From sleekly styling the tresses of such stars as Naomi Campbell, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow and Rihanna, to crafting the hair designs on runways of such legendary fashion hours as Christian Dior, hairstylist, Amoy has established herself as an authority on all things beauty and style.

When it comes to pulling together a polished overall look, nothing matters more than grooming and it begins with proper attention to your hair. We asked the Soul Train nation for some of their top styling questions, and Amoy shared her insights.

Soul Train: What grooming tips do you have for people with locs?

Amoy: You should still shampoo your hair once per week. A lot of people think that because they have locs they shouldn’t shampoo, but it actually makes it look better. When your hair is nice, shiny and clean, it’s a sign of good grooming. And just keep re-twisting them to keep it neat, and that should be done every two weeks. You should also find a product, like a wax that goes with your hair texture. You can’t use something too light on someone with thick hair and you can’t use anything too heavy on someone who may be mixed and is trying to lock their hair. Find a good salon to get a shampoo and if you’re going to do it at home, you should get a dryer to sit under so the dreads can really dry out. Because if you leave them wet it can get a little smelly. And you can still use conditioner on your hair if you have locs, because you still want it to look moisturized.

ST: What should you wash oily, thin or fine hair with?

A: There are different lines, Terax has a line of shampoo for oily hair.

ST: What’s the best affordable moisture-restoring/maintaining product for natural, but color-treated hair?

A: There are plenty of brands available at the drugstore that are good. There’s one from Organix, it’s a coconut shampoo milk. And Burt’s Bees has a hair treatment with avocado. These are things you can also make at home. You can take mayonnaise and an egg, and mix them together. That’s a good natural moisturizer for your hair. You can even add the avocado. Just store it in the refrigerator if you have any left over, and use it within days or else it will go bad—there’s no shelf life. It’s a recession so if you don’t really have the money to go spend on these products, you can make conditioner at home, it’s really easy.

ST: What should a man with wavy hair use for shine without using an oil?

A: There are silicon gels you can use to get really good shine that doesn’t weigh your hair down. If you have fine or curly-textured hair, you don’t want it to look greasy and the silicon gel will give you a nice shine.

ST: How can we keep hair extensions from looking “weavy”?

A: You have to get really good quality hair—the hair is key. You can’t just go to the 99 cent store and buy a pack of hair. You also have to look at your own hair texture. If you’re a black woman and you have a perm-type of textured hair, you can’t go buy a pack of hair that is really shiny and straight. Or if you have curly, wavy hair it’s good to get a texture that matches your curl pattern so if you want to blow it out and wear it straight, you can. And if you want to wear it curly you’ll have the same curl pattern in your hair and on the weave. You also have to match the color—you might see someone on the street with jet black hair and their weave is off-black, that doesn’t look right. Invest in your hair, when you do you can use it again, it doesn’t just have to be for one time. If you buy cheap hair you have to throw it away and you’re wasting money since you have to buy it each time. You may as well invest in good hair; it’s good for up to six months with regular treatments. My clients come in to get their hair redone every two months, and they can use the hair up to three times. If it’s real hair with the cuticle on it, it still reacts like real hair and needs shampooing and conditioning. There are some places that sell hair without the cuticle on it and mix it with other fibers to get more out of it, and that doesn’t work.

– Quia Querisma

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Quia Querisma is a freelance writer, Dallas Glambassador, and enthusiast of dresses, shoes, premium denim and socializing of all varieties. She is many things to many people at QuiaQuerisma.com