5 Things to Know About African American Hair
Ms. Pretty L Things is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger from the UK. She is a self-professed beauty product junkie and a weave-aholic with no intention of going into rehab. When not guest posting here on Beauty Schools Directory, she can be found on her own site, PrettyLusciousThings.com, or on Twitter @MsPrettyLThings.
sponsored content, school availability varies by location
sponsored content, school availability varies by location
sponsored content, school availability varies by location
sponsored content, school availability varies by location
sponsored content, school availability varies by location
sponsored content, school availability varies by location
Is it real?
Lots of black women wear weaves and extensions, but whether it's grown from our own head or purchased we still consider it our own hair. This means "No, you cannot touch it or pull it to see if it moves." Why some women like to do this is beyond me. I've never desired to touch a random women's hair outside of the professional realm no matter how fantastic or different it looks. Any attempts to touch a black women's hair without permission will immediately result in a look that would wither Medusa.
Why do black women wear weaves, extensions or full-lace wigs?
Lots of women wear hair extensions, but for some reason it seems that the press focus on black women. Black women wear hair extensions for the same reason other women wear hair extensions - to look different, try out other textures and sometimes to protect our own hair from chemical treatments. Wearing weaves or extensions that are a different texture, colour or length to our own hair doesn't mean that we want to be Caucasian - we just like to mix it up! Haven't you sometimes wanted to be a ravishing redhead or have big voluminous hair?
Why don't you grow your own hair?
The structure of Black hair grows in a helix (spiral) pattern, rather than a straight pattern like Caucasian and Asian hair. This can make it difficult for black hair to grow, as the hair shaft is prone to breakage. Whilst the hair shaft can be prone to breakage it is not impossible for black women to grow their hair long. Keeping the hair moisturized, limiting use of damaging chemicals, and using methods like Ayurvedic can help stimulate hair growth. I know several black women who have naturally long hair. But for some black women our hair just "peaks" and won't grow any further. We then have a choice to accept it or to wear extensions. I choose extensions every time!
Why do you buy so many hair products?
Now this is a question akin to "Why do women buy so many shoes?" There is no explicable answer to this question! Most women are the same when it comes to taking care of our hair. Sometimes we need colour protection shampoo, shampoo with extra moisturizer, leave-in-conditioner, mousse or maybe hot oil treatments. So if you're wearing hair extensions then you may need to buy double the amount of products for your own hair texture and the texture of the hair extensions. Boy, that's a lot of products! I spend about £75 ($117 U.S. Dollars) a month on hair products, excluding the initial cost of the hair extensions. And like all the shoes that I've ever bought, I need every single one of those hair products!
Does your boyfriend know/care about you wearing hair extensions or your hair routine?
If you date a black man, then unless he was adopted by a non-black family or had no female relatives then he knows all about weaves, extensions and the black hair routine. And you know what? He doesn't care. All of his life he has come home to his sisters or mum having their hair done. He knows its very important to black women to take pride in their hair and he understands it costs money and time. And if you date inter-racially, what then? Personally, my hair routine stays the same whomever I date. My hair takes time, my money and you don't get to see my hair until I'm ready. (Am I right, ladies?) Yeah, that's right. Unless me and my man have been together a very long time he does not see me with my hair "undone." So off you go to the pub for the day or out with your mates until my hair is gorgeous again and I give you the all clear to come home. I'm not embarrassed about my real hair, I just like to leave a little mystery to the whole thing!
So there you have it! Hopefully this has answered some of the questions that you always wanted to ask your black friend (or classmates if you're becoming a hairstylist) about black hair but were afraid to ask.