Natural Hair: The Last 50 Years

The history of natural hair is widespread and powerful, particularly in the past 50 years. Throughout the last 50 years, natural hair has been a symbol of unity, racial pride. It has challenged generations of people to embrace what naturally grows from their head instead of conforming to societal norms.

The 60s and 70s: The first natural hair movement.

In America the 1960s and 1970s were the decades of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. These movements had vast effects on their beneficiaries. One of these effects was views on black hair. As black people continued to fight for their rights in the United States, the landscape of black hair made a shift. Natural hair became a statement of rebellion, black pride, and self-love/respect. Those who wore their natural hair wore it in its most pure form, the afro. The hairstyle was worn by people from all walks of life, political activist, actors and actresses, citizens alike.

Although some wore the hairstyle due to popularity and trend, members of the Black Panther Party, like Angela Davis took her hair seriously. This natural hair movement was the mother of the modern day movement. Other natural hairstyles included locs or dreadlocks, which later entered into the mainstream due to Bob Marley and to the religion Rastafarianism.

The 80s: The natural hair movement became saturated as natural hairstyles such as the afro was brought to the sights of mainstream media. A new hair product was introduced to black hair care, the jheri curl system. This hair product created loose curls on black hair through a chemical process. The popularity of this product is exemplified in films like Coming to America, wherein there is a family that owns a jheri curl empire “Soul Glow”. In turn others went back to relaxing. However natural hair was still relevant in hairstyles like the high top fade, that women like actress, singer and model, Grace Jones wore.

The 90s: As the jheri curl began to fade out, more natural hairstyles began to become more popular. Different types of cuts on natural hair were popular, such box tops, fades, and asymmetrical cuts. Women were often seen wearing non-straight styles such as box-braids “poetic justice”/”petra braids”, dreadlocks, as well as loose natural hair. The 90s was a season of variety and individuality and this showed up in the way black people, specifically women wore their hair. Black women like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Tia and Tamera Mowry, Brandy and others were wearing their hair in forms of their natural state, as well as in protective styles.

The 2000s: 2000-2010 was dominated mostly by relaxers. Although there were some black women wearing their hair in natural styles, the majority were wearing their hair in a relaxed state. Many women who were wearing their hair unrelaxed, were still straightening their hair. Towards the tail end of the 2000s black women began changing the black hair care industry to what we now know it today.

2010- Present: Due to realizations of what relaxers were doing to their bodies and hair. As well as a social and cultural awakening of epic proportions caused the natural hair movement of today. Women began to “transition” and/or “big chop” in order to fully become natural. Natural hair in a way became a phenomenon as celebrities, professionals, women and children began to reevaluate their hair.

Some black women inspired by the natural hair movement of the past returned natural due to racial pride and self-love. Others went natural due to concerns for their health. Overall the term “going natural” and “returning natural” were created. Many are going natural because they want to feel liberated from societal conformity, and to a whole community is alive due to women wanting to support each other in their natural hair journey. This natural hair movement has created, products, tools, companies, and complete economic changes due to the strength of the movement as well as its swift nature. Women are being inspired every day to have healthy unrelaxed, chemically-free hair, and are embracing the hair that God has given them. Currently the natural hair movement is as strong as it’s ever been. Salons are catering to natural hair, companies are changing the way they create products and are creating complete lines of products for natural women.

As well as wearing loose natural hair. Women and men are also embracing their natural hair by locking their hair in different forms of locks. These locks include traditional locks, micro locks, sister-locks, free-form locks as well as other types. Natural hair does not only encompass afros but the whole community of those who have decided that chemically processed hair is not for them. Long live the natural hair movement.

Bibliography

King, V., Niabaly, D. (2013). The Politics of Black Womens’ Hair. Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato: 13. http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol13/iss1/

Johnson, T.A., Bankhead, T. (2014). Hair It Is: Examining the Experiences of Black Women and Natural Hair. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2, 86-100. http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=41744