I GOT SOOOO ANGRY at her.. *hair rant*

[Dannygirl]

I love my sister but i wanted to take a bat and hit her... she made some vaild points but still it was lil frustranding dealing with her..

Well my sister 16 and she and i some how got on the subject of hair...
She was like how come you black girls don't have hair???......

Then i said because the stuff we do to it...
Then she said well white/hispic/jewish and all other races have hair but us..you put of avg. group of black girls together and their hair is ear to maybe shoulder length ....
Then i said because the stuff they do to it..... she was like what about the stylest? they know what their doing to grow their hair out and i was like not nessarey...
she bascly pointed out that black girls have slower growth then whites....

I agreed to a cetain degree..she was like you've been dealing with your hair for about a month and all its growth is a little bit but white girls she can do anything to their hair and it well grow...while u have to take vitmans and do all this stuff to grow your hair.... ...I was like i cannt even compare my hair to white girls because they aren't even same hair type...
then she was like we are the only race with this hair anyone elese has similar if not same hair but ours...
She then said I think our hair is a gift from God but nowdaays its looked upon as a curse......


so whats your take ladies???...

 

[Dannygirl]

erplexed dang i gets no love ..hahha not a soul had read my post..

 

[shunta]

Hi Dannygirl, I really dont know what to make of the comment that your sis said. I think alot of people have that mentality. They need to come and check out this website, obviously.

 

[Dannygirl]

k.. ummm why do u think we have to DO so much to grow our hair out?..while other races just leave it alone and it grows by itself simply

 

[Shea]

I think it has to do with moisture. Their hair gets oily fast and they have to wash it everyday. They are constantly simulating their scalp with daily washes also back to moisture the more moisture..no breakage, damage, or split ends....leads to retaining of length. Sometimes you can see in their color how much their hair has grown and my coworker's hair probably grows about the same as black girls too she gets trims every 2 months and her hair has been the same length. She cut it at ear length over a year ago now she is APL. But anyway its just that their moisture/hair property is different from our's. The texture also they are not likely to have dry hair another problem causing breakage.

 

[spiceykitten]

Dannygirl:

I think some people may kick me for saying this but this is how I think of Black people hair.

I think we should move out of saying "Our" hair. "My hair" is not "your hair" and "your hair" is not "my hair".

There are some Black people hair that will grow very long and there are some that will not just as there are some White people hair that will grow long and some White people hair that will not grow long or have difficulties reaching longer lengths.

I get frustrated when I read "our hair" grows. Well unless you and I have the same mama and papa or genetic background I think our growth rate will differ.

I see many women get frustrated when they see members here with long hair and feel it is taking them so long to get there. I think more women should concentrate on having healthy hair and if their hair gets longer than great.

Everyone needs to remember that someone's hair is not their hair. We may be black but does not mean we hold the same genetic or hair practices. I cannot judge my hair next to another person's hair but I can use their tips and hope for the best for my hair.

I know that it has been long been said that Black women cannot grow long hair. I have never believed in this for I grew up with Black women with long hair. In addition, Black women back in the day when their hair was pressed and fried had hair down their backs. It is the lack of care (body and hair) or lack of hair knowledge that has not allowed many Black women to reach their hair potential.

Many black women here have proven that if you practice good hair practices and take care of your body that a black woman's hair can reach lengths that are untypically seen on Black women in the US.

I think for all races the length of your hair is dependent on your genetics, what you eat, and how you take care of yourself. Yet, I cannot agree that every Black woman will have long hair just as I cannnot agree that another woman's race will determine her hair length. I back this up because I have been in the hair game for a minute and watched many women posting and struggling for years and others come after them have hair down their backs in months or couple years,once they learned good hair practices. It is not that those in hair game for long periods of time are doing something wrong but maybe they have a shorter hair lifecycle.

Yes, there is a predominant type among African or African descendant hair but that is not for everyone. Some people hair is not 4a or 4b but they are still black. So I am a bit cautious when I say "black hair" or "our hair" for many of us already have a lot of hair types and textures but are still black.

I think the best thing for you do is focus on healthy hair and let nature and God takes its course. There is no 'magic pill" but with good hair practices, taking care of yourself, and prayers..there is no doubt your hair will look and be beautiful no matter the length.

And your friend should be slapped, for no one's hair is a curse. Everyone's hair is a blessing from God. I for one love very nappy coarse hair. I love twirling it and feeling it for hours. I find it soothing.

