Black hair care and culture, a story
This date is Hairstylist Appreciation Day and The Registry looks briefly at African American hair.
The history of “Black Hair and Beauty Culture” mirrors the intricacy
of both African and American cultures. Over the years, African American
hair has been associated with the ideology of white visual conception.
Some people say that blacks have embraced hairstyles and beauty methods
that reflect popular European standards of beauty. However, Blacks have
used their West African roots and their own artistry to create styles
and standards that reflect a unique black culture.
Around 1441 when African slaves were brought west to the "New World,"
they were confronted with their first loss of identity. It was then
that the one and only identity they had, was stripped from them. The
standards of beauty that they encountered were the privilege of fair
skin, straight hair, and thin features, in contrast to "African" dark
skin, curly hair, and wider noses and mouths. Some slaves had to get
accustomed to the European beauty styles to survive (literally). Often
times they would serve as barbers and/or beauticians for their white
owners. Other slaves attempted to stay with their traditional African
hair customs like braiding hair using African patterns and using natural
herbs from trees for their hair and skin care.
Officially, the root of a hair fiber sticks into something like a bag
in the skin. The fiber is pushed out of this bag about 0.35mm per day
growing about 1cm, or half of an inch, per month. The growth rate
relates to the individual, his/her age, diet etc. Healthy hair has an
average lifetime of 2-6 years. Though there are exceptions, the hair of
blacks is usually coarser in texture, tighter in curl pattern, more
naturally delicate, and more vulnerable to damage from chemical
treatments. Because of our multicultural heritage there really isn't any
one typical “type” of African-American hair. Its texture can vary from
fine to medium to coarse; its curl pattern from straight to softly wavy
to excessively tight; its colors from blonde to red, to all sorts of
browns, to black.
There is no chemical difference in the makeup of African-American
hair in comparison with any other hair type. It has a cuticle (the outer
layer), a cortex (the middle layer, composed primarily of keratin and
moisture, plus melanin, which gives our hair its color), and a medulla
(the center of the hair shaft). All these parts are identical to those
of Caucasian hair. What is different is our wave, curl or kink and
bonding pattern. (Bonding speaks to the structure of hair: the tighter
the bond, the curlier the hair.) Our hair color can vary from a very
light, sandy blonde to dark black. Universally ethnic women do tend to
have rich-brown complexions and deep-brown hair.
There are many different tonal qualities to African-American hair,
from medium browns and reddish mahogany to darkest blue-black. When
slavery ended, there was an overabundance of blacks who were
knowledgeable in European hair care. The need for blacks that were
knowledgeable in black hair care began to grow. It was then that the
kitchen beauty shops began. There was a growing number in black beauty
shops everywhere. As the number of commercial establishments grew,
barber shops and beauty parlors became increasingly important in the
economic and social structure of black communities.
Beauty salons and barber shops became places not only to get your
hair done but locations where blacks could talk about their community.
In the barber shops you could usually find a couple of men playing a
game of chess, cards, or dominoes while talking about what is going on
in the black community. In the beauty salons you usually could jump into
a conversation about the town gossip. Many film adaptations of African
American themes use these businesses to show black culture in the United
States. Coming to America, 1988, Malcolm X, 1992, and Barber Shop,
2002 are examples. Over the years, beauty salons and barber shops have
come to provide a unique social function.
Regarding the structure of “Black Hair,” the reason why kinky hair
breaks so easily is that every twist in African American hair represents
a potential stress point, which means the curlier your hair, the more
prone it is to breakage. Cornrows left in too long can cause traction
that may result in breakage. Our kinky hair is also prone to catching
onto one another, which causes fragmentation. What makes the color of
hair different? Whether it be black, blond, and brown, the answer lies
in melanophore. The hair roots contain pigment cells called melanin,
which creates a black pigment. Melanophore is a chromatophore that sends
pigment to new hair. The greater the amount of pigment sent to the
hair, the darker the hair becomes. On the contrary, as the amount of
pigment sent is reduced, the hair color turns brown and then blond.