It’s a story as old as time. Black women are very attached to their hair. Natural, relaxed, or somewhere in between it’s a very large part of our identity.  Yesterday while perusing the comment section of a blog that caters to Black women I saw a picture of rapper Nicki Minaj showcasing a long ponytail with the hashtag #natural #noextensions.

This particular post reached over 200 comments and ranged from “You go girl, embrace that natural hair” to “I don’t believe it”. I even saw a comment that said “Black women’s hair doesn’t grow past their ears”. This post got me to thinking. Would a Non Black celebrity flaunting her natural locks garner as much attention? Well of course not!

As a woman with Non Black friends I can tell you that hair is a big deal to women of all colors. It’s our crowning glory and some women’s identity. However it’s big business in the Black Community. We spend half a trillion dollars on hair. Let me repeat that half a TRILLION dollars on hair and hair products and this number continues to climb! I admit that I am a part of the problem so I am not judging but when you consider that the median household income for African Americans is slightly over 32,000 dollars a year as compared to 46,000 for other Americans it’s actually ridiculous. So the question remains. Why are Black women so obsessed with hair?

So let’s review the extensive history of Black Hair in America.

The book Hair Story written by Ayana D. Byrd and 

Lori L. Tharps   gives an in depth history of Black hair practices. In the 1700s most African American women were photographed with rags on their heads. This was due to the fact that there was very little time to do your hair when the majority of your day is spent working in the field and  or in the kitchen. In the 1800s slave ships stopped coming from Africa which caused the owners of slaves to allow the slaves Sundays off to rest in order to prolong their life expectancies.

Many of the women used this day to do their hair.

 Due to the lack of products for African American hair women used butter and bacon grease to moisturize their hair and combed their hair with combs used to shear sheep. Around this time the term “good hair” was introduced. Silkier hair was revered by slaves because it afforded some perks.  Lighter skinned slaves with “good hair” normally worked inside the house as opposed to toiling away in the field.

In the 1877 Black hair care would be changed forever. Enter the relaxer! Contrary to popular belief the relaxer was not invented by Madame C.J. Walker but on accident by Garrett A. Morgan the same Black man that invented the technology for the traffic signal.

This allowed for women and men of color to have the much coveted “good hair” regardless of genetics. The perm has been a staple in Black households for hundreds of years and even outlasted the Black Power Afro movement of the 60s and 70s.

Over 200 years later and hair is still a topic of much conversation in the Black community.  Black women are still obsessed with our hair but the conversation has changed. Whether you are natural, relaxed, or weaved to the Gods Black women are still in search of their own version of “good hair”.