Frequently Asked Questions – Dominican Hair Products
    …and how to order them from Amazon.com

• Can I sell your products?
• What is so special about Dominican hair care?
• Where can I find a Dominican hair salon in my area?
• What is so special about Dominican hair products?
• What are the Dominican hair products?
• Who can use Dominican hair products?
• How can I get these products?
• Can I get these products in a store?
• Can I sell these products too?
• Can products be shipped outside the USA?
• If the product I want can't be shipped to my country or the shipping is too expensive??
• Can you recommend products for me?
• Can I read reviews?
• What products can I use for dry, damaged, or color-treated hair?
• What products are best for hair growth or to prevent hair loss?
• What about relaxers?
• How do I protect my hair from the chlorine that's in tap water?

I am a Beauty Consultant specializing in makeup and skin care. Although I am not a hairdresser or a manicurist, I believe that, in addition to makeup, hair and nails are essential components of a women's beauty, and I like to offer full service to my clients and as much useful information as possible.

As a Beauty Consultant who is also from the Dominican Republic, I receive a Lot of requests for Dominican hair products, which are famous all over the world, and so I have put a page on my site that gathers together in one place the brands and products that are popular among Dominican women:

http://www.aleida.net/hair-en.html

as well as some pages highlighting specific brands or products:

Alopecil Apretadora	Hair Fortifying Treatment	http://www.aleida.net/apretadora-en.html
Avanti Silicon Mix	Intensive Hair Treatment	http://www.aleida.net/siliconmix-en.html
Universal La Bomba	Deep Treatment in 3 Steps Deep Treatment Avocado Cream	http://www.aleida.net/labomba-en.html http://www.aleida.net/aguacate-en.html
Boé	Crece Pelo Maravisus	http://www.aleida.net/crecepelo-en.html http://www.aleida.net/maravisus-en.html
Alter Ego	Impac Ego Garlic Treatment neQual Shampoo	http://www.aleida.net/alterego-en.html http://www.aleida.net/alterego-en.html#nequal
Lady Fior	Natural Avocado Conditioner Olive Oil Relaxer	http://www.aleida.net/ladyfior-en.html http://www.aleida.net/kitaondas-en.html
Capilo	Olive Oil Conditioner	http://www.aleida.net/capilo-en.html
Lafier	Amazonia Maracuyá & Vitamins	http://www.aleida.net/lafier-en.html
Greit'Oll	12 in 1 Deep Conditioner	http://www.aleida.net/greitoll-en.html
Miss Key	10 in 1 Super Conditioner	http://www.aleida.net/misskey-en.html
Star Lacio	High Shine Leave-In Conditioner	http://www.aleida.net/starlacio-en.html
Salerm	Wheat Germ Oil Hair Mask	http://www.aleida.net/salerm-en.html
UNA	Intensive Protein Treatment	http://www.aleida.net/una-en.html

http://www.aleida.net/salon-en.html

http://www.aleida.net/gloss-en.html

But with every new page or service come more questions, more than I could ever answer personally every day! Here are the questions I receive most often, with answers.

Can I sell your products?

Believe it or not, I receive a LOT of emails every day from people who want to sell my products, even though I do not say anywhere that I am a distributor, wholesaler, or importer. I'm not! As far as the hair products, shoes, perfumes, jewelry, clothing, and accessories are concerned, I am a sales agent for Amazon.com and Endless.com. I don't buy or import anything, I don't have a warehouse, I don't ship the products. Amazon and Endless do all that; all I do is recommend certain products that I believe in and make referrals through links on my website. It is strictly a retail business. I don't buy, import, handle, or ship the products, I don't deal with wholesalers or distributors, I don't even know who they are. I can't offer wholesale pricing. Nor do I have the capacity to make you into an importer or distributor or seller of these products, or offer discounts to beauty parlors, nail salons, shoe stores, or boutiques. Anybody can order the products from my website, for themselves or for resale, or for use in a beauty salon, but only at the prices listed for each item. If you want to find a wholesaler or importer or exporter, I wish you good luck but I don't have that information.

What is so special about Dominican hair care?

Dominican women are like the “stress test” for hair products! We have African hair, mixed with European Spanish and Native American (Taíno / Caribe / Arawak) in all different proportions and combinations. And we come from a tropical paradise where it can get very hot and the sun can almost cook our hair!