Just my thoughts.

 

[shunta]

Spiceykitten, very well said.

 

[Dannygirl]

haha i love you spaceyktten but i dont think ill be slapping my sister..

i didnt feel like putitng up a fight with her.. but i pretty much knew these were the responses i get.. i love know differnet view points so i can go in for the kill..

 

[caribeandiva]

wow.. it sucks that your sister said that. my sister's 18 and she knows better than to make those comments around me. i trained her well.

 

[Dannygirl]

like she knows it can grow and stuff she was just saying how people think our here doesnt grow and how in away that steory type it true to a certain degree ...ya know what i mean? i mean around hair.. most chicks hair unless they are mixed are APL or above.. not APL and lower...

 

[spiceykitten]

Dannygirl:

I am sorry, I reread your post, it is your little sister. I do not recommend you slapping her or anyone. I did not mean for you to literally smack anyone. It was just a thought at what your sister said about Black hair being a curse. Mind you I am using "Black hair" loosely for you know my thoughts about our differences.

I guess your little sister does not know how good it feels to touch nappy coarse hair for hours. I use to love it when I was young. It would be nice to touch a nappy coarse head of hair again. I just LOVE it!!

 

[Blu217]

Black hair is among the most delicate of all hair types, and the most difficult to manage, because the kinkier the variety, the harder it is to comb and style. Black hair was not meant to be brushed and combed like white people's hair--it was meant to protect our scalps from sun and heat in the hot climates from which we originate, thus it curls and weaves together close to the skin.

But that's not practical in today's world, especially given the beauty culture of the Western world. So black women do a lot more things to their hair than other cultures have to do just to get the same effect. If we want straight hair we have to apply chemicals or heat, we have to curl and pull and braid and style endlessly. Many Black American women enjoy fancy hair styles that require so much styling and manipulation, and over time we've developed some terrible hair practices and misguided beliefs about our hair that has, for many, ensured the hair will not be nurtured properly to grow. For many Black women, hair values determine hair growth--if someone thinks she's got to keep her hair straight as a pin and relaxes every 4 weeks, pulls her hair too tight because she's got to look fierce no matter what, styles it every morning to within an inch of its life... well, she will probably encounter more problems growing her hair.

But a lot of kinky-haired women do understand good hair practices; some Black women will always be able to grow long hair no matter what they do to it. Knowledge is power when it comes to Black hair.

That's what I make of her statements.

 

[spiceykitten]

Ugh! I hate when people say you have to be mixed to grow long hair if you are Black just as I hate when people think mixed people have a certain hair type or color of skin! I am mixed but I have seen plenty of mixed people with short hair and nappy hair. I wish people would get it straight.

It does not matter your race. What matters is your genetics, eating well, good hair practices and taking care of your body via working out.

There is some of us no matter the race that will never have hair down our backs because our hair lifecycle is shorter but you can always have healthy hair.

I feel my hair is long because of my genetics, I eat well (try too..cannot kick fried plantains with cheese) and work out. In addition, the most important thing is my hair has a longer lifecycle but the ultimate is that God blessed my hair. God has made my hair my glory and God outweighs anything I can do or will do.

 

[Dannygirl]

Black hair is among the most delicate of all hair types, and the most difficult to manage, because the kinkier the variety, the harder it is to comb and style. Black hair was not meant to be brushed and combed like white people's hair--it was meant to protect our scalps from sun and heat in the hot climates from which we originate, thus it curls and weaves together close to the skin.

But that's not practical in today's world, especially given the beauty culture of the Western world. So black women do a lot more things to their hair than other cultures have to do just to get the same effect. If we want straight hair we have to apply chemicals or heat, we have to curl and pull and braid and style endlessly. Many Black American women enjoy fancy hair styles that require so much styling and manipulation, and over time we've developed some terrible hair practices and misguided beliefs about our hair that has, for many, ensured the hair will not be nurtured properly to grow.

But a lot of kinky-haired women do understand good hair practices; some Black women will always be able to grow long hair no matter what they do to it. Finer hair textures require more care and careful handling. Knowledge is power when it comes to Black hair.

That's what I make of her statements.

well said THATS what she was saying ...

 

[spiceykitten]

Blu217:

Do you really feel it is not practical for a Black woman to wear her hair in the natural state?

I see a lot of women here and on the street that think it is okay.

