African-American-Health Books

This book really helped me in deciding if I could handle being natural or not... great for coming back to.

Good book on how to do certain things to natural hair, but I think I'm still going to go have someone show me how to do them. The "how to" doesn't really transfer in this book as well as it does in actual "show how to"

I was displeased with the book, I felt it focused way too much on dreadlocks. I wear my hair natural, but I wil never wear it as dreadlocks. It brushed through the tips pf taking care of hair and the pictures were not that clear. Don't get me wrong its a decent book, especially if you want to grow dreads.

Excellent book which provided much needed encouragement to go natural. I've been "relaxer free" since April 2006 and now in the process of transitioning from extensions. Thanks Tulani !!

I bought "NO LYE!" Tuesday and returned it Wednesday. It was not nearly what I expected after all of the rave reviews. The illustrations were limited and the sections on twists was no help at all. I bought "Textured Tresses" today and love it. There is a lot of celebrity name dropping but who cares. It is well written and provides product names, numerous illustrations, detailed how-to's and a salon directory. Also there is a section on picking the right stylist and salon that I found helpful. Don't waste your money on "NO LYE!". No lie.

This book is great for any woman of color, especially great for anyone with biracial children.

I bought this book thinking the book was going to give me tips on how to take care of my hair. Well this book focus more on women with relax her than natural/pressed hair. BEWEAR of this book please if you get your hair pressed. Other wise for the women who have permed hair...this book is great for you.

I have had this book for a while. Although it pushes certain products, it is a very good reference book. I learned how to accurately neutralize relaxed hair. It also offer a regime on growing your hair in 24 month. The writing is pithy and it is a must read for any person with hair and even the bald as well. Go ahead buy and enjoy. :)

I'm just going to be upfront and honest.He is mostly trying to promote nexxus products in this book.Nexxus products is not going to work for every women's hair.No 2 heads of hair are like what works for you won't necessarily mean it'll work for me or anyone esle.Anyways,Let's get back to the book!The information in this book I could go on the internet and get the same advice.I didn't like this book so I gave it away to the Goodwill.I won't recommend this book to anyone.

This is more of the same old. This book encourages maintaining a dependence on hair dressers and putting more money into their pockets as well as the pockets of the not-so-pretty beauty companies.

The good tips:
Clean your hair frequently
Keeping relaxer to new growth alone
Opposition to no-lye relaxer
Treat your daughters' hair with kid gloves. Don't pull on it in an attempt to "manage" or "tame" it as this will result in traction alopecia. Also, be sure to tell her that her hair's beautiful.

The bad tips:
Focus on using overpriced products. No, you don't always get what you pay for a
Pushes particular products, specifically the Nexxus line
Over-relaxing - every 6 to 8 weeks.
Very focused on chemicals and in some parts, trivializes the harm they can do as well as the harm that heating products can do
It's fine to use conditioners made for non-black or otherwise untextured hair. This really isn't so since the curl pattern generally keeps very curly hair chronically dry and prone to damage. If you relax your hair, you won't have the curl pattern but your hair needs to be treated as highly damaged hair so it doesn't break. While hair is hair, your needs are different from women with untextured hair.

From my experience, I believe you will maintain good-looking hair that won't be too unhealthy, but if you're trying to achieve growth, especially if you're one of the many black women who has difficulty growing and keeping long hair (and it's generally not a problem with growth, but rather with breakage), this isn't going to tell you anything you don't know.

I love this book wonderful pics and I have been a fan of his work for so long and didn't even know he had done half of the celebrities. But I was not amazed by the how to's there wasn't much I just had to look at the pics and figure it out. Maybe he doesn't want to let his secret out of the bag but I was disappointed. For example his lips are gorgeous but how did he do it? what colors did he use? that wasn't in there. ya know what i mean.

If you are a pro. This book is very basic. It's generally written for everyday people who need a how-to beauty book.

If you are looking for a book that will give you makeup application ideas, look elsewhere. But if you want to see a makeup artist stroke his ego by being associated with big Hollywood names, then this is the book for you.
When I got this book I believed it would provide me with detailed information on how to apply makeup and what I could do to improve my look. Instead I get approximately 10-12 pages of information that I could have read in a beauty magazine. The remaining pages are filled with photos of the women he has made up such as Brandy, Patti Labell, and Tyra Banks. Then you get to hear about his life. Big Deal.
The saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" really does apply to this one.