Over hundreds of years, Dominican women have perfected hair care techniques based on the healthy natural ingredients of our country like coconut, cinnamon, avocado, olive, and rosemary, that beautify our hair and allow it to grow without using harsh chemicals or direct heat (hot combs). In the modern age of electricity and hair dryers, Dominican stylists, always ingenious, have developed what Americans call the “Dominican Blowout”, but we just call the levado y secado (wash and dry), that makes our hair smooth and lush and silky without hurting it.

Where can I find a Dominican hair salon in my area?

So far I am only recommending the salons where I have my own hair or nails done, which is in New York City and Connecticut, because I know personally that they do a very good job and if you visit them, you will not be disappointed (tell them Aleida sent you!)   CLICK HERE for a list.

To find other Dominican salons or to search for a Dominican hair salon in your area, please visit my page, The Dominican Hair Salon Experience; it has a section with information on where Dominicans live in the USA, and two exclusive Dominican Salon Locators: one based on Google and the other based on telephone directories. CLICK HERE to search for Dominican beauty salons.

If you would like to recommend a Dominican salon in your area, contact me.

What is so special about Dominican hair products?

These products were developed to satisfy the diverse needs of Dominican women and their different hair textures. A lot of Americans have hair like ours, and so do many Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Venezuelans, and others. We use these products because they work so well for us without harming our hair. We also use some brands that are made in other countries, such as Italy, Spain, Brazil, France, and even the USA – if it works, it doesn't have to be Dominican!

What are the Dominican hair products?

Shampoos, rinses, deep conditioners, leave-in conditioners, relaxers, detanglers, emergency repair treatments, anti-hair-loss treatments, growth stimulators, plus special shampoos for dandruff or oily hair or dull hair, and other products for special purposes like adding shine, covering gray, and so on. Some of the best selling brands are Avanti Silicon Mix, Universal La Bomba, Lafier, Lady Fior, Capilo, Miss Key, Nacidit, Star Lacio Lacio, and Crom Toque Mágico, to name only a few! Some brands made in Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, and other countries are popular too, such as: Alter Ego, Cosmo, RR Line, L'Oreal Kérasaste, Salerm, Sedal, Sebastian, and UNA, among others.

Who can use Dominican hair products?

Do I have to be Dominican to use these products? [no]
Are they only good for Dominican hair? [no]
Are Dominican products good for African American hair? [yes]

The hair products on this website are mainly intended for two kinds of woman (who are often the same woman!)...

1. Women with textured hair, Caribbeans like us, or African Americans, or West Indians, or anybody whose hair has some “African roots” or is coarse, or very curly or unruly. It doesn't matter if you wear your hair natural, if you have it blown out like me, or chemically straightened or straightened with direct heat.

2. Women with hair that has been damaged by overprocessing, hot combs, harsh chemicals, exposure to the sun, or excessive bleaching or coloration, and is dry and brittle, or won't grow, or might even be falling out.

But many of the products can be used by anybody. Even men! When you go to a product order page like this one, you can read about the product: what it's for, how to use it, the ingredients, plus any customer reviews.

Be sure to read the product description on the product page before ordering to make sure the product is appropriate for you. For example, some products are for professional use only, meaning they should be used only by licensed hairdressers. Others, especially relaxers, might require you to wear rubber gloves and avoid contact with the skin. Certain conditioners (like Apretadora) must be used before you shampoo, others (like Crece Pelo) after. Always read the instructions (and follow them!)  You might also want to look around the Internet to see what people are saying about a particular product; search for it in Google, or check some of the hair-care forums.

How can I get these products?

Follow the links on my pages to order them, such as the main hair products page. The order is processed safely and securely by Amazon.com and shipped directly from Amazon or from one of its affiliated companies. I do not handle the products personally. If you can't find a product that you are looking for, let me know, maybe I can help.

Since each product might be shipped by a different company, the shipping policies and costs can be different for different products. Check each product page for details.

Can I get these products in a store?

Most of the hair products – especially the Dominican ones – are hard to find in stores. Perhaps some of them are sold in some stores but I do not have a list; there is no way I can keep track of which products are sold in which stores all over New York City, the United States, and the entire world! Sometimes some of the products are sold in Dominican beauty salons. But it is because these products are hard to find that I made my hair products web pages, where you can find almost all the brands that are popular among Dominicanas in one place where they can be ordered conveniently and securely.

Can I sell these products too?

