9 Men’s Hair And Grooming Tips To Leave Your Hair Looking Great
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Hair grooming is an important part of overall hygiene, whether you’re a man or a woman. However, it’s doubly important if you’re a man because your hair is probably styled differently from a woman’s. But what does this mean for grooming? What good tips will help you achieve the style you want with the least amount of work possible? In this article, we’ll discuss hair grooming advice for black men.
In general, black men have three different types of hair: kinky, curly, and coarse. The first two can be treated in basically the same way as other people treat their straight or wavy scalps — there aren’t too many special techniques involved. Coarse hair is a very different story, though! This hair type has to be cut very short to look too wild and out of control.
Here are a few black men’s hair and grooming tips to make life easier for you and your do.
Don’t Wash Your Hair Every Day
Washing your hair every day can strip it of its natural oils, causing it to become dry and brittle. If you have kinky or curly hair, this is something you’ll want to avoid. Try shampooing every other day instead, or even every three days if you can get away with it.
There is a chemical in most shampoos called sodium lauryl sulfate. It’s a detergent that cleans your hair but unfortunately robs your hair of the natural oils that the scalp produces to protect your hair. So overexposure to SLS can leave your hair dry.
Use a Conditioner
Conditioner is essential for anyone with kinky or curly hair — it helps to add moisture and keep your scalp healthy. Choose a conditioner that’s specifically designed for black men’s hair, and be sure to use it every time you shampoo. Conditioning also helps to detangle hair which gets it ready to be moisturized.
Avoid Heating Tools
Heating tools like flat irons and curling irons can damage African American hair. The high heat can cause damage that will have you shedding hair more than ever. If you must heat style your hair, use tools designed for black men’s hair or look for lower heat settings.
Moisturize Properly
Moisturizing is another key to healthy black hair. When you moisturize, you’re adding back the moisture stripped away by shampooing and conditioning. There are many different ways to moisturize your hair, so find one that works best for you and stick with it.
Start by applying a water-based moisturizing product. Second, seal the moisture with a natural oil like coconut oil or jojoba oil—finally, layer on a moisturizing cream or leave-in conditioner.
Get a Trim Every Six Weeks
A good trim every six weeks will help keep your hair looking neat. If you have kinky or curly hair, ask your barber to cut it very short this will help control frizz and make styling easier. If you have coarse hair, consider shaving all of your head except for a small patch on top — this will give the illusion that you have more hair than you do.
Take Care of Your Scalp
Healthy scalps produce more oil, keeping the scalp from drying out and producing dandruff. To keep your scalp healthy, you can rub it with oily products to compensate for the sebum oil lost while shampooing.
Your diet can also cause dandruff. If you find that certain foods are making your dandruff worse, stop eating them or at least cutback.
Choose a Low Maintenance Style
Choose a low-maintenance style if you don’t want to worry about your hair too much. Dreadlocks, for example, are a great style that doesn’t require much fussing. Or, go with a simple cut like the buzz cut. It’s easy to maintain and always looks neat.
Use Natural Products
Many natural products on the market are designed to help black men’s hair look its best. Shea butter, for example, is great for adding moisture and shine. Coconut oil is also good for smoothing frizz and adding shine.
Natural Shampoos contain ingredients like jojoba oil, coconut oil, and aloe vera that are great for the scalp and improve hair health and growth. These shampoos can remove build-up dirt and grease without removing essential moisture from your hair.
You can also get silicone-free conditioners to ensure that your hair is prepared for hydration without getting a heavy build-up of silicones.
Cover Your Hair at Night
You should always cover your hair when you sleep. It won’t get the moisture needed to stay healthy if you don’t. Instead, it will dry out and become brittle, leading to breakage. Cotton is super absorbent and will wick the moisture out of your hair. A satin or silk pillowcase is best because it reduces frizz while you sleep though any scarf will do in a pinch.
Final Thoughts
After following these black men’s hair grooming tips for a few months, you’ll notice an improvement in your scalp health and hair texture. It may take some time for heat damage to be reversed, but after using natural products for a while, things should look better than ever!
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This content is brought to you by Amanda Maladay.
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