Transition of Natural Hair and Self Love in Our Society

Natural hair is a topic that has been talked about vastly.  For a long time, black women have struggled to accept their natural hair. They are born with hair that defies gravity and is like a lion’s mane: wild and free. There are many types, from 2b  which is a medium texture to 4c which is tight and coiled. Despite how unique their hair is, many generations have tried to detach themselves from their curly hair, using many methods like a hot comb, straightener or relaxer. Over the years, it has been embedded in the black woman’s mind that their hair is not acceptable or valuable in work and society, so from a young age they have done anything to make their hair straight and silky, devoid of all curls. They did this to conform to the Eurocentric standards that were forced upon them. Even though these relaxers and perms have dangerous chemicals and effects surrounding them, they were still used because they achieved the end goal of having straight hair.

The first time natural hair was seen or recorded in the United States was during slavery. Africans were forcefully ripped from their homes and livelihoods to work in horrendous conditions. It was the first time that a white person had seen someone of that nationality. They were horrified and disgusted at what they saw. As soon as they arrived at their destinations, the slave’s appearance would change drastically to please their owners. In the Journal of Black Studies article “African American Personal Presentation” it states, “Europeans would shave the heads of Africans upon arrival to the Americas, to symbolize their removal from their cultures.” (Hervey 25).  African hairstyles had a deep and symbolic message. A person could identify one’s family background, tribe and social status just by their hair. Some tribes like the Yoruba tribe would use hair braiding as a way to send messages, and when slaves were taken they would braid seeds into their hair to eat on the journey. Scientist Peter A claimed Africans and White men came from different species because of skin color and hair. White men had hair on their heads, while Africans had “wool” on theirs”. Slavery and the poor treatment they faced had lasting effects on the way the Africans perceived their hair. Due to what everyone around them was saying, they thought their hair was ugly  and needed to be fixed. Open Journal of Social Sciences article “Hair It Is: Examining the Experiences of Black Women with Natural Hair” states,  “The atrocities of African enslavement and the forcible removal from their homeland created a new phenomenon; for the first time in history African beauty, body and hair was racialized and European features were the accepted standard of beauty.” (Bankhead 35). The long silky hair was sought after and envied.  The only narrative around natural hair was that it needed to be erased and put away.

This gave rise to many different methods to remove the curls and make their hair straight. In the 1860s after the Emancipation Proclamation was declared which set the slaves free, blacks still used a mixture of lye, potato and egg to straighten their hair. This would lead to severe burning of the scalp. In 1906 Simon Monroe made the first patented flat iron which was later redefined into the hot comb. These combs were heated on a flame and placed directly on hair which allowed many burns to occur. In 1913 G. A. Morgan Hair Refining Company developed a hair relaxing product which was made of alkaline chemicals that straightened the hair. Figure 1 is an ad promoting  G. A. Morgan hair products. There are about 11 products listed including the hot comb and his famous refiner cream. Along with this are the quotes “Improve Your Appearance” and “War Declared on Bad Hair”. This promoting       was leading black people to believe that their hair needed to be changed for them to be     accepted in society. These products were used and bought by many to keep their hair silky and straight.  They believed that only the Eurocentric features and standards were beautiful. In the Journal of Social Sciences, it states,  “In the Western world black identity has been constructed to normalize whiteness. Thus, society deems blacks and other people of color as the others. ” (Bankhead 15).  They are not the average or the normal, they are the extremes. They were being crushed and told to conform to certain standards if they wanted to be accepted in society. “Concept of the norm implies that the majority of population must or should somehow be a part of the norm.