As far as the hair products are concerned (and shoes, jewelry, perfume, books, etc), I am a sales agent of Amazon.com, a company based in the USA, and which does not offer quantity or reseller discounts. I'm not an importer. I am not a wholesaler. I don't have contacts with or information about importers or exporters or wholesalers. I don't have a way to supply products to retailers or beauty salons at a discount. I don't have free samples for would-be resellers.

If you want to sell these products, you can order them from the website at the regular price, or you can see if you can locate a wholesale distributor in your area, or you can try to establish a direct relationship with the manufacturer. I do not have information about the manufacturers or distributors or wholesalers because I deal only with Amazon.

Even though Amazon does not offer quantity discounts:

• It is usually cheaper to order in bulk because for most items there is a shipping charge per order as well as a charge by weight.
• Some items are offered in economical 4-packs, 6-packs, etc.

The possibility of becoming a distributor of products that come from another country depends on the import laws of your own country, the export laws of the country of origin, and any bilateral agreements between the two countries, plus any requirements of the manufacturer as to warranties, and so on.

Can products be shipped outside the USA?

Every product can be shipped to almost any country if you use a package forwarding service (next section). Otherwise, read the rest of this section about Amazon shipping policies.

Some products that you find at Amazon.com are sold and shipped directly by Amazon, others are shipped by separate companies, called “Amazon affiliates”. The only way to determine the shipper is by clicking on View Shipping Rates and Policies under Product Details:

Items sold and shipped directly by Amazon...

Amazon has its own shipping policy, which is described HERE. Amazon ships books, CDs, DVDs, and video tapes to any country, but in general, other items (such as beauty products) are shipped only to the USA, its protectorates (such as Puerto Rico), to United States military APO and FPO addresses. This is because of United states export laws, and/or the import laws of the other country, or warranty or service restrictions (CLICK HERE to read about exportaton of beauty products).

Amazon says “Additionally, some consumer electronics, health and personal care, home and garden, jewelry, pet supplies, shoes, software, sporting goods, tools, video games, and watches can be shipped to the following countries...” The list includes Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom (and a few others), as noted on its Shipping Policy page, referenced above. When ordering a specific item, there is often no way to tell if it can be delivered outside the USA, or to any specific country, other than trying to place the order and specifying the desired delivery address. If the order is accepted, Amazon will ship it; if not, it will print a message:

Important Message There is a slight problem with your order. (See below.)

We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to your selected destination. You may either change the shipping address or delete the item from your order by changing its quantity to 0 and clicking the update button below. (See geographical restrictions.)

If you receive this message, you will have to sign up with a package forwarding service to get a USA address where the item can be delivered and then forwarded to your real address. Once have registered with such a service, you can use it any time you order anything from any USA-based website.

Amazon Shipping Rates and Times to Latin America   Shipping Rates and Times to Europe

Items sold and shipped by Amazon Affiliates...

Many of the hair and beauty products and other items that you find on my website are sold by affiliates, not directly by Amazon. Each affiliate is free to set its own shipping policy, and some of them ship to more countries than Amazon does.

So to find out if a product can be shipped to your country, look on the Amazon page for that product. Each product page has a Product Details section that tells where it can be shipped and gives a link to shipping rates and policies. (Next to where it says Shipping weight, click the “View shipping rates and policies” link.)

One of the Amazon affiliates that handles many of these products, on its shipping page (CLICK HERE TO READ IT) says that it will also ship to Canada, Europe, Asia, and “Outside USA, Europe, Canada, Asia”, but the shipping charges can be rather high. Here is a typical shipping "Region Key", which defines exactly what is meant by Europe, Asia, etc. Notice at the end the definition for “Outside USA, Eur., CA, Asia”, which I have highlighted in color.

Region Key
Continental US	Continental US states not including Alaska and Hawaii
APO/FPO	Army Post Office and Fleet Post Office
Alaska Hawaii	Alaska and Hawaii
Canada	Canada
Europe	Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jan Mayen Is., Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Republic of Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Yugoslavia
US Protectorates	American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Asia	Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, East Timor, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Rep., Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam
Outside US, Eur., CA, Asia	Brazil, Mexico, South Africa

As you can see, in this case the product can not be shipped to any Latin American country except Mexico and Brazil, so you will not be able to order it for delivery to (for example) Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Perú, Colombia, or any other Latin American country besides Mexico and Brazil.

Since I do not handle these products personally, I can not send products to you myself. If your country is not listed in the product's Region Key, then consider signing up with a package forwarding service (keep reading…)

If the product I want can't be shipped to my country or the shipping is too expensive?

