Aishah Stephenson

Educational Value

I have created an instructional guide for caring for natural hair. When I went natural six years ago there were hardly any products or any information for my transition. The natural hair care market has exploded, and going natural has become extremely popular amongst African-American and bi-racial women. Although there are a plethora of products, blogs, and fan sites for natural hair, many women still don’t know the basics of caring for natural hair. Instead of surfing around the internet for various tips and techniques for caring for natural hair this guide is a combination of basic hair care. This guide helps users determine what hair type category they fit into and guides them as they begin to care for their hair, instead of asking women on the street what they do for their hair. Also this guide can aid parents who need guidance in caring for their child’s hair.

Approach

Ideally, women who have recently transitioned to natural hair, people who don’t know about being natural or are considering going natural would use this guide. The information in the guide is fairly general for women with kinky and coiled hair types. The most common way women tend to search for hair care information is on the web. Therefore, this guide would be accessed on the web as part of a blog site.

Abstraction

The abstraction appears on the first page. The image of different hair types demonstrates what a typical hair strand from that type would look like. However, they are not identical and a user could have a combination of hair types. For example, type 4a in the front and 4b in the back and middle.

Personas

Janet Williams is from Houston, Texas and just celebrated her 29th birthday. Since she was 3 years old her mother has been relaxing her hair. Janet used to visit her beautician every 6 weeks to receive a touch up on her relaxer. Otherwise, Janet washed and styled her hair primarily at home. Janet decided to go natural when she noticed her hair thinning and suffering from extreme chemical damage. She has been natural for 8 months and started with a bald head. It was easy for Janet to splash water on her hair and go when it was shorter, but now that it

is getting longer she struggles with finding the right products and styles. Every Tuesday she goes to the beauty supply store in search for something to tame her growing mane.

Renee Jackson is 32 years old from Chicago, Illinois and has been receiving a relaxer since she was five years old. Renee lives with her husband Rupert and two dogs Mercedes and Benz. She loves her long straight hair, but is noticing some thinning. Her beautician recommended she consider going natural to take the chemical strain off her hair. She’s scared to cut all of her hair off and knows nothing about having an afro. In fact, she never has cared for her hair on her own. She frequents her beautician’s chair every two weeks to have her hair washed and blow dryed. Renee only uses the products her beautician suggests. She has tried to learn how to use the blow dryer, but Renee says it never comes out just right.

Marie Currie is 22 and a student at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N. Carolina. Marie works at Panera Bread in downtown Charlotte. During her commute she notices lots of women wearing their natural hair. Recently, Marie decided to go natural but she is not quite sure where to go beyond the “Big Chop”. Marie received her first relaxer at 13 years old. Marie always experiments with her hair. For her 18th birthday she dyed it her favorite color and shaved the side off. She missed the curly smooth texture of her natural hair, which encouraged her to do the Big Chop. She shaved her own hair with her brother’s clippers and a pair of craft scissors. Since she remembers her hair before relaxers she’s excited for it to grow long again. She’s been searching the internet for natural hair care tips and asked her natural friends about their hair care regimen, but they aren’t very helpful since they all have different hair types.

Testing Strategy

The guide will be tested by asking questions that are answered using the Likert Scale. The questions will reveal how well the user understands the information and relevance. Users should be able to identify what type of hair they have, understand the options available for going natural, know of typical styles worn by natural women, and the basics of caring for their natural hair by themselves.

Table of Contents

What is Natural Hair ................................................................................................................ 2 Becoming natural .............................................................................................................................. 3 Healthy and unhealthy habits ........................................................................................................ 4

Caring for Natural Hair ........................................................................................................... 5 Washing and Drying .......................................................................................................................... 6 Styling ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 Products ..............................................................................................................................................8 Trimming..............................................................................................................................................9

What is Natural Hair

Natural hair simply is hair existing in its natural state. Returning to a state of natural hair is prominent in the African-American and Black biracial communities. Many African-American women choose to relax their hair due to the kinky and seemingly unmanageable state of their hair. A relaxer is a chemical mixture of sodium hydroxide that removes the kink and curl from hair. Unfortunately, relaxers can cause extensive chemical damage and burns, so women of color are reverting to their hair’s natural state.

Whether your hair be curly, wavy, kinky or coily is based on genetics. There are different categories to define natural hair textures, which in turn determine the

type of care your hair needs. This instructional guide primarily focuses on typical African-American hair types 3a-4c. Type 3a curls are loose and big, 3b and 3c are tighter variations this curl pattern. Type 4a curls resemble a coil shape, 4b curls lack a round pattern and form a z shaped

pattern and 4c curls are extremely coily textures. Type 4 curls tend to accumulate more frizz and should only be detangled while wet or dampened with water and conditioner. Type 3 curls tend to be smoother with less shrinkage. Shrinkage is how much your hair shrinks from its true length particularly when transitioning from wet to dry. Shrinkage is determined by how loose or tight your curl pattern is. For individuals with coily textures, more shrinkage is likely to occur.

