Black hair care has never had so many product choices as there are today.
Whether you are an old-school press (flat iron/ heat brush) and curl, or die-hard keeping it naturalist, or a fly-twisted sistah, there are so many choices.
Determined to have a say in our hair preferences by what means we style and what ingredients were acceptable, we began feeling more secure years back, when we saw the African lady logo on the back of hair care products. This seal ensured us that a product was manufactured by our own community. We trusted that people who actually knew our hair had more than a financial stake in their products.
Then came the explosion of products with people demanding the freedom to embrace a more natural and chemical-free, do-no-harm style. Hair health became the ultimate goal, as well as re-familiarizing ourselves with our hair’s natural qualities. Tee-totaling it from chemical straighteners and relaxers was for self-definition, self-determination and self-preservation. Chemical straighteners were an expensive futility that could not only damage the hair and scalp, but could cause serious medical issues and expose one to cancer risk.
Although our first efforts were to part from harsher chemicals such as lye, we realized there was no acceptable compromise. Avoiding troubles of rejection and pressures in the workplace and the convenience of wash-and-go hair, were no longer worth the risk to our health.
Fast forward to the post-pressing comb and pomade world of yesteryear to flat iron and heat-free styles and the Crown Act passed to ensure persons of other ethnicities namely Black Americans, would not be penalized in the labor force, in high school or professional sports teams for wearing our hair in its natural super curly state or traditional natural styles whether braided, twisted or afros. I am seeing more hair butters, and whipped wonders of all sorts that focus on natural styles that do not involve heating elements.
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These more modern products are a godsend to some, but are a bit too sticky-sweet for others. They are progress, but many aspects of our hair care challenges have yet to be answered
Wanting something other than the ‘wet look’, leaves few choices outside of an afro, which could result in dying and hair breakage for some. Truthfully, some of us want our hair strands to flow and abide by the old Uncle Ben’s Rice philosophy where each strand is separate from the rest. It is possible and easier to achieve in today’s world, but we cannot seem to overcome the futility of the processing of the style (although it is much shorter than in the past) being longer than the length of time the style is maintained.
Acrylates help to protect the hair and afford some style staying power, but they are in everything from hand soap to shampoo, to