It is a common problem that USA companies will not ship packages to certain countries or, in some cases, will not ship internationally at all. In other cases, they will ship to your country, but the cost is prohibitive. The solve these problems, international mail and package forwarding companies will provide you with a shipping address in the USA to which your mail or packages are delivered, and from there they will ship them to you at your own address in your own country. You can use this service not only with Amazon.com, but also Endless.com, eBay, Target, and any other place where you would shop online.

In some cases (for example, with Endless.com) you will need not only a USA shipping address, but also a USA billing address because (a) the seller checks the billing address you provide with your credit card company to make sure they agree, and (b) the web form they use to collect the billing address accepts only USA addresses. To handle this situation, it is supposedly possible to register the USA address that you have received from the package forwarding company as a “secondary billing address” with your credit company.

But in other cases, even if you have a USA shipping address and a USA billing address, a given merchant might accept payment only by credit cards that were issued by a USA bank.

Then there is question of your telephone number. The seller might also require you to enter a USA phone number. And it is possible that they might even check it with your credit card company.

when choosing a package forwarding service, you should find out if they handle all of these situations. If you are buying only from Amazon, you should be able to enter a non-USA billing address and phone number. Other sites might not allow this.

CLICK HERE to read about international package forwarding and mail forwarding companies. Here are some examples:

Company and Link	Ships to	Website Language
Aeropost Aerocasillas	Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Venuzuela, and others	English, Spanish
Atravesde.com	Mexico	Spanish
Banker Trust	Dominican Republic	English
Bongo International	All countries	English, Spanish
Borderlinx	Mainly just Europe	English
Cargatica.com	Costa Rica	Spanish
Carribean Ocean	Dominican Republic	Spanish
Compraporinternet.com	All countries	Spanish
Coordinadora.com	Colombia	Spanish
Courier Box de Tranexco	Colombia	Spanish
CPS Miami	Dominican Republic	Spanish
crbox.cr	Costa Rica	Spanish
CSF Couriers	Trinidad and Tobago	English
DHL Box	Venezuela	Spanish
EasyBox	Colombia	Spanish
EPS	Dominican Republic	Spanish
Eshopex.com	Colombia, Chile, China, Ecuador, México, Perú	Spanish
Finlay's Ship to the Caribbean	Anguila, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. Vincent, Suriname, Tortola, Trinidad	English
Global Courier Services, Ltd.	Jamaica	English
Global Zoom	Venezuela	Spanish
Hot Express	Chile and the rest of the world	Spanish
Liberty Express	Venezuela, Europe	Spanish
MailBox Exchange	Everywhere	English
MailBox IT International	Everywhere	English, Dutch
MailForwarding.biz	All countries	English
Merkalink.com	Mexico	Spanish
MiDireccionEnMiami.com (Trans-Express)	Most of Latin America plus Barbados, Belize, Grand Cayman, Trinidad	Spanish
MyUS.com Access USA Forwarding Services	Everywhere [TESTIMONIALS]	English
OneUSAaddress.com	All countries	English, Spanish, French, Japanese
Priority Web Box	All of Latin America and the Caribbean	Spanish
SendexUSA.com	Colombia	Spanish
ShipitAPO.com	USA military APO/FPO/DPO addresses	English
Shipito	Everywhere	English
SkyBox.net (formerly LanBox)	Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, United Arab Emirates	English, Spanish, Portuguese
TODO1 Box	Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela	Español
Transexpress.com	Everywhere	English, Spanish
Transexpress.com (El Salvador)	El Salvador	Spanish
Tucusito.com	Venezuela	Spanish
USA2ME	All countries	English
US Global Mail	All countries	English
USAMail1.com	All countries that DHL ships to	English
VBV-Logistics	All countries	English
West Express Logistics	All countries	English

Can you recommend products for me?

In the following questions I will try to give you some suggestions, but I can not tell you which product will work best for you, because every woman and every head of hair is unique, and different products work differently for different women. That's why there are so many products! What I do recommend, however, is that (unless you really know what you are doing) you don't mix and match shampoos, rinses, and conditioners from different companies, but instead use the ones that come together in a combination set, because they are designed to work together. For example, see the instructions for the La Bomba Deep Treatment or Boé Crece Pelo. CLICK HERE to see a Lot of Combination Sets!

Can I read reviews?

