Proctor & Gamble study: 50% of Black Women have natural hair or transitioning

[koolkittychick]

I would guess that number is way high for my area; I would say about 20-30% of the BW I see are natural, and then the rest are split 30/70 between relaxed and extensions of some kind (wig/weave/braids), the extensions being the majority.

What is going on underneath those extensions I have no clue, but it seems to be a full-time thing among the women who choose that route (i.e., they don't bother with their real hair because they never wear it).

Of the women who wear their hair natural, only 20% of them have type 4 hair; the rest have type 3 or looser because of the high concentration of Latino/Caribbean mixes where I live. So it's rare to see Afro type hair, and nearly impossible to see beautiful big Afros or long kinky hair. When I wore my hair natural and grew it out to APL, I was one of a handful of women I saw anywhere who wore their hair in a BAF (Big A## Puff) or in shoulder-length twists without the use of extensions. I suppose that's why I kept having people compliment and try to pet my hair.

 

[mad]

I live in Montreal (Canada) and those numbers don't apply to us. For every 20 BW's hair I see, 1 or 2 is natural. I am the only one natural among all of my friends (20 or more).

 

[RZILYNT]

P&G Head Quarters is here in Cincinnati. Many women here are natural. Recently PG was trying to enlist naturals into a hair product study for 200.00 to participate, but my girlfriend declined and wanted to refer me. You have to use their product and only theirs for the study. Neither one of us wanted to risk any ill affects for a trial study. For her this is the longest her hair has ever been. So the have taken a sample study somewhere to determine the percentage as they want a share in the black hair care market.

RZ~

 

[naturalmanenyc]

No, 50% is too high. I travel a lot for work and only in NYC do I see a ton of naturals. Most of the women I see, east coasters mostly, are relaxed or in wigs, weaves and braids.

 

[Ogoma]

^^ But they could be natural under the wigs and weaves, etc.

 

[blue_flower]

Natural hair in my city is RARE.

 

[Arian]

I am relaxed and I am the minority. I feel like everyone is rocking natural hair, especially at my church. I'm one of the only ones that uses a relaxer.

Off topic: I can't stand when a large company tries to capitalize on the natural/transitioning marketing with sub-par, downright cheap ingredients with 0.5% of shea butter and call it a natural product for natural hair.

Like Pantene for Naturals...the ingredients are the same as the relaxed line. The last two ingredients are coconut oil and jojoba oil. WTF?

 

[greenandchic]

Instyle Hair magazine Spring 2013 issue pg.58

I wish I could copy it here but it's in my magazine. What do you think? Does this reflect your reality? I know in NY it may be true but when I visit my mom in KY it's the opposite. Relaxers rule.
This is not to knock relaxers. I just think it's great that women believe they have more options now and are not afraid of experimenting with the hair coming out of their heads (again not that relaxed are but there was a point where very few ppl were letting you see their hair unless it was 3c or looser).




“Natural hair is not a fad, it’s a choice,” said Audra Cooper, the owner of Naturally Divine Beauty. The popularity of natural hairstyles has spawned a crop of specialty beauty parlors throughout the region, and shifted the economic balance of the $185 million black hair-care market
http://www.dallassouthnews.org/2013/01/10/black-hair-care-market-is-a-185-million-business/


So anyways does this reflect the reality in your neighborhood.

Not necessarily where I live. I still see a lot of Dollar Tree weaves, doll hair wigs and torn up edges up in the Pacific NW. Relaxed or natural, there isn't a lot of hair care. You DO see it, but not as much as when I was in the Bay Area.

 

[BraunSugar]

Not necessarily where I live. I still see a lot of Dollar Tree weaves, doll hair wigs and torn up edges up in the Pacific NW. Relaxed or natural, there isn't a lot of hair care. You DO see it, but not as much as when I was in the Bay Area.

Truth.

I'm in the Seattle area and um... yeah.

I'm one of the few natural heads I've seen. I'm also one of the few wearing my own hair.

 

[browneyedgrl]

It could be, especially since many are natural under braids, wigs, weaves, press & curls and sleekly flat ironed hair. You never truly know.

 

[LivingInPeace]

I see a lot of naturals in my city. I would say at least 50% of the women I know are natural.

