Everything You Need to Know About Hair Type
Hi, my friends. Over the last several weeks, I’ve been wracking my brain to find the right way to stand with the Black community and use my own platform to amplify the voices of the oppressed. I think we’re all coming to understand that there isn’t really a right way to go about this—it’s messy; we will never truly understand the plight of Blacks in America, and we are going to do things wrong. A dear friend of mine often says, “self-reflect, and self-correct.” It’s a sentiment I think is especially important when it comes to the touchy feelings that surround race. When we’re called out on our mistakes, there’s no need for defensiveness. Let’s self-reflect and self-correct.
Now onto beauty. The basis of my Black beauty knowledge comes from helping with a handful of stories written by a wonderful Black beauty writer (now editor). I won’t lie: I was uncomfortable. So much so that I even reached out and shared my concerns about offending her or any of the experts I reached out to. She helped me push through the discomfort—even embrace it—and I quickly realized the root of my discomfort lay in my ignorance. Beyond the racists and assholes, I don’t think most of us want to ignore Black beauty. I think it makes us uncomfortable because it is unknown to us and the unknown is scary.
I am not an expert on Black beauty. I will never be, and I will never claim to be. But I do think that I have, at the very least, a base level understanding of Black beauty. I’m hoping that maybe by spotlighting an aspect of Black beauty and explaining it in my own way, I can make people feel a little more comfortable.
We’re going to talk about hair. It is absolutely insane to me that people still like to talk about hair as if all hair is the same—Black hair is vastly different than white hair. How so? Buckle up.
Okay, I lied. I want to say one more thing before we dive in. Given that I don’t know a lot of culture surrounding Black hair and the like, I’m going to use a strictly fact-based approach here. But I want to be clear that a Black woman’s hair is not simply an object. How they style and take care of it is rooted deep in their ancestral history. What we’re going to discuss today is just a fraction of the conversation around Black hair.
Okay. Now buckle up.
How do we even talk about hair?
The best way to talk about hair, in my opinion, is by curl type. Hair is defined by two factors: How curly it is (Type 1 being straight and Type 4 being coily) and the width/diameter of those curls (A being the widest pattern and C being the tightest). Take a look at the breakdown below:
Okay, but this applies to people of all color, race, and ethnicity, right?
Yes, totally. But we have to understand that while white people can definitely have Type 3 or Type 4 curls (and many do!), far more Black people fall into those categories. In general, caucasian people tend to have wavy hair while Black people tend to have tight curls.
In terms of natural Black hair, much like most things in life, there’s really no one-size-fits all in terms of texture and growth pattern. However, there are a few general traits usually shared by most Black women when it comes to hair:
Drier than other hair textures
Fragile and delicate
Difficult to over-condition
While this sort of natural hair looks strong and healthy, it has an incredibly delicate texture and so it has to be treated incredibly delicately. This means frequent conditioning and moisturizing and little direct heat. And since daily hair washing strips our scalps of natural oils, it’s especially important for people with this type of hair texture to cut back on constant washing.
In my opinion, an important takeaway is that this type of hair requires a lot more attention and care than others.
Okay. I know there are a handful of hair styling options for Black women and men. Can you explain?
Probably not completely, but I’ll do my best as an outsider. I’m going to focus on natural hair styles right now. Here are some popular options:
Wash and Go: Wearing hair in its natural curl pattern, without manipulating the style with any tools, braids, stretching, etc. This video from beauty Youtuber Jackie Aina goes into depth about her own Wash and Go routine and explains it a whole lot better than I ever could.
Twist-Outs: Natural hair styling method that is achieved by installing several twists throughout damp hair and then allowing them to set and dry for several hours. The goal is to create defined curls that can be worn for a few days. This article by POPSUGAR’s Assistant Beauty Editor, Danielle Jackson, rounds up some killer twist-out looks.
Braids and Cornrows: Braids and cornrows are protective styles, which means they keep the ends tucked away and, in turn, promote hair growth and decreased shedding. The idea here is that braids (and cornrows) take far less time to manage than the hours Black women spend doing their natural hair each week. There’s a bunch of different styles, like box braids, marley twists, crochet braids, etc. I like this tutorial from Tiffani Renae on how to create box braids.
Bantu Knots: This ancestral style involves twisting hair into very cool-looking knots. This article from Essence shows a handful of celebrity-inspired bantu knot styles.
Afro: I’m going to assume we all know what afros look like. They’ve become a powerful symbol of black self-acceptance and are widely rocked by Black people everywhere. Bianca Lambert put together a great selection of different afro styles in this article on Byrdie.
I’m confused. I see a lot of Black women wear their hair super straight. What’s the deal?
This is generally achieved through chemically straightening (relaxing) hair or wearing a weave.
As to why it’s done? Honestly, mostly as a result of discrimination and racism. Think about the Eurocentric standards of beauty most of us hold. There’s a long history of hair discrimination, in which straighter, longer hair styles are seen as more beautiful, more professional, and less intimidating than coily, curly hair styles (the type most Black women have).
In short: people very often discriminate against Black people and perpetuate racism by rendering certain (negative) judgements based on how Black people wear their hair. It’s kind of the ultimate dick move. This is a well-documented phenomenon found across schools, businesses, and endless other institutions in the country, often going so far as to actually enact rules and regulations around how Black people can wear their hair. So, a lot of Black women (and men) feel like they need to change their hair (by chemically straightening hair, wearing a weave or a wig, etc.) to try and avoid hair discrimination.
That’s so shitty.
I agree, that’s why we’re talking about it. Beauty isn’t beauty if it’s not for everyone.
