African-American hair, often referred to as Black hair, encompasses a diverse range of hair types, textures, and styles deeply intertwined with African-American culture. These styles frequently draw inspiration from African hair culture, reflecting a rich heritage and evolving expressions of identity.
A modern straight hairstyle on an African-American woman.
The Cultural Significance of Hair in Africa
Since the dawn of African civilizations, hairstyles have served as powerful communication tools within societies. Before colonization reshaped Africa's map, dividing it into states and countries, the continent was organized into kingdoms and clans. Within these communities, hairstyles conveyed a wealth of information, "indicating a person's marital status, age, religion, ethnic identity, wealth, rank," surname, health status, geographic origin and the clan to which they belonged.
- A Wolof man's braided beard signaled preparation for war.
- In the Himba tribe, dreadlocks worn down indicated a female going through puberty, while those tied back signified women seeking marriage.
- Erembe headdresses denoted new mothers and married women.
- In Yoruba culture, braided hair was used to send messages to the gods, with hair considered a portal for spirits to access the soul.
Hair maintenance in traditional Africa was a time-consuming process aimed at creating a sense of beauty and honoring its spiritual power. According to a 20th-century study, the Yoruba often shaved the heads of newborns as a marker of each individual arising from the spirit world.
The Impact of Enslavement on African Hair Culture
Due to North America's Indigenous population being decimated by European colonists' extreme labor conditions, insufficient diet, violence and diseases, Europeans began aiding in kidnapping then forcibly trafficking Africans to British North America in the early 1600s. Captors and traders shaved the heads of all African adults and children taken captive before transporting them, ostensibly to prepare for unsanitary conditions on slave ships.
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Given the cultural and spiritual importance of hair for Africans, this act was deeply dehumanizing. The shaved head was the first step the Europeans took to erase the slaves’ culture and alter the relationship between the African and his or her hair... [it] stripped them of a lifeline to their home and a connection to their people.
Despite these attempts to erase their culture, enslaved Africans found ways to maintain their hair. ...some slaves wore their hair long and bushy on top and ...others cut it short, or combed and parted it neatly, or shaved it at the back or at the front, or trimmed it to a roll. Plaits, braids and cornrows were the most convenient hairstyles to keep their hair neat and maintained for a week.
Enslaved people who worked indoors were forced to wear their hair in one of those styles or a style similar to that of their slaveowner if they did not cover their hair with a scarf, kerchief or wig. By the early 19th century, Sunday was legally declared a day of rest and religious observation, and on Sundays, enslaved people braided each other's hair using the grease or oil they had available, such as butter or goose grease. They used wool carding tools to detangle their hair, kerosene, and cornmeal to cleanse the scalp.
The Pursuit of Straight Hair: Conking and Relaxers
...hair straighteners marketed by white companies suggest to blacks that only through changing physical features will persons of African descent be afforded class mobility within black communities and social acceptance by the dominant culture.
From the early to mid-20th century, conking was a popular style for African-American men, and required the use of a chemical treatment known as a relaxer or perm, which achieved longer-lasting straightening results. The practice of using a relaxer began during slavery, when enslaved men covered their hair in axle grease to straighten and dye it.
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Before the late 1960s, there were no publications that explained how to straighten afro-textured hair with chemicals. The earliest chemical straighteners caused severe hair breakage and dyed the hair red, so it was not until the mid-20th century that relaxers became a popular and longer-lasting alternative to hot combs for African-American women.
Both men and women coated their hair with a strong acid that stripped the outer layer and altered the shape of the hair shaft, causing it to "relax" or straighten, and the longer the chemical was left on the hair, the straighter the hair would become.
The Afro and Beyond: Experimentation and Individual Choice
The Afro, which hit its stride in the 1960s, was an expression of pride, connection, power, revolution and differentiation. In relation to hair, the time between the 1970s and the 1990s could be described as open and experimental. "Despite occasional political flare-ups, individual choice would increasingly dictate African-American hairstyles in this era"
Trendy styles like braids were even adopted by whites, especially after white actress Bo Derek wore them in the movie 10.
Bo Derek in the movie "10"
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The Natural Hair Movement and "Good Hair"
African-American culture has increasingly embraced natural hair through the natural hair movement. It includes people with afro-textured hair who resist the images used to represent them and abstain from the use of chemical hair products in favor of products that will promote healthy natural hair.
"Good hair" is a phrase used in some Black communities to describe the perceived prestige of straight or loosely curled hair, (especially when genetically influenced by non-African ancestry) in contrast to afro-textured hair. "Good hair" is also used to refer to hair that is strong, thick and soft to the touch.
Although many hair stylists or beauticians would define "good hair" as "healthy hair", the phrase is rarely used in this manner in informal African-American circles. Instead, it is used metaphorically to characterize beauty and acceptance. The term's circulation within the Black community in the North America has an uncertain origin.
Artist India.Arie's song "I Am Not My Hair" speaks specifically to the usage of the term "good hair" in the African-American community and in broader contexts. Comedian Chris Rock's 2009 documentary Good Hair made a wider audience aware of the importance of the term within the Black community.
In the documentary, Rock explores the role of hair in the lives of African-Americans.
Natural Hair The Movie | Explore The Struggle of Hair Identity Among Some Black Women
Hairstyle-Based Discrimination
As with women, African American men have also faced hairstyle-based discrimination in the workplace. In the case of Thornton v. Throughout the history of education in the United States, African American students have faced significant disparities in treatment compared to their peers. These disparities include higher rates of disciplinary action and discriminatory practices related to personal appearance.
- DeAndre Arnold, a senior at Barbers Hill High School in Texas, faced suspension and threats of expulsion due to his dreadlocks.
- Asten Johnson faced threats of expulsion due to his natural hairstyle, which was in violation of the school's dress code that prohibited "unconventional" hairstyles.
- Darryl George, a high school student in Texas, faced disciplinary actions for wearing his natural curly hair, which was deemed "inappropriate" according to the school's dress code.
African Americans often use products with moisturizing ingredients such as shea butter and coconut oil.
