Customer Reviews

The Black Woman's Guide to Beautiful Hair: A Positive Approach to Managing any Hair Type and Style

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Lisa Akbari's very short book is much too anectdotal for me. That's my overall complaint and it bothers me that there are so few serious books specifically aimed at the hair care issues of the woman of color with seriously curly/kinky hair.

I thought this book would be objective, backed by facts and tell the whys and why nots of hair care for the typical woman of color with seriously curly hair but this is not so. The primary reference point is the author's experience as a beautician. That's not good enough for me. For example she discusses dry, flaking, itching scalp fromt the point of view her experience while working at a salon. I didn't want to know nor did I think it added value to read stories related to how many women came into that particular salon and let people scratch their heads. I expected a section on dealing with dry, itching and flaking scalp problems. I expected it to be dealt with in a straight forward manner in the prose of if you have the following issues then do the following..... Not even close. While the author does make reference to dermatologists opinions there is not a clear connection between the medical guidelines and the "well this works for me" guidelines.

I have read other, older books that I think were better. Specifically, Pamela Ferrell's "Let's Talk Hair" is still the best book when it comes to taking care of non chemically treated super curly/kinky hair. I do believe if you are just starting to take care of your own hair then there is something to be learned from this book hence the two stars. But if you have been reading up on this subject matter for awhile, as I have, then you won't find any new real info. I find this really disappointing because while the book "Let's Talk Hair" is good it only really gets to the basics and so do some of the others.

Another factor that was disappointing was the lack of photographs. It always helps to see what is being described, especially when it's hair but that wasn't possible. Just another reason I wasn't impressed with the book.

Before reading this book I thought that I had bad hair. All of my life people would tell me how nappy and bad my hair was, even my family and so call friends. Ms. Akbari's book has a chapter that change my mind about my hair and now is changing my outlook on life. I know that this sounds deep and it is very deep to me.
In this book I learn how to understand my hair and the big thing Ms. Akbari reminded me of was, and will use her words "GOD MADE MY HAIR AND GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES". She also taught me that I must become educated on everything that is done to my hair and what is used on my hair. This book has so much to offer me and I just wanted to tell the world. I know now that I have "good hair" and I now know how to take care of my own hair and my scalp. Thank God for Lisa Akbari and her book "The Black Womens Guide to Beautiful hair

I did read the black women's guide to beautiful hair, and i love what i read. After reading the book I was, as Ms. Akbari states in her book, "empowered and educated." I learned so much about everthing including what type of hair products was best for my hair and scalp. The only thing that had me at a stand still was that I was not sure where to find the right hair products. I went to my stylist, beauty supply stores , and even wal-mart. I found no real group of products that would go together. Some would have the right pH shampoo but not the right conditioner, and so on. I think you get the message. Then I went to the internet and typed lisa akbari and there was my answer. Through Ms. Akbari's website I learned that she has her own product line the in a complete system. I ordered her products and followed the 7 week program and my hair is now growing and feeling healthier. My scalp does not itch and is no longer tender. Thank you God for using this sister to help this black sister, when all hope was gone. Thank you Ms. Akbari for giving so much in you book. I know that it was hard for me to find your products, and at first I wondered why you did not just name your line in your book. But I am glad I found your book and your wonderful products. HEADS UP EVERYBODY .... lisaakbari.com is Mrs. Akbari's web site.

After seeing the customer review rates about this book, i thought it will be a waste of money. But after my hair came out after braiding my hair, i was desperate to learn how to get my hair back in shape. So I decided to purchase the book after reading a few pages at borders book store. i was very thankful that i didn't listen to all the negative rates online. Her book was very helpful. I never really paid attention to the scalp, and how much damage i was causing it by not keep it clean and always scratching it. I was glad that she did not only talk about how to take care of the hair but also the scalp, the hair and the mind. The mind was a very interesting parts of the book, it help me take all the negative stuff that i thought about my hair, like how it was never going to get better and it's all going to break off, about people criticisms. This book is amazing,please don't believe the negative ratings, if u want to safe your money and learn how to take care of your hair and scalp at home, how to wash it, apply conditioner, and manage the hair and scalp this is an amazing book. Although she didn't request any hair care product she did write how to know which ones are best. i will recommend KERACARE products. i love their hair care product. i wash with the 1st lather shampoo to remove the dirt from the hair and scalp (ph 4.5), then i shampoo a second time with the hydrating shampoo (ph 6.0), then after apply the humecto creme conditioner (ph 4.5), which makes the hair very soft and full of shine. If your hair needs a protein conditioner, i will recommend UBH CONDITIONER (by cathy howse). It really helps the hair thicken and help it stay strong. Also about the oil moisturizers try KERACARE ESSENTIAL OIL (a little bit goes a long way) Try it. it will work. my hair has change from thick, coarse, dry, brittle hair,into soft, thick, long, bouncy, shiny hair. I get complements every day at work and it's a good feeling to know that i have good, healthy hair. Thanks for reading. Hope some of my advice helped your hair.