Amazon includes all reviews submitted by customers for each product, good or bad, right on the product page. You can even write your own reviews there. For example, see the Alter Ego Hot Oil Treatment with Garlic page, that includes a very helpful review from a customer who lets us know that our “hair will NOT smell like garlic after using the product!”

You can also find a lot of information about Dominican hair products and salons on Internet discussion sites where women share their experiences, like Black Hair Planet, Long Hair Care Forum, Urban Curlz, BlackHairMedia.com, NaturallyCurly.colm, HairBoutique.com, and probably lots more!

What products can I use for dry, damaged, or color-treated hair?

All the brands listed on my pages are specially formulated for women with damaged or overprocessed hair that is dry or brittle. Everybody has their favorite brand. I can't say that one brand or product would be better for you than any other one, but I can say that I have had very good results with Alter Ego, UNA, Cosmo Service, RR Line, Silicon Mix, and Lafier. But that's just me! Anyway, I also recommend you read this page from the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Women's Health about hair dyes and relaxers. Here are some of the products you can order here that are specially formulated for dry, damaged, dyed, or overprocessed hair:

• Fantasia “ic” Hair Polisher For Color Treated Hair
• Alfaparf Extreme Color Protection Hydrate Shampoo, Dry or Damaged Hair
• Matrix Biolage Color Care Duo
• Cosmo Service After Color Shampoo with Sunflower Extract
• Cosmo Service After Color Conditioner with Sunflower Extract
• Faipa Perfecta Juego Combinación Color Care
• Frederic Fekkai Technician Shampoo For Dry, Damaged, Color-Treated Hair
• Alter Ego IMPAC EGO Treatment with Garlic 500ml
• Alter EGO neQual Nourishing Deep Conditioner for Very Dry Hair 1000ml
• Cosmo Service El Bebo Dry Hair Lotion 10 Applications
• Lafier Avocado Oil Conditioner with Vitamin E for Damaged & Breakable Hair
• Kerastase Nutritive Bain Oleo-Relax Smoothing Shampoo for Dry and Rebellious Hair
• KUZ Restructuring Cream for Dry and Porous Hair
• Lafier Honey and Almonds Conditioner for Dry Hair
• Lafier Avocado Shampoo with Vitamin E for Damaged & Breakable Hair
• Lafier Collagen & Placenta Shampoo for Damaged and Brittle Hair
• L'Anza Dry Hair Detangler
• L'Anza Dry Hair Moisturizing Shampoo
• Miss Key 10 in 1 Super Conditioner
• Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Shampoo for Dry Hair
• RR Line Emergencia Special Treatment for Damaged Hair
• RR Line Racioppi Garlic Placenta
• Silicon MIX Intensive Hair Deep Treatment
• Salerm Deep Impact Moisturizing Deep-action Mask
• Universal La Bomba Deep Treatment

When choosing a treatment, keep in mind it is best to use it together with a shampoo, rinse, leave-in, detangler, etc, of the same brand, that are designed to work together. Usually these are sold as combination sets, such as the ones from D'Fina, Lady Fior, Nacidit, Salerm, Sedal, Silicon Mix, La Bomba, etc.

“But these products contain alcohol, won't that dry out my hair?” There are different kinds of alcohol. Ethyl alcohol (ethenol), SD alcohol, propyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol can dry your hair out; these are used in a lot of drug-store hair products.

On the other hand, the “fatty alcohols” such as lauryl alcohol (dodecanol), cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and cetearyl alcohol are emollients that help to hydrate and condition the hair and make it soft and manageable. The fatty alcohols are the ones that are used in the Dominican products and other products listed on this site.

Sometimes when you read the ingredients of these (or any other) products, you wonder about the long chemical names. You can look them in Google. For example, cetyl alcohol is natural, nowadays usually made from palm kernel or coconut oil; ditto for lauryl alcohol. Stearyl alcohol comes from animal or vegetable fats or oils. Cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of cetyl and stearyl alcohol.

What products are best for hair growth or to prevent hair loss?

There are lot of products for that! Many of them are especially formulated for women whose hair has been damaged by years of strong chemicals or direct heat for relaxing their hair. Some of these companies are devoted exclusively to hair growth / hair loss issues, such as Boé (“crece pelo” means “grows hair”). These products can be helpful in many cases, but remember:

• Different products work differently for different people;
• Hair can be lost for many reasons and not all of them can be treated by over-the-counter products. Examples include infections and hormone imbalances.