This book assumes that you know about makeup and is basically a self promoting book about the celebrities the author knows.
The first 40 or so pages do discuss makeup tips, but it's overshadowed by the remaining 100+ pages of stories of his famous clientele. Not what I was looking for in a beauty book.

This book has some detail in the beginning about certain techniques of make-up application. Overall, this book tends to be to star-studded and not enough information on actual beauty techniques, products, skin care or color selection. If you want to know "a little" about make up application and view some beautiful photos of your favorite celebrities, this book may suit you.

But Black women have to take it one step further and expand their options to include all races...

Author Of
Black Women Deserve Better

What Is It About?

This is Tariq's version of the Art of Mackin for Women. It promises to give women advice about men, dating, and relationships.

What Did I Get Out Of It?

I learned what king flex has to say about dating and seduction and got to hear what he advises women to do.

The Good News

The book is excellent and does deliver. It spells out the problems with men, the problems with women, what women really want, and why they think they want what they say they want. It also details the different type of males / females that exist in the dating world. The book is basically a hand book on dating and relationships and should be required reading for all women and most men.

The Bad News

There is relatively little bad news concerning this book. It is a bit short and I leisurely read it over the course of a weekend but, I consider that a good thing. Tariq is short and to the point and doesn't attempt to sugar coat things or pander to women with this book.

The Bottom Line

Any aspiring Mack man or women should have this book. It breaks down women and men and will help both parties do better with the opposite sex.

While I understand the basis to his philosophy, I feel that in repeating the stereotypes he perpetuates negativity sub-consciously. The laws of yesterday are not the same today. While he gives an overall view there is little uplifting and solution based strategy offered in this book. Does every group have it's faults? Yes, but if you have so much knowledge why not churn out something of higher value. Overall- smart brother, but I think he (and we) can do better.

The wisdom in this book is very deep! It does not correlate with Disney and Hollywood images of love and relationships, but is rather based on knowhow (Game!) obtained from a century or more of do-or-die relationships on the streets. You will not find this information in psychology books or doctoral theses in sociology, because those people do not have the real life experience it takes to know these things. You will however have to scale the information down to suit your own world, but I for one like to get extreme-case explanations. I generally hold Nasheed's writings in high regard, but this is the best book he has written in my opinion. And it's for men and women both! (Nasheed probably regrets having made such a biased title!) One point of criticism would be that Nasheed is a bit focused on bling-bling, money, and status, but that's just his own lifestyle that shines through I guess, and the reader can choose to ignore it. Highly recommended - if you can distill from it what you need!

Nasheed knows exactly what he's talking about!This book is telling young women they have a choice; either you're going to be a statistic by making DUMB decisions, getting involved with "boys" who have no future or vision about their own lives who only want to "hit it and quit it", ending up with child out of wedlock that you never wanted by a so-called man you never loved who never loved you OR you can get "game" by increasing your knowledge of yourself and the world by learning as much as you can, getting your money right and being in a position to have better options in life and attracting a real man.

Life is supposed to be about constant improvement to ones life, changing your current situation for the better. Not accepting complacency and satisfied with being just another young, unwed mother who is further extending the dysfunction of the american family. GET THIS BOOK!!!

We are adopting kids from Ethiopia, so I got this for my wife to read. She absolutely loved it. Not sure if it was due to our situation or if she would have loved it anyway. Brings up interesting points about inter-racial adoptions. She is recommending it to our friends and family as an good read.

This book was one of the worst I have read. As a transracially adopted person, a parent with a white partner and multi-racial kids, a teacher, and a diversity director, this book is misleading. It gives teachers of young children an excuse to not talk about race. This attitude silences children. It also gives them a message that there is something wrong with race. Do we not talk about gender at an early age, hair color, eyes. Let's get all these "researchers" to live, be in and run a classroom over time. There is where your research is. White parents, don't be fooled by this book. She is making money off of your need for eduacation.

Althought this book is titled and covered as a black/white book, it actually helps parents understand any child of a race different than white. We have an adopted Chinese daughter and it has enlightened me in many ways.

Wow, the title alone is a turn off for me. As a biracial individual, I am little offended at the simplification of racial-identity as ice cream flavors. There are no how-to's for white parents raising Black children. It's complex and often painful, and that's what white parents need to know going into this.