I think that Black women have long been conditioned that nappy hair is bad and see wearing their hair in the natural state as not practical.

I know Western beauty rules but it makes me so sad to read that it is not practical.

I think it is practical and I think Black women have been so focused on what other Black women and men as well as other races are thinking of their hair that they never focus on what they want or what is healthy for their hair.

I think if relaxing is a style of choice than so be it but if it is done because someone is afraid of revealving their naps..well that is just sad. Come on most races know that is not your hair type. I wonder how some women would survive if there was no water to wash out their relaxers..I guess everyone would be wigging it. It makes me sad that some women rather not pay a bill just to get their hair "done".

Honestly, I have found many people of other races that find nappy hair beautiful. However, I have seen Black women literally make fun of other Black women hair. Who else uses the term "good hair". I even see it on tv..which makes the horrible terminology of "good hair" further ingrained in more Black children that will later become adults. Anyone ever see "Girlfriends" or "the Game". I do not find offensive references to Black hair funny.

I think it is not so much society norms that are the problem but more the Black woman's mind. The Black woman has long been beautiful, even her hair.

A black woman once told me "Sometimes in life you must teach others how you wish to be treated by your actions because telling them is not always enough and sometimes your words do not match your actions".

 

[BronzyBella]

I have a Chinese-Jamaican friend who was saying the same thing to me the other day when I was shopping for hair products. She's not mixed with black or anything, just from generations of people of Chinese ancestory living in Jamaica.

She asked me why I can't grow my hair long, and I told her that it was because of all the things I do to it, mainly dying and relaxing. I explained to her how chemicals weaken the hair. She then asked me why I don't wear my hair bone straight/flat ironed. I reminded her that I did for a few months, back in college. She then asked me if I ever wished that I had hair like hers - bone straight and almost waist length. I was like, "Why would you ask me something like that?" She goes, "I dunno. You're just always complaining about your hair." I told her that I love my hair, I'm just still learning how to manage it.

Basically, I don't take generalizations like that too personally, but I figured I'd suprise her this summer, as she doesn't know I'm growing my hair. Hopefully I'll be 3-4" past the shoulder, to APL by that time and sometimes wrap it or wear braid outs.

 

[zzirvingj]

Black hair is among the most delicate of all hair types, and the most difficult to manage, because the kinkier the variety, the harder it is to comb and style. Black hair was not meant to be brushed and combed like white people's hair--it was meant to protect our scalps from sun and heat in the hot climates from which we originate, thus it curls and weaves together close to the skin.

But that's not practical in today's world, especially given the beauty culture of the Western world. So black women do a lot more things to their hair than other cultures have to do just to get the same effect. If we want straight hair we have to apply chemicals or heat, we have to curl and pull and braid and style endlessly. Many Black American women enjoy fancy hair styles that require so much styling and manipulation, and over time we've developed some terrible hair practices and misguided beliefs about our hair that has, for many, ensured the hair will not be nurtured properly to grow. For many Black women, hair values determine hair growth--if someone thinks she's got to keep her hair straight as a pin and relaxes every 4 weeks, pulls her hair too tight because she's got to look fierce no matter what, styles it every morning to within an inch of its life... well, she will probably encounter more problems growing her hair.

But a lot of kinky-haired women do understand good hair practices; some Black women will always be able to grow long hair no matter what they do to it. Knowledge is power when it comes to Black hair.

That's what I make of her statements.

This is an EXCELLENT post and I totall agree. I was just thinking about this the other day. Let's just generalize for a second and say that most Black women have 4 a/b hair. I'm generalizing here with what I am about to say.

Most black women have 4 a/b hair that is about as far from being straight as you can get. The further away from straight your natural hair is, the more you have to do with it to get and maintain that straight look. In other words, the more damage you have to do to your hair just for it to be straight.

So in an effort to have straight hair all the time many Black women and using too much heat and overstyling their hair. On top of all of that, our diets are not very good and most of us are not exercising as we should be. And to add insult to injury, we have been miseducated about alot of stuff-we think water is bad for the hair, etc, etc. How many of us have actually been taught to protect and moisturize our ends as much as possible? Not many of us.

So as a result we have alot of Black women walking about with hair that rarely gets past shoulder length. Sure, that are women who do make it past that for whatever reason(s) but I am just generalizing here. I think in general Black women do "too much" to their hair. I have learned in the past couple of years that overmanipulation is not good. Our hair looks strong and bold but is really the most fragile and delicate. But due to misconceptions we don't treat it that way.

