This is an age-old query in the African-American community.  What is good hair? Usually, the phrase “good hair” is associated with long, straight strands. If you don’t have it naturally, that means you perm/relax your hair with harsh, damaging chemicals or weave it to get that “Hawaiin silky” look.  Throughout my adolescent, teen, and early adult life, I had my hair chemically straightened.
From a purely aesthetic perspective, there’s nothing wrong with permed hair. Relaxers offer Black women more hairstyle options. And I totally rocked my short, Halle Berry-inspired bob!  However, I’ve heard too many negative comments from Black women about …read more

I had a meeting in the ladies room with my co-worker and friend Tanya. I complimented her on her new, curly hairstyle and she explained that she picked up a container of Phytospecific Phytorelaxer Index 2 for coarse hair and had her hairdresser apply it.  Like me, however, Tanya hasn’t applied any chemicals to her hair for several years and she thought the product was a natural ingredient-based, non-chemical “texturizer.”
The texturizer debate is an interesting one.  Although Phytospecific doesn’t contain lye and does contain natural ingredients like egg and soy, it’s still meant to straighten your hair. 
About 12 years ago, …read more

Natural hair needs plenty of TLC, especially during the summer.  As an African-American woman who hasn’t permed my hair in at least a decade, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to keep natural hair healthy and stylish.  So I decided to ask my hair stylist, Kimberly Woodall of Nubian Kinks Salon in Brooklyn, for her expert tips. 
     
 

Here are Kim’s summertime tips for keeping your natural hair bouncin’ and behavin’:

Wash your hair more often. To decrease sweat buildup, wash your hair once a week or every other week with a moisturizing shampoo like Nubian Kinks’ Herbal Mint Medley Deep Moisture Shampoo …read more

Back in November 2007, former Hot Mama Daily editor Pascalle wrote a popular post comparing the Solia and Sedu flatirons and readers are still trying to decide which one to buy.  Since I no longer straighten my hair, I’m probably not the best person to weigh in on the battle of the flatirons.  So I thought I’d open up the dialogue to the Hot Mama Daily readership.  
Here’s the latest question from Keith, a good boyfriend who sure knows a lot about hair products and wants to buy the best flatiron for his girlfriend. Can you Hot Mamas help him?  If so, …read more