African American hair care has gotten a serious boost thanks to the
Internet. In a Caucasian-centric society, pre-World Wide Web, African
American women were often left to rely on family circles and
word of mouth for tips on maintaining their hair. Care and handling of
African American hair differs vastly from that of Caucasian hair--a
fact that was largely ignored for many years in the hair care
industry. Hair care products designed specifically for African American
women weren't even heard of until Madame C.J. Walker
developed her line of hair and beauty products around 1906.

Today, in addition to big name African American hair care product
lines (Ethnic hair and beauty care is a 1.7 billion dollar industry,
according to New Journal & Guide.) like Luster's and Soft Sheen,
smaller companies, in the spirit of Madame C.J. Walker, cater to the
African American hair care needs. One such company, Carol's
Daughter, offers their special brand of products online. Websites with
information, products, testimonials and tips on caring for African
American hair abound. Africana.com intern, Shaniek McLeish
reviewed six of the top "online sources for black hair care" in a recent
article for their website and their are countless others.

Offline, many books have been published on the topic, among the most
recent additions is the May 27, 2003-released, "Hair Rules: The
Ultimate Hair-Care Guide for Women With Kinky, Curly, or Wavy
Hair," by New York City stylist, Anthony Dickey. Dickey has styled
the hair of celebrities such as Alicia Keyes, Naomi Campbell and
Gloria Reuben. Dickey shares secrets on caring for curly and kinky
hair including which shampoos are the best for curly hair, which tends
to be drier than straight hair, and tips on safe chemical
relaxing, a process which makes curly hair straighter. Another
stylist-to-the-stars-cum-author is Oprah's own Andre Walker, who
penned the popular "Andre Talks Hair" back in 1997. Andre's book's
popularity may have had a lot to do with his most famous client, but
his hair typing system stands on its own merit and has become a
popular means of defining curly hair types on several websites
dedicated to caring for curly and/or African American hair.

The popularity of natural African American hairstyles has also developed
its own Internet following. Websites devoted to natural styles, braids
and dreadlocks are becoming increasingly easy to locate, as are
step-by-step stories from women who are abandoning chemical
relaxers and 'going natural'. Photos and weblogs punctuate these
sites and offer how-tos and tips on making the transition from relaxed
hair to natural.
And not to be outdone, the multiracial community now has their own
website full of products and tips for caring for their hair. "Curls:
Superb Hair Care for Multiethnic Women" recently launched a website
to meet the needs of the mixed race community. Curls claims
to be "the first line of hair care products truly created
specifically for biracial/multiracial women and girls with naturally curly
hair."

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