Uneducated braiders and stylists look at a natural 4a/b head of hair and immediately want to go to raking and banging at it with a fine tooth comb and a hell-hot blowdryer. It is sad, but they are just as miseducated.

It takes a new way of thinking and doing to grow the average Black woman's hair these days. And by "grow" I really mean "maintain". Because all of our hair grows. It's retaining the growth that matters.

 

[Aalize]

She was like how come you black girls don't have hair???......

Then i said because the stuff we do to it...
Then she said well white/hispic/jewish and all other races have hair but us..you put of avg. group of black girls together and their hair is ear to maybe shoulder length ....

I'm a tad confused. Does she consider herself black or not?

I have to say that I agree with those who said that most black women do not adequately know how to care for their hair. I believe that the average growth rates of all of the races is the same.

 

[Summer_Rain]

Totally agree with Zzirvingj.

If we think about the other thread asking our theories on why our hair grew so much as children, we know that we have the ability to grow hair longer than our current lengths. As we age and get "grown" the more self-damage we do.

I as looking at pictures of my 4yr old cousin and compared it to a picture she took a little more than a year before. At 3 she had braids that were barely brow length, a year later, her hair is what we'd describe as APL for her body.

All that was done was weekly washes, very little to no manipulation, braided/twisted styles...the only heat came on wash day when her hair would be blow dried.

So yeah, like everyone else said - we kinda do it to ourselves

 

[FlawedBeauty]

k.. ummm why do u think we have to DO so much to grow our hair out?..while other races just leave it alone and it grows by itself simply

IMO ITS DEFINITELY A MOISTURE ISSUE. DRY BRITTLE HAIR IS GOING TO BREAK EASIER THAN OTHER HAIR TYPES AND THAT IS WHAT MOST OF US DEAL WITH, MOISTURE ISSUES DUE TO THE CURL PATTERNS. THAT MAKES IT HARDER FOR US TO RETAIN LENGTH. I THINK that hair ggrows at the same rate for most with exceptions here and there, i just think that with all the breakage from dryness that may occur due to lack of moisture it just seems like the hair grows slower when in reality it is just breaking as much as it is growin when it is improperly cared for. sorry bout the caps at the beginining, didnt realize it was on and too lazy to type it over

 

[Summer_Rain]

IMO ITS DEFINITELY A MOISTURE ISSUE. DRY BRITTLE HAIR IS GOING TO BREAK EASIER THAN OTHER HAIR TYPES AND THAT IS WHAT MOST OF US DEAL WITH, MOISTURE ISSUES DUE TO THE CURL PATTERNS. THAT MAKES IT HARDER FOR US TO RETAIN LENGTH. I THINK that hair ggrows at the same rate for most with exceptions here and there, i just think that with all the breakage from dryness that may occur due to lack of moisture it just seems like the hair grows slower when in reality it is just breaking as much as it is growin when it is improperly cared for. sorry bout the caps at the beginining, didnt realize it was on and too lazy to type it over

good points.

since i've been into healthy hair care, i've noticed that there are a lot of non-black women with unhealthy looking raggedy hair. length still means nothing when you're hair is looking a HAM!

I doubt non-black women are growing 2-3 inches of hair a month, it's just that their daily styles/habits are more suitable & encouraging of retention

 

[MissMarie]

Black hair is among the most delicate of all hair types, and the most difficult to manage, because the kinkier the variety, the harder it is to comb and style. Black hair was not meant to be brushed and combed like white people's hair--it was meant to protect our scalps from sun and heat in the hot climates from which we originate, thus it curls and weaves together close to the skin.

But that's not practical in today's world, especially given the beauty culture of the Western world. So black women do a lot more things to their hair than other cultures have to do just to get the same effect. If we want straight hair we have to apply chemicals or heat, we have to curl and pull and braid and style endlessly. Many Black American women enjoy fancy hair styles that require so much styling and manipulation, and over time we've developed some terrible hair practices and misguided beliefs about our hair that has, for many, ensured the hair will not be nurtured properly to grow. For many Black women, hair values determine hair growth--if someone thinks she's got to keep her hair straight as a pin and relaxes every 4 weeks, pulls her hair too tight because she's got to look fierce no matter what, styles it every morning to within an inch of its life... well, she will probably encounter more problems growing her hair.