I have read a lot of these types of books since we are white and my son is African American. Great book for people preparing to adopt transracially. Gives you a lot to think about and prepare for. I think it's the best of these books.

I have also read the very popular "Inside Transracial Adoption" and this book takes a much more positive spin. I found the other one to be somewhat depressing. This book is much more hopeful and helpful. I consider it a must read if you are considering adopting a child of a race different than your own.

Basically, this book requires that you buy a whole bunch of stuff. I don't think that you need that much stuff, just use common sense. What you eat,drink and how you spend you time (rest, exercise) is really what matters. Shampoo, condition and stay away from heat. You can do all of that without spending your money on this book.

THIS BOOK IS VERY INFORMATIVE AND SINCE I PURCHASED THIS BOOK MY HAIR IS HEALTHIER AND LONGER...YES THIS BOOK IS FOR RELAXED HAIR BUT IT IS ALSO FOR NATURAL HAIR TOO AND THE WEEK TO WEEK REGIMEN STEPS WAS THE REASON WHY I PURCHASED THIS BOOK BECAUSE WHEN I STARTED TAKING CARE OF MY HAIR...I DID NOT KNOW WHERE TO START BUT IN THE BOOK SHE GAVE WEEK BY WEEK STEPS AND I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS REGIMEN SINCE DECEMBER 2005 AND MY HAIR HAS GROWN AND IS VERY HEALTHY AS I STATED EARLIER...FIRST I HAD TO GET MY HAIR BACK HEALTHY AND ONCE I ACCOMPLISHED THAT THE LENGTH CAME. AS FAR AS CAROLYN GRAY NOT USING APHOGEE PROTEIN TREATMENTS (SOMEONE MENTIONED) ALTHOUGH SHE DOES NOT USE IT HERSELF...SHE DOES MENTION APHOGEE PROTEIN PRODUCTS IN THE BOOK AND BEING THAT SHE USES SOME FORM OF PROTEIN TREATMENT WEEKLY MAYBE SHE DOES NOT NEED TO USE A STRONG PROTEIN TREATMENT SUCH AS APHOGEE (SOME PEOPLE HAIR CAN NOT TAKE A STRONG PROTEIN TREATMENT OR SOME PEOPLE HAIR IS NOT THAT SEVERELY DAMAGED SO THEY WOULD NOT NEED APHOGEE PROTEIN TREATMENT). I DO NOT USE A STRONG PROTEIN TREATMENT AND MY HAIR IS NOT BREAKING OFF..IT'S GROWING ACTUALLY...THE BOTTOM LINE IS IF YOU ARE JUST STARTING TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HAIR AND DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START OR YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START...THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU....SHE TELLS YOU WHAT PRODUCTS TO USE THAT ACTUALLY WORKS...YES SHE MENTIONS HER PRODUCTS BUT SHE ALSO MENTIONS SEVERAL OTHER PRODUCTS TO USE. SHE IS GIVING YOU THE FOUNDATION TO BUILD YOUR HAIR REGIMEN TO NOT ONLY GROW YOUR HAIR BUT TO ALSO KEEP THE HAIR...THIS WOMAN TOOK THE TIME TO WRITE A BOOK TO HELP AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN GROW THEIR HAIR AND WHAT THANKS DOES SHE GET BUT UNNESSARY AND LOW BLOWS NEGATIVE REMARKS...YOU HAVE TWO OPTIONS...EITHER BUY THE BOOK AND WATCH YOUR HAIR GROW OR STFU AND KEEP THE SHORT DAMAGED HAIR YOU GOT...I PICKED MY OPTION AND MY HAIR IS GROWING....ADVICE TO MALICIOUS NEGATIVE REMARKS ABOUT THIS BOOK...KEEP IT MOVING....IT'S OK TO POST NEGATIVE REMARKS ABOUT THIS BOOK IN GOOD SPIRIT BUT SOME ARE DOWN RIGHT MALICIOUS AND IS NOT NECESSARY...THIS REVIEW MIGHT NOT GET POSTED BUT I HAD TO SAY THIS..BECAUSE SOME WOMEN WILL MISS OUT ON SOMETHING GOOD...BECAUSE OF THE IGNORANCE OF OTHERS.

