Embracing Your Texture | The Healthy Beauty Project -by Todra Payne

Written By Chai

Edited by Todra Payne

Walk into any black-owned hair salon across the country and you’ll get a glimpse of the importance placed on hair styling in the African-American community. From elaborate braids that are a nod to our African heritage, to bone straight tresses relaxed and greased to a high gloss.

Adorning and fussing over our manes is a long standing tradition. Since the times of Madame C.J. Walker, who in 1910 became one of the first self taught pioneers in the black hair care industry, to today where we see the likes of Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter, the black hair care market is a booming enterprise.

According to a study conducted in 2009 by the General Merchandise Distributor’s Council, African-Americans make up 13% of the US population, but account for 33% of hair care sales.

But like most markets, the black hair care industry is seeing a shift in the products women of color are demanding. Everyday women are ditching hot combs and relaxers (known as ‘creamy crack’) in favor of “going natural”.  Of course, if you’re up to speed on black hair care 101, the concept of ‘going natural’ isn’t exactly new. In the 70’s we saw strong black females, like political activist Angela Davis, and model/actress Tamara Dobson (Cleopatra Jones) strut their afros. Black women across the country embraced their natural hair with pride.

Somewhere in the next twenty years, that all changed. Corporations sought to force homogeneity on black women seeking employment in corporate America. And movie videos flaunted straight hair and light skin as the only beauty ideal.

Today, black women are once again opting into healthier alternatives and finally placing our natural texture in full view. Making peace with our hair and allowing it to be what it’s meant to be is gaining momentum across the country.

While ‘going natural’ can mean different things to each woman, the choice to abandon the use of chemical products, often containing sodium hydroxide, to alter the hair texture is what makes this a unified movement. Some women choose to use hair coloring, while others don’t. Some may embrace locs, while others choose short cropped styles. Despite misconception, there are countless ways natural hair can be worn and adorned.

But this isn’t just about a hair style or a trend. It’s about the health of our hair and our bodies. Straightening hair with alkaline cream relaxers permanently damages hair bonds, leading to hair fiber loss of 40-60%. Continual use of such chemicals causes spot baldness, scalp irritation and other problems. The ingredients found in many hair straighteners, like formaldehyde, are known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).

It’s time we take back our health.

In cities like Atlanta, DC, New York and even Detroit, black women are inspiring each other to commit to a healthier lifestyle. “In society as a whole, I think its equal parts trend and conscious decision,” says Daline Derival, a former Peace Corps volunteer who made the change to natural while in college. “I think that since more and more women are wearing their natural hair, others are being inspired to realize that beauty comes in many forms and so are embracing their own brand of beauty.”

Many women across the country admit that the decision to go natural often occurred during their time in college or prior to entering the work force. “I initially went natural in my junior year of college and wore it like that through graduate school,” Daline says.  “Then I took a job in corporate America and felt a personal pressure to conform to my environment.”

For many young women, the decision to go natural is one that they embrace quickly and then they hit the the ‘what now?’ factor. With the ethnic hair care aisles still overflowing with products aimed at “taming or fixing” our tresses, the message is: Your hair is a mess in it’s natural state. You need chemicals to make it right.

And then there’s the unspoken disapproval women face when we don’t look like the masses. Worry about life options enter the equation,  particularly when it comes time for that first job interview. Will I have to give up the progress I’ve made for my health in order to get a job? Why is my hair deemed “unprofessional” when it’s not chemically altered?

Depending on the career path, many women are able to reject the “straight ideal” and instead, they’re creating beautiful, professional styles based on natural hair. They’re finding products rich in shea butter, olive and argan oils and aloe vera – ingredients that are not only effective in nourishing afro textured hair, but are also healthy.

During her tour in Madagascar, Daline encountered attitudes she’d not expected surrounding her hair choices and she had problems finding her usual products. “The second time I cut my hair I was working in Africa and I was honestly taken aback at how people reacted to my natural hair,” she says.  “The general reaction was that it was not acceptable to wear my hair out in an afro.

Raw shea butter

I also had a hard time finding the hair products I was accustomed to and had to find other ways to keep my hair hydrated.  In the long run it all led to my becoming more creative—I wore a lot of head wraps and learned to use local products like pure coconut oil and shea butter.”

Courtenay is a Development Manager at a Charter School in New York who made the decision to go natural at the age of 16. She remembers digging up her own information, bit by bit, until she was a pro at taking care of her natural curls. “I wasn’t educated in hair care.  Now, with so much information available online, I’ve been able to find much better, all natural products,” Says Courtenay.  “I used to rely heavily on salons, but I’m doing more and more of my own hair care. Every couple of weeks, I pre-shampoo with a homemade mixture of eggs, avocado, and olive oil.”

Courtenay’s choice of homemade mixtures resonates with lots of women. Message boards across the Internet are filled with black hair care recipes that include everyday food items. Specialty hair care manufacturers are offering nature-based ingredients in their newer lines. Over time, what may appear to be a trend now, may become the norm. Why? Because wearing curly, kinky textured hair in its natural state offers black women a choice, not just in hair care, but in overall health.

Want to discuss natural hair options with the author of this story? Visit her blog at Back To Curly.

Shea butter photo taken by Africa.