Oh NO my PH.D Professor didn't!!!!!!

[Bosslady1]

Yea that would've pissed me off too, but you're so mad you don't say anything then you go home and think of all the ish you should've said. Don't worry just keep growing girl...you'll get the last laugh

I like that!

 

[Bosslady1]

I would email her. If you want, u can PM me adn I'll do it. The professor was dead wrong on more than one level. For example, Spanish? What the heck? Did she mean latinos? Some latinos are black! The two groups are not mutually exclusive. Plus, it is not ur race, it is ur hair! There are white people who have very kinky hair and have the same problems that some AAs have. There are black people who have very strong fast growing hair. There are even some Indian people who have thinning hair that is harder to grow.

I'm assuming that she is like a sociology professor of some sorts and she was talking about black identity and how hard black people try to immulate whiteness in some respects. So, when we relax our hair or wear extensions, it is in some way b/c we want to be more like whites. smh...

She is a criminologist. This class is dealing with drugs, alcohol, & behavior. The topic was on cancer patients and how their treatment kills both good and bad cells.

The good cells can recover. (ex. hair)

 

[Bosslady1]

*nod* That's the same study I saw - they shaved the heads, and then measured the hair over the next few days.... I'm sure if you ask your professor for her sources, she'll be able to dig something up - let me see if I can find what I was looking at - it was just yesterday, too....[/quote]


I hope you find it! I wanna see!

 

[GoingNatural]

regardless of the rate of growth, because that varies for EVERYONE. Just like Asians may be overall "shorter" there are Yao Ming's out there. actually I believe the tallest person in the world is asian? I digress. Regardless of the rate of growth I hope your professor understands that the potential to grow long hair is there for all of us. Even if someone grows a bit slower the potential to get to Hip Length is there IMO.

I loved the point about Latin people--some do have african ancestry..or is she not including them lol

 

[Miss*Tress]

She is a criminologist. This class is dealing with drugs, alcohol, & behavior. The topic was on cancer patients and how their treatment kills both good and bad cells.

The good cells can recover. (ex. hair)

It could have been worse: at least she didn't say that black people are genetically inclined to criminal behaviour. Admittedly, it was a stupid comment about hair growth (and doesn't seem to have anything to do with the subject either), but it wouldn't bother me.

 

[JustKiya]

Here is the link that I read yesterday, demonstrating the different growth rates of different types of hair (I was looking into hair science.... )

I've also read that piece of information before as far as the difference in growth rates - I never bothered digging up the actual study, cuz I really don't care that someone else's hair grows faster than mine (*shrug*), but I'm sure that they are out there in one of the cosmetic science journals....

 

[*Frisky*]

Last night in class she had the nerve to open her mouth and tell the class that black folks hair do not grow as fast as white/spanish folks hair. (mind you....she is black with apl hair)

How could she put her race down like that!?

We all on this board know that it is not a matter of hair growth that causes our race (black) to not have "long hair" but it is a matter of retaining what you grow! Chemicals play a part in that! As well as dryness and coarseness. Everybody's hair normally grow .5 inches a month.

You should have seeeen the way the other races got amped and started flipping their hair around for the remainder of the night!

I know we can grow our hair long, I just felt she totally discredited us.

She is a ignorant ***** for thinking like that.

Random rant ova...

I am a tad bit confused. If all she said was that black hair doesn't grow as fast as white/hispanic hair then I really see no problem with that statement..now if she went on to say that black hair will never grow past a certain length or something along those lines then maybe she does need to be educated a little but other wise, I dont see a problem.

 

[Qualitee]

Here is the link that I read yesterday, demonstrating the different growth rates of different types of hair (I was looking into hair science.... )

I've also read that piece of information before as far as the difference in growth rates - I never bothered digging up the actual study, cuz I really don't care that someone else's hair grows faster than mine (*shrug*), but I'm sure that they are out there in one of the cosmetic science journals....

0.9 cm a month lol plz they need to update that or something

 

[JustKiya]

0.9 cm a month lol plz they need to update that or something

0.9cm = roughly 1/3 a inch a month......

