Karen Clark Sheard's healthy hair tip: Let it breathe

Article By Laura Stevens // EEW Magazine Beauty // Black Hair

Multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning member of the legendary Clark Sisters, Karen Clark Sheard, recently flaunted her natural hair on Instagram before getting it styled at the salon.

“Happy Natural Hair Day,” wrote the 56-year-old, adding that she was letting “God’s hair breathe.”

Though the phenomenal singer, wife and mom wasn’t actually giving out professional hair advice and was merely sharing her process, Clark Sheard inadvertently gave out a great tip women of color can glean from: let your hair breathe!

As black women, our luscious locks are naturally versatile and, of course, we love that. Many of us also love to add extra fabulous flair with wigs, clip-ins, braids, weaves and other add-ons. But, from time to time, as an anti-breakage strategy, we should let our God-given tresses have a break. That means freeing our natural hair from any additions.

“You absolutely need to let those follicles breathe,” Shana Davis, a New York-based stylist, tells EEW Magazine Online. “Often, clients come to me with breakage up the hair shaft and are upset that they’re losing their edges, but they never give their hair a break from weaves, heat, and tension. By the time they get to me, their hair, unfortunately, is very damaged.”

Davis says, whatever your preferred style—relaxed or natural, dyed or not, with extensions or without—“be sure to regularly condition your hair and avoid any styles that are too tight.” She also recommends not going overboard with heat and never using hair glue directly on the scalp when wearing a weave.

Hours after posting her wild and free look, Clark Sheard followed it up with a salon selfie revealing long, healthy, well cared for hair.

Is it time for you to let "God’s hair breathe" too? If so, do it. Your locks will thank you.

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