Black hair has long been an integral part of black culture. It symbolizes identity, resistance, and freedom, yet many schools and workplaces continue to have discriminatory policies against natural styles. Even so, a movement has been expanding to decolonize attitudes toward black hair care and maintenance. Here are a few ways that this movement has taken form.
History
– Afro hair became popular during the Black Power and Civil Rights movements in the ’60s as an emblem of self-love, rebellion, and an affirmation of being oneself.
– Black hair continues to be politicized. From the disgraceful Pretoria High School incident to New York, New Jersey, and California’s Crown Act (which prohibits natural hair discrimination in schools and workplaces), it has been demonstrated that black women wearing their natural or enhanced natural state or braided, weaved, or wigged locks is far more than just an aesthetic trend.
– “Bad Hair” is an uplifting testament to black women and their unrivaled strength in staying true to themselves.
Styles
– No matter how you wear it, black hair has endless ways to turn heads at Fashion Week – from sleek bobs and elegant cornrows to voluptuous coils. Women demonstrated these styles beautifully at New York Fashion Week this year.
– Curly or kinky styles are also ideal for those who don’t wish to use heat styling tools, providing low maintenance needs while showing off your features.
– Chili offers a sleek and fashionable center-parted style for long black hair that can work for oval, heart, oblong, and diamond face shapes.
Hair Care
– Black women are avid consumers of hair care products and an integral component of industry growth, providing brands an opportunity to tap into and meet the needs of this market.
– Black consumers firmly link their hairstyles with personal identity, making the hair product category an ideal fit for businesses that provide products designed specifically for black hair.
– Sienna Naturals provides high-quality vegan and all-natural haircare products without sulfates, silicones, parabens, petroleum derivatives, or artificial fragrances.
Trends
– Hairstyles can be more than fashion statements; in ancient African societies, how people styled their hair was an indicator of rank, religion, and marital status.
– Recently, more black women have chosen to wear natural and textured hair, though this choice can present its own challenges.
– There are also plenty of new protective styles on the market, including lace front wigs, crochet soft locs, butterfly locs, and knotless braids – which have proven especially popular because of their sleeker appearance and gentler effect on Black hair.