The norm pins down the majority of the population that fall under the arch of the standard bell curve”. Over time, relaxers were just used as a way to get rid of nappy hair. It became like a ritual for one to get a relaxer when they reached a certain age. In the narrative “A Self Love Story about Embracing my Natural Hair” it states, “It was the rite of passage to get your first perm when you came of age usually seven or eight in my family.” (Jones, 45). In 1957 Johnson Products Company made a treatment for afro-textured hair called Ultra Sheen which also used an alkaline formula. However, all of these treatments are linked to severe effects and health problems. Even the way they work is traumatizing. Relaxers work to permanently break down protein bonds in the hair shaft to loosen the curl pattern. Chemicals in the relaxer break disulfide bonds in hair  which provide strength and form curls. Relaxers also tend to have a high pH from 10-14 which makes sure is strong enough to make the bonds. When the hair is relaxed it stays straight, but when the hair starts to grow the roots will be curly. This is why relaxers are done regularly  but these can cause chemicals burns to the scalp.  The use of hot combs can also lead to inflammation, scarring and alopecia. 1969 was when afros began to get popular. The style grew along with the Black Panther Movement. The movement was made to challenge police brutality against the African American community. They organized armed citizen patrols in many cities. The movement made more people feel comfortable in wearing their natural hair out. In “Natural Hair and The Way It’s Changing Society’s Beauty Standards”, it states, “Natural hair was a statement of freedom and anti-assimilation.” (Edouard 40).  During this time, straightening methods, hot combs and irons were seen as being oppressive and shaming of blacks about their natural features. In the early 1970’s more products came available for natural hair. The pick was invented which was metal sharp teeth of a comb to make the afro bigger. Products like afro sheen were made to help achieve the afro, keep curls loose and knot free. The afro was also called free hair and it was a symbol of “black self-love, intellectual historical knowledge, and black power”.

Only many years later would the natural hair movement start again. It started around and it came in full force. Many people started to wear their hair out and stop relaxing it around 2013. The sales of relaxers went down and sales of natural hair products went up. In “Natural Hair, Don’t Care: Why More Black Women Are Avoiding Chemical Relaxers” it states,  “In 2009, $200 million was spent on hair relaxers aimed at black consumers. But that figure dropped to $148 million in 2013.” (Chang, 15).  People started to take risks and go outside of their comfort zone. They did what was best for them even if they would face backlash from people around them. In the narrative “How Embracing my Natural Hair Made Me Who I Am Today” it states, “I remember being so nervous that no one would find me attractive without long, straight hair…This fear became a reality when I went home to GA for the holidays. My family was so confused at my choice to go natural. Was I a lesbian now? Was this some sort of rebellion? Were the ’70s cool again?” (Cruel, 30).  They were not letting Eurocentric standards define them anymore and started to embrace themselves for who they truly were. The sales of many natural hair products went up like “setting lotions, curl creams, pomades, styling moisturizers”.

However, even though the natural hair movement has taken off, there are still unresolved issues around the narrative. There is still some discrimination surrounding natural hair. Some work places won’t allow you to  work if you have a certain hairstyle out, for example corporate setting are very strict in the hairstyles that they want. In the Journal of The Sciences article, it states,  “The do’s and don’ts of Corporate Fashion, to over 40 lawyers in New York City. The first “don’t” slide depicted a Black woman with an Afro, with the caption “say no to the fro.” (Bankhead 55). She then commented, “As for dreadlocks: How truly dreadful!”. There is still some resentment around these styles. The people in charge of these settings are causing suffering because it is a social characteristic that they are using for discrimination. Some schools also don’t allow some styles to be worn. In 2016, a school in South Africa said that girls should not wear afros because they are untidy. Also, there is still some stigma around the scale of natural hair. The looser and bouncier textures 3a-c are more accepted in our society but the coily textures 4a-c are seen as not beautiful compared to the others. This has been around for the last few years when the movement started again. Black women are never truly able to fit into society. When they wear their natural hair, people say that it is nappy and unkept. When they do relax their hair or get a weave, people say that they are not being true to their identity and culture. They can never fit in, no matter how hard they try, and this can have lasting impacts. It can lead to low self-esteem and worth, anxiety, depression, suicide and other bad coping mechanisms.

Overall, over time natural hair has become more accepted and people take pride in it. Many years ago, during slavery and the years following, people would be ashamed of having natural hair and they would do anything to get rid of their curls, They would use harmful relaxers, perms, hot combs and irons. These all have been proven to have harmful effects on the body. As the years have passed, African-Americans have become more accepting of their hair. They have started their self-love journey that was taken away from them many years ago. There are still some unresolved issues like discrimination in the work place, school and harmful preferences.