ETA: Just thought I'll let everyone know that it is now 03/05/2008 and my hair is now grazing the bottom of my bra clasp. I started with damaged shoulder length hair December 2005. No, I am not a spokeswoman for Carolyn Gray. Just want the ladies to know that this book will help you reach your hair goal. My hair has never been this long. NEVER! With patience and consistency you can reach your hair goals also:-)

I was skeptical about this book and checked Amazon's return policy before I ordered it. Here are 6 reasons why I will NOT be using that return policy:

1) This is the kind of stuff many women who know this wouldn't tell you out of pettiness and competitiveness. What she is offering could help all of us with relaxed hair.

2) SAVED ME MONEY. Carolyn discusses, in detailed fashion, products she uses, has used, doesn't or no longer uses, why, and how they did or did not help her. By admitting she is a product junkie (and her six-week regimen reflects this), she can offer real-world actual results she has gotten from products before I go out there and spend my hard-earned money trying to re-invent the wheel for myself. She emphasizes that you do not have to purchase as many products as she has and that she is simply telling you what has worked for her.

3) She emphasizes that her book offers insights for you to find YOUR OWN hair care path based on what you discover works for you which is what she did. She clearly states she is not a professional but has been approached by many black women and asked how she cares for her hair which is why she has written this book.

4) The six-week regimen is only one part of the book wherein she offers detailed, specific, step-by-step information on how she cares for her long relaxed hair. The rest of the book offers detailed, useful information on how to care for your own hair to promote health and growth which you can incorporate into your regimen as you wish.

5) Carolyn's writing reflects an attitude that says "My hair is beautiful and worth my loving attention" and learned to treat it with loving kindness and respect. Many of us (black women) abuse our hair trying to beat it into submission with heat appliances and chemicals which shows how we feel about our hair. The author recognizes that relaxing the hair is a form of this and, except for relaxing it, treats her hair with the loving kindness it deserves. Anything that grows will respond well to that kind of attitude and respectful treatment.

6) She includes strategies that I had already been using and therefore knew of their effectiveness from my own experience. Air drying relaxed hair is one example of that. She also offers information new to me. Carolyn goes beyond what you already know and offers specific ways to incorporate that knowledge as well as incorporate new information on a regular basis.

7) Mentions a healthful diet as a foundation for growing healthier hair.


Two things that could be even better about this book:

1) It might be helpful for the title to say "Beautiful, Healthier RELAXED Hair". While she notes that some items are helpful for both relaxed and natural hair, the book's focus is for relaxed hair which she clearly states within the first few pages.

2) She could use more pictures showing each step of wrapping the hair. She encourages you to have your stylist help you learn it which is how she learned to wrap her hair, but I would like to see more pictures showing each tiny step illustrating how to do it.

I was so disappointed when I got this book. The people who do these books always seem to have a head full of hair when they start. I never see anyone with not-so-thick hair or less than shoulder length hair. Her product regimen was outrageous. Her copying and pasting from week-to-week had to be most ingenuous of all, along with pushing her own hair care products. In all her pictures she looked "greasy", which is not a look or feel I like. She had not even used Aphogee protein products, which ANYONE who is into hair, knows is probably one of the BEST protein products on the market, especially considering the price. I just expected a little bit more. On her picture in the 1990s, it was obvious she always had a full head of hair, not like a lot of black women out here. Can someone show me how to maintain my relaxed hair, where it will have body and look healthy, and if I did choose to relax at home, the best way to do it. We know it is a cardinal sin, but obviously people do it or there would not be so many products on the shelves and the costs to go a hairdresser is so prohibitive. I say do not buy this book, there is hardly anything said you probably don't already know.

Just looking at the picture on the front cover of this book...I know this is NOT the book for me. I know they say you should never judge a book by its cover, but in this case -- I think I'm justified. A book that tells black women how to have healthy hair and then proceeds to expound primarily on the maintenance of relaxed (fire-creamed) hair is schizophrenic at best. Healthy hair begins with learning to care for, nurture, and style the hair that grows from your own scalp. Diet, exercise, water, and a healthy dose of self-love are the start of healthy hair. For those who are interested in learning to take care of their hair sans relaxers, I recommend that you save your money and head over to [...].

