Afro Embrace

Model created by Al

AFRO

EMBRACE Red Carpet Hair

Glamour

Growth Natural

Length

Styles

Retention

Embracing

ourGod-given Beauty

Contents Introduction - Pages 4-5

The Nature of Afro Textured Hair -Pages 6-9 Natural Styles - Pages 10-13 AfroTextured Colour - Pages 14-15

Hair Growth - Pages 16-18 Length Retention - Pages 19-23 Locs- Pages 24-26

Red Carpet Glamour - Page 27 Conclusion -Page 28 Published by Aspire High Ltd in 2025

www.afrotexturedhair.com Written by Dola Akinola

©

All Rights Reserved

The image on page 2 is used courtesy of Afi Akos.

[3]

Introduction Ipublished the first edition of this bookazine in 2012, using the picture on the right as the cover

photo. At the time, people in the online natural hair community

were obsessed with making their kinky hair look like a Jheri Curl, so I wantedto

show some ofthe other

beautiful

ways to wear afro

Burton hotography

©Dionysius Burton/

textured hair.

flickr.com

The desire for loOse curls is Srands of

Dain

rooted in texturism. India Arie discusses texturism in

IAm

Not My Hair' as she sings: ""Good hair" means curls and waves, "bad hair"means you look like a slave". During slavery, Black people were

taught that afro textured hair is

"bad" and they passed this mindset down to their OFeatureFlash/ Shutterstock.com

descendants.

[4]

Ladies with afro textured hair are rarely featured as the love interest in movies,

TV shows

and music videos. As a result of this,some children grow

up thinking that afro textured hair is undesirable. Many girls desire long flowing hair like the ladies they see on TV.

Asparents, it's our job to

ensure that our children have

© Oman 12 /Pixabay

high self-esteem.

We can show our children videos which feature people wearing their afro textured hair in natural styles.

'Golden'by JillScott is a great example.

Afi Akos is a Ghanaian

fashion brand that regularly uses models with afro textured hair. Some of their designss are featured in this

bookazine (seepages 2, ©FeatureFlash/Shutterstock.com

23 and 26).

[5]

The

Natureof

Afro Textured Hair Afro textured hair is made up of coils, kinksand curls that grow up

and outwards to protect our scalp from the sun's rays. When the weather is humid,our hair attracts moisture from the air and shrinks toward our scalps to keep us cool.

Some people have coilsthat clump OKathy Hutchins/ Shutterstock.com

together while other people have coils that separate

People who follow Andre Walker's

and spread out.

GPMYS

hair typing system classify afro textured hair as "Type 4"hair.

When Mr Walker first came out with his typing system, 3C and 4C weren't included. The natural hair

S

L

E

community added these categories to enable more hair types to have representation. The hair typing

system can be useful, but it also causes a lot of confusion.

©S_Buckley/ Shutterstock.com

[6]

In hairdressing "texture" refers to the circumferenceof the individual strands and not the tightness ofthe coils. Afro textured hair can be fine,

medium, or coarse. Fine hair has a narrow circumference, while coarse hair has a wide circumference.

Some people use

the word "coarse" as a synonym for afro textured hair, but that isn't correct.

©Felix Mizioznikov/ Shutterstock.com

Coarse hair and medium hair have an inner layer

known as a medulla, but this is missing from fine hair making it more susceptible to breakage. People with fineafro textured hair can use ingredients to help to strengthen their hair, such as Hydrolyzed Rice Protein,

Hydrolyzed Keratin, or other strengthening products.

Hair density refers to the number of hairs a person has

on their head. Afro textured hair can be high density (thick),medium density or low density (thin). Some

people use "fine hair" and "thin hair" interchangeably, but that's incorrect. It's possible for a person to have fine hair that's high density (thick). Hair density often influences people's style choices.

[7]

Our body produces a natural oily substance called sebum,

which conditions the hair before it emerges from the scalp. Afro textured hair

grows from a curved follicle, which makes it difficultfor sebum to travel

down the strands to condition our hair. ©Todd Kuhns/Shutterstock.com Thankfully, there are a nunmber of oils that can help to

keep our hair in good condition. Sebum contains approximately 26% wax esters. Jojoba Oil is similar to the waXy substance found in sebum, soIlike to use it in

my oil blends and balms along with other oils.