Going Natural

Becoming natural can be quick and simple process or it can be as long as you please and requiring a high level of care. Either way going natural can be a mental and emotional process for some. There are only two ways you can become natural.

1. The Big Chop

Named after the act of chopping all the relaxed hair off, leaving a short afro (affectionately known as the teenie weenie afro/TWA) or a low brush cut. When, how and who performs the Big Chop should be carefully considered. This method offers the most drastic change to your appearance, yet offers an immediate result. Realistically, anyone can perform the cut and some women even do it themselves.

2. Transitioning

This process involves gradually growing out natural hair and eventually trimming the relaxed hair off, leaving all the hair natural. Women often prefer this method because the transformation is less extreme. There are several ways to transition into natural hair. Some women begin with cutting their hair into a short style and continuing to flat iron or press their hair straight; others rely on braids, weaves, wigs or all of these to assist through this awkward phase. When transitioning, having two very different textures of hair that require different types of care can be frustrating and frequently leads women back to relaxers. Using flat irons can help blend kinkier hair with the existing straight hair. However, flat irons and pressing combs can also cause significant heat damage or burns. Hair can become brittle and dry if not moisturized properly during the use of braids, weaves, and wigs.

Senegalese Twists Weaves/Extensions

As the natural hair begins to grow out it is important to take care of the hair you will be left with when the relaxer is cut away. This phase is also a learning process for what your hair likes the most and what makes it the healthiest. Deciding when to cut the hair is a personal decision. Usually time and length are key contributors towards deciding when to cut your hair.

Healthy and Unhealthy Habits

Reverting to your natural state is the best thing you could ever do for the health of your hair. However, keeping the hair healthy can be challenging especially when handling and discovering an unfamiliar texture. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help you along your natural hair journey.

DO DON’T

Sleep with a satin bonnet to prevent your hair rubbing against cotton surfaces, which cause breakage.

Over process hair with chemicals, particularly hair coloring chemicals. Your hair could become damaged and lose it’s curl pattern

Keep your hair moisturized. Popular oils and butters include:

Coconut Oil(light) Olive Oil(mild) Black Castor Oil(heavy) Shea butter (heavy)

Overuse heat styling tools such as:

Blow Dryers Flat Irons Pressing Combs Curling wands/irons

Detangle your hair when it is wet or soaking in conditioner to prevent breakage.

Let your hair rub against your clothes, scarves, hats, etc. The friction of the two textures could cause breakage.

Always use a wide-tooth comb. Brush your hair with a bristled brush while wet.

Keep your scalp moisturized! Healthy hair starts at the root. Jojoba oil best resembles the natural oils produced by the scalp.

Wear extremely tight hairstyles or braids. The tension could cause your hairline to recede.

Use a deep conditioner to restore lost protein and/or moisture.

Play in your hair all the time. It’s very tempting to play with the nappy curly strands, but they are fragile and will break easily.

Caring for Natural Hair

The greatest misconception regarding caring for natural hair, is that it’s easier to care for than straight hair. Having natural hair is not easier, but it is different. With natural hair, you’ll find that a lot of your old products don’t work the same wonders on your new type of hair. The simplest way to approach caring for natural hair is to use natural products. Typically things you can find in your kitchen are better than what rests on any store shelf. Ingredients like mineral oil, dimethicones, sulfates, parabens, etc. often cause adverse effects and results. With natural hair, the follicles need to be fed wholesome ingredients found in essential oils like Rosemary, Tea Tree, Olive, Jojoba, Coconut, etc.

Washing and Drying

There are several ways to cleanse natural hair. Naturalista’s typically prefer to cleanse using the co-wash method. Instead of using a shampoo, which tends to strip the hair of its natural oils, women use conditioner instead. The conditioner cleanses the hair and provides moisture as well. Other naturalista’s need a deeper cleanse, but still steer away from shampoo. Creating a combination of Apple Cider Vinegar diluted with distilled water, you can clarify and cleanse natural hair. When using regular shampoo it is very important to check the ingredients and stay away from sulfates!

If you find that your hair is extra thirsty a pre-poo (before shampooing) treatment or deep conditioner may be necessary. Deep conditioners are great to help the hair stay strong, healthy and moisturized. It is recommended to use a deep conditioner every week, but as you get to know your hair you’ll find how frequently is necessary. While conditioning (with regular conditioner) your hair, you can always add a little olive or coconut oil for more moisture.

