Textures, Textures, Textures

Kinky Textured Hair

When I came up with the title for this blog, all I could think of was one of my favorite rappers from back in the day, Ice-T who would chime, “Colors, colors, colors…” Why that song? Because just as there are many many colors, there are many many hair textures.  And just as when making reference to color we make ourselves clear by naming the color or describing the color; however when it come to hair we do not. We should be describing a specific hair texture when making decisions on what to use on it just like we describe a specific color when determining what it is we want to see. Instead when many speak of textured hair, words like ethnic, textured, nappy, kinky, coarse, wooly and thick comes to mind.

While those words are ok for generalizations; they will not help you when you are trying to buy what is best for your texture. In case you did not know, according to Milady’s Standard of Cosmetology there are three different hair kinds of textured hair and three different types of hair. The three different textures of hair are curly, wavy and kinky. The three different types of hair are fine, medium and coarse.  To help consumers gage and narrow down their selection in the shopping process. fancy advertising and savvy marketing lures consumers with doctored photos, witty commercials and celebrity endorsements. However, when a chemist formulates shampoos and conditioners; they do according the chemistry of hair.

Curly Textured Hair

So how are you suppose to know what your hair texture and type is? Well, one way to determine your hair texture, is to turn to your mom’s or dad’s hair. Another way is turn to your mirror. True, our DNA is thee almighty determinator of our hair texture, reports the ever popular website for science geeks worldwide, The Tech Museum of Innovation. However, most people do not have the time to be looking for their DNA so, the uniqueness of your hair texture, what to use on it and what to do with it; one will need a mirror and their eyes (or someone elses)!

The first thing you want to do is part your hair down the middle or on the side. Then lean close to the mirror or a magnified one if you have one. Next, look closely at your scalp to see the direction or pattern you see coming directly from the scalp out of that very little tiny whole called a follicle.

Wavy Textured Hair

If your hair is growing in an angle and is raised AWAY from the scalp it is wavy. If the hair is growing AWAY from the scalp and you can CLEARLY see a “C” impression in your hair texture; your hair is curly. If the hair is laying very CLOSE to the scalp and you HAVE to use a comb to lift the hair (no, not the flakes...lol), you have kinky hair. Wavy hair is the most common hair texture. Kinky hair is the most rare. Surprised? So was I. How could this be if we are Black, African Americans, bi-racial, ethnic, people of color, women of color and so on?

Remember I mentioned, the role genetics play in determining hair texture. Because most people with textured hair associate the origination of texture with Africa (and they would be right). As a result, many clump the image of Africans, particularly the color of skin and texture of hair together. Understand that their are just as many hair textures as there are countries on the CONTINENT of Africa; thus there are varying Africans and people in general with varying hair textures.

So, to save yourself time, money and unwanted results, be sure to make all of your textured hair care needs based on your hair texture and hair type versus the picture you see not matter who is endorsing it or how it is packaged.

Textures, textures, textures (in my Ice-T voice)!