Oils and oil based pomades

help to seal in moisture,

so they work best when used on top ofwater-based Leave-InConditioners and Moisturising Creams that contain humectants and emollients.

Coconut Oil penetrates into the strands, so it can help to protect the hair from protein loss when it's used

as a pre-wash treatment. Coconut

Oilcan also benefit

the hair when it's used in Deep Conditioners. As

Coconut Oil harden in cold climates, it can make the hair feel brittle when used in large amounts.

[8]

ODamon Yancy/ Shutterstock.com Afro textured hair can be low porosity, medium or high porosity. Low porosity hair takes longer to absorb water, but once it's moisturised

it tends to hold onto

High porosity hair absorbs moisture quickly and loses it just as fast. A porosity test can help it'smoisture.

youto determine whether you have high, medium or

low porosity hair. Once you know your hair's porosity, you'l be able to determine which products to use. For example, high porosity hair may benefit from products that contain film forming ingredients which help to

keep moisture in the hair for longer.

[9]

Natural Styles The combed out afro is a beautiful style that was made

popular by Black American people in the 60's during the "Black is beautiful' movement.

The style is still worn by people today.The 'Black is beautiful' movement took place alongside the Civil Rights movement and it inspired Black people around the

world to embrace their natural

© Phovoir/Shutterstock.com

afro textured hair.

Afrotextured hair growS up and out, so the afro is relatively easy to achieve.

We just need to moisturise

our hair and comb it out with an afro pick. To prevent dryness, look for moisturisers that contain humectants

such as glycerin and/or sorbitol. It's also advisable to seal in the moisture with an

occlusiveproduct such as

a butter or pomade. Petrolatum and Lanolin are great for sealing moisture, but they can lead to build-up

if

they aren't washed off with a clarifying shampoo.

Stretching the hair before bed, will help to minimise

knotsand tangles.

[10]

The undefined Wash & Go is a variation of an afro that doesn't require combing.

To achieve a similar style, start with hair that has been

washed, conditioned and detangled. Apply Leave-In

Conditionerto the hair, then

O5D Media/Pixabay.com Apply a CurlCreme to the hair in small sectionsat a place the hair into sections.

time, ensuring that each strand iscoated. Allow the hair to air-dry, or dry with a diffuser. If using heat,

ensure that the Curl Cream has heat protection. The final results depend on the hair'snatural curl pattern,

sothisstyle will look different on different hair types.

This photo of my sister was taken while we were at a photo shoot. The hair stylist styled the front of her hair in loose Flat Twists and fluffed

the rest ofher hair out into a puff. If

you want to wear a sinmilar style, it's best to use a moisturiser that contains humectants to attract

moisture from the air.

[11]

Bantu Knot-Outs are an alternative to combed out afros. I created this style

on my other sister after blow drying her hair using the 'tension method'. I used a homemade Leave In Conditioner anda heat protectantprior to blow drying her hair. Once the hair was stretched, I did Flat

Twists leading up into Bantu Knots, moisturising each section with a moisturising

cream and hair pomade. I

allowed the style to set overnight and unravelled it the next morning.

Iused

my fingers to seperate the style

for a full and flufy afro, with loads of volume.

The picture on the left was taken in 2013, when my niece was 5.I created the style by doing a Flat-Twist Out on pre-stretched

hair. I kept the

Flat-Twists in over night and unravelled her hair the next

morning. My niece absolutely loved the style.

[12]

Icreated

this afro puffwith

a Bantu Knot-Out, using a homemade Styling Balm on damp hair. I applied a SImall amount ofwater and Styling Balm to the base

my

puf, before wrapping it with

asatin scarf untilit

was dry. I tied my hair up using a shoe string.

My son's coils clump together naturally, so I nornmally style

his hair in Wash

& Go styles. I

wash his hair with Johnson's Top-to-toe

wash and condition

with Childs Farm Conditioner.

Ifinger detangle his hair while

the conditioner is in his hair.