Drying your hair is equally important in the process of washing natural hair. Using heat tools like hooded dryers and blow dryers decrease drying time, however over using them can cause damage. If you decide to use a blow dryer or hooded dryer try to keep the temperature low to cut down on heat damage. Instead of reaching for the towel, try a cotton t-shirt and blot the water out of your hair versus rubbing. Frizzy hair stems from rubbing the hair and/or using a towel, which disturbs the fresh curls. Once the hair is shirt-dried apply oil and seal with a butter like Shea butter. After this is completed you’re set to style your natural hair.

WARNING

AVOID SULFATES!!! They dry out your

hair.

Styling Your Hair

The beauty of natural hair is versatility! One day you can rock a fresh wash and go, the next a curly twist out, straight hair, braids, or even just a hat. Styles can be done on wet or dry hair depending on the look you’re trying to achieve. Since shrinkage is such a huge issue, wearing styles that stretch the hair are very popular and preferred. Two strand twists, flexi rods, flat twists, straw sets, etc. are great styles to stretch the hair and show off your length. These styles look best when they are done on wet hair and using styling products like setting lotions or curling custards. A very popular style amongst naturalista’s is the wash and go. The wash and go method is exactly what it sounds like, washing the hair and wearing it in a wet style. To maintain your curls, continue to moisturize them and add a styling gel for the hold that you prefer. If you need guidance in styling your hair YouTube has a plethora of tutorials. Examples of some styles are pictured below.

Two Strand Twist Two Strand Twist-Out Flexi Rod Set

Bobby pins will be your natural hair’s best friend when doing pinned styles and buns. Pinned and rolled styles are also a form of protective styling. Protective styles are worn to protect the hair from environmental factors like rain, humidity, cold, and winter clothes that the hair could rub against. Protective styles include: extensions, braids, buns, tuck and roll styles, and even hats (be sure to wear your satin bonnet under wool hats).

Products

Deciding which products to use can be difficult and expensive. As stated earlier, the best products for your hair are natural products. The internet is a great resource to discover what products naturalista’s similar to you love and hate. A great

site to gather reviews and find products based on hair type is www.naturallycurly.com. Staple products to include in your collection are shampoo, conditioner, two deep

conditioners (one for moisture and one for protein), an oil moisturizer, a butter to seal the oil, a leave in conditioner for

kinky days, and a gel or crème for the hold you desire.

Trimming

Trimming the dead and split ends of your hair is crucial to retaining length (if that is your goal) and maintaining healthy, tangle-free hair. It is very tempting to pick and pull pieces of hair that have knots or dead ends. By all means avoid doing this and simply trim it with hair scissors. Just like deep conditioning, when you learn your hair, you’ll know when it’s time. However the typical time frame is every three months. Only trim the dead hair and not the healthy hair.

Because a product works/doesn’t

work for someone else doesn’t mean it

will or wont for you!

Afro silhouette:

http://s3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/222356_cqcVrflJpjuAmcKtlTeZ5gkJ_.jpg

Janet:

http://www.blackhairsaloncleveland.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/fgkkjfgkgfkgffg.jpg

Renee: http://cdn.madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/black-woman-stressed-out.jpg

Marie: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CHQ_Kq9bMIc/TTBxNON5nVI/AAAAAAAALKI/H9lGgAwaGP8/s1600/Big%2BChop%2BMonth%2B1.jpg

Abstraction: http://snazzyhair.blogspot.com/p/what-is-your-hair-type.html 04/2/13

Big chop citation : http://ramousarr.com/post/8131649483/i-have-asked-google-twitter-and-facebook-for 4/2/13

SENEGALESE twists: http://www.africancurls.com/?page_id=58 4/2/13

Extensions: http://wealthyhair.com/virgin-brazilian-island-curl.html 4/2/13

Two Strand Twist: http://thirstyroots.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/two-strand-twist-natural.jpg

Two strand twist out http://blackgirllonghair.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/twist-out.jpg

Flexi rod http://shamiamglam.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/img_3063.jpg

Post Test Questions:

1. How familiar are you with natural hair after reading this document ?

Least familiar Unfamiliar Neutral Familiar Very familiar

1 2 3 4 5

2. Understands the process of going natural?

Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1 2 3 4 5

3. Aware of different styling options for natural hair?

Very Unaware Unaware Neutral Aware Very Aware

1 2 3 4 5

4. How likely are you to recommend this guide to a friend?

Unlikely Maybe Neutral Likely Very likely

1 2 3 4 5

5. Understands the basics of caring for natural hair?

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

6. How comfortable are you with identifying what type of hair you have?

Very Uncomfortable Uncomfortable Neutral Comfortable Very Comfortable

1 2 3 4 5

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