It should do no harm to try products such as these first; they could save you the time and expense of medical treatement. But if nothing seems to help, you should consult a dermatologist or endocrinologist.

Alfaparf Milano	http://www.aleida.net/hair-en.html#Alpfaparf Hair Power Nano Tech Emergency Kit for Women Helps Prevent Thinning Hair Hair Power Nano Tech Solutions Instant Volumizer Helps to Prevent Thinning Hair 1.69oz/50ml Hair Power Nano Tech Solutions Energy Shampoo for Women Helps to Prevent Thinning Hair 6.76oz/200ml Hair Power Nano Tech Solutions Energy Booster Serum Helps Prevent Thinning Hair for Women 0.27oz/8ml (Quantity: 6 Applicator Nozzles) Hair Power Nano Tech Reinforcer Helps to Prevent Thinning Hair 1.69oz/50ml	Italy
Alter Ego	http://www.aleida.net/alterego-en.html Revitalizing Lotion Curativ Ego Cren Nequal Shampoo Prevention for Hair Loss Nequal Intensive Energizing Hair Lotion Alter Ego Hair Loss Combination Set	Italy
Boé Cosmetics	http://www.aleida.net/crecepelo-en.html Crece Pelo Natural Phitoterapeutic Treatment Crece Pelo Natural Phitoterapeutic Treatment Crece Pelo Natural Phitoterapeutic Shampoo Crece Pelo Natural Phitoterapeutic Rinse Crece Pelo Natural Phitoterapeutic Combo Set Maravisus Mix Intensive Capilary Treatment Maravisus Mix Anticaida Intensive Capilary Shampoo Maravisus Mix Anticaida Intensive Capilary Rinse	Dominican Republic
Cosmo Service	http://www.aleida.net/hair-en.html#Cosmo Stimulating Re-growth Lotion Energizing Anti-hair Loss Shampoo Energizing Anti-hair Loss Lotion 12 Applications El Bebo Energizing Anti-hair Loss Lotion	Italy
Kuz	http://www.aleida.net/hair-en.html#Kuz Hair-loss Preventive Shampoo Hair Loss Control Cream Hair-loss Preventive Lotion Leave-in Treatment Hair Loss Combo Set Regenerating Cream for Hair Growth Growth Regenerator Leave-in Treatment Hair Growth Combo Set	Dominican Republic
Natrol, Inc.	http://www.aleida.net/nails-en.html Biosil 30 VCaps 5mg (silicon supplement for nails, hair, and skin) Biosil Advanced Collagen Generation, 60ct NATROL Biosil, 30ml liquid	USA
Nioxin	http://www.aleida.net/hair-en.html#Nioxin Click here to see Nioxin products for thinning hair	USA
ЯR Line (RR Line)	http://www.aleida.net/hair-en.html#RRLine RR Line Antiloss Shampoo with Rosemary Extract 33.8oz(1000ml) RR Line Antiloss Mask with Rosemary Extract 16.8oz(500ml) RR Line Adjuvant Anti-hair Loss Lotion RR Line Spuring Re-growth Lotion RR Line Antiloss Combination Set	Italy
Salerm	http://www.aleida.net/hair-en.html#Salerm Biokera Intensive Specific Hair Loss Lotion Locion Anticaida for Hair Loss Biokera Falling Hair Shampoo	Spain
UNA by Rolland	http://www.aleida.net/hair-en.html#UNA UNA Compensating Shampoo for Hair Loss 1000ml UNA Oxygenating Treatment (UNA Drops For Hair Loss) UNA Oxygenating Treatment 12 Applications	Italy

I can't guarantee results or tell you which brand will work best for you, but I can tell you that the Boé Crece Pelo and Alter Ego brands are big sellers and have ratings from Amazon customers.

Remember that a woman's hair grows only about half an inch a month (about a centimeter), so even when a product works well, it takes a long time to see the results. The most important thing to look for in the early weeks is that hair loss stops. If not, you should consult a dermatologist because women's hair loss can happen for different reasons and not all of them can be helped by over-the-counter products. For more information, CLICK HERE.

What about relaxers?

If you live near a Dominican salon, you might not even need a relaxer! A lot of Dominican women (including me) go to the salon once or twice a week for the levado y secado (wash and dry), that relaxes our hair and leaves it with a lot of body! You can read about that in my Dominican salons page.

