I've styled Issa Rae's hair for nearly a decade. From ditching combs to holding your edges during protective styles, here's how to care for natural hair.

• Felicia Leatherwood is a celebrity hairstylist who specializes in natural haircare.
• Leatherwood has worked with celebrities like Issa Rae, Viola Davis, Ava DuVernay, and Jill Scott.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Felicia Leatherwood, a celebrity stylist and natural hair expert who's worked in the industry for over two decades. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I've been doing hair since I was 16, but on the books, I started professionally in 2000. During my career, I've worked with several celebrities, including Ava DuVernay, Viola Davis, and Issa Rae. I styled Issa's hair on "Insecure," and HBO interviewed me about the looks. It went viral on social media and in that space, I got a lot of DMs of people saying, "Take your flowers."

At that moment, I was able to have gratitude for what I've done and what I've built – and then I went back to work.

Don't use combs to detangle natural curls and coils because they don't always break up knots

I wouldn't use a comb because the little teeth of the comb don't always break up the hair, especially if you have what's known as "fairy knots," which is where the strand in the most micro level will loop into itself and create a knot.

When you use a detangling brush, always start on the ends and work your way toward the scalp while the hair has conditioner on it. Never begin at the scalp when you have natural hair texture or textured hair.

Using non-moisturizing shampoos and products while washing natural hair will cause dryness

Your hair products, including shampoo, should be moisturizing instead.

If you have tight curly, or kinky, coarse hair, you should look for a shampoo that softens the hair. One of my tips is to use a conditioning shampoo or add conditioner to a shampoo that dries your hair out.

If your hair is straight, wavy, or loosely curled, then you can do a clarifying shampoo because the sebum, which is the oil that naturally comes from the things we eat and creates buildup, is not the best with those textures. Sebum can make straight or loosely curled hair stringy.

I would avoid products that have alcohol

If you read a product's ingredients and see alcohol come up like three times while having 4A to 4C texture hair, I would say, "Don't do it." The alcohol is going to dry your hair out.

And I definitely want to make sure that women understand that as a hairstylist, I've talked to so many different types of women. Some say, "I want nothing to do with parabens or sulfates." On the other hand, I've had other women tell me their hair likes parabens and they do not mind over-the-counter products that have sulfates and parabens.

So, I often say if you notice that your body, scalp, or skin is sensitive, avoid those chemicals.

Also, any ingredient that's in relaxers and perms should not be in your shampoos, conditioners, or anything you use on your hair. I'd also avoid phthalates because they're harmful.

Try not to use styling products that won't work with your hair texture

Gels, mousses, and foams are fine for wavy to curly hair, but creams tend to weigh hair down when you're in that loose curl category. Creams can make the hair heavy and mess with the curl.

If your hair is coarse, coily, or has a tighter curl, creams are better. Creams and butters work best because they coat and seal the hair's cuticle layers to provide moisture.

Some people with natural hair don't like shrinkage, but don't use a blow dryer too often

Some people really like to stretch their hair because they don't like the shrinkage, but don't use the blow dryer often. Every other week is enough, or two to three times a month.

Before using a blow dryer, you'll need a heat protectant because the heat will break the cuticle bonds down on the hair.

With protective styles like braids, make sure not to pull your edges too tight

People should hold their edges when a braider starts with their hair so they can literally release the tension. The client should be able to hold the very tip of that braid at the base of the scalp so that the braider or the hair cells is not pulling the hair, causing traction alopecia.