HAPPY TO BE NAPPY

"Men and women would put their hair in a hot chemical mixture that would almost burn their scalp, so they could comb it back and make it look more European and silky." Many blacks argue that imitating European standards of beauty and grooming were necessary for blacks to be accepted by nationalities culture, especially by potential masters and employers. For generations hairstyles have reflected the history of American race relations, and the way blacks wore their hair reflected the dominant nationalities culture. African-American hair was straightened, combed, or parted to mimic Western coiffures. In response to the propaganda in black communities to accept the European standards of beauty, the black hair care market expanded. Socially, hair grooming played a significant part in status and identity in tribes. Therefore, it was very important for the head female in each family to be very skilled in creating the appropriate styles and teaching this craft to their daughters. It was considered a big deal to wear your hair neat and groomed, hair worn out loosely was looked upon as someone mentally unstable, filthy, or in mourning. . In the early 1900s, Annie Malone and Madam C.J. Walker started to develop products that targeted the want for straighter hair. Annie Malone sold a "Wonderful Hair Grower" treatment product and promoted the use of the hot comb through her Poro Company. While still far from enjoyable, the electrical hot comb was a gentler alternative to previous heated straightening methods. Starting in 1905, Madam C.J. Walker became a self-made millionaire with her home remedy for hair and scalp issues, the infamous "Walker Method," which combined a heated comb with pomade. In the 1960s and '70s, came the rise of the natural hair movement that encouraged black communities to accept their hair and turn away from damaging products.

With political activists such as Angela Davis, Huey P. Newton and Jesse Jackson proudly rocking Afros while fighting oppression, the hairstyle quickly emerged as a symbol for black beauty, liberation and pride. Today, black women with nappy hair — that is, natural and chemical-free — are desirable despite the popular discourse to the contrary. The first misconception is that natural hair is "dirty". The second is that natural hair do grow (hence the obsession with hair length, hair extensions and dreadlocks). Many black women and men who wear weaves and relax their hair will explain their choice by either saying that their natural hair is "unmanageable" or that natural hair is "dirty." This is one of the most enduring stereotypes about black hair. During slavery, hair styles and maintenance changed because the identity of the black woman changed. For one thing, on some plantations slave women were not allowed to wear anything but scarves. Some southern states made scarves a requirement for slave women to distinguish them from free black women. Headscarves were associated with low status and destitution. It was an ugly mark of inferiority. But scarves weren't the only way that slave women were made to feel aesthetically inferior. Without access to proper hair care products of the day, many slave women resorted to using toxic substances like kerosene, butter, and animal fat on their fragile strands. No distinctions are made for race or ethnicity, only gender, in that the regulations regarding hair are divided between women and men. But it's not hard to infer that certain sections pertain specifically to black women, since they refer to hairstyles like cornrows, braids, twists and dreadlocks, severely limiting or banning them outright. Now more Black women have been embracing their natural hair textures. Natural hair care lines have been booming. There are products created for all hair types and textures. There is a rise in the black self-love, embracing all physical features that were labeled ugly by non-black culture. Our hair defies gravity and we have to own it and love it. It is a part of who we are and where we came from! Love your natural self, regardless of what others say. Contrary to protective hairstyles, many methods to straighten kinky hair lead to breakage and could result in permanent damage. Hot combs, perms and relaxers all will straighten kinky hair, but can also cause burns. The most potent are relaxer creams that chemically straighten hair. The active agents are usually alkali or ammonium thioglycolate, which can result in serious acid burns, bald patches, scars and infections if improperly used. A famous scene in the Chris Rock documentary "Good Hair"shows an entire soda can being dissolved in a relaxer-based solution.  Men would go to the Barbers to groom themselves and women would go to the salon to get their hair done. However in early 20th century, braided hair and cornrows portrayed low status and was associated with those who lived in rural areas. As the black hair community got stronger women would create hair events to gather black women not to be ashamed and be proud of who they are as their hair shouldn't represent their status and personality. Black hair is beautiful especially when it is in its natural state and this is the idea that a lot of women from the African diaspora are starting to embrace in today's society. The self-hate stereotype stems from the notion, likely popularized by Malcolm X that Black people who straighten their hair have internalized beauty standards that are intrinsically biased towards Eurocentric physical attributes. I still hold onto the memories of those home beauticians wielding that hot comb! As a young girl, I spent many Saturday afternoons screaming the top of my lungs while she tamed my wild, kinky hair with a hot straightening comb. The tears flowed as soon as she spread pomade along my hairline, ears while burying my head in her lap so she could get to the rough edges around the nape of my neck called the "kitchen." "Hold still, girl," she would say as she ran the hot metal comb through my hair. She'd also clean up our napes, and we were always told, "hold your ear!" However much we cringed at the steam rising, or the hiss and pop the hot comb made when it touched our strands, we always left the house looking fresher than a crisp $2 bill. . To test the heat of the comb, many people recommend using a paper towel (not the really cheap thin ones) and holding it against the instrument. If the paper begins to burn, then it's obvious that the comb is waaay too hot. And just as you wouldn't want a scorching hot flat iron on your strands (for your hair and your hand's benefit), you sure don't want a searing hot comb passing through your head, close to your scalp. Not only can it burn your hair, but that can also lead to hair loss. My mother will called this a touch up in between perming my hair. Could not enjoy my pool time with family and friends because my hair will be ruined after the water hits it. I have not had my hair "dyed, fired, and laid to the side" in years. I wear it naturally or in braids now. Today I can still smell the hot comb on the stove heating up.

Glad to be without perm or hot comb, happy to be nappy.