leaves hair soft and silky and easier to manage.
- 4). Perform a deep conditioning treatment. Warm olive oil in a microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds and apply to hair. Leave on for 20 minutes to one hour. Olive oil penetrates the hair strand adding more moisture to the dry and thick hair. Perform a deep conditioning treatment once a week. before you wash your hair.
- 5). Comb wet hair with a wide-toothed comb to remove any tangles. Towel dry hair or let hair air dry. Blow drying can damage fragile black hair. If you choose to blow dry black hair, use the coolest settings. Also apply a heat protecting lotion to the hair first. These products often some level of protection against heat.
- 6). Lubricate the ends of the hair. One way to maintain the hair growth you have is to regularly moisturize the ends of the hair. This makes them less likely to split and break off. Apply a tiny amount of olive oil to the ends every day or every other day. You just want to soften the ends, not make the hair greasy.
- 7). Trim the ends of the hair every six to eight weeks. By trimming the hair, you remove split ends. Split ends are a major cause of hair breakage and why it seems that African-American hair doesn't grow. If not cut off, the split ends move up the hair shaft splitting the hair and making it more likely to break off. You can trim the ends yourself or go to a hair stylist.
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