This picture was taken after I used a homemade gel to hydrate my son's hair. The gel contains Spring Water, Agave Nectar Syrup, Amla

Powder and Xanthan Gum. Amla Powder has a low ph, so it helps the cuticles to lay flat. Some people like to make their own hair gels using Flaxseeds, but Iprefer

touse Xanthan Gum.

[13]

Afro Textured Colour

© The Road Provides/Shutterstock.com Afro textured hair comes in a variety of colours,

from bright blonde to jet Black. The girl in the above picture was photographed in New Britain in Papua

New

Guinea.According toa 2012 study*, the

Melanesian people's blonde hair is due to 'an amino acid change in TYRP1.In other words, God decided to give them blonde hair. After migrating

from

Africa tens of thousands of years ago, the

Melanesian people were relatively isolated on islands in the Pacific

Ocean, so their blonde hair

isn't due to any European ancestTy. *https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.go/articles/PMC3481182/

[14]

Somewomen with afro textured hair use hair colour to spice up their style. In this picture, Macy Gray's hair has

been coloured in an auburn base with blonde highlights.

The hair colour complements her complexion beautifully. In an interview with Curly Nikki,

Macy said that the hair colour

made her hair 'a lot dryer', acknowledging that dryness 'comes with the territory'.

©s_buckley/Shutterstock.com

Macy told Curly Nikki that she gets her hair coloured by a professional, which is very important because permanent hair dyes can be damaging to our hair.

Permanent hair dyes change the porosity of our hair makingitmore porous, so it's advisable to do bond treatments to fillin the gaps.

Many women dye their hair black to cover grays, but studies have shown that women whouse darker hair colours have a higher risk of cancer due to the high concentration of chemicals. Semi-permanent dyes

are another option, for people who want to cover their gray hair,but they tend to rinse out quickly.

[15]

Hair GrOwth Hair growth is determined by genetics. Some people have hair that grows quickly, while other

people have hair that grows

more slowly.The hair growth phase is known as the "anagen phase" and it ranges from 18

© Zea Leananet/DollarPhotoClub

months to

7years.

After the hair has finished growing it rests fora while before it sheds to make way for new hair to grow.

Each strand of hair is at a different stage ofthe growth cycle at any point in time.As a result of this, it's normal

to have strands of hair that are at different lengths.

Some people witlh afro textured hair assume that their hair isunable to grow past a certain length, but it's often breaking off at the ends. In the next chapter, we discuss length retention strategies to prevent breakage.

People with short anagen phases may consider growth interventions to prolong their anagen phase. Caffeine, scalp massages, antioxidants, low-level laser therapy, platelet-rich plasma therapy and various topical

treatments may help to stimulate growth for some people, but they don't work for everybody.

[16]

It's easier for healthy

hair to grow from

a healthy body.According toa2020 study: "Moderate-intensity regular exercise is a well-known

non

pharmacological strategy for increasing longevity, as well as treating and preventing

a range of diseases.

Moderate-intensity

exercises include

shadow boxing, brisk walking, cycling, OSamuel B/ stock.adobe.comn

swimming, rowing, skiing and more.

Nutritional deficiencies can have an adverse effect on

the health of our hair and body, so it might be useful to have a blood test to check your nutrient levels. Low

D have been linked to alopecia, so advisable to take Vitamin D supplements. A 2015

levels ofVitamin

it's

study found that Omega 3, Omega 6 and antioxidant supplements helped with fenmale pattern hair loss.

Hair is made of protein,so it's important to eat a sufficient amount. Fibre can help to lower our risk of a

number of health

conditions,so the

NHS advises

adults to eat 30 grams of fibre a day. Fibre absorbs water, so it's important to drink adequate amounts to

prevent dehydration.The NHS recommends that people drink 6to 8glasses ofwater each day. *https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7697344/

[17]

Stress is known to have an

adverse effect on hair growth, and it can even lead to hair loss.

Lavender

Oilis

known to help

with stress, depression, anxiety

and sleep issues.

