One of our family friends, Mike, has always had long, healthy hair for as long as I can remember. We grew up in the same neighborhood and he preferred to keep long hair as opposed to my brothers who made regular visits to the barber. I’d always wanted to ask him the secret on how to take care of black male hair.
I finally did ask him, when I was transitioning from relaxed to natural hair a couple of years ago.
Most of the things that he shared are similar to what ladies with natural hair do to keep their hair healthy.
However, I don’t think I’ve seen men doing some of the things that Mike talked about – like wearing satin bonnets at night.
Table of Contents
How To Take Care Of Black Male Hair
Mike swears that by adhering to the seven tips discussed below, he has been able to maintain healthy hair for years.
I follow almost all the tips and I have to concur with Mike that these simple tips will see you achieve your length-chasing goals faster, and help you to maintain healthy hair.
Night Routine
Your hair, in most cases, does not come into mind when you are thinking about purchasing pillowcases.
You are now probably wondering how pillowcases are connected to your quest of achieving long, healthy hair.
Well, satin pillowcases are what you should be looking for if you care about your hair.
This must be shocking news for you if you love cotton pillowcases.
As a black person, you know that your hair can easily get tangled, and dealing with it afterward is often a hustle you probably don’t want to deal with, especially in the morning.
Cotton pillowcases may be comfortable, but they are rough on the hair, and this eventually causes friction between your hair and the cotton surface.
Your hair is easily susceptible to getting tangled, and this may eventually lead to hair breakage.
Satin pillowcases
Satin pillowcases are soft; this means that your hair will not get tangled during your sleep as it slides smoothly on the pad.
Satin pillowcases are also good for your hair because they do not suck up your hair’s natural moisture as you sleep.
Cotton pillowcases, on the other hand, are notorious for sucking up your hair’s natural oils and moisture.
This dries out your hair and leaves it brittle and easily susceptible to breakage.
Satin bonnets
Wearing satin bonnets also helps to keep your hair healthy and protected.
Now, before you think that this is something that only women use, please remember that there is no difference between a black man’s natural hair and a black woman’s natural hair.
Their hair is affected the same way if they fail to observe the best hair practices.
Satin bonnets help reduce the rate of hair breakage as you sleep as they are smooth; hence there is less friction.
These bonnets prevent friction and the hair doesn’t experience static charges.
Therefore, you are less likely to experience hair breakage.
These bonnets also don’t suck up your hair’s natural moisture as you sleep.
Avoid The Use Of Chemicals
Are you a fan of relaxers, bleach, and dyes?
Well, the bad news is that these chemicals can ruin your hair structure almost permanently without you even knowing it.
Applying relaxers, bleach, and color almost inevitably makes your hair porous.
In the worst-case scenario, if you or the hairstylist don’t go about these chemical processes the right way, it can eventually lead to scalp irritation, stunted hair growth, or hair breakage.
Relaxers and perms
Relaxers alter your hair’s pH balance and this can lead to hair breakage if you don’t take care of it properly.
It is inevitable for you to have thinning hair with constant use of relaxers.
Believe it or not, relaxers and perms can also cause scalp infections.
No one wants that for their hair.
Perms and relaxers may leave bald patches on your hair.
Chemicals, especially relaxers, give a burning effect on your hair; hence they can permanently damage parts of your scalp, leaving you with bald patches.
Dyeing
Dyeing your hair enables you to try out a wide range of colors.
As much as this may be exciting, coloring is not suitable for your hair, especially when you want to maintain healthy hair in the long term.
Dyeing strips the moisture out of your natural hair as it makes the hair strands more porous, making the hair dry and brittle.
Coloring or bleaching your hair can cause something known as a “chemical cut”, which is hair breakage.
Bleaching
Bleaching breaks down your hair’s disulfide bonds.
This makes the hair brittle and easily susceptible to breakage.
It is also possible for your scalp to experience burning from the numerous chemicals you expose to it.
Related Post: How To Treat Chemical Burns On The Scalp
Hair chemicals generally alter the natural hair structure of naturally curly hair.
If you still want to use some chemicals on your hair, please consider using Olaplex treatments that are designed to prevent hair breakage during coloring or bleaching sessions.
Avoid Using Heat On Your Hair
Frequent use of heat styling appliances can be detrimental to your hair’s health.
I suffered from heat damage a couple of years ago after regularly blow drying my hair without taking any precautions.
Picking up the blow dryer or flat iron every morning to style your hair – and making it a routine – can be the beginning of irreversible damage to your hair.
The frequent use of these hot tools can make your hair brittle.
This is because too much heat weakens the hair structure, making it brittle and easy to break.
Regular heat can also end up causing split ends, which eventually damages your hair.
Too much heat alters the elasticity of the hair.
Naturally, when you pull kinky hair, it is likely to stretch for a while without breaking, and in most cases, the hair strand does not break off easily.
Heat damaged hair, however, loses its elasticity hence tends to break off easily.
Using hot tools also leads to the reduction of your hair’s natural moisture.
They basically “dehydrate” your hair.
When you are using these heat-styling appliances on your hair, you probably notice the vapor-like smoke coming from your hair.
This is the moisture present in your hair evaporating.
The moisture content in your hair therefore reduces.
As a result, your hair now becomes drier, and this is likely to damage it.
The lipid structure of your hair is also considerably damaged by hot tools.
The hair cuticles become rougher because of the cracks, fissures, and micropores created by the high temperature from these appliances.