The Dominican Star Lacio Lacio products are famous for relaxing (Lacio Lacio means "straight straight") but Amazon does not yet carry Star's relaxing products such as the Bio Complex Formula Perfecta Balanced Relaxer, just the high-shine conditioners and leave-ins. Miss Key, D'Fina, BPT, and some of the other Dominican companies make relaxers too but Amazon doesn't carry them yet. Here are the Dominican relaxers you can order from Amazon now:

• Lady Fior Olive Oil Curl Remover Plus "Kita Ondas"
• Silicon Mix Cream Hair Relaxer Regular or Super
• L'Anza Strait-Line Straightening Balm

The Lady Fior product is recommended for those who want a gentle relaxing product; it's kind of halfway between a conditioner and a relaxer. Here is the product description:

Olive Oil Plus Kita Ondas (Curl Remover): A unique formula made with vitamins and moisturizer that works like a relaxer straightening your hair but without damaging chemical elements, while leaving it shiny and conditioned. Directions: After washing your hair with the Olive Plus Shampoo, apply the Olive Oil Rinse and after rinsing apply the Olive Oil Plus Kita Ondas. Massage for a few minutes from the roots to the ends and rinse with plenty water. Finally, apply some Olive Oil Plus Leave In and style as desired. Click on the icon on the left to see the Lady Fior Olive Oil Combination Set with the Kita Ondas, Shampoo, Rinse, Leave-In, and Deep Treatment.

The Alter Ego Linange line, made in Italy, is another excellent choice and a favorite in almost every Dominican salon. The active ingredient is natural shea butter, which comes from the seed of the shea tree, instead of some strong chemical like lye. Shea butter is good for the hair and for the skin and for the scalp too. There is also a special version of the Linange relaxer for women with sensitive scalps. According to the directions, the Linange relaxer must be used with the Linange Neutralizing Conditioner and the Linange Restructuring Hair Mask. You can get the three together in the Combination Set shown below. I also highly recommend the Alter Ego Impac Ego Treatment with Garlic conditioner and the Alter Ego neQual Shampoo for your everyday hair care; for me, and for most people, they really do improve the texture and manageability of our hair while putting the brakes on hair loss and shedding.

Angela Tolbert "Miki" (Atlanta, GA USA), Amazon.com review:
I must say that I am very pleased with the results of this relaxer. I purchased the relaxer online and I took it with me to the salon. I did not have to worry about any hair damage; because it is so gentle and mild. There was no burning or tingling at all; and my hair was not in the least bit overprocessed. My hair is beautiful, shiny, healthy, and stronger after the use of this relaxer. I have received several compliments; and I plan to re-order in a couple of days as a matter of fact. I am even thinking about looking into the texturizer version of it.

Finally, here are some other hair-relaxing products popular with Dominican and African-American women:

• Cosmo El Bebo No-lye One-step Cream Conditioning Relaxer Kit (Italy)
• Phyto (France)
• Salerm Relaxer Kit (Spain)
• Sedal Anti Sponge (Brazil)
• Doo Gro Smooth & Straight No Lye Relaxer Kit (USA)
• Linange Shea Butter Relaxer (by Alter Ego Italy)
• Linange Shea Butter Relaxer for sensitive scalp (by Alter Ego Italy)
• Sebastian Super Straitt (USA)
• Soft Sheen (USA)
• Kerastase made in Spain by L'Oreal Paris

Here are some examples:

How do I protect my hair from the chlorine that's in tap water?

I have been here in the USA for a year now and people tell me that the water has a lot of chlorine. Do you think the water can damage my hair? Because I always wash it in tap water.

Everybody does it that way, what else can we do? Even bottled water, if we bought it, probably came from faucets just like the water in your house.

I'm not a doctor or a chemist, but everbody knows that chlorine can damage the hair, not to mention the rest of the body. It depends on how much chlorine is in the water where you live, the parts per million (ppm). (Usually the concentration is higher in swimming pools than in tap water.)

The chlorine kills bacteria in the water. The less chlorine, the higher the risk of infection. The more chlorine, the higher the risk of toxicity. You can read more about chlorine in water purification HERE.

The effect of chlorine on the hair is to dry it out, leaving it brittle. It can also affect the color.

The ideal solution is to remove the chlorine from the water as it comes out of the faucet. That's what water filters do. You can buy them for your shower too: CLICK HERE to see a good example, or see below.

There are also hair products that neutralize the chlorine, used mainly by swimmers; for example this shampoo and this conditioner, but these are not specially formulated for texturized hair.