Abstract Hair and health have an existing relationship, yet little is known about the relationship between stylist hair care practices and encouragement of self-care in the African American community. The hair cosmetic industry has undergone a revolutionary change over the last two decades, dramatically veering from merely cleaning to repair, increasing the tensile strength, reducing oxidative damage, and stimulating growth. Unfortunately, the psychological and physical consequences of improper hair care by stylists have resulted in “hair stress” in the African American community (Winfield, 2008). The problem under investigation is what are physical and psychological processes of growing healthy African American hair, where people look good on the outside and feel good on the inside. This study utilizes a content analysis approach for using YouTube tutorials to support the “Growing Hands Theory” that encourages proper hair care practices related to physical and mental health for people of African descent.

Core Concept Definition
Healthy Hair Healthy hair is a result of hair care and self-care. Hair care varies from different hair types because all hair is not the same, but all hair benefits from individuals having appropriate nutrition, hydration, exercise, stress management, and restorative sleep.
Strausfogel (2013), focuses on internal and external strategies for better hair growth. Many of these products that claim to be good for your hair can be found in one’s kitchen cabinet. This author also emphasized that all hair types are different, there are different precautions each individual has to take for healthy hair. Over-shampooing, over-processing and over-styling can cause one’s hair not to grow. A weekly shampoo is preferred for dry or coarse hair, whereas as a person with finer or thinning hair may have to wash it more often. Too much of anything typically is not good. The use of too much heat can cause breakage and damage hair follicles and synthetic product use can dry out hair. It is very important for one to determine hair needs and learn about the coils of her hair. As for external strategies, omega-3 proteins, like eggs and salmon, can be consumed to strengthen hair. Biotin is encouraged for thinning hair but must be taken with lots of water. Zinc and iron is also encouraged for keratin production.
Hair is made up of keratin, which is a type of protein, and many women consume protein in order to have stronger hair. Over the past few years, many women have been using the hair treatment in order to make hair more manageable and less frizzy. Unfortunately, the keratin hair treatment has had negative effects in the long run. Weathersby and McMichael (2013) and many of the products that are applied by salon professionals contain formaldehyde or its derivatives and are being marketed as safe. Formaldehyde has been linked to health problems and those who work with it have been affected more. However, the main health concern for the Brazilian keratin hair treatment is not with the people who get the treatment, but with the salon worker. Many salon workers mix their own products with these hair treatments, incorporating more formaldehyde. The way the treatment works is the stylist applies the treatment to one’s hair and seals with the flat iron. Breakage may not necessarily come from the hair treatment, but from the flat iron as well. This all depends on the salon worker as well.

Working Theory Growing Hands Theory The Growing Hands Theory describes and explains the meaning and significance of stylists engaging in wellness plans with their clients. Stylists are information brokers and traditional healers, revered as beauty experts, medical experts, and therapists who provide assistance with physical, emotional, and mental health (Mangum & Woods, 2011). There are some stylists who will build a great rapport with a client and encourages a client to return while other stylist will not after stressful experiences. It is important for a client to feel comfortable when someone else is handling her “crown.” - Some stylists oil the scalp of a client while braiding in order to reduce tension and itchiness (at other forms of discomfort) for the client during the time she carries a hairstyle (braids, weave)
- -In addition to oiling the scalp of the client, the stylist will also make sure if the client is not tender head, in order to ensure the client’s comfort and trust for the stylist. Asking client questions like “Are you okay?” “Is the braid around the edges too tight?” A client is more likely to return to this stylist
- A stylist should not overlook a client being “tender head” because the client may interpret this as a form of neglect and mistreatment from the stylist

Statement of the Problem
This problem is important because many women do not know how to grow their hair or is under the care of stylists who do not care about the upkeep and growth of their hair.
Purpose of the Study and Research Questions The purpose of this study is to find the best ways or techniques to grow healthy African American hair, where women can look good on the outside and feel good on the inside.
The present study focused on the physical health and psychological themes that emerged from online sources like YouTube to inform the Growing Hands Theory and personal hair care. The method I used for my research was content analysis which is a procedure to convert textual information to manageable data. Content analysis classifies words, phrases, or other units of text into meaningful categories like numbers in such a way that someone else who reads the paragraph codes it the same way. I took three steps. First, I decide what units of texts will be analyzed. The protocol I used for my research was making a criteria with questions for the hair stylist and websites. I used 5 websites that catered to African American women and 5 YouTube hair “gurus”- a person who is good at doing hair and popular on YouTube with thousands or up to millions of subscribers. Then, I defined how the units of text will be coded, in this case I used “yes/no” answer response. Finally, I coded the textual material for all participants (gurus and websites).