African-American Hair Care Tips

Black hair needs adequate moisture to maintain its health. The ability for hair to absorb moisture depends on how porous the hair is. Generally speaking, fine hair is usually more porous than coarse hair.

To see how porous or damaged your hair is, try this simple test. Take a small section of hair and tease it by back-combing it. If the hair bunches up very quickly it is either porous or damaged.

Here are some tips for blow-drying African-American hair. Keep in mind the particular needs of your specific hair when judging how much moisturizing treatment your hair needs.


Start off with a good moisturizing hair lotion, keep the heat on low, and keep the blow-dryer about 2 to 3 inches from the hair.

First use a large-toothed comb to detangle the hair. Start combing the ends first and work your way up to the scalp. This method will reduce damage and breakage.

Use a lightweight leave-in conditioner or anti-frizz serum to help protect against the heat. This will also help close the cuticle.

Gently towel-dry the hair real well to remove as much excess water as possible. Do not vigorously rub the hair with the towel but rather gently press the towel against the hair.

Dry the hair in sections using clips to section off the hair. Start at the bottom and work your way up to the top of the head.

Keep the blow-dryer moving across the hair and do not keep it directly pointed on one section of the hair for too long as this will help to keep the heat damage to a minimum.

Dry the hair in a downward motion as this will help the cuticle to lay flat and will help provide shine to the hair.

After drying a section of hair, use a blast of cold hair to close cuticle as this will help to seal in moisture.

Use a diffuser on the blow-dryer if you would prefer to keep your hair in its naturally curly state.

The very curly African-American hair has fewer cuticle layers than wavy or straight hair and this makes it more fragile and vulnerable to heat and chemical damage. Each time heat is applied to your fragile hair, some of the moisture is lost which affects the softness and manageability of the hair. It is important to reduce damage and moisture loss by considering the tips as mentioned above.