Black Hair Care
African American Hair Care
The World Wide Web Brings Black Hair Care to the Mainstream
African American hair care has gotten a serious boost thanks to the
Internet. In a Caucasian-centric society, pre-World Wide Web, African
American women were often left to rely on family circles and word of
mouth for tips on maintaining their hair. Care and handling of African
American hair differs vastly from that of Caucasian hair--a fact that
was largely ignored for many years in the hair care industry. Hair care products
designed specifically for African American women weren't even heard of
until Madame C.J. Walker developed her line of hair and beauty products
around 1906. Today, in addition to big name African American hair care product
lines (Ethnic hair and beauty care is a 1.7 billion dollar industry,
according to New Journal & Guide.) like Luster's and Soft
Sheen,smaller companies, in the spirit of Madame C.J.Walker, cater to
the Afrian American hair care needs. One such company, Carol's
Daughter, offers their special brand of products online.
Websites
with information, products, testimonials and tips on caring for African
American hair abound. Shaniek McLeish reviewed six of the top "online
sources for black hair care" in a recent article for their website and their are countless others.
Offline,
many books have been published on the topic, among the most recent
additions is the May 27, 2003-released, "Hair Rules: The Ultimate Hair-Care
Guide for Women With Kinky, Curly, or Wavy Hair," by New York City
stylist, Anthony Dickey. (Prices) Dickey has styled the hair of
celebrities such as Alicia Keyes, Naomi Campbell and Gloria Reuben.
Dickey
shares secrets on caring for curly and kinky hair including which
shampoos are the best for curly hair, which tends to be drier than
straight hair, and tips on safe chemical relaxing, a process which
makes curly hair straighter. Another stylist-to-the-stars-cum-author is
Oprah's own Andre Walker, who penned the popular "Andre Talks Hair"
back in 1997. (Prices) Andre's book's popularity may have had a lot to
do with his most famous client, but his hairtyping system stands on its
own merit and has become a popular means of defining curly hair types
on several websites dedicated to caring for curly and/or African
American hair.
The popularity of
natural African American hairstyles has also developed its own Internet
following. Websites devoted to natural styles, braids and dreadlocks
are becoming increasingly easy to locate, as are step-by-step stories
from women who are abandoning chemical relaxers and 'going natural'.
Photos and weblogs punctuate these sites and offer how-tos and tips on
making the transition from relaxed hair to natural. Sites like
nappyhair.com offer chronologies on "The Journey" as they call it, as
well as tips on products, styles and care. The site also offers a
community of similar-minded women who share hair care ideas.
And
not to be outdone, the multiracial community now has their own website
full of products and tips for caring for their hair. "Curls: Superb Hair Care
for Multiethnic Women" recently launched a website to meet the needs of
the mixed race community. Curls claims to be "the first line of hair care products truly created specifically for biracial/multiracial women and girls with naturally curly hair."
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