Black girls have no hair ?!?

[chocolatedoll18]

Hi ladies i just cant stop thinking about a time when i was 16 in high school with BSB length hair and one of my best friends was mexican with waist length hair and my other best friend was white with hip length hair and the other was black with neck length hair and as we were sitting in the lobby watching people go by my mexican friend says "black girls have like no hair" and at first i got mad and said "so we got the most hairstyles" (lol i didnt know how to respond and didnt have knowledge about hair care) and the conversation ended at that. i just sat there thinking and watching black girls go by thinking she is right but why?

since joining the forum i see black women with all lengths but as i look around my city i see that blacks still have the shortest hair and i wonder why do we have to work so hard to get to waist length or even BSL. it seems like other races automatically have long hair whereas black women have to work hard to have the length that they have. is it the curl pattern, genetics, or something else?

can you ladies give me some insight?

 

[jem_mcmillan]

IMO I think we tend to like short haircuts and use lots of chemicals. Most importantly until recently we have no idea how to take care of our hair.

 

[DrC]

Your Friend: "Black girls have no hair"

You could have said: "All hispanic people pile up in cars"

I bet she would've felt the same way you did....insulted. They are both deemed false.

 

[BostonMaria]

I think that there are so many stupid myths associated with our hair - don't wash it too much or it'll rot, don't use "white" hair products, trim every 8 weeks, etc - that we do it to ourselves. I was going to the salon every weekend FAITHFULLY and getting it blow dried to death. I don't see other races going to the salon like we do. Plus I think that the chemical services that we do to our hair compared to other races doesn't exactly help either. My mom slapped a relaxer on my head when I was 10, but didn't really take care of it so of course it broke off. You don't see other races putting harsh chemicals on their little girls. I can't think of anything else lol

 

[southerncitygirl]

there are several reasons:
lack of proper care
issues with rentention
too tight braids and weaves
relaxing too often
not washing frequently enough
too much heat
glueing in weave sas opposed to sewing them in.....the list is endless

most ladies on this board have grown hair longer than they ever imagined but had to first open their mind to the possibilities.

 

[Dposh167]

i agree. A lot of bw in the normal, non-hair-board-world are using chemicals to straighten their hair. But tend to think that since its straight..nothing else needs to be done to it. Which is completely false. Our own hair care practices, or lack of, seem to be in the way of a lot of growth & retention.

 

[Kash]

because the majority of black women Relax their hair and relaxers if not taken care of properly causes super dry hair which leads to breakage thus many black women are not able to retain hair growth due to breakage and poor hair maintenance.

So the hair stays at a short length. On top of that, the majority of black women lack the knowledge of how to take care of their hair whether natural or relaxed. and, most black women abuse heat, and wear micro braids that tear their edges off.


many black women do not take the time to learn how to take care of their own hair but they sho' will put in the time, energy and youtube videos on how to take care of a hair weave!

 

[chocolatedoll18]

I think that there are so many stupid myths associated with our hair - don't wash it too much or it'll rot, don't use "white" hair products, trim every 8 weeks, etc - that we do it to ourselves. I was going to the salon every weekend FAITHFULLY and getting it blow dried to death. I don't see other races going to the salon like we do. Plus I think that the chemical services that we do to our hair compared to other races doesn't exactly help either. My mom slapped a relaxer on my head when I was 10, but didn't really take care of it so of course it broke off. You don't see other races putting harsh chemicals on their little girls. I can't think of anything else lol

oh yea this is very true!

 

[Vashti]

That myth will continue to float around out there until more black women take the initiative to learn how to care for their hair. The information is readily available now. I wish more black women would care enough to look.

 

[jennboo]

I kind of agree...imo it's the constant chemicals and weave/fake hair.

 

[Soliel185]

I wish more black women knew...or cared enough to say "hey, instead of slapping somebody's elses hair over this to cover up the problem I'm going to to resolve it and do better."

I think the perception is all this hair 'care' stuff is too much work. Esp when you can have a 'fly' style in just a few hours.

Honestly caring for my hair now is simpler and easier than it has ever been in my entire life. It's healthier too. Eventually more will start to come around.

 

[SND411]

Well in a society that basically tells you to hide the HAIR THAT GROWS OUT OF YOUR SCALP at all cost, I think I can see why the perception is there.....

 

[Soliel185]

I kind of agree...imo it's the constant chemicals and weave/fake hair.

It reminds me of plastic surgery in a way. The more some women strive to reach 'youthful perfection' with all these procedures the worse they look. And the more some women abuse chemicals, weaves etc etc to strive towards the look of long healthy luxurious hair the further away they get.

