title: The hair grooming practices of women of African descent in London, United Kingdom: findings of a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a lack of published data pertaining to the hair grooming practices of women of African descent in Europe. However, these data are important in facilitating culturally appropriate discussions on hair loss prevention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to describe the hair grooming practices of adult women of African descent in London, UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of pooled data collected from a questionnaire-based study exploring correlates of hair loss in women of African descent in London.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A maximum of 242 subjects were included in the final data analysis. Subjects had a mean age of 41.1 years (CI: 39.3-42.9) and exhibited a diverse range of scalp hair phenotypes, although the majority (76.3%) had type 6, 7 or 8 hair. A percentage of 64.9 had more than five different hairstyles since childhood, with natural hairstyles being the most frequent current hairstyle (52.6%). The mean frequency of hair washing was 17.9 days (CI: 15.8-20.0), increasing to 32.8 days (28.6-37.0) when hair was braided or in a weave. The mean frequency of hair braiding/weaving was 63 days (CI: 56.3-69.7), whereas that for application of chemical relaxers was 88.6 days (CI: 75.6-101.6). While 59.2% of subjects avoided concurrent use of hair colours and chemical relaxers, only 46.3% avoided braiding chemically relaxed hair.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hair-care practices of women of African descent should be borne in mind when treating hair and scalp disorders in this group. Although the current trend is towards natural hairstyles, some adverse hair-care practices still persist which should be addressed through culturally appropriate public health messages on hair loss prevention.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Dermatology and Histopathology, The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Uxbridge, UK.
authors.forename: O E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Dadzie
authors.affiliation: St John's Institute of Dermatology, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair; D006801:Humans; D008131:London