But a lot of kinky-haired women do understand good hair practices; some Black women will always be able to grow long hair no matter what they do to it. Knowledge is power when it comes to Black hair.

That's what I make of her statements.

Blu, ITA
We have trouble with our hair because of the styles we feel are the norm and the kind of care we give it.
However our African ancestors took care of their hair, those techniques and knowledge were lost. We are developing our own hair care practices within a culture that encourages us to constantly alter our hair. As we figure things out and pass on the info, I believe we can see more black women with nice, healthy hair (though there'll always be many who choose style over health).

It is not the case that most of us can't have longer, thicker, healthier (whatever the goal is) hair its an issue of hair care practices.

 

[Cayenne0622]

I'm kind of torn on this discussion. Everyone's point is true even lil sis. The one mistake lil sis is making is the generalization of the whole race. As painful as it is to admit, African American hair is the most difficult hair to "manage". Those of us who have what is considered to be the average head of AA hair know this all too well. The beauty of what's happening with this forum is that women who never thought it was possible to have healthy hair, let alone long hair, are now able to achieve it because of sites like this.

My rant has to do with my sis in law. She and her children have beautiful thick hair (her boys and girls). She has gorgeous hair, it is tremendously thick and definitely a softer more manageable texture of hair. It has tons of elasticity (effortlessly) and no matter what she does, it grows healthy and beautiful. Well, my rant is that she told her son (who now has a girlfriend) that this girl better be light skinned and have "good hair". I found out because her daughter (teenager with hair down her back)thought it was funny and told a couple of us who were there visiting. I was so mortified but I didn't even know how to respond. She also insulted her younger brother by saying his girlfriend wasn't cute when she saw her picture because she is dark brown with short hair. I plan to talk to both boys and tell them separately that they can like/love whoever they choose to and if they base it on skin color and hair texture then they are making a huge mistake and eliminating a LOT of great girls.

 

[PatientPath]

Quite a few balck women do not know how to care for their hair and therefore are unable to grow their hair. This website is a perfect example of the results that "knowledge is power".

 

[live2bgr8]

I'm kind of torn on this discussion. Everyone's point is true even lil sis. The one mistake lil sis is making is the generalization of the whole race. As painful as it is to admit, African American hair is the most difficult hair to "manage". Those of us who have what is considered to be the average head of AA hair know this all too well. The beauty of what's happening with this forum is that women who never thought it was possible to have healthy hair, let alone long hair, are now able to achieve it because of sites like this.

My rant has to do with my sis in law. She and her children have beautiful thick hair (her boys and girls). She has gorgeous hair, it is tremendously thick and definitely a softer more manageable texture of hair. It has tons of elasticity (effortlessly) and no matter what she does, it grows healthy and beautiful. Well, my rant is that she told her son (who now has a girlfriend) that this girl better be light skinned and have "good hair". I found out because her daughter (teenager with hair down her back)thought it was funny and told a couple of us who were there visiting. I was so mortified but I didn't even know how to respond. She also insulted her younger brother by saying his girlfriend wasn't cute when she saw her picture because she is dark brown with short hair. I plan to talk to both boys and tell them separately that they can like/love whoever they choose to and if they base it on skin color and hair texture then they are making a huge mistake and eliminating a LOT of great girls.

It sounds like she's still mentally enslaved... Comments like this BURN ME UP!

The beauty of us (people of African heritage) is that our beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and hues. We are the most versitile and courageous people I know. (No, I'm not biased or hating anybody) it is true. I grew up in a predominantly white environment and have seen the other side...

I love my chocolate skin, because it's the skin God gave me.
And, if I want to wear a fro, I do. If I want my hair silky straight, I do it. I wear braids, long falls, short falls, twists and anything in between. I've even had a TWA.

One of my former WHITE colleagues was HONEST and said she wished she could do what I do with my hair. Another time, when I was looking my most lovely African self lol: )-- a white man (stranger) took it upon himself to draw my portrait on the subway. He gave it to me before I got to my stop. And-- no-- he didn't ask me for any money... He did it just because...

It seems like we-- as black people-- are still traumatized by the mental beat down. Only now we're beating up ourselves. I don't know why we're still playing this game. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We need to take the shakles off our minds...

Okay, I'll get off my soap box now.. .