It’d be advisable to look for other ways of stretching your hair if you can’t stand constant hair shrinkage, especially after every hair washing session.
You may want to look into methods such as banding, braiding, twisting, bunning, or African threading.
Although I still use heat two or three times a year, I’ve now incorporated the use of heat protectants which create a barrier between my hair and the heat styling appliance.
Use The Right Combs
Using the right combs and brushes is very important when trying to maintain healthy hair.
Behind every impeccable afro hairstyle, there is a trusted comb.
Besides styling your hair, combs also help to remove the leftover residue from the hair products you use.
Although I discourage people from detangling natural hair using afro picks or brushes, I think using a wide-tooth comb to detangle hair that has conditioner in it is a safe move.
A lot of people assume that combs and brushes serve the same purpose.
The difference is that combing your hair helps you remove tangles and knots present in your hair.
This makes it easy for you to brush afterward.
Brushing, on the other hand, is meant to remove flakes, dirt, and product build-up.
Have you ever wondered whether the type of comb you use is suitable for your hair?
Well, the answer is that certain types of combs have different effects on your hair.
Metal combs
Metal combs are ranked among the best types of combs because they are durable and great at preventing friction from building up in the hair.
They also keep your hair from snagging.
Wooden combs
Wooden combs, on the other hand, are excellent for soothing and massaging your hair.
These combs help release the natural oils present in your hair just like brushes do.
This way, your hair is kept shiny and healthy.
Carbon combs
Carbon combs are designed to withstand heat when styling your hair using heat styling appliances tools.
A carbon comb does not bend and is actually quite durable.
It’s also static-free, meaning that it does not build a static charge as you comb your hair.
Carbon combs are also lightweight hence making them suitable for you in case you travel a lot.
Plastic combs
Plastic combs have the worst reputation.
They break often and are not the best material for your hair.
Most of the plastic combs are built in such a way that they can easily snag and damage your hair.
However, the higher-end type of plastic combs – such as the ones made from cellulose acetate – are often hand-cut and polished.
They are comfortable to use and are kind to your hair.
They are also quite durable.
Which is the best?
When combing your hair, use wide-tooth combs to detangle wet or damp hair.
It’s also advisable to use a wide-tooth comb on really thick, coarse, and curly hair.
Medium-tooth combs are ideal for styling and shaping hair.
They are also suitable for detangling hair or when you are preparing for a haircut.
Fine-tooth combs, on the other hand, are suitable for parting your hair or keeping your hair neatly in place after styling.
Regular combing of your hair can also boost hair growth and reduce hair breakage.
Cut Down On The Cleansing Sessions
As much as you probably like cleansing your hair, doing it too frequently is not really advisable.
Most shampoos in the market contain a hazardous chemical known as Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which is the cleaning agent.
SLS strips your natural hair of its natural oils, leaving it dry and very brittle.
This puts your hair at the risk of breakage because it’s been stripped of moisture.
Shampooing less frequently, about once or twice a week, is more advisable.
Related Post: How Often Should Black Men Wash Their Hair?
Cutting down on the number of times you cleanse your hair will help it retain the natural oils your scalp produces.
This will keep your hair moisturized and less susceptible to breakage.
Black men’s hair (and black women’s hair too) tends to naturally dry out faster compared to other hair types.
Therefore, we should try to avoid exposing it too much to things that will make the situation worse.
Since our kinky hair is naturally curly, the natural oils present in the hair cannot lubricate the hair strand’s full length.
Hence, frequent washing makes the hair strands dry out quickly, become brittle, and in the worst-case scenario, end up breaking.
In the case where your hair is naturally oily, you might need to clean it more often – probably three times a week.
If you suffer from a very dry scalp that even gets inflamed from all the scratching, you should get a special shampoo that can help heal your scalp and rejuvenate it.
Condition Your Hair More
Conditioning your hair is essential.
Regular conditioners deeply infuse your hair with moisture and thus help in reducing the chances of hair breakage and getting split ends.
Deep conditioning your hair will also help in preventing hair breakage as it improves on the hair’s elasticity, hence, preventing damage.
The deep conditioner you use – whether protein or moisture – penetrates the hair shaft and helps to restore the hair’s natural shine and also strengthen the mane.
Use Products Without Harsh Ingredients
When shopping for your hair products, you must check the ingredients present in the products you want to buy.
Products with parabens and sulfates are not suitable for your hair.
Prolonged use of products with parabens and sulfates causes scalp irritation, dry hair, and general hair loss.
Replacing these products with more natural solutions is the best and ideal way to go, especially if you value healthy hair.
It is also crucial that you avoid products with alcohol as these products tend to dry out your hair.
You may also want to steer clear from products with mineral oils such as petroleum.
These kinds of occlusive agents do not allow circulation of air and moisture in your hair, and you already know by now lack of moisture is not beneficial to your hair.
Products with silicones are also not suitable for your hair as they weigh down your hair.
Conclusion
If you’ve been wondering how to take care of black male hair, the tips shared in this post will be useful.
You’ll need to get avoid using products with harsh ingredients such as parabens, alcohol, sulfates, and silicones.
You may also want to cut down on the shampooing frequency – washing your hair daily will dry it out.
Unless you are an active sportsman, you’ll be fine washing your hair thrice or twice a week.
Increase the number of times you condition your hair and adopt a new night routine that includes wearing a satin bonnet and using a silk/satin pillowcase.
Oh.. and try to minimize the use of chemical treatments and heat styling appliances.
Try out these tips and your hair will be healthy in the long term.
