The Have Knots

Hide ya wife, hide your hair!

The history of cleaning textured hair is yet another telling story of the downright mean treatment of the Africans who were enslaved. When the story of slavery is told, it has an undertone of people of color who came from a dark continent who were void of content, character, spirit, and purpose. It reads as if the people they stole and enslaved were merely dark colored slaves. This leads into the confusion in caring for textured hair today.

The history of slavery in America tells the story of devaluing human life abusively. This abuse was hash. It was from extreme physical and mental abuse to the subtleties of denying slaves simple human hygiene; such as hair care.

When the Africans were enslaved most don't realize they brought them over with nothing. They were not allowed to practice any rituals of any sort. Many were from different regions and did not speak the same language. So the ability to communicate with one another on how to carry on any sort of ritual was out of the question. Zoe Olivia Rhodes, a student at the University of Warwick in the UK writes this in her dissertation on textured hair that brings to surface the above-mentioned fact, "historically, Afro hair was denigrated by European slave masters. Slaves hair was referred to a wool; contributing towards black slaves being treated as animals and not being human beings." Her research argues, "this behavior came as a response to racist ideology and was meant to devalue the physical attributes of black people in order to sustain white supremacy. Indeed this denigration affected how slaves perceived themselves and resulted in them disguising their hair so it appeared more European or it was covered up." This affliction still haunts many Africans and people with textured hair today. So begins the woes of the haves and the have knots.

Considering Africans were brought here forcibly with no ties to the resources to care for their hair and the belief that they were not humans worthy of soap, water, and a comb; explains the present day mass confusion. In addition, it explains the refusal to ensure that all who are licensed to do hair know how to care for and sometimes style Afro-textured hair.  To reiterate, in the Americas, the start of hair care for Afro-textured hair people started from the mindset of people who controlled them and did not look like them. Remember they believed the enslaved Africans hair was of no pertinent value. Because they believed they were not humans; they taught them all to not clean their hair, not comb their hair or to cover it up.

From there, the madness in caring for textured hair began. Africans and Black people in the Americas pretty much hold on to this belief and practice today. Just as many who practice the ritual of placing a lost tooth under a pillow in exchange for money from the Tooth Fairy. Demanding Africans and Blacks in the Americas to clean their hair more often is like asking them to not believe in the Tooth Fairy. Many still hold on to the belief that cleaning hair frequently is for Whites. Cleaning hair infrequently from 2 weeks to two months is fine for Blacks, bi-racial or people with textured hair. They believe this to be a very effective ritual and practice simply because of the color of their skin, the texture of their hair and the local of where they reside.

This blog aims to debunk both belief and practice. Hair for all humans is an appendage of skin, regardless of race, texture, region or nationality. Hair grows individually from a regenerative organ or tiny hole called a follicle. Every seven years, the body gives each tiny hole or follicle a new strand of hair. The scalp; like the mouth, ears, nose, vagina, and mouth is self-cleaning. Therefore, like those other orifices, the scalp and hair need to be cleaned regularly with appropriate cleansers per the scalp, hair texture, and type.

To clean knotty and textured hair effectively, you must know what kind of textured hair you have. Is it curly, wavy, kinky, Afro or a combination? A trichologist or dermatologist is qualified to identify hair textures and types. You can opt to do one yourself by using a magnifying glass to see the direction the hair grows from the scalp and a simple tug of one strand of hair. If the hair grows straight from the scalp, it is straight. If the hair grows in an angle, it is wavy. If the hair grows in an obvious "c" pattern, it is curly. If the hair grows close and flat to the scalp, it is considered kinky. If there is frizz accompanying any of those growth patterns, it is combined with Afro. Thus making it combination between Afro and the textured growing from the scalp. If you tug the one strand and it snaps quickly, it is fine weak hair. If you tug the one strand of hair and it takes a while to snap, it is medium or normal hair. It is not too weak or strong. If you tug the one strand of hair and it never snaps, it is coarse or very strong hair.

Because slavery was such a money-making venture, the practice of making money made its way into everything; including hair. So, here is where the masses continue to have cleaning hair wrong from White slave masters. How you ask? To clear things up, the semantics used to explain and justify cleaning hair are wrong. For starters, the word shampoo is wrong and used interchangeably. This means more confusion which means more money.

Washing hair, cleaning hair and is NOT shampooing hair. The all have different meanings. Washing hair is a method of cleaning hair with a mild to vigorous scrub with shampoo, but not the scalp. Cleaning hair is to use the proper techniques to ensure that the scalp tingles and the hair squeaks; which means both scalp and hair are properly cleansed. A shampoo is a Hindu word that translates to massage. A shampoo is also the name of the soap people used to apply to hair and scalp to clean it. Let the madness continue as they get rich off the stupidity of the masses.  Shampooing hair and scalp really does and means nothing as it relates to washing or cleansing, again because to shampoo hair and scalp literally means to massage it. So why you may not be getting either cleaned, it sure feels good to get a good massage!

