Black Haircare: Isn't it time we freed ourselves from Eurocentric oppression
Picture the scene. It’s a normal working day on a typical working week. A familiar scene – not-quite-yet-wide-awake people arriving, making small talk, grabbing coffee, easing their way into the morning.
A Black woman walks into the office, with her ever-elegant regal afro freshly prepped over the weekend. She’d opted for a wig the week before but wanted to shake things up a bit (no pun intended). Attempting to arrive at her seat without fuss, she’s brought up short when one of her colleagues cuts in awkwardly. A comment like “your hair looks exotic today” or “your hair reminds me of an alpaca” or actually my favourite on a (sadly) long list, “can I touch your hair”. Caught unawares, this blameless lady is now faced with three options:
Say no ever so carefully so this doesn’t exude aggression or cause a scene – everyone’s staring at her now
Say yes and make a vague attempt at a smile, so as to not add to the awkwardness in the room
Delay the inevitable and promise a petting session in the near future
“As a member of a minority ethnic group in the Western world, it’s exhausting trying to be yourself, authentically, without the fear of reproach or incessant prodding.”
As a member of a minority ethnic group in the Western world, it’s exhausting trying to be yourself, authentically, without the fear of reproach or incessant prodding.
For centuries Black women have been discriminated against because of their skin, hair and culture with the mainstream world at large arriving at a consensus: somehow the breadth, texture and shape of your hair determines your competence, desirability or cultural fit, or that it is something that requires explaining.
It is no wonder that the hair relaxer or the wig has found its way into the go-to starter pack for people like me working in the corporate world.
A woman's hair is an expression of self and her individuality but the anti-Black hair discrimination we face on a daily basis can threaten to snuff out the daring in us.
But the truth is that, while most Black women are proud of their natural hair, we’re in a time poor society, where convenience is valued highly. Natural hair, in its rawest form, without any manipulation, requires a lot of maintenance with the process for a full wash session taking anything from 30 minutes to 2 days at most. This comprises a pre-poo treatment to make the hair softer to detangle, detangling, shampooing, deep conditioning, moisturising, post-detangling, air-drying (to prevent heat damage) and styling.
Additionally, the British weather isn’t necessarily the most accommodating for those with type 4 hair textures prone to shrinkage. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, we have the natural hair movement, which has seen many women (having experienced long-term damage to their hair) start transitioning from relaxed hair back to natural.
So the general trend is that relaxer sales are declining while the natural hair movement is fueling growth in another sector of the market.
What isn’t apparent to our community at large is why underlying studies about the health-risks that lye-based hair relaxers carry are not being pursued with greater urgency by scientific establishments. Relaxers break the disulphide bonds in the fibres of your hair so that women can achieve straight hair but an Oxford Carcinogenesis study is also investigating reports that hair relaxers impact breast cancer development - concluding that more studies need to be conducted before this is deemed conclusive. Without jumping the gun… black women already find it difficult to find suitable hair products from mainstream companies. So this places even more responsibility on the brands that do exist. They have to perform well. And ensure that they are, at the bare minimum, safe.
Assuming that some users of these products do so under the influence of popular culture, this is where the squeeze of Eurocentric ideals on the Black female is proving to be quite detrimental.
In closing, there is:
A huge onus on scientific establishments to pursue consumer care with a greater urgency;
A charge on society to re-evaluate attitudes toward the whole notion of beauty;
A duty on the consumer to get educated about the products they use; and
A responsibility as regards all our workplace colleagues to pause and reflect before making poorly timed, unnecessary comments about a Black woman’s hair
At Eagle Eye, we help purpose-driven brands and marketers to understand and speak to the cultural needs of the Black-British consumer.
Whilst Black consumers are, like any other consumer, attracted to what makes them feel good about themselves, they are also becoming increasingly health-conscious about the products they consume and the ethical commitment of the brand. Social integrity is a must!
Let us help you repurpose your product to connect powerfully with your target audience.
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We are highly-skilled diversity consultants with an aptitude for helping brands develop black-British cultural competency and launch culturally tailored campaigns. To get in touch, contact chioma@theemhglobal.com today!!
Written by
Chioma Ikpa