There can be moderation with both, but for many the tendancy is to go overboard.

 

[Dijah]

because the majority of black women Relax their hair and relaxers if not taken care of properly causes super dry hair which leads to breakage thus many black women are not able to retain hair growth due to breakage and poor hair maintenance.

So the hair stays at a short length. On top of that, the majority of black women lack the knowledge of how to take care of their hair whether natural or relaxed. and, most black women abuse heat, and wear micro braids that tear their edges off.


many black women do not take the time to learn how to take care of their own hair but they sho' will put in the time, energy and youtube videos on how to take care of a hair weave!

I agree with you girl. We just don't know how to take care of our hair. Everything is about keeping it straight (I am a relaxed head btw) no care. All hair grows.

My non-drivers license pic (from 2005) shows my hair at a little over shoulder length. A former boss of mine saw the pic, told me how a black female friend of his said black girls can't grow hair. He thought my hair was long there. I just let it go.
Didn't want to get into the black hair convo with a white person. Black people think we can't grow hair, and all other races do as well. Then when you are shoulder length they think you are mixed.

 

[lovegymnasts]

lack of knowledge/misinformation being passed around
we abuse our hair
complacency and acceptance of the status quo
the unwillingness to put effort toward the care of our hair
we don't like our hair
weaves and extensions are easy
the idea that properly caring for our hair is "too much work"
we've given up

 

[Harina]

Cosigning with everything. I can't even remember how I stumbled on this board... glad I did though. Alot of the info I found on this site that is logical to me now is not something that I was not really taught at a young age. Detangling with a wide tooth comb. Moisturizing and sealing (did anyone know about the sealing before coming here). Even using heat protectant. And PSing, which I did by nature but kept on ****** up the retained length with chemicals. Gosh was I naive.

I try to tell people about this site. Do you think it would be rude to tell people you know, maybe not close friends, but acquaintances or sometimes even strangers who have jacked up hair about this site. I know that sounds very blunt and rude and unasked for, but I think in the long run they would get over the (unintentional) insult and maybe, just maybe log in and get swayed by all the long haired women they see on the site. I htink people who have messed up hair know, but they're just in denial and not sure what to do.

I think we have the asbolute prettiest textures, but it really has to be taken care of. Just the fact of the matter and I just want to get bw to understand. Most people have some access to the internet and basic haircare really is not that expensive.

 

[Chevelure618]

It's the d___ relaxers. They break the protein bonds in the hair but people don't know that so they just don't do the conditioning and it breaks off. They think that Blue Magic, DAX and Pink Oil are conditioners.

 

[LuvlyRain3]

I think that this is because black women are more concerned with the look of their hair and not the health. So they do anything and everything to their hair to get the look (relaxers, tight weaves and braids, extreme heat). On top of that we avoid washing and conditioning as a way to make the look last.

On top of that bw women have passed down some of the worse hair advice from generation to generation. Dirt is good for your hair so don't wash your hair, tight braids last longer and make your hair grow. Sheesh with all the lies we've been telling ourselves about haircare is kind of surprising that we have any hair at all.

 

[DarkHair]

I literally was told that my hair was good hair. This was from someone attempting to go 'natural'.

-Scissor-happy stylists are also culprits.
-Lack of moisture, care, regimen (formula), and information.
-stylists that mix what they learned in cosmetology school with what they saw growing up

I had no idea that my hair needed moisture. I also didn't know that split ends aren't 1 to 2 inches long.

 

[Sianna]

since joining the forum i see black women with all lengths but as i look around my city i see that blacks still have the shortest hair and i wonder why do we have to work so hard to get to waist length or even BSL. it seems like other races automatically have long hair whereas black women have to work hard to have the length that they have. is it the curl pattern, genetics, or something else?

While I wholeheartedly agree that there are tons of myths about afro textured hair, my understanding of our hair's nature suggests (to me at least) that our hair is inherently more fragile than other hair types. Afro textured hair is oval, or elliptical shaped, whereas Asian and Caucasian hair types are round. The shape of hair in and of itself does not cause fragility, but manipulation of the hair does. Imagine you had a slinky that you stretched out frequently, or even every day. Eventually it will become weak and likely would break. Not only that, but if I remember correctly, afro textured hair does not have the thicker, stronger cuticle layer that other hair types have.

Someone feel free to correct me if I have recalled any of this information incorrectly.

So in conclusion, I do feel that there is a lot of misinformation about our hair and far too many of us buy into the idea that it simply can't grow. Of course many of you ladies have proven this idea to be false and I think that many more women could do the same, if they'd put a little effort into it.