Shampoos are basically soaps with fancy ingredients and names that are formulated to clean hair or/and scalp. All shampoos are not formulated to clean the scalp. Be sure to read the label and instructions before you buy. Conditioners are formulated to help with manageability and appearance of hair. So both are created by scientists who specialize in cosmetic formulations to create a cleansing and softening agents according to hair textures. Those are called shampoos and conditioners.  Both products affect the performance of hair as it relates to cleanliness, volume, shine, sleekness, manageability, color protection, chemical altered fibers, artificial fibers and so on. Again race and nationality are not included in this formulation. Marketing and advertisement are responsible for the introduction of race and nationality to help sell the shampoo and conditioner.

The technique to clean textured hair is different from the technique of cleaning hair that is straight. To clean textured hair effectively, you must part and section the hair, then apply the shampoo (soap) directly to the scalp, scrub the scalp vigorously and conclude this cleansing process with a mild to aggress massage (shampoo). To shampoo straight hair effectively, you can either section the hair into parts and apply to the scalp, then scrub vigorously and conclude with a massage (shampoo). You can also, squeeze the soap (shampoo) into your hands, apply to hair and scrub vigorously into scalp. This process can be repeated 2-3 times if hair and scalp is cleansed within 6 days. If the hair has not been cleaned in over 7 days, the steps must be repeated 4-5 times to ensure flakes, fibrin and yeast are cleansed away from the scalp and hair properly. Hair must squeak in order to be considered clean. If hair does not squeak, then the hair is not clean. If the scalp does not feel tingly, then the scalp is not clean. The scalp must tingle in order to be considered clean.

To condition all hair textured and types effectively, use conditioner according to you hair type and texture just as you do when selecting a cleanser (shampoo). I suggest the language on the bottle speaks close to the language you use to describe the goal you want to see with your hair. Do not purchase conditioners according to your race or nationality. Apply conditioners to the ends of your hair first, then work your way up. Because the ends of your hair are the oldest part of the hair, they need to be conditioned first. After working the product up towards the scalp, use a comb to comb product through hair thoroughly. This assures the product is on every strand. Rubbing conditioners onto hair at the scalp area first does nothing but mosh the product around; thus making it settle to the scalp causing more flakes and itchiness. That will also inhibit the performance of the product giving it bad reviews and making the hair look and feel coated, dull and difficult to manage.

Be sure to use the proper comb for your hair texture and type. Straight hair typically requires larger tooth combs. Textured and Afro hair requires combs with more teeth that are closer and longer to prevent tearing and ripping of textured strands of hair. Using this kind of comb also reduces cramping in the hands and ensures even distribution of products throughout the hair. Lastly, using the proper comb will not damage the scalp.

When cleaning hair be sure to use warm water. Do not use hot water. Hot water will dry hair out, thus making it more difficult to comb and look nice. When conditioning hair, use cooler water. Cooler water causes the tiny hair scales called cuticles or keratin layers to lie flat. This will certainly make hair very easy to comb and shine more. Do not use cold water. Using cold water makes rinsing away the product ineffective and leaving hair difficult to comb and manage. Therefore, be sure to use cooler temperatures.

As you can see having knotty hair requires more than the mere act of purchasing something with images and words that are similar to you and your physical traits. Knotty hair care requires scalp care as well. The methods to cleaning and caring for knotty hair and not so knotty hair has three simple steps in no given order; the right products, the right tools, and the right technique. End the racist practice in hair care, starting with yourself and your family today. Embrace your hair and the time it takes to care for it. Having textured hair makes you unique not a money bag. Understand, people are getting very wealthy off of your ignorance, refusal to change and belief in the hocus pocus magic of the Tooth Fairy. We all know how the money gets their now. It comes a point and time to tell your child there is no such thing as a tooth fairy. There also comes a point and time to tell Africans who have resided in the Americas and have a lineage to slavery that not combing your hair, using a wide tooth comb, co-washing, infrequent shampooing are wrong as well. Instead, follow these three steps. They are as easy as 1, 2, 3. To not follow those rules only results in you being amongst the haves and the have KNOTS!

Peace out!

Herbal Shampoos

Here we go again. Shampoos. Shampoo is one of those words in the hair care industry that I wish they would change. 

Have you ever heard the expression, "Hair is to be shampooed not washed?" In my opinion, people who use that statement or support that school of thought have no clue of how discern shampooing from washing. For the amount of heavy products, infrequent practice of shampooing and what the scalp naturally emits, washing is truly a better verb to use to teach people how to clean their scalp and hair. But, since shampoo is the proper term, let us investigate it!