P.S. If you are one of the millions of black women that have relaxed hair, I'm not judging you. Perhaps this book is exactly what you need. But it your goal is beautiful and healthy hair -- which is not the same as artificially straightened hair -- then I simply suggest you look elsewhere.

it's a good book filled with great tips and ways to make you feel good. if you need an emotional pickmeup i suggest you read this.

Very inspiring, great tips, funny, practical, I will continue to use this as a resource guide.

Somehow this book wound up in the teen section of the public library. Keep it away from your impressionable young women.

The advice is not black-specific, it's very general and you could find most of it in a myriad of similar titles. The most 'black' thing about it is the slang liberally sprinkled throughout.

This book assumes that the reader has a LARGE expendable income, loves designer labels, shops, drinks, and is concerned with image, image, image. It's a confusing mix--sure, it preaches that you learn to become comfortable with your body... then advocates the wearing of real fur and makes PETA sound like a bunch of loonies you don't really need to listen to. At all. Because every glam woman has her Team Me--Team Me consists of everyone from your hair stylist to your dentist to your furrier. (No one has furriers anymore. Not even WASPs.)

The book is wholly superficial and morally bankrupt. On page 22, Ms. Raines details the Twinkie Theorem. Essentially, you can always find money--not for what you need, but for what you WANT. Like a Twinkie: just search the couch cushions. Or a Louis Vuitton bag! "A bit of credit left on the charge card and couple of dollars (all right, hundreds) from the rent money." The Twinkie Theorem advocates skimping on rent and putting yourself in credit card debt for a luxury item! Then it backs it up with a quote from the Bible.

The cover may look cute, but don't make the same mistake as our library--this is NOT for young girls. The book does not include lessons on safe sex or making good choices in choosing who to become intimate with--just bring a condom. That's it.

For a young woman, get The College Woman's Handbook (Educating Ourselves)

If you are in your 20s, get this book, good foundation for everything you need to know about being beautiful both inside and outside...

So, I bought this book thinking that it would have a lot more info than it actually had. I was disapointed. I had a friend who had the Modern Girls Guide...so I figured I would by the BEAUTYLICIOUS version...I think I'm gonna go ahead and purchase the Modern Girls Guide...

Best Medical Reference I have EVER seen or owned that caters to the genetic makeup and needs of Afrikan descendants. Period. I recommend it to all members of the Afrikan Diaspora who are trying to obtain knowledge of self and use natural medicines and methods that have in turn been used successfully for TENS OF THOUSANDS of years across the world.

THIS BOOK IZ VERY INFORMATIVE FOR ANY PERSON INSTREDED IN HEALING THEIRSELF. DR. AFRIKA HAZ A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE THAT SHOULD B SOAKED UP AND FOLLOWED. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND.

I am a proud owner of this book, this book is my bible on holistic healthcare for anyone serious about taking care of their health this book is a must. I was also amazed at customs in ancient Afrika and did not know menstration is abnormal to the female body. I have learned a wealth of information from this book. this book is the ultimate in holistic care and a must for any serious practitioner of Afrikan holistic health.

This book looks at how racism and clasism plays a part in the health conditions of many African and African Americans today. While it is true that class affects the types and quality of foods one has access to, and while it is important to make a book that speaks specifically to the needs of this group (as they face very real and unique health issues), the use of such words as "caucazoid" is pretty jarring.

Overall, if you can get past the propaganda and chosen terminology (similar to Kevin Trudea's heavy propaganda), you can get a lot from this book, and improve your pant size in the process!

People hear my words, this book has some serious issues! Please read the review here from October 12, 2005 titled "Recipe almost Killed Me". Also, I bought this book at a black owned, black focused store. I was so happy to get it because as much as I love herbs and natural healing, most of the resources I have found are from a European centered prospective, with most of the herb histories and means of use being traced back only to Europe. So I was happy to walk out of the store with it. I started to read it on the subway. Well, I was all the way across town and jumped back on the subway to retrace my steps and return the book. I had gotten to the part about female menstruation being abnormal! I read on and sure enough, that's what he meant, that healthy women who eat healthily and live a healthy lifestyle will not menstruate! This sounds to me like the same old thing in many anti-female religions, that the way the female body works is abnormal and dirty, that menstruating females are somehow abnormal and should be kept out of holy places at the time of menstruation. I do not know why Amazon is suggesting folks buy this book paired with Queen Afua's works! The two are very different on their views. I have Queen's best seller, Sacred Woman, and not only does she NOT SAY menstruation is abnormal, she tells you possible causes of what might be going on if yours has stopped because of disease, so that you can heal yourself back to health and a healthy menstruation cycle! Queen Afua is woman positive. Dr. Afrika has some interesting things in his book, but you would have to already know the good advice in order to pick it apart from the bad. The book is mixed with such dangerous and psychologically damaging information that I would say for your health stay well and clear!!! All holistic practice has to be viewed in light of our inner voice and good advice from various sources, and few things are right for everybody, but some things are dangerous!

