We have all heard about the new documentary “Good Hair,” produced by actor/comedian Chris Rock and Nelson George. Rock decided to produce the documentary after his 6-year old daughter asked, “Daddy how come I don’t have good hair?”
Good hair has always been a topic of discussion in the Black community. The Black hair business is a $9 billion industry.
I have been told that I have good hair, and I just smile and say thank you. Sometimes I ask myself, “Are they telling me this because my hair resembles a white woman’s long and silky smooth texture?” I hope not because to me good hair is healthy hair. If only it were that simple for all Black women to share my sentiment.
When a Black woman chemically straightens her hair, she uses sodium hydroxide, lye or calcium hydroxide.
Over time, these chemicals can damage a woman’s hair and scalp.
Sodium hydroxide is extremely corrosive and damaging to human tissue. It can used are soaps, rayon, and paper. It is also used as a drain and oven cleaner.
Calcium hydroxide can be used to neutralize soil and to refine sugar.
As a woman who relaxes my hair, I understand the risks, but for me the risks do not out weigh the results.
For the women who choose to wear their hair in natural hairstyles I salute you. The negative stereotypes associated with some natural hairstyles is not a risk I’m willing to take.
It’s like comedian Paul Mooney says in one scene of Good Hair. “If you hair is relaxed, white people are relaxed. If your hair is nappy, they’re not happy.”
I do not want to take the chance of not getting hired because my hair is nappy.
The low maintenance associated with chemically processed hair is another reason I enjoy wearing my hair relaxed.
I choose not to deal with the constant up keep, that comes with some natural hairstyles like locks, Afros, and twists.
I prefer a relaxer because it makes my hair more manageable.
In an article written by Tina Firesheets in the “Greensboro News & Record,” Afi Johnson Parrish says, “In the professional arena, as much as we want to say it [natural hair] doesn’t matter. It does impact the way people perceive you.”
Although I’m a fan of relaxed hair, when it comes down to it, it does not matter if your hair is short, long, relaxed or natural. If your ends are not damaged and you take good care of your hair then you have good hair.
I give many thanks to Garrett A. Morgan for inventing the first hair relaxer!