Considering the average growth rate is between 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch a month, that's right in line....

 

[GOD]

Mountains out of molehills.

The professor didnt explicitly say that race was "a" or "the" determinant in hair growth.

 

[Monigirl]

I hate when Tyra banks says stuff like this on her show.... makes me want to scream!!!!

 

[Lovelylocs]

I am a tad bit confused. If all she said was that black hair doesn't grow as fast as white/hispanic hair then I really see no problem with that statement..now if she went on to say that black hair will never grow past a certain length or something along those lines then maybe she does need to be educated a little but other wise, I dont see a problem.

Interesting, well the hispanic/latino/Spanish thing is quite ignorant to me. She needs to take a trip down to La Havana, Santo Domingo, and/or Panama City (to name a few places) and see how the hair of the blacks there grows in relation to hers. Will she tell them that they are not really latino? Or, that they are not the latinos that she was referring to when she made those comments b/c they don't really represent the norm? Hopefully, she would just apologize...

Even if she were just to compare black on avg to white on avg. , I think it would depend on how slow she is talking. B/c if she says a slow enough rate it would practically be saying that our hair won't grow past a certain length given the lifespan of a strand of hair, right?

 

[JustKiya]

Even if she were just to compare black on avg to white on avg. , I think it would depend on how slow she is talking. B/c if she says a slow enough rate it would practically be saying that our hair won't grow past a certain length given the lifespan of a strand of hair, right?

Not necessarily - I don't think that they have done any studies as far as whether the growth rate is linked to the length of the growth cycle.....but the idea that hair won't grow past a certain length IS the concept of terminal length - it's just that few of us KNOW how long our growth cycle is.....

 

[anon123]

NappyWomyn, you know since you pointed that out I had to go look. I wasn't able to view the whole article because, by unfortunate coincidence (what is the opposite of "felicity"?), my univ.'s off-campus proxy server is down and you have to have some kind of subscription to read the journal article. Should be back up later today. But for anyone interested, here is an abstract of a study done:

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1101650

It did show differences in growth rates, among other things, between white and black people's hair. Interestingly, no difference between men and women's growth patterns, as I know that is something people sometimes talk about.

 

[jada1111]

All I can say is that ignorance in the black communities all over the world about our hair is rampant.

Thank GOD for the internet and hair sites like this one and others that PROVE otherwise. Maybe if many of these sistas would stop using the weaves and wigs for a little bit and take the time out to really CARE FOR THEIR HAIR, then they too would know the TRUTH.

I've been natural for close to five years, but even with several trims in between that time, you would think my hair doesn't grow because of INTENSE SHRINKAGE!! I can't tell you how much this annoys me. I've found only TWO product lines that combat this - Miss Jessies Curly Pudding (old formula) and Curlisto's Structura Lotion/Gel II combo.

When I do twistouts you can see the length better. I've decided not to "trim" it professionally anymore, because even though it's just once a year and they don't take that much off, it takes awhile for my hair to get back to "normal". I'll just be lightly dusting the ends off from now on.

 

[Neesha]

This would have been a good opportunity for you to share a different perspective. If people hear the same message/"facts" repeatedly, then you shouldn't expect them to believe otherwise. If the AA professor made the statement and none of the AA students disagreed, then your silence is viewed as agreement. You might have felt uncomfortable speaking out in class but that is preferable to feeling regret or anger later over the missed opportunity, IMHO.

What she said

 

[chicacanella]

I'm not saying that I don't believe you. But, where is that documented? And how can we be sure that that the results of the study are accurate? How do we know that those women take care of their scalp properly and don't clog it up w/grease like so many black women unfortunately do?

That is what I have been asking for the longest about these "studies?"

Questions: Did the black women have relaxed or natural hair?

How often did they use heat?

Did they moisturize and keep the balance of the hair properly?

What were their eating habits?

Did they take any vitamins or supplements?

How did they deal with their hair on a regular basis?

What was the condition of their hair before the study?

