Black Hair Care Guide

Q.) What’s the best hair style and/or type for black women who work out everyday? I have relaxed hair and I’m strongly considering going natural.

A.) This is a pretty complicated question. Which style is best for you is going to be dependent on your personal preferences, the texture of your natural hair and the length you have. For example, you’re not going to be able to wear certain styles until your hair reaches a certain length. If your hair has a loose curl pattern, you might be able to wear a fairly maintenance free style with some “flow”. If your hair is in a very tight curl pattern, you might have to wear a ‘fro until you get some length.

If you’re going to natural though, you probably are not going to be able to wear your hair straight (either pressed or flat-ironed). Again, this will be dependent on your hair texture. If you have a tight curl pattern, you’d have to put so much heat on it daily that you’d end up breaking it off. So, you should consider something like a ‘fro or wearing it in braids, locks or some other style that will not require heat to maintain.

Probably the most common question we get concerning face care is how to take care of dark spots on the face. This is followed closely by how to prevent acne and the questions often come together (people who are still having active acne outbreaks and want to get rid of scarring from prior outbreaks). To treat this you actually have several choices. Keep in mind the regimens we sell are only suggested combinations of products designed to treat specific conditions. Each person’s skin is different. So, we encourage our customers to work with your skin to develop the regimen that is best suited for you. Here’s how we would suggest building a regimen to treat this type of situation. This is just an example to show how you might go about selecting products. We are not suggesting you need to follow this regimen exactly.

• Always start with a cleanser. For acne prone skin, you want a very mild cleanser. You do not want to use a cleanser with scrubs in it as acne prone skin is easily irritated. Cleanse at least twice a day using lukewarm water and your fingertips to cleanse. Do not use a washcloth as it carries bacteria and causes mechanical irritation.
  • An excellent cleanser would be HumiNature Deep C Cleanser or HumiNature Oil Defense Cleanser.
• The second step is to tone. The toner should be a very mild astringent that tightens up pores. Be very gentle with the face while applying. A spritzer bottle is great for applying toner.
  • HumiNature Oil Defense Toner would work.
• Next you will want to treat any active acne outbreaks.
  • This can be done with one of the Black Opal products (Blemish Target Gel for example).
• You’ll want to spot treat the dark spots.
  • Use a Fade Gel or Cream (such as HumiNature’s Dark Spot Fade Gel with hydroquinone at night)
  • Use a fade cream and a sunblock during the day. HumiNature DayTime Fade Cream includes the sunblock in it.
• Lastly, use a moisturizer, if necessary.

Before we try to sell anyone any product, we like to make sure we set proper expectations for what you can expect from an over-the-counter product. There are limits, set by the FDA, on how much of certain ingredients (the most effective ones) can be included in treatments available without a prescription. That is because the most effective ingredients, in high concentrations, can have side effects. That does not mean over-the-counter treatments aren’t effective. They are extremely effective, for the conditions, they can handle. What it means is your condition, if not responding to over-the-counter treatments may require professional help. Our suggestion is to try one or two over-the-counter treatments, if your condition is fairly mild. But, don’t run from place to place looking for something that is going to do “miracles”.

Skin being darker on the face and neck than the body is extremely common. What we have found is most people who notice this on themselves and think it’s a major problem have so little difference in actual shade that nobody else even notices. Unless others have mentioned this to you, we’d recommend you step back and ask yourself if it really is a problem worth you spending time and effort on.

Having said that, most over-the-counter products address what’s usually known as hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation is usually caused by irritation of the skin, most commonly acne scars. Uneven skin tone, (where the skin is blotchy) is much more difficult to treat with over the counter remedies. Products designed to treat hyperpigmentation basically stop the skin that is over producing pigment (right next to skin that is “normal”) and reversing the process. If your skin is two very different shades, products are not smart enough to know what shade to make your skin. Uneven skin tone on the face is mostly addressed with foundation (makeup). Skin lightening products can help with evening overall skin tone. But, they will only help to a certain extent. They generally work by lightening the overall skin tone, preventing repigmentation of the darker areas. Products with hydroquinone (and just a good sunblock) can lighten overall skin tone over time. And this can help because many times, with uneven skin tone, the lighter areas stay about the same while the darker areas lighten up.

If you’re going to treat hyperpigmentation there are two basic methods, mechanical and chemical. Mechanical methods would include microdermabrasion (which rubs the top layers of skin off) and dermabrasion (done in a doctor’s office). Chemical methods work by exfoliating (as in the case of peels) or by preventing the skin from producing so much pigment. Hydroquinone is the most common and effective over-the-counter medication that chemically works on hyperpigmentation. Some people are sensitive to hydroquinone. There are sensitive skin lighteners. But, they are generally not as effective.

It’s difficult to say which is more effective, chemical methods or mechanical methods. If you have extremely sensitive skin you might not be able to tolerate the chemicals use in the most effective chemical methods. However, the mechanical methods leave the skin a little sensitive for a few days also. When using any method, it’s vitally important to take care of the skin immediately after treatment, using a sunblock and a moisturizer. Here are some skin lightening products you can check out: http://www.treasuredlocks.com/skin-lightening-fade-products.htm

Stephon Sherriffe is the Owner-Operator of StephStyles Natural Hair and Beauty Salon in Loxahatchee, FL (suburban West Palm Beach). StephStyles does both natural and chemically treated hair. Stephon discovered Natural-Laxer MIX and has found it to be a boon to both her retail and services business. Since adding Natural-Laxer MIX to her portfolio of services, Stephon has seen a marked increase in business and in client satisfaction. Stephon told us “We are having good results with Natural-Laxer MIX and getting good feedback. Clients are seeing results and seeing it is making a difference in their hair. They are telling other clients about it.” Stephon placed a Natural-Laxer MIX poster up in her shop. This gets clients curious and they ask about it. Stephon describes the product and the results. She tells them that it is not a relaxer. She explains that it strengthens the hair and brings back elasticity. She tells them how it helps hold a press longer. Natural-Laxer MIX is not a chemical relaxer or straightener, but a spa-type of natural relaxation for the hair. This is very important to the growing number of clients who want to avoid harsh chemical procedures. Many clients coming in for a press and curl like the product as it makes the “hard press” last up to three weeks; even in hot, humid Southern Florida. Her chemically treated clients are using it to fortify and protect the hair after chemical treatments. Read the rest of this entry »