 

[Candiss]

k.. ummm why do u think we have to DO so much to grow our hair out?..while other races just leave it alone and it grows by itself simply

You know what, when it is all said and done the reason we can't retain length as easily as other races is because ....God wasn't concerned about that when he made us. God wasn't sitting around thinking about how he had to make our hair a certain way so it could grow to butt length. Long hair is desirable because our human race has decided it should be so. Just like our human race has decided hair is more that a covering. It's now an accessory to be be manipulated and seen in the latest fashion. YES, we can grow our hair long and retain length BUT we have to go through way more that An Asian woman, or white woman or hispanic woman. They don't have to do anything, which is why you see three year old nonblacks with long hair. In the end, if you want long hair, you have to protect your ends. I mean you have to practically wage a war. You have to do the protective styles and and the baggying and the low manipulation to try to make the ends of highly textured hair NOT do something it naturally wants to do, which is break off. We are fighting against nature and that is all there is to that. Other races have pretty straight hair, (relatively speaking and yes I know there are exceptions, but I'm talking about the rule, not the exception) that can grow uninterrupted from the twists and turns and tangles that inhibit our length retention.I also think that even if every black women knew all the things we know on this site, you will still see many women with the same issues, because many women will just say it's not worth it, which is a legitimate excuse. So, for black women who want long hair, I think the journey starts IN your head first and ON your head second. We have to stop comparing our hair and what it does to women of other races.

 

[Blu217]

Blu217:

Do you really feel it is not practical for a Black woman to wear her hair in the natural state?

I see a lot of women here and on the street that think it is okay.

I think that Black women have long been conditioned that nappy hair is bad and see wearing their hair in the natural state as not practical.

I know Western beauty rules but it makes me so sad to read that it is not practical.

I think it is practical and I think Black women have been so focused on what other Black women and men as well as other races are thinking of their hair that they never focus on what they want or what is healthy for their hair.

I think if relaxing is a style of choice than so be it but if it is done because someone is afraid of revealving their naps..well that is just sad. Come on most races know that is not your hair type. I wonder how some women would survive if there was no water to wash out their relaxers..I guess everyone would be wigging it. It makes me sad that some women rather not pay a bill just to get their hair "done".

Honestly, I have found many people of other races that find nappy hair beautiful. However, I have seen Black women literally make fun of other Black women hair. Who else uses the term "good hair". I even see it on tv..which makes the horrible terminology of "good hair" further ingrained in more Black children that will later become adults. Anyone ever see "Girlfriends" or "the Game". I do not find offensive references to Black hair funny.

I think it is not so much society norms that are the problem but more the Black woman's mind. The Black woman has long been beautiful, even her hair.

A black woman once told me "Sometimes in life you must teach others how you wish to be treated by your actions because telling them is not always enough and sometimes your words do not match your actions".

Hey Spiceykitty -

I agree that well-kept natural black hair is beautiful. I meant "practical" as a generalization, based on my experiences and what I've observed. Even here on the board, in my reading it seems a lot of women who transition eventually find that the natural hair is so time-consuming and complex to maintain that they ultimately relax or texturize again. I myself have been forced to stretch my relaxers after a diagnosis of scarring of my scalp from chemical processes. I've learned some fascinating things about my natural texture--and during my time considering whether to go natural, I've learned this is NOT for me. Two months later, I find my hair tying around itself in knots; I've never experienced that. I know this would be more than I'm prepared to handle, because as for many kinky-haired women, it's just not practical for my lifestyle.

There are women who can make kinky hair work, absolutely. But I don't think there's a thing wrong with not preferring to sport one's kinky texture--it's not an indictment of my racial makeup that I don't want to wear an afro, nor do I feel, as do some, that because I choose to relax I am somehow rejecting my heritage. I just want to be able to MANAGE my hair, quickly and easily! I don't want to look like a white chick, I don't want to flip it every five minutes. I want to comb it without breakage, I want to style it different ways, I want flexibility. I think a lot of women just don't have the time for natural hair, and because we all like different kinds of hairstyles, some of us just don't prefer the afro, dread locks, twists, puffs, whatever.

I think relaxers are so prevalent simply because many women of color want or need the flexibility and from that perspective, the "practicality" they provide.

 

[hairmaster]

My view is that black woman have been taught to do hair by their family members and to use grease and heat that hinders the growth and burns up their hair, if you try to suggest to them another way to take care of their hair the say it don't work on my hair, (It's not sold in the black hair care aisle or bss.) Education is the key.