This book is very informative when it comes to skin care for all types of skin. It has been very helpful in helping me to understand skin, hair and nail care.

This book made me feel like I was studying and I did not like it one bit. I knew alot of the helpful tips in the book already. I did not finish it I feel foolish for buying it.

Brown Skin: Dr. Susan Taylor's Prescription for Flawless Skin, Hair, and Nails

This was a total waste of time and money...I returned it. It was way too generic with information that I already know. I was hoping for more in depth information.

Kudos to Dr. Taylor for her personal achievements, but that does not compensate for the mediocrity that is "Brown Skin". At times it reads like a bland encyclopedia of skin issues and other times like contradictory medical tripe. Reading this book only left me more frustrated at the dearth of good in-depth skin/hair care advice for people of color. Even more frustrating, I emailed her people asking for the ingredient list for her product line. They wouldn't give me a straight answer. Instead they just repeated verbatim the advertisement from the website.

Bottomline: If you know absolutely nothing about hair/skin then this book will be great for you, otherwise pass.

This book answered so many questions I have had about my skin. Things I never remember to ask a doctor and other things I have asked that they had no answers for me. Maybe it's because often times I represent a minority of their clientele so they don't care to or haven't taken the time to know. This book should serve you as a reference book, one you will turn to from time to time and one you will want to give to the women in your life. Your daughters, your mom and others. Thank you Dr. Taylor for being so thorough.

i bought 3 similar books at the same time. this one was the best of them. i thought it was pretty good and unbiased. it was a good investment for me

I am so sorry that I got this book. I bought another book, Cathy's Howse book and this book and I regret this purchase. It is almost as if I could write this book myself and did a google search and cut and paste. I didn't necessarily take away any knowledge from her book. By the way, I also think that she is biracial so her hair needs aren't mine. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY

This book is a must read for any black woman who is wanting to have regain healthy black hair. This is a simple book to follow and tips that I continue to use on a regular basis.

The pretty packaging and the promise of reliable information for improving my hair's health got me to buy the book. While the book is well organized and an easy read, there is only a small amount of reliable information that was repeated many times. The author is well-intentioned but is not a hair professional and shallow research does not make up for lack of expertise. There were little mistakes such as "there is no need to sacrifice your length by getting your hair trimmed after every perm" when in fact how often you should get your hair trimmed depends on both the condition of your hair and on what type (fine versus coarse, for instance). While she states what experts say about what temperature to wash your hair in, her opinion is "honestly, it doesn't matter because the effects are barely noticeable." What does she base this opinion on? Please, wash your hair in warm, not hot, hot water. Hot water for too long is drying to skin and hair. Overall, there is some good information for women with relaxed hair only which is almost completely contained on her Do's and Don't's Lists (4 pages).

I really enjoyed this book. I lot of what the author says is common sense (stop using heat, wash the hair twice weekly, protect with satin scarf at night) at least to me but it just took someone to organize the info and write it down. I lot of folks (who have natural hair) have given this book a bad review but I don't understand why. She clearly states in the forward/introduction that this book is for those that chemically relax their hair and for those that would like to continue to do so!
She doesn't go on any unnecessary rants about professional stylist trying to sabotoge your hair growth efforts nor is the book a vehicle to sell a specific line of haircare products.
The chapters are organized in a clear and consise manner. There is a chapter on scalp problems and a chapter on determining the status of your hair whether its healthy, stressed, or damaged. She also gives precise instructions on how to maintain you hair at home while getting major stuff such as relaxers and color in the salon. She also talks about taking care of your hair form the inside out thru the use of vitamins and exercise. And if you have hair problems due to thyroid disease, that is talked about as well. The only thing that I find lacking in the book is the fact that there are no pictures of the no-heat hairstyles she describes. Other than that, this book is very cool and infomative! I recommend it highly!