Afro-textured hair

Afro-textured hair is a type of natural hair texture common among certain African populations around the world. This hair texture is also found in parts of the Asian continent and certain regions of Oceania. It is characterized by its thickness and curliness, with the curls being very tiny and spiral-shaped. This structure gives afro-textured hair a denser appearance compared to other hair textures such as wavy, curly, or straight. Historians believe afro-textured hair is the evolutionary product of an adaptive need among African ancestors who were exposed to extreme ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Some evolution experts suggest that afro-textured hair was the first hair texture of all modern humans.

Throughout history, people have used a number of terms to describe afro-textured hair such as “kinky,” “wooly,” and “nappy.” Some of these terms are now considered derogatory, however. In the United States, individuals who possess afro-textured hair have been subjected to racist and bigoted commentary throughout history. Such behavior stems from the era of slavery when African Americans were considered subordinate to whites. For many years, this treatment led to many African-Americans attempting to conform to white-dominated beauty standards. Ideas about afro-textured hair changed following the civil rights and black power movements. Since the late twentieth century, people have begun to embrace their afro-textured hair. As a result, the afro-textured hair care industry has boomed across North America.

Background

Historians believe afro-textured hair first developed within the African continent among early hominids. These human ancestors lived in intense heat and spent long hours in the sun. Evolutionary biologists believe that afro-textured hair was an adaptation the species made over the years to protect their head from the rays of the sun. Some scholars also believe that afro-textured hair adapted to provide cool air for the scalp, since its spiraled structure and wider follicular pattern allows more air to pass through the hair.

Throughout history, afro-textured hair grooming was an important lifestyle aspect of different cultures. Many African communities developed hairstyles that alluded to social rank and status, and well-groomed hair often indicated a respected social position. Dense and clean hair was an object of desire, and those with well-groomed hair were admired by the community. Some cultures had specific people tasked with hair grooming while others made grooming a social event. Afro-textured hair grooming was especially common among African women, who used the time to socialize and build community.

Beginning in the sixteenth century, millions of Africans were forced to abandon their hair grooming practices after being shipped across the sea as part of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Without access to their hair grooming resources, many Africans were forced to find new ways to wash and style their hair. Over the next few centuries, afro-textured hair in North America would see a series of popular styles come and go.

In the years following the African slave trade in the West, people began attaching stereotypes to afro-textured hair. These stereotypes were mostly racist and offensive. As a result, some Africans attempted to make their hair look more like white hair styles, so they would be considered more socially acceptable. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, straightening serums and other hair-straightening tools were developed to satisfy this demand. These attempts to fit in mostly came to an end in the 1960s following the civil rights movement. During this period, people with afro-textured hair began to embrace their ancestry and take pride in their hair differences. A popular hairstyle during this time was the “afro,” which involved combing the curls upward away from the head to form a large, spherical hairstyle. Afro-textured hair became a symbol that challenged the white-dominated mainstream standards of hair. The Europeanization of afro-textured hair became a hot topic among scholars and historians as people began to recognize the feats many people with afro-textured hair go to just to achieve white standards of beauty. Writers also criticized the historical dearth of products tailored to afro-textured hair. The civil rights and black power movements pushed mainstream ideas about hair aside in favor of natural styles that reflected and celebrated the African identity.

Overview

Hair texture differs among ethnic groups, but all human hair is composed of the same basic chemical constituents, primarily a fibrous protein known as keratin. The hair that is visible to the naked eye is actually composed of dead cells packed with keratin. The visible hair on the head and body is also referred to as terminal hair. This hair is attached to oil-secreting glands called sebaceous glands. Hair texture differences are primarily due to the shape of a person’s follicles, which determines whether a person’s hair is straight or curly. Oval-shaped hair follicles produce curls, and the flatter the oval, the curlier the hair. Round follicles produce straight hair. Follicle curvature also determines the texture of hair. Straight hair follicles are pointed straight down from the skin’s surface to the dermal layer beneath. Curly hair follicles point down at an angle, which in turn produces the curl. Angled follicles make it more difficult for the oil from sebaceous glands to travel the length of the hair shafts, leading to dryness.

Afro-textured hair follicles have been found to be less concentrated than other types of hair. One study showed that among Caucasians, follicular density averaged at about 227 hairs per square centimeter. Afro-textured hair, on the other hand, had an average density of 190 hairs per square centimeter. This study also found that afro-textured hair grows more slowly than Caucasian hair. Afro-textured hair has a structural detail known as shrinkage, in which the actual length of the hair shaft is shrunken as a result of the tight curling of the hair. When stretched to full length, the hair shaft is much longer than when it is allowed to naturally coil. As afro-textured coils gather together, they curl about each other and give the hair a voluminous appearance. Some afro-textured hair has a tendency to twist in on itself, which can actually prevent curling with enough torsion.

Afro-textured hair has difficulty retaining water due to its angled follicle and tight coil. Water and oil from sebaceous glands cannot travel down the length of the coil as it does with straight hair. Afro-textured hair loses moisture quickly after washing, which leads to dryness. For this reason, afro-textured hair requires more moisture than other hair textures. As more people began embracing their natural afro-textured hair in the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the care and styling of this hair type became a major industry. Hair care products and salons specifically catering to the afro-textured hair community exploded across the United States, leading to a number of new styles designed with afro-textures hair needs in mind.

Bibliography

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Ruddock, Alma. “Shrinkage in Natural Curly Black Hair – How to Work with It.” Black Hair Information, blackhairinformation.com/by-type/natural-hair/shrinkage-in-natural-curly-black-hair-how-to-work-with-it/. Accessed 26 June 2019.

Tirado-Lee, Leidamarie. “The Science of Curls.” Helix, 20 May 2014, helix.northwestern.edu/blog/2014/05/science-curls. Accessed 26 June 2019.