Combing mixed race hair

Mixed race like African/Carribbean hair is best not to be manipulated too much, that includes being combed. There is always the temptation to comb your hair when it is straight, after a relaxer treatment, or a blow-drying session  for example but you can resist the urge.
When your hair is not relaxed or straight it is definitely best to leave it alone. Here are some advice on caring for curly/mixed race hair.
1. Only comb when you have conditioner in your hair or if you are under a stream of water, it will avoid pulling your hair out! If you really want or have to comb your hair at any other time comb VERY GENTLY through with a wide tooth comb. Do NOT brush your hair at any time, brushes cause damage to mixed race hair especially on dry hair, brushing is good for caucasian hair because it helps distribute the sebum along the length of the hair strand. Black and most mixed race hair do not suffer from excess sebum on the scalp which is why, washing hair with shampoo everyday is not necessary.
2. You can blow-dry and flat-iron your hair (not right after a relaxer though) but make sure you protect it first because the heat process is VERY damaging to tightly coiled and/or curly hair. Your hair is already very dry by nature, don't do anything to increase the dryness or it will break and fall out and you will be left with no hair. Mixed race hair, just like African/Carribbean hair must be kept as moisturised as possible to avoid breakage or such disaster. It is best not to use heat to often, once a month or less is advisable.
3. After shampooing your hair. The best and easy way to avoid breakage or damage to your hair is to pull the damp hair back into a bun or loosely braided ponytail, or even two braids and let the hair dry on its own.
4. To hold your hair use plastic holders or cloth scrunchies or you can also cut piece of clean tight to use as hair holder, they are very effective at keeping your hair in place and do not pull or tear your hair out like the other holders do.
5. As your hair grows and becomes stronger and healthier, you can wear a loose ponytail everyday. You can also wear braids out and from time to time you can even have your hair loose.
6. To prevent breakage and keep the moisture in it is best to braid the hair at night( 4 or more braids) and consider wearing a silk or satin (or anything soft) scarf to bed, so that hair does not rub and break on the pillow when sleeping. Alternatively, you can also use a silk pillow, if you are among those who go to bed with a scarf on your head and wake up with the said scarf anywhere but on your head.
7. To avoid breakage and because the hair gets dry around the hairline and even more at the ends – make sure to apply a small amount of moisturiser like, you can do that right before braiding your hair every night.
Some good moisturisers: Africa’s Best Shea Butter PLUS Conditioner or Dark and Lovely Rich and Natural Hair Dress Hope this post has been helpful and you have found answers to your questions. Do not hesitate to leave comments or ask questions.
All the best.
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Relaxing mixed race, curly and Indian hair types

Relaxing mixed race hair types should be avoided, especially with children as it is a dangerous process, it burns your scalp and damages your hair. But if you have no other means of managing your hair or if you just fancy a change, make sure that you:
1. Relaxing your hair
You only use a MILD relaxer/perm treatment any stronger and it will do damage. You can use any relaxer as long as it is a MILD relaxer treatment. Stretch your treatment for as long as you can, only retouch your hair every 4 months (6 months if you can), when you apply the relaxer, only apply it to the roots trying to avoid the hair which are already relaxed, that is one of the reason why having a lot of regrowth is easier for retouch. Also, the less exposed your system is to the relaxer treatment and all its chemicals the better, so try and stretch your relaxer for as long as you can, I mean do not follow the instruction to relax every 4 weeks, it will weaken your hair strand, damage your scalp (burns) which will in time dry up your scalp and give you all kind of conditions starting with dandruffs.
Relaxer:You can use Mizani, Dark and Lovely,TCB No Base Crème Hair Relaxer with Protein and DNA
Never leave the treatment longer than 25 minutes, make sure the product covers all your new (hair) growth.Only apply the relaxer on your fine hair and sensitive areas, such as the hairline, hair near the neck, ears and the front of your head, at the end. They shouldn't need more than 10-15 mins. Once you have finished applying the relaxer and smoothed your hair wash out the relaxer thoroughly, make sure there is none left, the water must be clear and residue free. Apply a moisturising or protein conditioner for 20 mins and rinse with cold water to close the hair cuticles, the(hair)cuticle is the outermost layer of the hair, it protects the inner structure of the hair. Relaxers treatments, just like any other chemical treatments enter the hair cortex and raise the scales on the cuticle, leaving the hair shaft and the cortex (middle of the hair shaft) vulnerable. Once your hair is free of conditioner apply the neutralising shampoo to neutralise the relaxer's chemicals. Wash at least three (3) times to be sure all chemicals are gone and your hair is free of any – Once all your relaxer is gone, wash your hair with a moisturising shampoo once and follow by applying a deep conditioner. Keep the deep conditioner another 20 mins, cover with a shower cap and use heat if you can for best results.

Charlie Baltimore

2. Shampooing mixed race hair
If you or when you decide to wash your hair with shampoo, use a mild one. There is no timeframe on hair washing but it is best not to use shampoo more than every 10-14 days, but you can condiwash (use conditioner instead of shampoo) as often as you wish. After washing apply a highly moisturising conditioner . Once a month after your shampoo, deep condition your hair for 30 minutes, apply the deep conditioning treatment to wet hair, cover with a shower cap or plastic wrap or bag, wrap a towel around your head and use heat if you can for 30 minutes.
Best shampoos: ‘Dark & Lovely Moisture Seal 3-in-1 shampoo’ or ‘Nexxus Therapee Moisturising Shampoo’; Moisturising conditioner:‘Nexxus Humectress Ultimate Moisturising Conditioner’ Deep conditioner:‘Nexxus Emergencee
If you are in the UK or in Europe go to Amazon.co.uk

If you are in the US go to Amazon.com

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3. Style mixed race hair
It is best to use rollers right after relaxing your hair, avoid combing too much and to strong direct heat.
I hope this was useful to you. Don't hesitate to leave comments or ask questions.

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