Damage: White vs Black

[pattyr5]

In my never ending search for the holy grail of hair products, I have come across a lot of info and pictures about damaged Caucasian hair. It got me thinking about all the white girls I know and all the ones I’ve seen at the salon, who committed every hair crime under the sun. One thing occurred to me, that in EVERY scenario that I have known of…..they ALWAYS get to keep their hair. Why is this? As soon afro-textured hair get a little damaged somebody’s running after us with a pair of scissors!! And we don't get an inch taken off, it's always a 3-4 inch casaulty!! These chicks in my office, dye, bleach, flat-iron, blow dry and in most cases wash their hair daily and they don’t cut.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that we should keep hair that is damaged or unhealthy, but there is something in the products or methods they use that allow them to keep their hair. Back in the 80’s when every white girl was Madonna platinum blond, or doing the big teased hair, there was major damage going on. But they would only cut their hair because they WANTED to, not because they had to. Even my sister with her Caucasian textured hair, washes her hair daily, uses a blow dryer, NEVER uses a heat protectant, never deep conditioned in her life, wears her hair down with it rubbing all over everything and still she could get away with a normal “trim” IF she have split ends. So what’s the darn difference???? Why don't we seem to get the option of repairing damage and not cutting??

Am I crazy, or do any of you ladies notice this too?

 

[MrsHouston]

I'd like to know the secret too. Bumping.

 

[darlingdiva]

I think that our (women of African descent) coil pattern makes our hair more vulnerable to damage. I also think that it is harder for our hair to recover from the damage.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

Our hair is different. That's the only real answer. Also, I dont think their hair shows damage as obviously as ours.

 

[Harina]

Our hair is different. That's the only real answer. Also, I dont think their hair shows damage as obviously as ours.

ITA. It's not the same. There aren't as many cuticle layers. It's inherently weaker. Cotton vs Silk. Our hair isn't really a good conductor of heat like cotton is, but there are a lot of similarities in its structure and the way it behaves. There was an interesting documentary on cotton I was watching the other day. Cotton fibers when not braided together are incredibly weak. They showed the host pulling on some loose cotton fibers. They were super weak and could bend and break easily. But as soon the cotton was braided together, you could not break that apart for nothing. That's basically our hair. Not every single black woman, but the majority.

 

[Vashti]

They have issues with SHS just like we do. I read their forums sometimes.

African American women have had to stumble through the dark for centuries when it comes to figuring out how to care for our hair. There are many things our people knew how to do back from the Motherland that we as descendants of slaves were not allowed to practice or transmit to our children. Caring for our hair the proper way is one of those things. That's why it seems so hard for us. We've been left to fend for ourselves. Most commercial hair products out there are not really made for our hair in mind, even when they claim to be "black hair products". I really believe that our hair is an after thought to most hair care companies. It is only recently that many of us (like me) have found quality products specifically for the needs of afro textured hair. Tack on to that the whole beauty ideal for hair, which is straight hair, not our afro textured hair, and we all have been affected/brainwashed by this. So we struggle and waste time trying to make our hair do things it was never meant to do in order to be seen as presentable or attractive. Which is why we have so many problems with damaged hair. They haven't had that problem. When more of us learn how to care for our hair and use products that truly help our hair and then transmit this knowledge to our daughters and granddaughters at some point in the future the fragility of our hair and issues with damage will be a thing of the past. Just my two cents.

 

[AmyRose92]

Agreed. Our curl pattern makes it more vulnerable to excess manipulation. However, not even Caucasian hair is invincible. There are countless women with straighter hair with damage due to heat, coloring, pressing, etc. Eventually, they will have to cut off that damaged hair because it can't be repaired. They can make it look better, but they can't fix it, which is why most probably wouldn't cut their hair.

 

[Dijah]

Some of the white girls should really cut off the damage. Especially those who color blonde.
To me so many bottle blondes have dry looking lifeless hair.