© Hans/Pixabay.com

Lavender Oil should be diluted in a carrier oil before being applied to the scalp. It's also advisable to add an antioxidant (such as Vitamin

E)and store your oil

blends in an amber to jar to prevent oxidation.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA)is a hereditary condition that affects men and women. It gets worse over time if it's

left uuntreated.

AGA is linked to ahormone known

as DHT. Studies have shown that Pumpkin Seed Oil can help to reduce DHT, which minimises the effects of AGA. Minoxidil is known to treat AGA when used consistently, but it has a number of side-effects.

Traction alopecia is caused by tight hairstyles such as ponytails, cornrows, wigs and braids with extensions.

Tight styles can cause tension to our scalp, damaging

our hair follicles. Thankfully, if we notice traction alopecia in the early stages, we may be able to reverse

the condition, by changing our styling practices.

If you're suffering from hair loss,it's best to see a

Dermatologist so they can recommend treatment.

[18]

Length Retention The nature of afro textured hair makes it break more easily than straighter hair.

Nonetheless, there are a

number ofpeople with long afro textured hair, so it clearly has the ability to

grow tolong lengths.Fine afro textured hair is more 449012tet tt

delicate than medium and Coarse afro textured hair.

soit has a harder time retaining length. ©FeatureFlash/Shutterstock.com

Thekey to length retention, is minimising breakage.

Combing and brushing the hair can cause 'mechanical damage',so it's advisable to finger detangle if possible.

Washing our hair helps to get rid of build-up, making it possible for our hair to receive moisture. However, too

much washing can lead to damage. Most expertssay that afro textured should be washed and conditioned on a weekly basis. Washing the hair in Twists or Braids can help to prevent knots and tangles.

[19]

"Low Manipulation" styles (such as Twist-Outs,Braid-Outs, Bantu Knot-Outs and other heat-free stretched styles)can help to

reduce the chances of breakage.

When our hair is long enough to reach our shoulders, wearing it up

Zea Leananet/ DollarPhotoClub

can protect it from the damage that occurs when our ends brush against our clothes.

Ponytails can cause tension to the follicles, so it's

important toensure that the hair isn't styled too tightly.

Split ends can lead to tangles and breakage, so it's best

to trim them off. Some people confuse frizzy ends with split ends, but frizz is a normal characteristic of afro

textured hair. Split ends occur when the endsare literally split into two. The 'search and destroy' method

isa good trimming option for people who want to retain as much length as possible, because it ensures that we only cut off the damaged hair. Each hair is at a different stage of the growth cycle, so it'snormal to

have strands that are different lengths. Cutting the hair to make it look even won't necessarily help with length retention. Thin ends are not always a sign of damage.

[201]

Heat styling can dry out the hair, leading tosplit ends and breakage,

so it's advisable to allow the hair to air-dry if possible. If your hair takes

a long time to dry, it may be useful to use a hooded dryer or a diffuser.

It's important to use Heat protection

to help to protect the hair. People

who need to use heat to dry their hair may need to wash their hair

Osirtravelalot/ Shutterstock.com

every two weeks to limit the amount of times that heat

isused on the hair. Ifyou're using growth oils on your scalp, youshould wash your hair more regularly to prevent build-up. Hair growth and length retention are two separate concepts, so you need to decide which is more important to you. Washing the hair frequently

can help with growth, but it can also cause our ends to break off.If you're suffering from alopecia, you may

want to prioritise hair growth over length retention.

Keeping the hair moisturised helps to reduce the risk of breakage. Satin bonnets, scarves and pillowcases can help to keep moisture in our hair. Satin also helps

toreduce friction toour hair as we move around in our sleep. Cotton absorbsmoisture, so we should avoid using cotton scarves and pillowcases.

[21]

"Protective Styles" keep our

endstucked away, which helps to protect them from breakage.

Buns, braids,cornrows, twists, wigsand hair pieces all help to

protect our ends from breaking off. In this picture Issa

Rae is

wearing her hair Flat Twisted

back and her ends are covered with a hair piece. This is an excellent protective style ©Tinseltown/ Shutterstock.com

because it's gentle on the hair.

Two-Strand Twists are a popular

way to wear afro textured hair.

