What Lies Beneath

Healthy hair is on the minds of millions. Billions of dollars are being spent on just about every continent all in the name of hair care products. In Africa sales are up, in Europe sales continue to soar and in Asia sales soar as companies pair with scientist using the latest in stem cell, plant and flower technology to meet the ever growing needs of the consumers who are in hot pursuit of beautiful healthy hair. There are those who want it stronger. Some want it longer. While other want is shorter. Some like it full and thick. While others prefer bald and no maintenance. Whatever it is and however it is styled, healthy hair and healthy scalp are what most are after. 

When the goal to have healthy hair falls short for any reason; there are those who turn to hair weaves, hair replacement, scalp grafting, hair extensions and custom wigs as an alternative. But for those who want resolve for such issues as thinning, balding, scaly scalps, itchy scalps, sensitive scalps, damaged hair and more; hair care products and salon are the go to source for the masses. While dermatologists and trichologist would seem the obvious choice for those with scalp and hair concerns should turn to. They do not.

In reality, hair care products and salon visits can be of assistance when you need a resolve or do not now what you are doing. The challenge is to find qualified sales reps at stores and skilled hair stylists at hair salons. Hair care companies, hair care stores and unskilled hair stylists have a tendency to create too much hype around hair care by keeping consumers shrouded in mystery as they hold the key to the answers and solutions.

So, what's all the hype about? How are they creating this hype? The hype is created in denying consumers the knowledge. It is the, "not" understanding of what is exactly growing from the scalp. When a person has no clue of what is growing from their head, all sorts of fear and wrong doings will take place. The fear, wrong products and wrong styling tools will create all sorts of scalp and hair problems. Thus being the reason most people do not have healthy hair.  They are experiencing excessive hair shedding, coated hair that won't come clean, dull hair that will not shine, split ends that continue to tear, lose length and for some; total hair loss. All of this because they simply do not know the very important role the scalp plays in having healthy hair. After all, the hair is what is growing from their scalp. 

Yes, people get the just that hairs are microfibers that can be manipulated via heat, chemicals, hair care products, and water.  They also get the just that it can be combed, smoothed, curled, braided or brushed. But the hype of the mystery of hair is what has most in a pickle about their hair as it relates to how to get it healthy. They are asking questions like; what is it, why is it, how is it, when is it gonna grow, where is it and so on. 

Hair care companies and their fancy marketing are doing a good job at keeping you away from your hair. They want you to care for and style it the way they see fit. In addition, some of the hair care practices that are being passed down to us from family members are not on the up and up or for the best interest of our scalp and hair as well. So, therein lies two problems. It is imperative that scalp and hair care remain in the hands of the person on which it lies. Why?

Because the scalp is a microbial habitat. A what? A microbial habitat. What do I mean by microbial? Microbes. Yep, the same microbes you are thinking about. Those tiny critters that live outside our bodies, on our skin's surface and can not be seen with the naked eye. Those microbes. Those tiny critters that can wreak all sorts of havoc on our scalp and hair that leads to unwanted scalp problems, hair problems, hair loss and for some outright death. Therefore, washing your own hair is as imperative as washing your own vagina. Nobody can clean it consistently and thoroughly, like you!

Microbial scalp critter.

Yes, that was a far stretch to use as a correlation. But, I have to got to get people to understand that clean scalp and hair is a personal hygiene matter. Scalp and hair care is no more the responsibility of a hairstylist than a dentist is to your oral care. Teeth are best cared by individuals who have teeth in their mouth versus the dentist. I mean no one goes to the dentist every two weeks to have their gums cleaned and teeth scrubbed. In addition, clean hair and clean scalp are vital to the health of the hair and performance of all hair styles. While shampooing and styling daily may be a bit much for most, that is an option as well. However waiting past those 7 days is unacceptable, when healthy hair is the goal. Why?  Because microbes are real and they love dirty scalp and hair. Microbes can be good and microbes can be bad. What makes them bad? Dark moist places. The same thing we've been told the moment our parents started teaching us how to clean our bodies and teeth. Bacteria loves dark moist places. That is why our parents were staunch ear checkers, mouth pokers, belly button pickers, hand smacking from our butt scratching and "get back in that tub" yellers! Our parents knew our dark and moist places were still damp and half cleaned. While those types of microbes seem pretty much par for the course for our bodies, mouths, buttocks, armpits, ears, and vaginas; the same microbes can get jiggy on our scalps and compromise our hair as well. 

Because scalp and hair care are mostly cultural; many people take care of their scalp, hair and style their hair according to what has been passed down to them from one family member and so on. For some African Americans, this seems to be the culprit to why what lies beneath. What lies beneath stays there and eats our hair away from our scalp and irritates our scalps to the point where we want no parts of hair care. 

