Hair Care Practices in African American Women
Chemene R. Quinn, MD; Timothy M. Quinn, MD; A. Paul Kelly, MD
Accepted for publication January 17, 2003. Drs. C.R. Quinn and Kelly are from the Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, and Dr. T.M. Quinn is from the Department of Family Medicine, Martin Luther King Jr/Drew Medical Center and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, California.
The authors report no conflict of interest.
Hair care in African American women is wrought with historical and cultural issues. Dermatologists need to improve their understanding of hair and scalp disorders in their African American patient population by being informed about the styling methods commonly used by and for these patients. The styling habits described in this article are intended to encompass the hairstyles adapted by a wide range of African American women with varying hair textures.