Different Textures for Different Folks

Maisie Dunbar
our Liberian girl!

"I am not my hair. I am not my skin," are the lyrics sung by India Arie in 2006 during the height of the "natural hair" styling explosion. What initially started off as an a movement to encourage those with textured hair to embrace their natural texture. The movement's mode of operandi to get that trend moving was to target women of color with textured hair and teach them alternatives to chemically relaxing their hair,  straighten their hair and for those with skin sensitive issues to understand that the chemicals ans toxic hair care products may be the culprit. The "natural hair" care movement suffers from what I call, "good in theory, but not in practice." How could I say this, you ask? 

Well certain folk has turned the "natural hair" care movement into battle of the textures versus those who chemically alter their hair, wears weaves or uses synthetic products against the "Black and Proudness" embrace your texture "natur hair" care promoters. This war is not declared in as much as it it spoken via the blasphemous comments made about our textured hair sister Gabby Douglas, the Olympic Gold Medalist and Pam Oliver of FOX during her coverage of the NFL. 

In the beginning "natural hair" crusade was suppose to be about natural hair. Everywhere you turned there was a natural hair workshop or twist out seminar or make your own hair care product training or a how to loc your hair demonstration and the likes. These types of information sessions were taking places nation wide from basements, to salons to large convention venues. 

Fatou our Gambian sister

Fast forward 8 years from the day that song was released and it is air apparent that the "natural hair" phenomena is going downhill fast. The quick-sand effect is sinking the "natural hair" movement by sucking people's temperaments and pockets. Why, you ask, again?  It's simple, as it relates to temperament, most consumers have what I coined, "The Big Perm Attitude" when it comes to their money. If you ever saw the mega hit, "Friday," you may recall the scene when Smokey had not paid a debt he owed to Big Perm. After Smokey failed to pay him, Big Perm replied, "Messing with my money is like messing with my emotions." Consumers do not like when you mess with their money because their money is tied to their emotions. They trust what we say.

They trust what is in that bottle. They trust the images of textured hair being sold to them. They believe it. That leads me to my second reason why the "natural hair" care trend is sinking fast. The second reason is the biological fact that all people from Africa or African decent do NOT have "Afro" hair. From a biological perspective, one does not need to be a geneticist or archaeologist or even a cosmetologist to know that all people of the same race do not have the exact same hair.

Our sister from Mali.

Yet when you look at the marketing and promotion of many of the "natural hair" care folk, one can clearly see the disconnect and the deliberate moves being made in the name of the almighty dollar to capitalize on women with textured hair who "are not their hair or skin." 

Not only does one not have to be a geneticist or archaeologist or cosmetologist; one does not also have to be a economist to predict a decline in the sales and future closings of anything that reads "natural" hair.  Consumers have the upper hand in this and they will not stand or march for it. What they will do is NOT pay for it. Just as Eddie Murphy shut down the sales of the alleged recession proof "Jheri Curl" via his "Soul Glo" scene in the hit movie, "Coming to America;" the same is sure to follow in the demise of "natural" hair care products and events via the taunting, teasing and subliminal judging done by us to us to push this natural hair care thing down women of color throats.  

Soul Glo scene from Coming to America

The reality that the "Jheri Curl" was icky, sticky and too trendy was put on blast by the creative mind of Eddie Murphy who was not afraid to expose exactly what people really disliked about the "Jheri Curl." I recall, the mass Exodus from the "Jheri Curl" to the relaxer. The "Jheri Curl" manufacturers were rushing and scrambling to re-make the curl less "Jheri" and more importantly less wet and less juicy. Snake eyes! They crapped out. A day late and a dollar short on not listening to their consumers. If I could hold a mirror to consumers today with textured hair to the consumers of the "Jheri Curl" and they look identical physically, racially, ethnically, economically and hair texture wise. Just as they never went back to the "Jheri Curl" they are going to walk away from any and everything that reads: natural, healthy, women of color, mixed, bi-racial, Black and African American. 

"Success leaves clues," says the wise old New York Times best selling author, Jim Collins. Have you ever heard of a needle designed for "fat" people? A doctor would never use it. Have you ever heard of a "Mexican" dish prepared for "ethnic" people? A chef would never serve it. Have you ever heard of "soap" for "skinny" people? A dermatologist would not prescribe it. 

Our Somalian sister.

Remove race, the color of people, the image of people with textured hair from "natural" hair care and we'd be reminded of the beauty of diversity. 

The hands of time will never turn back to something that never existed or was. I'm gonna put it out there like Eddie Murphy did. I'm just gonna go ahead and type it. Textured hair is NOT a "BLACK thang." It is a textured hair thang. 

Different textures for different folks. It is true that textured hair has its roots in Africa. By the images I have inserted in this blog it is clear to see that ALL people from the CONTINENT of Africa do not have the AFRO hair. All people with textured hair are not Africans, African Americans, Black, Ethnic, Women of Color, Mixed, Bi-Racial, Exotic and so on. People with textured hair are just that, people with textured hair. I can tell you from a behind the chair experience that honestly people with textured hair prefer you work and teach them how to style and care for THEIR "unique hair fabric" as Philip Pelusi promotes. They do not want cosmetologists, hair stylists, hair care companies, natural hair people and everybody in between associating the color of the skin with what we THINK their textured hair should LOOK like. 

Still have doubts? "We all do not want the same thing," says Rhonda Byrne author of The Secret. Different textures on different folks.