African American Hair Care

Aug 2, 2011

Erica H.

I was just watching a YT video and the girl was African American and said that African Americans have to use grease in their hair. I was wondering why they have to do that? Is it actual grease that they use? Can somebody explain this to me because I'm curious now.

Aug 2, 2011

Indya S.

no its not like grease we use to cook with but it is hair product that keeps our hair from becoming dry and breaking off. hair grease is very important for african american women. it also has a lot of benifts like i use olive oil formula Gro Therapy and it replishes and softens my hair and keep me from having a dry sclap. so its just that afican american hair is different from caucasian hair

Aug 2, 2011

Erica H.

Oh ok, so it keeps yalls hair from getting dry? Kind of like a conditioner or something? I got it now! :) Thank you for explaining that to me

Aug 2, 2011

Indya S.

ya thats excatly what it does. but i apply it like twice a week cuz when it get really hot my hair gets really dry. and its also weird because you guys have to was your hair like everyday or it gets gross, but for us we dont have to wash our har that much and it will still look good as if we just washed it. like i wash my hair every two weeks. like black hair and white hair are really different

Aug 2, 2011

Erica H.

Dang girl. I wish i could go that long without washing mine. I cant even go a day without it looking oily and nasty. But yeah, thats so weird how different african american and white hair is

Aug 2, 2011

Chevon H.

i'm african american and i do NOT use hair grease...i'm still not sure why so many AA women use it...i guess they believe that it has moisturizing ingredients in it, but it actually doesn't. what hair grease does is make your hair GREASY...not moisturized...there is a huge difference. natural oils (olive oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, etc.) can seal in the moisture AFTER a MOISTURIZER or leave-in conditioner is used. kinda like applying a baby-oil type of product right after a shower...it's going to lock in the moisture that your skin has absorbed. but if your hair is already dry and brittle, using some super thick grease is just going to weigh down your hair and make it stiff and heavy looking....and i agree that shampooing AA hair shouldnt be done as often because sulfates are very drying on our hair, however co-washing ("washing" your hair with only conditioner) on a regular basis will keep hair from drying out... longhaircareforum.com and blackhairmedia.com are like beautylish....but for ethnic hair instead of makeup and things :) hope that helps lol

Aug 6, 2011

Kimberly H.

Hey Erica! Thnx for asking US about our hair. Looks like I am coming in late on the convo but here is my two cents...African American women do need to moisturize our hair to prevent dryness and breakage. I personally DO NOT use "hair grease" b/c it tends to be very heavy on my hair. Instead, I use a light "hair oil." It is in a liquid form. It gives me shine and moisture. Right now I am using a product called Oil for the Hair by www.hairoil.com. I also only wash my hair every 2 wks. Some wash theirs once a week. To compliment things even more for you...lol for black women who may be of mixed race such as half black and half white or half black and half hispanic may not need to use a hair oil b/c their hair texture is more similar to caucasian hair. My neices are half black and half hispanic but do not use hair oil, even the one with the extremely curly, curly hair. There is a youtube video on my blog of a black lady who walks you through the process of how some of us need to do our hair. http://www.exclusivelyglamm.com

Aug 6, 2011

Michelle H.

Grease is no good for any kind of hair. Moisturizer is what we need. Then applying natural oils like Shea, Coconut, Jojoba and Olive will help seal hair.

I oil my hair with Jojoba because it's very light. That keeps it from tangling. I use Jamaican Black Castor Oil to seal the ends. note, the ends are to be sealed after they are wet ie. after washing. The oil seals in the moisture

Aug 7, 2011

Rai C.

Grease tends to have petroleum in it so it just clogs your hair follicles anyways. Technically no one should wash their hair everyday because it strips your hair of natural oils.

I'm of a mixed background and my hair isn't sleek and straight. Hair texture definitely varies when it comes to that.  

Aug 7, 2011

Kimberly M.

I'm so happy that this topic was started!!

Purely speculation, but is it only recently that a better grade of AA haircare has come out? Used to be lots of that "grease" stuff was on the market, and while I still see it, I really believe that the options for healthier product are more now. We have a fairly large percentage of AA clients at the salon, and they're always on the lookout for ranges that actually help their hair, rather than things that do further damage. It's delicate! Treating it like a baby does wonders.

Aug 7, 2011

Tia B.

My hair actually likes grease better than any other oil. Some people's hair isn't negatively affected by petroleum. Now I believe that it should be used on a limited basis and your hair is going to need to be clarified every once in a while but it hasn't hindered my growth. I use it about once a week and it keeps my scalp from flaking up. The kind I use is Sulphur 8 to stop my itches and relieve my dandruff. Different things work for different people. Grease doesn't weigh my hair down or make it "greasy" looking. I have very curly hair with fine strands but overall thickness...so it truly depends on the individuals hair

Aug 10, 2011

Michelle H.

Grease isn't necessarily bad on the hair. It's the scalp. It clogs the pores over time. That's regardless of what hair type you have. Clogged pores will eventually stunt hair growth. 

Jan 22, 2013

Kenya P.

This post is old, but i don't use hair grease. It's gross. I use olive oil products on my hair which makes my hair healthy and grow. I do cut my ends every 2 weeks because my hair grows really fast.