Tip #4

Do the Balance Test.

♥ WET YOUR HAIR

It is best to do this test after you have shampooed your hair. While it is still wet you will need to grip about an inch of your hair between your fingers.

♥STRETCH THE WET STRANDS OF HAIR

Take the inch of wet hair and run a comb through it. Make sure that it is not tangled when you do this - you don't want to harm your hair. And remember, it is always best to use a wide-tooth comb in black hair

♥OBSERVE

Pay close attention to the way that the hair strands react after they have been combed. Healthy black hair strands will stretch, but they will not break unless they are under an extreme amount of stress. Again, what you are looking for in this step is to see how your hair reacts to the wet stretch

♥DIAGNOSE

If your hair stretches just a little, then returns to its normal length without breakage, your hair is balanced. Good job, you're done!

If your hair exhibits any of the following tendencies, you need to focus on moisturizng:

* Does not stretch at all, then breaks
* Is extremely rough and brittle

If your hair exhibits any of the following tendencies, you need to focus on protein:

* Is limp and gummy feeling/looking
* Stretches a long way then proceeds to break off

♥TREAT

After you have found out which problem is affecting your hair, you will need to address it. Any stylist will tell you that lack of moisture is usually the problem for black hair. But, there are times when lack of protein is the issue. In either case, here is how you can solve each problem:

Lack of MOISTURE:

This one is simple. Black hair needs a great deal of moisture because it is very porous. Look for moisturizing conditioners or moisturizing creams, then make sure to seal in the moisture with a light oil sheen.

Lack of PROTEIN:

There are many protein treatments for black hair. You can also get protein based leave in conditioners as well