I Was Blind, But Now I See.

How many of us don't think twice about where the money we spend on our hair supplies ends up? Probably most.

In an article about "Taking Back the Black Hair Care Industry", Mika Pettigrew talks candidly about our responsibility, as consumers , for letting the now Korean dominated black hair care industry slip through our hands. She writes:

"In 2004, sales of black hair care products exceeded $1.7 billion, as reported by Mintel International Group, a consumer research company. This figure does not include the synthetic and human hair additions that have gained tremendous popularity in recent years... Korean immigrants “get it” and have gotten it for decades, and now have almost complete control of the industry in 2007. They are sizing us up, assessing our needs, crafting and passing out the products. We, in turn, loyally tithe our dollars to strengthen their communities. It is time to consider the roll we play in the crisis within the Black hair care industry, by examining the choices we are making as it relates to us individually, the Black hair care industry specifically, as well as strengthening our communities and preserving our culture in general."

---When I think about that money going towards the employment of their family, to educate their children and to strengthen their communities it makes me angry-not at them, but at us (including myself) for so blindly spending our hard earned dollars and at the few black-owned beauty supply store owners who I've come into contact with whose service and product selection were less than stellar. You know, the communities where these stores are prevalent sure could use that money. African-Americans can surely benefit from controlling the black hair care industry. Mika continues:

"In the early 1900s, Black-Americans controlled the industry with the likes of Madam C.J. Walker, a manufacture and distributor of Black hair care products, and Anthony Overton, a manufacturer of Black beauty aids as well as a magazine publisher and president of a Black-owned bank...The period between the Great Depression and the civil rights movement was vital, as the industry proved its resilience to economic and social turmoil growing out of racial discord. This was critical since Black manufacturers in the Black hair care industry managed to emerge from the Great Depression while other institutions disappeared. The industries staying power did not go unnoticed. Manufacturers of Black hair care products became the focus of public discourse during the civil rights movement.
The years from the civil rights movement to the early 1990s proved to be pivotal for the industry. Black manufacturers began to lose ground to large white conglomerates prior to the Korean take over, and economic barriers were reproduced for Black professionals in the industry."

---Now, Ive never been a racially sensitive militant conspiracy theorist but to me this sounds like something was stolen from us.

Fun Fact: Madame C. J. Walker, touted for inventing the relaxer, made history as the first female American self-made millionaire. She created thousands of well-paying jobs for African-American women, promoted giving back to African-American communities and she was a major financial contributor to many charities and black initiatives. She was the pioneer of the, then African-American controlled, black hair care industry and I'm sure she's rolling over in her grave at the state of the industry today. SMH. Hopefully, in the near future, products by black owned businesses like Oyin Handmade and Karen's Body Beautiful will become more accessible.

Great Read: Chee Gates on Being Natural.

Every black girl I knew—whether she was ebony-skinned or the color of butternut squash—wanted the same thing I did: hair that hung silk-straight. Our collective desire was rooted in the self-deprecating mentality that kinks were gross and had to be concealed, if not corrected. Straight hair promised romance, laughter, abounding beauty. If I wanted to be happy, I had no choice but to unravel every nap on my head. There was only one method that would do it: I'd have to get a perm, also called a "relaxer."

That first perm is like a black girl's bat mitzvah. It's a coming out—a rite of passage into womanhood. What's different is that the initial relaxing doesn't happen at any set age. And waiting too long could retard a girl's social progress. Here's why: Before your hair is relaxed, you're viewed as a child. (Or even a dope. Or you aren't viewed at all.) Because being invisible doesn't jibe with an only child whose astrological sun is in Leo—I could barely wait ten minutes to be in the spotlight—I got my first relaxer before I was even old enough to wear deodorant, thinking it would accelerate my path to stardom.

I was a follower—mimicked whatever was deemed of-the-moment.... Click to continue reading Being Natural.

Just Show Them.

In one of my previous posts I alluded to my mother's notion that hair doesn't grow after a certain age. Every female in my immediate family (including yours truly) is stubborn, so why did I take it upon myself to have a pointless debate with my mother over the hair on my head? Why did I attempt to educate the wrong and strong on the science of hair care? Never again.

She can roll her eyes at my product reserve, continue to point out the time I spend on my hair on wash days and keep talking that old school smack. I'm over it. I don't need a cheerleader or her approval.

My hair is in protective styles 98% of the time. Only I'll know how many inches I've gained, how much the breakage has decreased, how much stronger and thicker it has gotten and the reduction in split ends.

I'm going to hush. I realize the mere mention of hair brings about diarrhea of the mouth for me. Anyone who isn't a hair care enthusiast may understandably get annoyed, so I'm just going to let the progress speak for itself. Rant over.

Ideal Length

There are many factors that can come into the equation when aiming for a certain length. Some of them include: how the length looks straight or natural, how practical it is to maintain, how it will fit your face, whether you want a blunt cut or are content with a V-shape, layering, etc.
You can have two bra-strap length girls with one having longer hair than the other because of neck length, height, the length of the back, etc. So a hair goal can be relative to perception, features, body and aesthetic preference.

For me, waist length hair was never a desire. Even as a child I thought Rapunzel was over-doing it. I've always preferred hair that hits mid-chest length in the front and somewhere between Bra-strap and Mid-back in the back with a blunt cut. That is my ideal length-straightened. I think it would be a lot of fun to have hair down to the waist, but I don't think it would fit me and I don't think I'd enjoy the detangling process.

What look are you trying to achieve as far as length?

Back to Natural.

I found a great piece on Associated Content about black women returning to natural hair. Click here to read it and check out some of the comments.



It's interesting how history repeats different versions of itself. Women during the 60's and 70's who wore their natural hair as a symbol of black pride probably didn't envision that a few years later 80% of black females would be relaxed again.

Is this natural movement just a result of the the cyclical recurrence of boredom and changing fashion trends or is something different going on here? Is it too early to tell whether this is a phase or a revolution? Are we leaving behind the black pride argument and simply leaving it up to our aesthetic choice or convenience? Are we more health conscious? Are we more informed on hair care? What if a safer straightening agent is developed? Are we more accepting?

Do you have a different perspective?