Black male hair care?

1-I have often been told a black man should only wash his hair once a week. Is this true? I have problems with dandruff so I want to wash my hair daily.2-Is it true that a man should brush his hair from the back to front? I have always brushed my hair in the front to the front, the sides downward, and the hair in the back to the back. A barber once told me I should train my hair to go forward but when I try that my hair looks messed up. Should I keep trying? 3-My last question-I wear my hair very low and I only comb it. Should I brush it too? If I should what is a good type of brush for a black man with short hair? How often should I brush my hair? Thank you.

>Hi, Darren!I saw your post on the Hair Boutique site and wanted to drop you a note.First, I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jade and I visit thesite fairly often. I try to take excellent care of my hair, which isnearly waist length. I am Native American (Cree and Cayugan), black andMexican. My hair reflects the mix:)Second, where did you get all these rules for your hair? I am smiling,but don't feel like you have to be constrained in any way regarding haircare. Whatever works best for you, keep doing it.Hair Washing. You didn't mention whether you had oily or dry dandruff.If you've got the dry kind, a dandruff shampoo could be used 2-3 timesper week if necessary. If you still want to wash the other days, use agentle shampoo. I've got the oily kind in the winter. It may be worsethan the dry kind because you really can't rake it up and brush it out.It's like sticky glue in your hair. Yuck, right? With the oily kind, adandruff shampoo may make it worse or no better. That's what happenedto me. I started using a castille- based, rather than sodium laurylsulfate-based, shampoo. That has just about eliminated the problem. Iwash my hair once a week and that is plenty for my scalp and hair. Itlooks fresh and feels good.Hair Brushing. Who is this barber? My great-grandfather was a barberand I think he just went "mmmm?" You should definitely be brushing yourhair on a regular basis for scalp stimulation and to spread the sebum tothe ends of your hair. I don't care how short it is. I give my hair abrush from the top to the ends every night.Some people like to brushfrom bottom to top with head inverted, i. e. blood rushes to the head. Ido that rarely. You have to learn to be firm and yet gentle. I starteddoing this a couple of years ago and watched less and less hair come outin the brush, and my hair get stronger and stronger. I use apaddle-style brush mostly. However, I also use a boar bristle brush,too. You have to learn how to manipulate the latter because you can ripyour hair. There is also a boar-nylon mix. For me, that is excellent.It truly spreads the sebum. THat keeps your hair from breaking off. Iwould recommend the all boar or boar-nylon mix for your hair.Experiment a bit.Last Piece of Advice. I hope that you are not using a mineral- basedoil on your hair. Check the label. Too many blacks oil their scalpswith this sludge. It's nothing more than a petroleum-based product whichcan clog your follicles just like the pores of your skin. Since youhave dandruff, this ingredient may be aggravating it. Anyway, you mightwant to try some jojoba or olive oil. Jojoba can be purchased at anyhealth food store and, yea, olive oil is available at the grocerystore. Ever heard of a hot oil treatment? I love them and they aregreat for adding elasticity and sheen to your hair. Jojoba and oliveare my personal favorites. A good buddy of mine who is a black male andhas extremely course hair started using jojoba oil and brushing his hairon a regular basis about a year ago after he complained to me about hishair. His hair is so soft, shiny and healthy now. I don't think anyoneis going to mistake his hair for steel wool any longer:) Personally, Iwas glad that I could help. There are enough black men with bald heads.[I have to say that I don't particularly care for bowling balls. Oo,did I say that?]At any rate, I hope that my words help a bit. Glad to see a questionfrom a person of color. Please continue to post!All the best,Jade21