 

[greenandchic]

Truth.

I'm in the Seattle area and um... yeah.

I'm one of the few natural heads I've seen. I'm also one of the few wearing my own hair.

Makes me wonder who's buying up all the Kinky Curly, Jane Carter, Queen Helene at Whole Foods (4 locations in Portland proper and it sells pretty well) and Shea Moisture at Walgreens and Target. Cant keep the stuff on the shelves here.

 

[05girl]

I think it will be very interesting in say 10 years, to see if the next generations carry on rocking natural curls, straightening, or weaving/wigging....

 

[caribeandiva]

The times they a'changing!

 

[Renewed1]

I live in the Chicagoland area ('burbs). IMO, I see it slowly changing to more naturals. But I do see alot of (bad) curly wigs, (bad) curly weaves, snatched edges, etc.

Especially now since the summer is almost upon us.

 

[spelmanlocks]

It's very popular where I live, I would say that 50% is probably right for my area, probably greater. Even at the salon I used to visit there are a bunch of girls that I always saw come in for a weave but have super thick natural hair under it.

 

[Ogoma]

Makes me wonder who's buying up all the Kinky Curly, Jane Carter, Queen Helene at Whole Foods (4 locations in Portland proper and it sells pretty well) and Shea Moisture at Walgreens and Target. Cant keep the stuff on the shelves here.

I guess you never know what is under those weaves and wigs.

 

[greenandchic]

I guess you never know what is under those weaves and wigs.

LOL, you're right about that! Plus I've seen more white folks buy theses products lately anyway. They are also all up in the BSS as well. 7% black population isn't buying up ALL of those products.

 

[Dellas]

@MixedGirl

Does that reflect the reality where you live? I'm curious for others if this is true...that they find about half the people around them are not relaxed. Don't get me wrong I straighten at times so I'm sure sometimes people think I'm relaxed so I know we can't get it 100 percent accurate.

A few months ago I was at a speaking engagement and only 1 in 10 people had a perm. In fact, I took a poll because I thought it was so funny. But these were high SES people. I wonder about low SES?

 

[PennyK]

In my area, it seems to be a 3 way tie between, relaxed, natural, and wigs/weaves. Of course one can never tell what's under the wigs and weaves... but I still see a lot of damaged hair. It doesn't matter to me if a person is relaxed or natural, long or short, but I love to see healthy hair. Like one poster already said, it'd be nice to see a healthy hair movement.

 

[sunnieb]

A few months ago I was at a speaking engagement and only 1 in 10 people had a perm. In fact, I took a poll because I thought it was so funny. But these were high SES people. I wonder about low SES?

Here we go......

Sent from my Comet using LHCF

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

In L.A., there's an hodgepodge of heads. You have relaxed, natural, transitioning, weaved (but natural), weaved (but relaxed), twa, baa, straightened naturals, loc'd, and braided. However, naturals are gaining momentum, which I love to see. Sometimes, the stigma of being natural here is that you're a hippie, free spirited "artist". Granted, I am; but, don't stereotype everyone.

 

[Raspberry]

I agree with sunnieb that many relaxed heads are relaxing less often. Not ton mention many women end up stretching inadvertently when they wear weaves back to back... Plus the women who only relax their leave-out and what not.

 

[NaiyaAi]

@MixedGirl

Does that reflect the reality where you live? I'm curious for others if this is true...that they find about half the people around them are not relaxed. Don't get me wrong I straighten at times so I'm sure sometimes people think I'm relaxed so I know we can't get it 100 percent accurate.

I think it's *possible*, but so many people I know wear weaves and twists (no one I know really wears braids anymore) all the time that I don't know since I've never asked. But for the ones that I know for sure whether they're relaxed or natural, most of them are natural.

 

[NaiyaAi]

A few months ago I was at a speaking engagement and only 1 in 10 people had a perm. In fact, I took a poll because I thought it was so funny. But these were high SES people. I wonder about low SES?

Adel10 What does SES stand for?

 

[TheNDofUO]

Most black girls I know are natural. None if them wear their hair kinky though. Wigs or weaves or braids or blowouts (rare).
There is little point to being relaxed if your hair is never out
(btw I'm texlaxed and I wig almost 24/7)