Did they keep a clean scalp on a regular basis as we know Caucasians tend to wash more which speeds up growth?

 

[JustKiya]

NappyWomyn, you know since you pointed that out I had to go look. I wasn't able to view the whole article because, by unfortunate coincidence (what is the opposite of "felicity"?), my univ.'s off-campus proxy server is down and you have to have some kind of subscription to read the journal article. Should be back up later today. But for anyone interested, here is an abstract of a study done:

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1101650

It did show differences in growth rates, among other things, between white and black people's hair. Interestingly, no difference between men and women's growth patterns, as I know that is something people sometimes talk about.

Oooh, thank you for that!! I actually think I remember seeing this study too, but it was a while ago.
I wish those subscriptions weren't so STEEP - I'd be reading a couple of different journals!

That is what I have been asking for the longest about these "studies?"
Questions: Did the black women have relaxed or natural hair?
How often did they use heat?
Did they moisturize and keep the balance of the hair properly?
What were their eating habits?
Did they take any vitamins or supplements?
How did they deal with their hair on a regular basis?
What was the condition of their hair before the study?
Did they keep a clean scalp on a regular basis as we know Caucasians tend to wash more which speeds up growth?

Here's the abstract, in case anyone can't read it....

Background
Hair growth parameters have been studied mostly in caucasian hair, whereas few data on African hair have been reported in the literature. Objectives To evaluate hair growth characteristics of African volunteers born in Africa. Methods Thirty-eight young adults (19 women, 19 men, mean ± SD age 27 ± 10 years), native of central and western Africa, took part in the study. Phototrichograms were performed in order to record three parameters of hair growth: hair density, telogen percentage and rate of growth. For each volunteer, three regions of the scalp, namely vertex, temporal and occipital areas, were assessed.

Results
Hair density varied from 90 to 290 hairs cm[-2], with higher counts on the vertex. No significant difference between men and women was recorded. Telogen percentage showed wide variations, from 2 to 46%, with higher levels on the temporal area and in men. The rate of growth fluctuated from 150 to 363 μm day[-1] with no difference related either to gender or to scalp region. These data were compared with those previously obtained in caucasian volunteers of comparable age, and showed significant differences between the two ethnic groups in all three parameters studied. Hair density in African volunteers was lower than that in caucasians (mean ± SD 190 ± 40 and 227 ± 55 hairs cm[-2], respectively). African hair grew at a much slower rate than caucasian hair (mean ± SD 256 ± 44 vs. 396 ± 55 μm day[-1]) and telogen counts were frequently higher in African hair (mean ± SD 18 ± 9% vs. 14 ± 11%).

Conclusions This study demonstrated significant differences between African and caucasian hair growth parameters, which might suggest a trend towards increased hair loss in Africans, even though it contrasts with a lower and slower incidence of the development of alopecia in Africans.

I would assume that they judged them from shaved, - the phototrichograms here are clearly done on bald scalps.

 

[*Frisky*]

Interesting, well the hispanic/latino/Spanish thing is quite ignorant to me. She needs to take a trip down to La Havana, Santo Domingo, and/or Panama City (to name a few places) and see how the hair of the blacks there grows in relation to hers. Will she tell them that they are not really latino? Or, that they are not the latinos that she was referring to when she made those comments b/c they don't really represent the norm? Hopefully, she would just apologize...

Even if she were just to compare black on avg to white on avg. , I think it would depend on how slow she is talking. B/c if she says a slow enough rate it would practically be saying that our hair won't grow past a certain length given the lifespan of a strand of hair, right?[/quote]


Personally I dont think so...I try not to assume what people mean. I like to hear them say something plainly. Just by her saying that black hair doesn't grow as fast doesn't automatically mean she thinks black hair won't grow long. The professor has APL hair herself so she must has some thoughts about hair growth but again, I don't want to assume she meant someting else off of her obvious statement.

 

[jada1111]

I am a tad bit confused. If all she said was that black hair doesn't grow as fast as white/hispanic hair then I really see no problem with that statement..now if she went on to say that black hair will never grow past a certain length or something along those lines then maybe she does need to be educated a little but other wise, I dont see a problem.

