African American Hair Care - The Kit

Having the best African American hair care regiment cannot be attained without the right tools. So for those of you just starting to take better care of your hair, make sure you have the right tools.

Since nowadays, many women of color are keeping their hair natural for versatility, I will include a comprehensive list but you can decide whether or not they are important to you if you tend to only wear your hair one way (i.e. natural or straight).

African American Hair Care - Various Combs & Brushes

Shower comb to detangle hair in the shower. Jilbere is the most popular brand and works really well. You'll only want to detangle once your hair is full of conditioner, or under the shower head.
Wide tool seamless comb to comb hair outside of the shower. Choosing a bone comb is a good choice.
Denman brush to help detangle, remove shedded hairs, and enhance curl definition. Denman brushes can be found at Sally's as well as online stores like Amazon.
Soft boar's bristle brush or baby brush can also be found at Sally's or online.

African American Hair Care - Shampoos

Gentle Clarifying Shampoo to help remove styling product build-up. Make sure it is gentle and does not strip your hair of essential oils. Unfortunately, most drugstore brands are harsh. If you spend extra money on shampoo, make it the clarifying one.
Moisturizing Shampoo should be used after clarifying shampoo and on days when clarifying shampoo is not needed. When rinsing moisturizing shampoo, your hair should not feel stripped. If it does, you need to try another shampoo.

African American Hair Care - Conditioners

Moisturizing Conditioner should be used on major wash days. When using these conditioners, make sure to squeeze as much water out of your hair as possible. This will help the conditioner to reach the strands more easily. Nexxus Humectress and Neutrogena Triple Moisture
Deep Conditioner can be the same conditioner that you use as a moisturizing conditioner. You simply must sit under a warm dryer for at least 15 minutes. Deep conditioning is probably the most important component of African American hair care. There are some conditioners that are specifically made for this purpose also.
Protein Conditioner should only be used on hair that is damaged or weak. There are light protein conditioners and strong protein conditioners. Only in very rare cases will you need to use a strong protein conditioner like Aphogee. In most cases, a gentler protein conditioner is sufficient. Good ones to try are ORS Replenishing Pak and ORS Hair Mayo. Depending on your hair, you should try using these once a month.
Leave-In Conditioner should always be used after rinsing out conditioner. These detanglers will help you comb your hair more easily. They come in liquid form and cream form. Liquid form is good for when wearing hair straight whereas creamy leave-ins are good for curly and natural hair. Liquid leave-ins are lighter and do not weight the hair down as creamy leave-in conditioners may. A good liquid leave in is Motions Nourish and a good creamy leave-in is Salerm 21.
Conditioner-Wash Conditioner is conditioner that this light, easy to apply, and easy to rinse...and oh yeah, cheap! These are used for wash n' go days. Good brands to try are Suave, VO5 and White Rain. These are super cheap. You can also try Herbal Essences, Tresemme, and Garnier Fructis which cost a little more.

African American Hair Care - Styling Products

Serum is always good to have in your hair care arsenal. It works on natural, curly, and straight hair styles to add shine and hold in moisture. It's a good alternative to oil because it does not get as greasy. These come in spray form and in liquid form. Sprays work best for curly styles and liquids work best for straight hair styles.
Creamy moisturizers are good to have around for curly hair styles. The best on the market are by Carol's Daughter - Hair Milk and Hair Balm. There are also good ones by Kiehl's (Silk Groom) and Phytospecific. You can also use these very sparingly when wearing straight styles
Moisturizing Hair Gel is also good to have. They work well to smooth down hair when wearing a ponytail on curly hair. They also can help smooth edges when wearing hair straight. But you must be careful not to use too much. The water content can cause your hair to revert. My favorite is ORS Twist and Lock gel.
Heat Protectant should be use with ceramic flat irons to protect the hair from high heat. You can also get a serum and heat protectant all in one like Sabino Moisture Block.

African American Hair Care - Styling Tools

Ceramic Flat Iron is important if you are planning to straighten your natural or curly hair. Sedu, Solano or Solia are good brands I've purchased two Sedu flat irons from folica.com and I love it!

Ionic Blow Dryer with Diffuser Attachment are good for those days when you don't want to leave the house with a wet head while wearing a wash n' go. They are also good for preparing your hair for straightening when using a nozzle attachment.
Soft Bonnet Dryer and/or Hard Hat Dryer can be used for deep conditioning as well as helping to dry wash n' gos as well as roller sets. If you tend to do a lot of roller sets, you may want to invest in a Pibbs hair dryer. The dryer will help your hair dry faster and more evenly than cheaper versions.

African American Hair Care - Accessories

Plastic caps are very cheap and can be found pretty much anywhere. Beauty supply stores sell them in packs of 35 which can be a real bargain. You'll want to have plenty of these on hand for deep conditioning.
Satin Bonnet is great to use at night when trying to get second day hair from a wash n' go.
Satin Scarves should also be in your kit for keep hair smooth at night for straight hair styles or keeping curly hair from tangling.
Satin Pillowcases can be a nice alternative if you have difficulty keeping bonnets or scarves on or you find them uncomfortable or unattractive. They don't provide as much protection but it's better than nothing.
Satin Rollers are a good choice if you want to add some curl to your straight hair.
Hair pins to create buns and updos. Good Days are a great brand to try. These hair pins are easy to work with and don't snag your hair. Look for them at your local beauty supply store and stores like Ulta.
Clips and scrunchies to allow you to style your hair in various ways - such as ponytails and updos.
Duckbill clicks to assist while you're styling your hair.
Rollers come in all types of sizes, shapes, and styles. It doesn't hurt to have a standard set that will allow you to create a simple roller set. You can then experiment with other types of rollers. Don't forget to get hair pins if you use mesh rollers. And always have some satin rollers on hand for rolling over night.

Creating an African American hair care regimen doesn't have to be difficult if you at least have an idea of some of the things you need to get started. This list should be a good starting guide for you whether you're crating a new regimen or adjusting a current one. See the shopping guide below for some of the products I mentioned above.