Sometime during 5000 BC, the Egyptians were using all sorts of herbs, oils and tinctures to apply to hair and scalp for cleansing and beautification. That wasn't working to well due to some little tiny life forces called micro organisms. Mircro organisms resulted in scalp issues, hair bugs of lice and mice that promoted the invention and wearing of wigs. Soon, the invasion of Egypt changed things.During the same time, the Babylonians had their own methods of beautification. The Chinese method of champing was common. Champing is a massage technique using fingers, thumbs and knuckles to massage the entire body. 

During that time an Indian military soldier named Dean Mohamet observed this technique of champing during his military travels working for the elite. After the war, Dean Mohamet became unemployed. He decided to use the art of Champing, now termed Champu to provide body cleansing and massage services for Hindi sultans and nabobs. Tired of the champu technique being exclusively provided to the wealthy, he ventured away from servicing the wealthy and added soap to his champing technique to service everyday people. After being practiced in England for such long time, in 1860 champu spelling was changed to shampoo. Then it was officially recorded and entered into the dictionary as "the soap used for cleansing hair."

Later in 1908 Hans Schwarkzkopf (yes, the maker of the professional hair color) developed a powder to clean hair because he disliked soap and the film it left behind on hair. To promote his new found invention, he took an article out in the New York Times titled, "How to Shampoo Your Hair." It was an instant success. 

Not be outdone by a German, an American doctor, Dr. John Breck (yep, of the Breck girls commercials) invented the first pH shampoo, thus making the experience of shampooing hair more gentle to the touch and less tangles in the hair. 

So, now we are in the new millennium and shampoo is just now making a turn around the corner to be in the spot of hair care where it should be....from the hands, to the hair and back to the hands again!

The shampoos of today gets its the force to make the curve from its ingredients. The force of the ingredients are herbs. What are herbs? Botanists describe an herb as a small, seed bearing plant with fleshy, rather than woody, parts (from which we get the term "herbaceous").   In addition to herbaceous perennials, herbs include trees, shrubs, annuals, vines, and more primitive plants, such as ferns, mosses, algae, lichens, and fungi. So now we see herbs are the good stuff. 

What makes herbs good? Nutrient bioavailability is what makes the herb worth its weight on a shelf in your salon or shower caddy in your bathroom. So what exactly is bioavailability?Bioavailability in hair care is very similar to the process of it when consuming food. The difference is when the product comes into contact with the scalp and where the those vital nutrients from the herbs and essential oils go. For example, when you apply the shampoo to your hands the ingredients are absorbed into your skin. Next you apply it to the customers scalp and the nutrients contained in the shampoo are released from the matrix of the herbs or and essential oil, absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to their respective target tissues. In this case the target tissue would be the, papilla. Bam!

Come on now Aveda, Aryuvedic is a BELIEF in the balance
of mind, body and spirit. Not long volumizing hair. 

However, not all nutrients can be utilized to the same extent. In other words, they differ in their bioavailability. So, the first step in making a nutrient bioavailable is to liberate it from the herb (which is a food too) matrix and turn it into a chemical form that can bind to and enter the follicles (that are on your scalp where the hairs on your head grows from) cells or pass between them and work their magic. 

The question is; does your shampoo do that? Probably not. 

Do not be duped by products claiming to be organic, natural, for natural hair, for women of color, for Black women and for ethnic hair. Those terms mean nothing in the world of bioavailabiity. Bioavailability is how your hair, scalp and other organs receive or not receive what is intended to improve or maintain the health of your hair. 

Not even owned by an African,
let alone has herbs in it. 

Herbal shampoos that tout SLS-Free, Sulfate Free, Petroleum Free, Mineral Oil Free, Vegan, Gluten Free, No Animal Testing, Paraben Free are simply buzz and trending works marketing companies use to promote their client's shampoo.

Instead, look for buzz words in the ingredients or pamphlets that include words like nutraceuticals, enyzmatic activity, bioavailability, absorption, USP (United States Pharmacopeia),follicle care to name a few to spike your interest to grab the bottle, click the mouse or press your finger. 

Herbal shampoos that actually include herbs, essential oils, fruits, vegetables, vitamins and proteins will suffice when coupled with some of the buzz word used above. 

While the word "organic" gets people all warm and fuzzy inside; buyer beware. The results are more often anti-climactic for the masses. Understand that the term "organic" is a term for agriculture not hair care. Organic is all how about how. To know the efficacy of what is organic in you shampoo, look for seals from such caring agencies who test the efficacy of what is supposed to be organic. Agencies such as Ecocert and ICEA (International per la Certificazione Etic de Ambientale) have websites that provide links to hair care companies who they have certified. 

Make your next purchase via ICEA.

The Reverence Design Team Hair Salon located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio prides itself as one of the many salons worldwide who uses USDA Organic, Ecocert and ICEA certified shampoos, conditioners, proteins on their clients' hair as well as a salon who retails soaps, lotions, body butters, deodorants and toothpaste. 

How's that for herbal shampoos.