Is Natural Hair the End of Black Beauty Culture?
In a blog for Huffington Post, author Cassandra Jackson accomplished something that I never thought possible:
She made me feel nostalgic about straightening my hair.
Not because I necessarily liked having my older sister get a new-fangled contraption called a curling brush tangled in my hair when I was 10-years-old; not even that I have fond memories of pressing combs, flat irons and first day relaxers when my hair was too flat to be much good to anyone.
I became nostalgic as she recalled elements of “beauty shop” culture that may become extinct as natural hair proves to be more than a trend.
While many, including me, celebrate the natural hair movement’s emphasis on self-discovery, I cannot help but wonder if something has also been lost with this cultural shift. For all the horrible things about hair straightening, the experiences associated with it have created a powerful thread that connects the vast majority of black women. Even if you have kinky hair now, you probably have memories of time spent with family and friends in kitchens getting your hair done by someone who loved you and who you trusted enough to wield a sizzling hot straightening comb next to your ear. You probably remember that first trip to the beauty shop where black women talked about grown folks’ business, and nearly every sentence began with the endearment, “girl.” It does not matter if your mother was a teacher or housekeeper, or if you were in New York or Alabama because these experiences crossed class and region. Hair straightening was a rite of passage, an entry into the world of black women.
My experience with salons and natural hair is vastly different from the beauty shop culture. I go to the salon no more than twice a year. Recently, I crossed one of the most powerful color lines in America: I let a white girl do my hair. She gave me a good cut, and I was back on the street in 20 minutes. In comparison, my mother whose hair is chemically straightened goes to the beauty shop every two weeks for a couple of hours. She comes home smelling of oil sheen spray and full of news. She knows everything, from the platform of candidates for the school board, to the proposed sight for the new grocery store, to who was admitted to the hospital last night. She is not just informed; she is engaged, full of laughter, concern, and outrage.
I honestly can not remember the last time I’ve seen the inside of a hair salon. It’s been even longer since I had one to call home, with a favorite chair, favorite dryer and everybody knows your name. And I just realized that I miss that.
Does it mean I’m going to start straightening my hair again to get that good thing back? Absolutely not. But it made me think ladies, outside of the “beauty shop,” where else could sistas meet weekly just to check in, pamper ourselves and refresh for the struggles of the world around us?
This is true wack sauce. I know plenty of natural girls that still indulge in the salon experience and still occasionally enjoy the scent of a flat iron, lol. Why does it have to be the end of anything? Why can’t it be that we are expanding our horizons?
I agree. There are natural hair stylists and the numbers are growing. So if you still desire to sit in a beauty parlor for hours, over pay for a style, and gossip, you’ll have somewhere to go. Or, if your stylist that did your hair when you were relaxed values your business, he/she will learn to style natural hair as well! Last time I checked that’s what cosmetology school was for!
Exactly. And the experience the author mentioned of having someone who loves you hot comb your hair in the kitchen has been reproduced with braiding. Many people I know have family members braid their hair at home. So, what is the author talking about really?
Your right Denene! I think these hairstylists will be forced to (gasp) actually learn to do natural black hair! Go figure. It truly is a shame that so many of us don’t know how to do our hair without dangerous chemicals and heat. The natural girl has to stay away from some of these stylists for fear that they will secretly put some form of a relaxer in your hair. But so many people are seeing their hair healthy and growing like crazy from becoming natural that the salons will be forced to comply. The hair relaxer industry has been losing TONS of money year after year because sales are dropping due to women embracing how hair grows out of their scalp. Their was a great piece on MSNBC about this.
And no I do not miss salons 9 times out of 10 it was always a dreadful experience! Being told your doing everything wrong to your hair. Then leaving with it wayyyy shorter than how you came in. No thanks.
I can relate with this completely. When I moved to a small town there were no Black hairdressers and I had to do my own hair. I still miss the laughter and the warmth. I agree there is something to be said about the culture.
Um, I definitely go to the salon still. I go to a salon for natural hair, though. And honestly, I DO NOT MISS the smells from salons that do relaxers. I walked in again one day, forgot how it smelled, and it knocked me back outside! Also, the owner says she didn’t know what to do with natural hair so……
Personally, I have never been a big fan of salons, so I don’t really have that nostalgia, but I agree with Denene in that naturalistas (who want it) can have that treasured salon experience again if more salons would learn to do natural hair.
I don’t think that natural hair is the end of black beauty culture. I think it has simply evolved. All around me I see women building community online and IRL around natural hair. It’s a source of common ground just like those experiences you mentioned in your post. At least once a week I have a conversation with a complete stranger about natural hair, a conversation that always starts with “How long have you been natural?” or “What products do you use on your hair?” Furthermore some of my closest friends I’ve made since I moved back home have been through local natural hair meetups.