Detangle

Take your time with this. Invest tools that gently detangle your hair. Also if you hair is in a

kinky state, do not detangle dry. Detangling dry kinky hair will cause breakage and can cause

your hair toknot up. Wet hair with water and conditiner for easier detangling.

Tip: Most grocery stores sell inexpensive versions of denman brushes

Denman Brush

Sulfate-Free Products

Sulfates are harsh detergents that can remove your hair's natural oils. They are usually one of

the first five ingredients found in most name brand shampoos and conditioners. Some people

can use these shampoos without incident. My theory is that if you exercise vigorously and

have an oily scalp you're ok. If your have a dry, itchy scalp or you suffer from dandruff,

sulfates may exacerbate your symptoms. Some products claim to be sulfate free and still have

one listed in the ingredients so always check the label.

Stretch

Stretching you hair makes styling easier and helps ensure hair stays detangled. Here's how I

stretch my hair after a shampoo and condition:

• Section into medium sized sections
• Tie each section with an ouchless hair band
• Twisting each section
• Secure the ends with either hair clips or rollers
• Air-dry until the hair is completely dry

Trim/Dust

Split ends are fragile and will continue to split. Trims are a good way to quickly eliminate

most split ends. Dusting is simply cutting individual strands of split ends. I prefer dusting to

trimming simply because my hair appears longer.

Reduce Heat

The heat you use, the more damage may occur. If you like to wear your hair straight, try

rollersetting or air-drying hair. I like to air-dry my hair by sectioning my hair off into six

sections with ouchless rubberbands. Then, I twist the hair and let it dry over night.

Hair Vitamins

If your diet isn't exactly the best, supplement with a multivitamin.I take a hair, skin and nails

vitamin that contains MSM. MSM prolongs your hair's growth phase. If you can't afford

Hairfinity, OneSource makes a multivitamin that contains MSM. I mentioned it in my

products I can't live without post.

Low manipulation styles

Leaving your hair alone is the best way to retain length. Last year I had a huge problem with

always wanting to do something to my hair and my hair suffered from it. If you like to wear

your hair straight, weaves and wigs are a great option. You can have the style you want

without putting heat on your own hair. Natural styles are a great option for kinky and curly

hair. Kinky girls, for braid outs instead of sectioning the hair and braiding, try doing a corn-

row out. This provides wave to the root. I love that look and twist outs on 4as.

Care for your scalp

The health of your scalp is just as important as what you do to your hair. I have dandruff and I

know how important it is to address my scalp. Use a scalp treatment that will moisturize

your scalp. This can be either a conditioner or a pre-poo. I have this scalp treatment that my

mom got from Ross of all place. It gives my hair a cool, tingle. Its like a spa treatment for my

scalp. I use a mixture of olive oil, almond oil and tea-tree oil as a pre-poo. This mixture has

been effective for me at relieving dryness and itch.