 

[BriDa5242]

In my never ending search for the holy grail of hair products, I have come across a lot of info and pictures about damaged Caucasian hair. It got me thinking about all the white girls I know and all the ones I’ve seen at the salon, who committed every hair crime under the sun. One thing occurred to me, that in EVERY scenario that I have known of…..they ALWAYS get to keep their hair. Why is this? As soon afro-textured hair get a little damaged somebody’s running after us with a pair of scissors!! And we don't get an inch taken off, it's always a 3-4 inch casaulty!! These chicks in my office, dye, bleach, flat-iron, blow dry and in most cases wash their hair daily and they don’t cut.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that we should keep hair that is damaged or unhealthy, but there is something in the products or methods they use that allow them to keep their hair. Back in the 80’s when every white girl was Madonna platinum blond, or doing the big teased hair, there was major damage going on. But they would only cut their hair because they WANTED to, not because they had to. Even my sister with her Caucasian textured hair, washes her hair daily, uses a blow dryer, NEVER uses a heat protectant, never deep conditioned in her life, wears her hair down with it rubbing all over everything and still she could get away with a normal “trim” IF she have split ends. So what’s the darn difference???? Why don't we seem to get the option of repairing damage and not cutting??

Am I crazy, or do any of you ladies notice this too?

There is a guy who works for the "Flat Iron " booth in the mall, and flat iron's hair hair EVERDAY , I know because I got to the mall everyday and see him do it to himself, and it looks like he has no damage and his hair is very long (creepy) but long. so great thread , I wondered about this too

 

[Harina]

Some of the white girls should really cut off the damage. Especially those who color blonde.
To me so many bottle blondes have dry looking lifeless hair.

I rarely ever see a "blonde" woman with long hair. Most of the white women with long hair are brunettes and the occasional redhead.

 

[brucebettye]

Alot of white women just hold on to their damaged ends and you can see it. I'm always looking up in peoples hair and their hair is damage and they have all kinds of shorter hair pieces mixed in with the long pieces. Also many white women wear extension too so they abuse their hair. Also curly, kinky, coily hair is very sensitive to heat and our hair will just eventually break off and be short if we abuse it with heat. I have done this to my hair and I did not cut it but it just broke off anyway and before I knew it I was back to neck length

 

[Hairsnob]

I rarely ever see a "blonde" woman with long hair. Most of the white women with long hair are brunettes and the occasional redhead.

Wow, I never thought about that. But I can't think of a single blonde woman with long hair?? I'm really trying to think hard.

Good point!!

 

[texasqt]

I really don't think our hair is as different as "they" would have us to believe. Granted it may be fragile compared to others but I know ladies on here who wash/co-wash daily and have great hair but remember when washing more than every other week use to be taboo for us? Also in college, I used Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner, $3.00 each, straight from the drug store, blow dried, and curled frequently and had healthy hair. I think there are a lot of products marketed towards us that cause damage. I've been observing how curly haired women in other races take care of their hair and they also keep it simple.

BTW, another observation - most dyed-blondes I know are only shoulder length. Hummmm........

 

[pattyr5]

I really don't think our hair is as different as "they" would have us to believe. Granted it may be fragile compared to others but I know ladies on here who wash/co-wash daily and have great hair but remember when washing more than every other week use to be taboo for us? Also in college, I used Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner, $3.00 each, straight from the drug store, blow dried, and curled frequently and had healthy hair. I think there are a lot of products marketed towards us that cause damage. I've been observing how curly haired women in other races take care of their hair and they also keep it simple.

BTW, another observation - most dyed-blondes I know are only shoulder length. Hummmm........

Very interesting. When I was growing up my mom didn't by any special products for "my kind of hair", I had to get what she and my sister used and my hair thrived...healthy, beautiful, thick and long!! I have often suspected that "black hair products" caused a certain amount of the damage when I compared my hair to that of my cousins....there hair was always broken dried and damaged. Yet their moms was always trying to convince my mother of what to use on my hair.

 

[mstar]

I think that our (women of African descent) coil pattern makes our hair more vulnerable to damage. I also think that it is harder for our hair to recover from the damage.

I agree with this.

-Each bend/coil along our hair shaft is a weak point, ripe for damage.
-We also have less cuticle layers, so our hair isn't as strong (and oftentimes, not as thick).
-Caucasian hair is also not as dry.