I didn't find this book to be useful at all. Supposedly there's a "program" you're supposed to follow, but after you read it you realize that it's the same mundane information that everyone should know like keeping your hair clean, conditioning, limiting heat usage, etc. Another disappointing thing is that throughout the book there are no photographs of healthy or damaged hair,how-to's, or hair styles. It would've been helpful to have visuals because it could've shown people exactly what to look for if their hair was damaged and so on. The rest of the book consists of filler material: her stories about working at a salon and repeating herself about how to think positively about your hair. I went to Akbari's website thinking that maybe I'd find something helful there, but I didn't find anything. She's been studying the "Short Hair Syndrome" for sometime, but it's not anything groundbreaking. It doesn't take a scientist, or a beautician, to know that hair breakage can occur by not moisterizing the hair and inappopriately using harsh chemicals. She also has a section where you can ask her questions, and when it comes to product recommendations she's just as vague as she is in her book.

I found this book full of useless psychology and not any of what the author nor the title states this book to be about. Sadly, I must say that I wasted my money. You can get better info. from one of those black hair magazines.

The book leads you on to think that there is some sort of "program" to follow. There is no real program for you to follow for healthier hair. I also found the chapters to not be in logical order, but it does not matter because so many times the information is redundant just presented in a different chapter in a different sentence. I found the author to say several times that she would cover a certain point of info. and she failed several times to do that.

The most disappointing thing I found was not only did she not give specific recommendations for any products, she sets you up in a section about oil and moisturizers by "mentioning" some products (at first I couldn't tell if they were actual products are just other names for oils and moisturizers). I did an internet search for the two names she mentioned and they are products that the author makes and sells exclusively.

Its a shame that there are too few books about black hair care, but it is a greater shame that our own sisters exploit that for their own personal gain!

There are better books that go more in depth when it comes to African American hair. It's not a bad book; it's just mediocre and you can do better. Try "Let's Talk Hair: Every Black Woman's Personal Consultation for Healthy Growing Hair" or "Good Hair: For Colored Girls Who'Ve Considered Weaves When the Chemicals Became Too Ruff"

I have at least 5 books at home on Black Women's hair care and this is one of the best! It is an easy read and has great advice. I like that she doesn't try to sell you her products and keeps the hair care very simple. I've been practicing her advice for 2 weeks now and tell a MAJOR difference in my hair. It is softer and shinier and I use less products to get better results.

I like that she doesn't condemn the reader for what state their hair is in (ie. natural, braids, relaxed, texturized) and you don't have to cut off your hair to start having beautiful hair. You basically learn everything in the one chapter and the rest is advice for the mind and learning to love your hair. I called her 800 number with questions regarding my specific hair and Ms. Akbari was genuine and took her time educating me (and I didn't order anything). Her products seem very reasonable, though.

Ms. Akbari THANK YOU!

PS: My #1 favorite book that I recommend is "Good Hair: For Colored Girls Who'Ve Considered Weaves When the Chemicals Became Too Ruff" by Lonnice Brittenum Bonner.

I want to that God for this book. For too long have black women been in the dark about issues with our hair. This book #1 forces us to look at all the hang ups that we have about our hair. I must admit that when reading the chapter on "cleaning the mind in order to have healthy hair" it was hard. Because I had to take a long look in the mirror at myself and then I had to say thank you Lisa Akbari. The order and the simplicity in which she wrote this book truly helped me. I have had a lot of hair experiences and read a lot of "hair help books" and this one tops them all. The chapter on the scalp helped me to understand how to take care of my own scalp and I can already see that I don't need to be so dependent on others. This book has empowered me in a way that gives me the freedom to wear my hair natural or relaxed, because it taught me how to take care of both. I gave this book 5 stars because it has help me and I truly believe that it can help any black women with any hair type.

This book is the truth. Ms. Akbari did a very good job of not only giving a hair care program, but she also explained the importance of the steps that are done. I really liked how she made the connection between "how we think" and "how we act." It is time for black women to start taking responsibility for our hair, and this book is a great step towards having healthy hair. I was so blessed to find Ms. Akbari's book, the program and the easy "sister talk" advice really helped me feel better about my hair as an African American woman, and helped me realize some simple things I could do to have healthy hair and scalp. The positive advice Ms. Akbari gives is not only encouraging, but her program is profound in its simplicity and the sucessful results I have gotten. I even looked Ms. Akbari up on the web, I ordered her products. They have so far worked very well, I really like the leave in conditioner and the oil sheen in a jar. I was truly amazed that Ms. Akbari gives free phone consultations, she was so nice and encouraging. I know I have written a lot, but I just feel so blessed to have read this book and am enjoying the impact the information it has had on my hair and my total attitude about hair. As Ms. Akbari says, "Healthy Hair is Beautiful Hair," and I am loving my "Beautiful Hair!"