Guiding Safer Hair Styling for Patients of Color

Dr Oyetewa Asempa delivered a practical, culturally informed session that brought necessary attention to care practices in patients with textured hair.

In her session, “Hair Styles and Scalp Treatments for Patients of Color,” Dr Asempa emphasized a central takeaway: “Even if a patient is getting the right medical therapy for their alopecia, they may not see improvement if they are engaging in harmful styling practices.”

The session laid out how styling practices, from heat tools to chemical relaxers and extensions, can directly impact scalp health and hair loss, particularly in textured hair that is drier, more fragile, and prone to breakage. “The curlier someone’s hair is, the more time and effort it takes to properly care for the hair,” Dr Asempa explained.

She provided risk profiles and safety guidance for various styles:

• Thermal styling (like silk presses) may cause “acquired trichorrhexis nodosa” and heat damage; only straighten clean, conditioned hair with low heat and protectants.
• Chemical relaxers can trigger or flare scarring alopecia; she recommended stretching touch-up intervals and never coloring on the same day as relaxing.
• Extensions and wigs are major culprits in traction alopecia and dermatitis; minimize tension, avoid glued lacefronts, and wash hair underneath wigs regularly.

Dr Asempa walked through high-yield strategies for treating scalp conditions prevalent in skin of color, including seborrheic dermatitis, traction alopecia, and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). She urged APPs to treat even “mild tenderness or pruritus…as disease activity” in CCCA and to discourage styling practices involving tension or chemicals in these patients.

When discussing frontal fibrosing alopecia, she advised: “Absolutely no styles with tension along the frontal hairline,” and to consider patch testing for common irritants in hair products.

Dr Asempa encouraged APPs to engage in open, respectful education: “Never tell a patient to do or not do a style; help them understand the risks and how to minimize them.”

With concrete examples, product insights, and condition-specific styling recommendations, this session provided APPs with the tools they need to better support patients of color without compromising their cultural identity or personal expression.

Reference

Asempa OB. Hair styles and scalp treatments for patients of color. Presented at: Masterclasses in Dermatology APP Institute; October 11–12, 2025; Dallas, TX.