So our thinner, drier, more fragile hair=more damage. Also, you'll notice that most black women don't have to cut off their damaged hair...it just breaks off on its own.

This is an interesting topic, because I'm wearing some very high-quality weave hair right now, and I've been observing how differently it responds to products and techniques, as opposed to my own hair. It's really very easy to take care of this hair.

 

[curlydrea]

I think its a combo of chemical free hair, heat (yes heat), and washing(exposing the hair to water) often.

The white girls with he longest hair is usually a brunette or natrual blonde with natrually wavy/curly hair. Usually shampoo/condition a few times a week and flat irons and/or blowdries very often. Maybe the heat actually helps to seal hair if used properly and conditoned often. Im noticing thats helping some natruals retain length easier. Just a theory.

Also, it doesnt take much heat to straigthen their hair. And their hair can get super oily so that helps to protect their hair.

Hopefully in years to come, we will perfect our hair too, we r certainly on the right path

 

[Dijah]

Hopefully in years to come, we will perfect our hair too, we r certainly on the right path

I agree with this statement! As more black women read ingredients, baby their hair etc, we will be known to have healthy hair as well.

 

[pattyr5]

I think its a combo of chemical free hair, heat (yes heat), and washing(exposing the hair to water) often.

The white girls with he longest hair is usually a brunette or natrual blonde with natrually wavy/curly hair. Usually shampoo/condition a few times a week and flat irons and/or blowdries very often. Maybe the heat actually helps to seal hair if used properly and conditoned often. Im noticing thats helping some natruals retain length easier. Just a theory.

Also, it doesnt take much heat to straigthen their hair. And their hair can get super oily so that helps to protect their hair.

Hopefully in years to come, we will perfect our hair too, we r certainly on the right path

One of my friend's has wavy dark brown hair thats around BSL and every summer she goes from whatever dark Feria color she was in the mood for, to an ash blonde color. Now maybe her hair is stronger to begin with, but surely all of the dying and then lifting of color has to be just as bad if not worse than a relaxer! We assume lots of them are chemical free, but they get down with the Miss Clairol on the regular. And I can't see how the use of heat can be so bad so some and good for others. I've spoken to all the white girls at my office and not one of them has ever deep conditioned. And most of them use a shampoo/conditioner combo product because they just can't be bothered. Don't you just hate that!

 

[Hersheygurl]

OP, I know what you're saying and that has been my observation as well. However, just because our Caucasian sisters get to keep their hair, doesn't mean they should. I find myself looking at all hair now since joining LHCF and while the length is there for some of my white friends, their ends are all chewed up.

With my bottle-blonde friends, I notice a ton of little hairs sticking up all over their head and lack of shine. The only blonde friend I have who's past BSB is a natural blonde. The brunettes usually have longer, shinier, less damaged looking hair.

I think our coil pattern plays a part in how vulnerable our hair can be to damage, but I've always felt the growth potential was just as much there for our hair as anyone elses'.

I do not believe all stylists are the enemy, but once I stopped going to the salon, my hair thrived. Unfortunately, so many of our stylists have been indoctrinated in the frying, alcohol gelling, stiff hairspraying, detangling with a fine tooth comb, and chopping off all progress method. Many also still see water as the devil to our hair.

As for using heat regularly, I would guess the white women are using lower temperatures to straighten their hair.

I definitely think all women can be susceptible to a SHS though.

 

[brucebettye]

One of my friend's has wavy dark brown hair thats around BSL and every summer she goes from whatever dark Feria color she was in the mood for, to an ash blonde color. Now maybe her hair is stronger to begin with, but surely all of the dying and then lifting of color has to be just as bad if not worse than a relaxer! We assume lots of them are chemical free, but they get down with the Miss Clairol on the regular. And I can't see how the use of heat can be so bad so some and good for others. I've spoken to all the white girls at my office and not one of them has ever deep conditioned. And most of them use a shampoo/conditioner combo product because they just can't be bothered. Don't you just hate that!

I do. If I tried that my hair would just dry up and laugh at me.