Black hair has been fried, lyed and laid to the side; its been blown out, afroed, cut short, braided, twisted, weaved and locked. No matter how much we try to manipulate, control or find permanent solutions to our "hair problem," it refuses to be tamed. Yet the quest for "good hair" continues.
"Good hair" has a very narrow definition, its long, straight and therefore beautiful. The hair crisis faced by women with short, kinky and wiry hair is of such monumental proportions that letters are written seeking advice from beauty experts. Solutions always seem to focus on artificially changing the natural. Black women have also been deceived into believing that chemical solutions makes for "manageability and control" when in fact it breeds dependency.
Beauty salons now outnumber churches in our communities. A visit to the hair salon/barber shop is a highly ritualized communal experience. African Americans spend billions of dollars in the beauty industry and manufacturers are again taking notice of this very lucrative market. Today most major hair and beauty company have added a line of products specifically targeting Black/non white people.
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