The basics of beautiful hair
Like the adage goes, a woman's hair is her crowning glory. That's probably why
so many women work overtime to have healthy hair.
The only problem is that while many women desire healthy hair, a majority of women
don't know how to achieve it.
Noted Chicago hairstylist Johnny Wright, who has worked his magic on the manes
of Ebony Fashion Fair models and actress Nia Long and Shaun Robinson of "Access
Hollywood," says that the key to healthy hair is moisture, moisture, moisture.
"Moisture penetrates and goes into the cuticle layer," explains Wright,
who counts native Chicagoan, actress Lisa Raye, as one of his clients. "It
quenches the hair. Just like humans need water to survive, hair needs moisture."
Wright says that people must not confuse moisture with oil. "Oil is heavy.
It weighs the hair down. It doesn't penetrate."
One recommendation for helping dry hair achieve moisture is by using a deep penetrating
conditioner.
"Deep penetrating conditioners penetrate the cuticle layer and go into the
cortex, which is the innermost layer of the hair," says Wright. "This
is the most important layer of the hair because it keeps it healthy. This is the
layer that's the lifeline. The deep penetrating conditioner will go into hair
strands and apply moisture. Some conditioners only coat the hair."
Wright says that the appearance of hair doesn't always suggest how healthy it
is either.
"You might have length, but that doesn't mean your hair is healthy. Healthy
hair is solid from roots to ends. It's a solid strand of hair. It's about moisture
and having the right amount of protein. It's not about hair being long or even
shiny. We have tools to make it look shiny."
Length is one thing many women strive for, observes Wright, but he says that long,
healthy hair requires great care.
"There is nothing that can be bought on this earth that can grow your hair.
The only thing that can grow your hair is good blood circulation," he says.
"Scalp manipulation and head massages are good. Brushing the hair and wrapping
it is also good because you have to touch it. When you wrap the hair, that's allowing
you to give scalp manipulation. Manipulation increases the blood circulation and
that will increase hair growth."
One way to ensure healthier hair and nice length is by keeping the ends trimmed.
Wright prefers clipping ends every two to four weeks because "when ends split,
hair will break off."
