A is For....

I'm starting a natural hair alphabet which includes tips from my own experience with my hair. So I will commence with...

AFRO HAIR

Most of you know, black people have the most diverse curl pattern from loos-ish waves to full-on kinks. There's more to hair than being a 3a,4b or whatever. Porosity,Density,Oiliness and Coarseness also affect the condition of your hair. For example if you have low hair porosity easily absorbs moisture but that also means you will have to use less product as some of it might sit on the hair and vice-versa for high porosity hair. Hair density is simply the thickness of hair. I  have thin hair, and Coarseness of the hair is the Thickness of Each Individual hair strand- mine are fine. Oiliness is self explanatory. These four things can be the difference between APL length and SL hair, so take note of these helpful external links.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curly-hair-care-methods/kinky-beginners-guide/hair-porosity-and-density

http://www.hairliberty.org/black-hair-care/articles/hair-education/fine-African-American-hair.html

Afro hair benefits

• Because of the distinct curly pattern and tendency to knot you can naturally create unique styles such as twists,cornrows and locs 
•  Afro hair nearly always looks dense and coarse- I was fooled into thinking my hair was thick
• It drinks up water like a sponge
• Afro hair IS beautiful and diverse

Afro Hair Disadvantages

• Also because the tendency to knot afro hair is more susceptible to breakage and splits-hindering growth
• Because of the curl pattern oils naturally produced from the scalp don't typically reach the ends of hair making it dry.
• Because it is so porous- afro hair loses moisture FAST. counteract that by. Moisturizing and sealing daily and maybe if necessary put a heavy thick cream on top of the sealant. E.g Giovanni Direct Leave In, Grape seed Oil and Shea Butter.

5 Facts you probably didn't know.    

• Afro hair actually does grow a little less than Caucasoid hair- afro hair grows 140  micrometers less than Caucasoid hair(on average)
• Afro hair has more surface area than Caucasoid hair, which means there is more hair to be damaged.
• Hair types don't affect hair density, infact hair colour typically does:

* for natural blonde hair - 130,000
* for natural red hair - 80,000
* for natural brown hair - 100,000
* for natural black hair - 100,000 (This is the average density of a whole head of hair)

• Asian hair grows faster than white&black hair,it is generally thicker but negatively it does experience thinning more than afro hair
• A lot of things you thought were necessary for optimal growth, well, aren't really needed.

1. Protein Conditoners (If you have enough in your diet and you don't use heat more than once a month it's not necessary)
2. Natural hair products. Need I any more?

I hope this article helped you! COMMENT. COMMENT.COMMENT. XXXXX