Many African Americans with textured hair, especially Afro-textured hair are under the notion that they can not care for their scalp and hair the way people (mainly Whites) without texture do. The belief is only around the hair texture, nothing else. I've been researching this phenomena for over 18 years. My research continually leads me back to slavery. Slavery is the culprit to the belief that Africans with textured hair can not clean their hair like Whites. Slavery is the culprit to the practice of African Americans not caring for their scalp, improperly caring for their hair and developing hair styling practices that often compromised the scalp and hair to the point where hair loss was the inevitable. 

The infamous, 'pat yo weave."

Slave owners did not allow slaves to care for their scalp and hair; let alone style or groom it. Slave owners did not supply Africans with hair care products and styling tools from their native homeland to ensure that the health of their scalp and hair. And slave owners most certainly did not allow them to get back on the boat to return home to get what they needed to care for their scalp and hair.  

So, the Africans had to improvise. They had to make do with the resources and time the slave owner allotted or not allotted them to care for and style their hair. Because slaves were responsible for 95% of the labor force in America, slave owners made no adjustments in the lifestyle of African slaves to prepare for the day. As a result scalp and hair care took a back seat. Simply having a clean body and mouth sufficed to make it in America upon being freed. The practice of not being allotted time for scalp care,  hair care, and hair styling became a way of hair care that exists today. 

Many books, teachings, lessons, lectures and talks primarily promote African Americans or those with textured hair like Africans to not clean their scalp and hair frequently like Whites or those with less or no texture. While that may seem like the logical solution considering textured hair is different from hair with no texture. Texture hair also takes longer to cleanse and style than hair with no texture. However, microbes do not care about textures, sex (male or female), race, rather you are of a pure race, slaves, slave owners, what continent you come from and so on. Microbes mean business. Microbes mean extra business in dark moist places. 

Excessive itching has many culprits.

What lies beneath are two assumptions. The first is, those with less texture can clean their hair more frequently than those with texture. Therefore, they have the healthier, longer, stronger hair. The second is those with textured hair. They are taught to not shampoo and care for their hair because of the texture. This school of thought stems directly from the abuse and neglect in hygiene practices for Africans as a result of slavery is a specific group of people from the same racial-ethnic makeup?  No access to what was best for their scalp and hair and the time to do it. What lies out in the open is we still see the same abuse and neglect from the 1400's being practiced in 2016. The difference is, there is no slave owner preventing scalp and hair care from taking place. However, America still has not made adjustments to lifestyles for African Americans with textured hair and those with textured hair closest to Afro hair. African Americans or people with textured hair closest to Afro hair are not allowed more time to care for their hair after activities such as swimming, gym time, working, caring for the kids, or any other activity that causes Afro hair and textured hair to revert. As a licensed cosmetologist, I can not tell you how much hair damage and hair loss I see in small children and adults who can not dry their hair after swimming, gym or some physical exertion school or work activity. The powers that be simply have not incorporated the infrastructure of more time in between time for those with textured hair to prepare for their next stop of the day. So the saga of those with less texture will have healthier hair hair and those with textured hair closest to Afro textured hair continue to struggle with obtaining healthy hair.

So, on the one hand; slavery and societal norms are the culprits to denying those with textured hair more time to care for it. On the other hand; improper family practices of caring for and styling hair are the culprits as well to increased microbial activity on the scalp and hair. 

Scalp is scalp and hair is hair on all humans. Microbes will multiply. Scalps will ferociously itch. Sores will continue to damage follicles. Scalp and hair that is not cleaned within 7 days will continue to soften and the hair texture will become compromised. Bacteria will continue to produce odors that are offensively coming from the scalp. Weaves that are left in beyond those seven days without cleansing the yeast from the scalp and hair will continue to contribute to damaged hair and hair loss. Dirty scalp and hair does not promote healthy hair. It damages and compromises the scalp and hair on all textures of hair. 

Tell yourself something good!

Microbes are what lies beneath. The myths that promote those with textured hair to not shampoo their hair as much as those with less texture are designed to promote what lies beneath. Wealth. The myths are where wealth in the lies. Those with textured hair spend 10 times more money on scalp an hair care compared to those with less or no texture. When the scalp becomes compromised the hair becomes compromised. During that process the hair is deteriorating. People will spend lots of money to stop the deterioration. They will spend even more to cover it up. Microbes do not care about your money or what ever it is you want to hide. Microbes will live anywhere and on anything that is dark and moist. 

Instead of masking the itch by not cleaning you scalp and hair for fear that it will fall out; it won't. Instead of wearing a weave because you just don't have the time in between workouts, a career and family; care for your scalp and hair. Please make the time.  

What lies beneath are not only the microbes that are compromising your scalp and hair; what lies beneath on your mind is sometimes what takes up space in between your ears.

Free your mind from the notion that if you have textured hair that you can not shampoo as often as those with little or no texture.