 

[locabouthair]

I literally was told that my hair was good hair. This was from someone attempting to go 'natural'.

-Scissor-happy stylists are also culprits.
-Lack of moisture, care, regimen (formula), and information.
-stylists that mix what they learned in cosmetology school with what they saw growing up

I had no idea that my hair needed moisture. I also didn't know that split ends aren't 1 to 2 inches long.

Exactly. A lot of stytlists still believe you need to trim every 6 weeks and we know that most of these stylists are not going to just dust your ends. They are going to take off at least 1/2 an inch if not more. And if you're a slow grower like myself you wont retain any length.

Black hair is the driest because of our curl pattern so we have to make sure to get enough moisture. And we all know stylists who preach that 6 week rule for relaxing Relaxing too often gives you weaker strands and will make the hair drier.

 

[GodivaChocolate]

If we think about it like this I think it makes sense, many young black girls have at least shoulder length hair,I would even venture to say APL by at least 5, esp if it's taken care of. But then they are introduced to chemicals, excessive heat, rough styling practices or the dreaded hair stylist. This is when the demise begins. Imagine if from childhood all the aforementioned negative factors were erased and we were actually taught better hair practices and implemented that knowledge. You'd see a lot more adult black women walking around with longer, healthier hair.

 

[Bnster]

I just wonder how to get proper haircare information out to the black community whether people listen or not. I sure wish I knew about it and didn't have to wait until I reached an adult to properly maintained my hair.

Critical factor is educating the black community on caring for our daugthers hair like an AA haircare for Parents 101, Young Adults 101, Adult 101 and HairDressers 101.

 

[Mdmommy99]

Cosigning with what others have said but adding one- Non-Blacks (and many Black people) don't understand shrinkage, meaning that your hair could be WL but if in it's natural state its not going to look nearly as long. I very rarely wear my hair straight and when I do it never fails that I get asked if I got a weave by people I see all of the time, and my hair straightened is just approaching APL. My white boss was always saying "I never realize how much hair you have until it's straight." People's perception of long hair is hair that hangs down straight and with most Black women with natural hair that is not the case.

 

[frida1980]

I started to think about that too. A lot of girls have no idea how to care for their hair. I think if somehow we could tell black girls and women how to care for their hair it would make all the difference.

The truth is we already spend way too much money on stylist that we hope are caring for our hair. But most stylist have no idea themselves I've never seen a stylist with hair longer than three inches! This means that stylist are so busy playing in their hair but they don't know how to keep it healthy. Stylists depend on you coming in a lot to make money. They have no need to explain to you how to take care of your hair, no any need to care for you hair properly. They only need to make it look good for 48 hours so you feel the need to return as often as possible.

When I got my relaxer in 06, I just come from being in Mexico for 6 months. I had been in agony over taking care of my hair completely solo for the first time in my life. I was so sick of it that I went to JC Penneys to get relaxer and spare me the pain. The results were amazing. I completely loved it. But I didn't love the shedding or the fact that I couldn't seem to style my hair. My stylist was pretty negative about what I used on my hair, but she never offered any advice on how to help it. She kept pointing very expensive products in her salon. I was at my wits end, watching her slice off 1 1/2 inches ever touch up. I felt more and more compelled to go to her every week, because I couldn't figure out how to care for my hair and she wouldn't tell me. This was probably her plan after all. After around 8 months I finally braided up and ended up growing it out.


My annoying experience lets me know that BW have few places to turn to get healthy long hair. This forum is a gem, and should be sent to every black girl past age 12. Learning to care for your hair is no different than understanding budgeting and driving a car. I wish that girls and women all over the country could learn all the techniques, just as Madam CJ Walker taught millions of black women long ago. She honestly gave black women confidence along with beautiful hair. Relaxers and ignorance have stripped that away from us. We need to find a way to get it back again.

 

[lexiwiththecurls]

I agree with Sianna. Our hair is more fragile therefore easier to damage. We do the SAME things white women do. They do their Japanese Straighteners, their Curly Perms, their Color (tons of Bleach)..We know they wash their hair everyday, AND they blowdry and/or flat iron....and yet we still see many white women with long hair with all of those chemicals so I don't think its the fact that we do all these harsh things to our hair because they do the same thing.
Their hair can take it more than our hair..Plus alot of Yt women's hair grows and retains length (besides the genetic factor) due to low manipulation. They go to the salon 2 or 3 times a year...for their color and for their cut (that grows back months later lol) . I honestly feel like their low manipulation method helps out- even though they use tons of heat. They use cheap shampoo with ALL the ingredients that are frowned upon on hair forums and still ...longer hair..
I just think its pure genetics and low manipulation..
We do know our hair can grow though. You look at African Women from when pictures could first be taken..hair down our backs...I'm pretty sure that was due to low manipulation.

