Mane Diva : October 2011

Like many black women I have heard and finally had the opportunity to read (in its entirety--lol) the Science of Black Hair: A Comprehensive Guide to Textured Hair Care by Audrey Sivasothy. Yes I read it all, even the so called "boring" parts, which in my opinion is a must read if you truly want to get the true benefit of this book.

I want to start off by saying it is a very good read. I enjoyed the book because it goes beyond the basic information that many of us know about hair care (right products choice, develop a regimen, etc), and provides the reader with a deeper understanding about the structure of black hair and the reason it behaves the way that it does. Further, the author provides the readers with user friendly guides to help you begin a solid hair journey and maintain your hair, hopefully with a lot of success. I personally found the information in this book very informative. If for no other reason than the simple the fact that it helped me fully understand why I experience the various challenges I have with my hair. The ongoing issues I've had with slow growth and constant breakage at the side and crown of my hair, my protein-moisture imbalance, etc. all make a lot more sense to me now. Better yet, I have some sense of direction on how to resolve it as oppose to blindly stumbling onto it by trial and error. One thing I have learned is that you can not fix something if you don't know exactly why it is broken. Finally resolving my itchy scalp after so many years of using the wrong products has taught me that. The nice thing, is I no longer need to stumble blindly on my journey. Now I don't want to give the impression this book provides you with all the answers to achieving healthier hair. You will still have to do some work, paying attention and responding to your hair's needs. But I will say that you will be able to approach your hair journey with more focus and will have a better understanding of why things may go awry. It may also reduce some of the frustration and self-doubt you may feel as you encounter setbacks, as long as you fully commit to this process.

Now does this book cater to naturals or relaxed/texlaxed ladies? While some may not agree with me, I would say it is geared towards relaxed ladies a little more so than naturals. While the major principle used in the book applies to both hair types, there just seems to be a bit more emphasis on managing the issues related to relaxed hair (e.g. regimen guide, examples used). Now this doesn't bother me in the least because I was still toying with the idea of going natural while I was reading this book (I am still undecided as we speak), but some natural ladies may have a problem with it. However, when you read the first few chapters you will understand that regardless of how you decide to wear your hair there will be inherit challenges by the very fact that our hair grows out of your head a particular way: curly. With these curls there ARE weak points. I was under the false impression that these curls, once straightened by a relaxer, minimized those weak spots because there is nothing to loop around the comb--boy was I wrong. But I don't want to give away too much.

The final thing I will say is that the author provides a very extensive list of products that are beneficial for the hair, which she complied together based on "user testing", "widespread appeal" and "ingredients that have met a certain standard" for promoting better hair moisture and protein integrity of black hair fibers (Sivasothy, 2011 p. 116). I point this out because many women are very interested in knowing what products to use, and many other books on black hair care often fall short here. I also wanted to raise this point because I wanted to emphasize the point that you should use caution when using this list as a guide for building your own regimen. Don't just pick up anything just because it is listed in this book. For one reason, not all hair responds the same, so what works for one person will not necessarily work for another. Secondly, I noticed that there were a few products that were included in the book that research has shown me are not actually the best products for black hair due the high pH levels despite being "all natural" (e.g. Dr. Bronners Liquid Soap). Moral here: always be critical about what you read, and do further research where ever possible.

Overall, great book.I gave it a