Black Hair Care: the Basics of Hair Typing and Growth

Discover what hair is made of, from protein and Cureton to water and key elements like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, and learn how this composition informs care.

Explore how hair is mostly protein, built from 16 to 18 amino acids, and nourished by nutrients to drive keratinization and strengthen the strand.

Discover how eight to ten glasses of water daily boost hair moisture and health by building a routine to drink roughly half your body weight in ounces.

Explore how hair grows from the scalp, from straight to type 4 kinky, and why curly hair can be fragile and prone to breakage.

Explore the four hair types—from straight (type 1) to wavy (type 2) with A, B, C variations, to curly (type 3) and coarse (type 4) with springy texture and subtypes.

See a curl pattern demo showing natural and new growth from the scalp, including post-relaxer textures and coily patterns, with emphasis on maintaining moisture throughout each bend.

Explore the hair growth cycle and its three phases. Observe how every hair strand occupies different phases at different times, with portions of the hair in various phases simultaneously.

Explore the anagen growth phase, its roughly half-inch monthly growth over three to five years, with seasonal variation—faster in summer and slower in winter—plus interruptions from illness or poor diet.

Illustrate the anagen phase by showing a hair follicle growing, nourished by blood vessels and nerve endings through circulation.

Maximize hair growth during the anagen phase by boosting circulation through exercise, considering vitamins, and avoiding heat styling like blow drying to preserve moisture.

The catagen growth phase, a transition between anagen and telogen, lasts two to four weeks. About 2–3 percent of hairs lose their blood supply during this phase, halting growth.

This catagen illustration shows the transitional resting stage of hair growth in black hair care, lasting two to four weeks as the club hair detaches from the dermal papilla.

Navigate the catagen phase by accepting you cannot stop it and maintain your hair care routine for all hairs—growing, shedding, and transitioning.

Understand the telogen phase, the hair shedding stage after pregnancy when hormones normalize and shedding typically ranges 50 to 100 hairs daily.

Explore the telogen phase, the shedding stage where the hair is no longer nourished by the blood and lacks circulation. The detached hair then falls out.

Distinguish telogen shedding from breakage: shedding is a whole hair with bulb, while breakage is fragment along the shaft, with common causes like rough handling, diet, or illness.

Visualize the typical telogen shedding of 50 to 100 hairs per day and learn how to recognize when shedding exceeds what you should see on your comb or brush.

Discover basic hair care fundamentals after hair typing and growth, including how to wash your hair, gentle handling to prevent breakage, and product options teased for volume 2.