A Bronx hair salon owner is offering some expert tips in celebration of Minority Health Month.
"I think our hair tends to do better when it is left alone,” she says. “Of course, it has to be done and it has to look nice – but for us, less is more with our hair.”
Hayes, a licensed cosmetologist and natural hair stylist, has been in the hair arena for 20+ years. She says overstyling is one of the top issues.
"It’s manipulation that tends to be detrimental to our hair…it's stretching it and then pulling it,” she says. "Find the care of a good cosmetologist and a good stylist because they can be just as detrimental to our hair if they are not being mindful of good hair practices."
Hayes says hair shouldn't be something you set and forget long-term.
"Pay attention to your hair. You can't necessarily just put it under a protective style and leave it and don't think about it. The hair still needs to be cleansed. It still needs to be conditioned. It still needs to be moisturized,” she says.
She also so to be “mindful of the products” targeted toward Black women become they “aren’t necessarily good for the hair.”
And Hayes says be careful not to set the flat iron too high.
"The hair is a fiber, and it is not necessarily strong,” she says.