If they are worn in updos or styles

that don't touch the shoulders,

Twists can be a great Protective Style. Two-Strand

Twists can be

doneon freshly washed hair or on pre-stretched hair. Twists tend to

shrink up when washed, so it's best to stretch them with braids prior to

©Blessingp/ Pixabay.com

washing. Stretching the Twists will help to prevent

them from tangling up and turning into Locs.

[22]

Braids with extensions may help with length retention because the extensions help to prevent the

ends from breaking

off. Heavy

extensions can cause hair loss, SO it's

best to use lightweight braiding

hair. I leave the hair around

my

edges unbraided toprevent traction alopecia and breakage.

IuseBraid Sprays that contain

humectants which can

attract moisture from the air. I avoid using heavy oils

as they can block out moisture from the air. Prior to removing the braids, I apply Leave-In conditioner to each braid to help to prevent breakage during removal.

Dress courtesy ofAfiAkos

Fulani Braids are a versatile protective style that isdone with

COrnrowS at the front & braids at the back. In these photos,

my beautiful niece is wearing her Fulani Braids with twists extensions.

[23]

Locs Traditional Locs are usually started with Twists, Comb Coils

orFinger Coils. The

rootsare normallyre-twisted

or interlocked as the hair grows. Re-twisting ensures that the stray hairs are captured within the Locs,

however, the roots often

come unravelled when the hair is washed. Interlocked roots don't usually comne unravelled,so the results

are long-lasting.

Freeform Locs are formed when the hair is left to Loc

©FeatureFlash/Shutterstock.com

naturally,and the Locs tend to be quite thick. Semi

Freeform Locs are when people leave their roots to

grow out for a long time before re-twisting. Micro Locs are very thin Locs that often resemble loose hair.

Micro Locs can be started with braids, twists or an interlocking method such as Sisterlocks.Micro Locs

can break off if the roots aren't interlocked, so people

need to interlock the roots on a regular basis.

[24]

Iwore Micro Locs from 2016

to 2018. Idecided to get Locs because I love to swim,

and Iwanted to be able to

jump in the water without worrying about mny hair tangling. Ichose Micro Locs

becauseI wanted volume.

Istarted

my

Micro Locs with

braids and Iwould interlock

my roots using the four point rotation with a latchhook and

a yarn needle. I washed my Locs with a Braid shampoo and I used pure Coconut Water as a rinse out Conditioner.

Iavoided using thick products on

the length of my Locs because I didn't want product build-up.

would use liquid moisturisers

I

and light oils on the length of my

my loose ends and it helped to keep my

Locs. Iused Lanolin on

hair moisturised

fordays.

[25]

AFI|AKOS

g3

Red Carpet Glamour When Viola Davis stepped onto the red carpet without

her wig, she was showing the world that afro textured hair doesn't need to be covered up.

In an interview with Anderson Cooper, Viola said that she took off her wig because she

wanted to step into who she was. She said that wearing a wig made her feel like she was apologising for who she was.

OFeatureFlash/ Dreamstime.com

Representation matters, and

Esperanza Spalding definitely represented for people with big, voluminous hair. Afros

are an eye-catching style, which makes them perfect for the red carpet. I havean afro wig that Iwear for special occasions

and Ialways feel

glamourous when ©FeatureFlash/Dreamstime.comn

Iwear it.

[27]

Conclusion Lupita Nyong'o has spoken out

about the importance of media representation. In 2017, Lupita

expressed her disappointment with Grazia magazine for editing her photo to remove ©Bakounine/ Shutterstock.com

her afro textured ponytail to make her hair look smoother.

Lupita said that being featured on the cover of

magazines 'is an opportunity to show other dark, kinky-haired people, and particularly our children, that they are beautiful just theway they are.

Exposing children toimages of people with afro textured hair can help them to seethe beauty in their own hair. There area

number of wonderful children's books that celebrate afro textured hair, such as Hair Love and Cool

Cuts. Motown Magic (on Netflix)

and Iwájú (on Disney+) are animated shows that feature characters with afro textured hair.

© Samuel Borges/ Shutterstock.com [281

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