Ethnic heritage varies from individual to individual, and a blending of ancestries is evident in many ways. Within the African American community, this mixing of histories is most obvious in skin tone and hair texture variances. Nowhere is the balance of beauty and chemistry more vital than in ethnic hair - characterized by an oval and flat cellular structure.

80% of all African American hair is characterized as tight or excessively curly (Figure A).

African American hair problems begin with improper manipulation of these characteristic twists and turns in the tightly curled hair shaft.

Stress accumulates at the twists of tightly curled African American hair, where elasticity naturally diminishes (Figure B). Due to these accumulated stress points, combing, brushing, styling and chemical processes can be more stressful to excessively curly hair than straight hair (Figure C).

As we look deeper into the hair shaft, we see two vitally important layers - the cuticle (Figure D) and the cortex (Figure E). Each layer performs a separate yet interdependent function. When properly understood and carefully manipulated, these layers work together to create healthy, shiny, resilient hair (Figure F).