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From Relaxers to Some Shampoos: Too Many Products Marketed to Black Women Are Bad for You
I have spent plenty of shopping trips browsing the “ethnic hair care” aisle. Women of color know all too well the constant hunt for the perfect product. As our hair-care knowledge, needs and routines (not to mention the seasons) change, we restock our product drawers accordingly. Whether you have a relaxer or are now natural,…
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Is My Natural Hair Holding Back My Career?
At a recent interview, I sat in the waiting area for the hiring manager to come and greet me and did my usual scan of employees while I waited. The receptionist was black (and wearing micro braids), and a man, who looked to be on the custodial staff, was speaking Spanish to another younger woman,…
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Victoria’s Secret Runway Show Sparks Natural-Hair Debate, Pitting Asian Women Against Black Women
Monday evening, Victoria’s Secret held its annual star-studded runway presentation. The usual fashion “it” girls strutted down the runway to performances by Lady Gaga, the Weeknd and Bruno Mars. It was pretty standard VS runway—with one kinky exception. Four gorgeous black models walked the runway with their natural tresses this year. I remember the coil-collective…
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How to Deal With the ‘When Are You Going to Do Something With Your Hair?’ Question During the Holidays
Being the youngest of my siblings, I watched them navigate many family gatherings where they were asked questions about their career goals, relationship status and state of womb occupancy. For a long time, I was always seen as the baby, and no one seemed to be rushing me into those next steps. It wasn’t until…
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You Can’t Touch Solange’s Hair, but You Can Ask to Touch Mine
If you have been natural for any length of time, you have more than likely had someone attempt to touch your hair. Strangers and friends of various races and ages seem to be intrigued by the texture, feel and all-around unexpectedness of black hair. Oftentimes this intrigue is expressed through a stray hand inching its…
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10 Signs You’re Dating a Woman With Natural Hair
Every relationship has its own set of rules, and dating a woman with natural hair can add a few more regulations to the list. We love our hair, and taking care of it plays a major role in our daily lives, which means it may also play a major role in your life if you’re…
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10 Black Hair-Care Products Every Black Person Has Ever Used
Before the days of our enlightened knowledge about black hair, we thought we needed two things to take care of our strands—perms and grease. Grease seemed to be a catchall phrase for anything that wasn’t shampoo or oil. Brands liked to call them hairdressing or conditioner, but we don’t remember them being called anything but…
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Black Men Are Judged for Their Hair Texture, Too, Especially in Politics
With the natural-hair movement in full swing, there have been many productive conversations about the political and social expectations placed on black women’s natural hair. These conversations seem to center on the assumptions about black women who choose to “go natural” instead of chemically straightening their hair or wearing weaves, and their involvement in “the…
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10 Throwback Black Hairstyles We Should Leave in the Past
We all have that one yearbook picture that makes us say, “Man, why didn’t anyone stop me from getting that?” We remember being super on-trend at the time, but looking back, we see that some fads of our youth should be left behind. Even with the resurgence of ’70s, ’80s and early-’90s style in fashion…
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Black People, Please Stop Saying Straightening Our Hair Is Appropriation
Appropriation is definitely a buzzword of the moment. Seems like every few weeks, we get the chance to start pointing fingers at one celeb or another. And with Halloween around the corner, you know the culture vultures won’t disappoint in turning various cultures into costumes for their amusement. The more I write and speak on…