 

[MrsHdrLe]

I agree with Lexi on the low mani hair for other races. If you think about it, they often wash n go but b/c their hair isn't as curly/frizzy, it doesn't seem to wear against their clothes the way ours does. They do have hair issues though and some do process their hair, but I don't think it's as often as "we" do to achieve sleek/swinging hair.

The most valuable thing I've learned here is to stop trying to make my hair do things it wasn't/isn't/ and never will be intended to do. We (my hair and I) get along MUCH better now, though others think and say things like, "Why don't you wear your hair down or straight more? If I had all that hair (I'm only bsb), I'd wear it down every day." and I think, (that's why your hair is short)

 

[GodivaChocolate]

I agree with Sianna. Our hair is more fragile therefore easier to damage. We do the SAME things white women do. They do their Japanese Straighteners, their Curly Perms, their Color (tons of Bleach)..We know they wash their hair everyday, AND they blowdry and/or flat iron....and yet we still see many white women with long hair with all of those chemicals so I don't think its the fact that we do all these harsh things to our hair because they do the same thing.
Their hair can take it more than our hair..Plus alot of Yt women's hair grows and retains length (besides the genetic factor) due to low manipulation. They go to the salon 2 or 3 times a year...for their color and for their cut (that grows back months later lol) . I honestly feel like their low manipulation method helps out- even though they use tons of heat. They use cheap shampoo with ALL the ingredients that are frowned upon on hair forums and still ...longer hair..
I just think its pure genetics and low manipulation..
We do know our hair can grow though. You look at African Women from when pictures could first be taken..hair down our backs...I'm pretty sure that was due to low manipulation.

I agree that certain hair types can take more abuse but I don't think that the growth rate of hair is specific to a certain "race" of people. Let's look at it from a statistics perspective, they are the dominant race in America and it's more of them so it will appear that more of them have longer hair also most hair practices are geared towards their hair types, so hence there are more examples to look at and they have more knowledge about hair care.
Also, how many white women do you see with really pretty healthy hair in person? (on TV it's mostly weaves and extensions). I rarely see a white woman who has healthy, beautiful long hair...I see more younger ladies, because their hair hasn't fallen prey to the abuse yet but I think because we are a minority population and we have limited knowledge about truly mastering our hair so the problem seems (is) exacerbated.

So it's not that we can't grow it (genetics) it's that for the most part we haven't learned how to retain it.

 

[Gigi-07]

That myth will continue to float around out there until more black women take the initiative to learn how to care for their hair. The information is readily available now. I wish more black women would care enough to look.

ITA. I've experienced this irresponsible behavior myself. Of all the black females I know who have seen my hair and how healthy and long it is, maybe 1 or 2 in the past have come up to me and asked, with genuine interest, how I did it. Some have made assumptions, like "maybe it's all those braids she gets done" so a few have come up to me, complimented my hair's length, and then started inquiring where I get my braids done and for how much (yet I'm wearing my BSL hair down at the time ). The rest just look, maybe out of envy or chalking it up to my genetics, or luck?...or maybe they think it's just too much work, and so they stay greased up and half bald.

Shoot, I knew something was wrong about that theory of black women not being able to grow long hair. All my life, I was too skeptical of that belief. One day, I wondered what I could possibly find through a simple Google search to debunk the myth, and here I am today.

But many bw don't even try to seek knowledge, they're just content with their weaves and other types of extensions. In my mind, I'm like, "Do y'all even care?". Apparently not.

 

[chocolatedoll18]

^^^ I agree. many black women would rather hate and talk about people with long hair than to ask for hair care tips. i remember i wanted to go natural years ago but my grandmother who used to be a beautician would always say no if you go natural your hair will fall out becuase it's already relaxed and would just start breaking..so i stuck with and hated the chemicals. also i once told my mother (before i found this forum) that i was going to wash my hair everyday because white people do it and they have long hair. she said no because our hair needed oil and would fall out. granted that would be true if we used harsh shampoos and didnt moisturize or co wash, but i realized neither of them knew about how to take care of "our" hair. my mother never once told me to moisturize or anything like that.

Im just glad to have more knowledge about black hair care out so that we can break the cycle with our children or family members and try to help those we can.