You know ALL of the hairtypes from various cultures grow at the same rate, but because AFRO hair is way more coilier than the others, it "appears" shorter as if it doesn't grow that fast.

Also, bad styling techniques and products play a VERY BIG part in hindering the growth process as well.

 

[jada1111]

That is what I have been asking for the longest about these "studies?"

Questions: Did the black women have relaxed or natural hair?

How often did they use heat?

Did they moisturize and keep the balance of the hair properly?

What were their eating habits?

Did they take any vitamins or supplements?

How did they deal with their hair on a regular basis?

What was the condition of their hair before the study?

Did they keep a clean scalp on a regular basis as we know Caucasians tend to wash more which speeds up growth?

Yep. These "studies" are bogus.

They need to ask the women on LHCF and other hair sites how they grow THEIR hair and keep it looking fabulous.

 

[Moonxyz]

Qualifications are overrated these days.

Having a PHD probably means that you are dedicated to your work, not that you are actually more intelligent than others .

People need to learn the difference between retaining and growing.

 

[krissynick]

I am a tad bit confused. If all she said was that black hair doesn't grow as fast as white/hispanic hair then I really see no problem with that statement..now if she went on to say that black hair will never grow past a certain length or something along those lines then maybe she does need to be educated a little but other wise, I dont see a problem.

i guess ur kinda right too... i guess were just so use to ppl playing our hair we got a lil rowled up lol

 

[GoingNatural]

I think she just made an over-general statement. That's what bothered me.

 

[Bosslady1]

Here is the link that I read yesterday, demonstrating the different growth rates of different types of hair (I was looking into hair science.... )

I've also read that piece of information before as far as the difference in growth rates - I never bothered digging up the actual study, cuz I really don't care that someone else's hair grows faster than mine (*shrug*), but I'm sure that they are out there in one of the cosmetic science journals....

Thank you!

 

[Hair Iam]

Have a little mercy on the poor ignorant woman.

 

[Jazala]

This topic intrigues me so I did a web search for more info on growth rates.
According to this:

http://www.hairscientists.org/ hair.htm

Rate of growth

Normal Caucasian hair growth rate is 1-2 cm per month. Researchers have shown that this rate of growth may reduce beyond the length of approx. 27cm. Afro-Caribbean hair growth rate is approximately half that of Caucasian, and due to the fragility of their multi-helixal structure, rarely attain great length. Asian hair-shafts grow rapidly exceeding the average for Caucasians and may attain great length.

Also from the same website (under hair maintenance recommendations):

http://www.hairscientists.org/afro-hair.htm

Afro-Caribbean hair can look healthy shiny and retain reasonable length , whether in its virgin or chemically processed state if given the proper care and attention at all times. Black hair requires careful management on a daily basis to restore any loss of tensile strength and maintain a natural balance of moisture.

That professor was likely going by what the established hair scientist have been reporting. Growth rate =/= growth retention... Don't let her statments upset you.

 

[beautifulisaunderstatment]

Im sorry I agree with her. Honestly I think black people have a harder time growing hair AND our hair grows slower. Yes there are some black people who have faster growing hair but fo rthe most part I think we are UNDER the average of 1/2 an inch a month.

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

I think that even if what the professor was saying were 100% true, did she REALLY have to mention that bit of info to the WHOLE class?? What point did it serve?

Not only that, but the professor is black herself! How many white professors (or white people in general) do you see/hear putting down their OWN people in front of other races??

It's just kind of sad if you ask me.

 

[Brownie518]

It could have been worse: at least she didn't say that black people are genetically inclined to criminal behaviour. Admittedly, it was a stupid comment about hair growth (and doesn't seem to have anything to do with the subject either), but it wouldn't bother me.

She may have been incorrect but I would not have been bothered, either. Even if it was true, so what? My hair grows slower and what? That makes me a lesser being? Inhuman? I don't get it. I don't see how that is offensive, true or not.