How did historical bias shape hair product availability?

Roots

The whisper of our hair strands carries echoes from deep time, a vibrant lineage woven into the very fabric of identity. For those of us with textured hair, this connection transcends the superficial realm of grooming; it speaks to survival, to art, to a profound continuity of being. To understand how historical bias shaped the availability of hair products, one must first listen to the enduring rhythm of this heritage, tracing the wisdom that predates imposed standards and systemic neglect. It is within this ancestral knowing that we uncover the true nature of textured hair, not as a deviation, but as a magnificent, unique expression of human diversity.

Centuries before the imposition of external beauty ideals, hair in many African societies was a profound visual language. It communicated lineage, marital status, age, community affiliation, and even spiritual beliefs. Hairstyles were not merely aesthetic choices; they served as a complex system of nonverbal communication. One could discern a person’s tribal background or social standing just by looking at the intricate patterns of their braids or the adornments woven into their coils.

Consider, too, the profound symbolism during periods of immense hardship. African women, transported across oceans during the transatlantic trade, sometimes braided rice seeds into their hair, ensuring a fragment of their sustenance and culture survived the devastating journey. This act, small in gesture yet monumental in its resilience, speaks to hair as a living archive, a keeper of memory and hope.

The Anatomy of Ancestral Threads

The physical structure of textured hair is often misunderstood, its unique helical shape, the varying ellipticity of its cross-section, and the density of its cuticle layers. Early scientific inquiry, largely rooted in Eurocentric perspectives, often dismissed or inadequately studied these inherent characteristics. This oversight created a foundational disconnect in understanding the specific needs of textured hair at a biological level. Scientific research into hair visualization, for example, largely neglected Afro-textured hair until recent times.

Researchers, such as Theodore Kim at Yale, noted that the computational challenges of rendering highly coiled hair were often considered “solved” even when only straight hair models had received significant progress, a symptom of broader tendencies in science to disregard underrepresented populations. This neglect translated directly into an absence of targeted research into ingredients and formulations that truly honored the hair’s intrinsic architecture.

Ancestral hair practices reveal a profound early understanding of textured hair’s intricate structure and needs, a wisdom often overlooked by later mainstream science.

The traditional lexicon of hair care, passed down through generations, held an intuitive grasp of how to nurture these diverse forms. Terms existed for different curl patterns, for hair states, and for the plants and practices that addressed them. The absence of such a nuanced understanding within emerging commercial beauty industries fostered a product landscape ill-equipped to truly serve textured hair. Instead, a singular ideal was propagated, pushing chemically altering solutions over products that would enhance natural beauty.

How Did Hair Classification Systems Marginalize Coils?

Modern hair classification systems, while attempting to categorize hair types, sometimes inherit subtle biases. Some of these systems have been criticized for favoring looser curl patterns, types 2 and 3, over the tighter, more coily textures of type 4. This preference has implications for how hair needs are discussed and prioritized. This bias is not merely academic; it translates into product development, advertising, and retail strategies.

When the industry perceives a significant portion of the global population’s hair as “niche” or less desirable, the investment in appropriate solutions diminishes, directly affecting product availability. Tracee Ellis Ross, founder of PATTERN Beauty, observed that while 60 to 70 percent of the global market has textured hair, it was historically viewed as a niche market, despite a substantial market size in the U.S. alone.

• Coil ❉ A tight, spring-like curl often found in textured hair.
• Kink ❉ A very tightly wound curl, often with sharp angles.
• Ancestral Oiling ❉ The traditional practice of applying natural oils to hair and scalp for health and protection.

Ritual

The ritual of hair care, for many, is a sacred practice, a continuation of ancestral customs that speak to beauty, protection, and community. Yet, the currents of history often disrupted these traditions, forcing a re-evaluation of styling practices and the products that supported them. As external pressures mounted, the availability of products that honored textured hair’s natural state dwindled, replaced by formulations designed to alter its very essence. This shift reflects a profound bias that permeated not only commercial spaces but also societal perceptions of beauty and professionalism.

How Did Societal Pressure Reshape Styling Choices?

The era of transatlantic enslavement brought profound changes to hair practices. Stripped of their traditional tools and ingredients, enslaved Africans were forced to adapt, often using rudimentary substances like cooking oil, animal fats, or butter for hair care. This period saw the systematic suppression of intricate ancestral hairstyles, deemed too time-consuming or a symbol of identity that enslavers sought to erase. Post-emancipation, the pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards intensified.

Straightened hair became associated with respectability and professionalism, creating an immense demand for products that could achieve this look. The hot comb, popularized in the late 1800s, and later chemical relaxers, which first emerged in the early 1900s, became ubiquitous tools.

Garrett Augustus Morgan, an African American inventor, is credited with creating the first chemical hair relaxer in 1909, initially discovering the formula while experimenting with a solution to ease friction on sewing machines. His invention, the G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Cream, was marketed to Black people.

This marked a turning point, offering a more permanent method for altering hair texture. While born from ingenuity, the widespread adoption of these products was deeply intertwined with societal pressures, where African textured hair was often deemed “bad,” “unprofessional,” or “unkempt”.

What Role Did Black Entrepreneurs Play in Product Innovation?

Amidst this landscape of imposed standards and limited options, a remarkable lineage of Black entrepreneurs rose, creating products specifically for textured hair, often from their own homes. Figures like Madam C.J. Walker and Annie Turnbo Malone revolutionized the industry by developing and distributing hair care solutions tailored to the needs of Black women. Malone’s Poro company, founded in 1902, offered products like “Hair Grower” and scalp preparations, also establishing Poro College as a training center for Black women.

Madam C.J. Walker, a former Poro agent, developed her own line, including her well-known “Wonderful Hair Grower,” becoming America’s first recognized self-made female millionaire. These pioneers not only provided much-needed products but also created avenues for economic independence for Black women, particularly through widespread sales networks.

The pioneering spirit of Black entrepreneurs carved out spaces for textured hair products when mainstream industries largely ignored or pathologized its natural state.

Despite these groundbreaking efforts, the wider market remained exclusionary. White-owned companies often produced and advertised beauty products to African Americans with little understanding of Black hair, frequently promoting skin lighteners and hair straighteners with demeaning marketing. This historical imbalance meant that even as specialized products existed, their widespread availability and acceptance within mainstream retail remained a challenge.

Consider the enduring practices that defy easy categorization, living as a testament to ancestral ingenuity.

1. Chebe Powder ❉ An ancient hair paste from Chad, traditionally made from roasted and crushed Chebe seeds, cherry seeds, and cloves, used for generations to promote hair length and luster.
2. Shea Butter ❉ A staple in many African tribes, extracted from shea nuts, applied to hair for moisturizing and protection against harsh environmental conditions, leaving hair soft and manageable.
3. Yucca Root ❉ Used by indigenous peoples of the Americas as a natural shampoo, crushed and mixed with water to form a cleansing lather.

Relay

The journey of hair product availability for textured hair is a complex interplay of historical neglect, cultural resilience, and ongoing advocacy. The biases of the past are not merely historical footnotes; they resonate in contemporary market structures, scientific research, and the very perception of textured hair’s place in the global beauty landscape. Understanding this ongoing relay of influence, from ancestral practices to modern consumer choices, demands a deeper examination of systemic inequalities.

How Does Historical Bias Influence Modern Retail Spaces?

For generations, Black women often found their specialized hair care products primarily in small, independent beauty supply stores, distinct from mainstream retailers. Even when larger stores began to carry these products, a deeply ingrained bias manifested in explicit segregation. Until around 2020, it was a common practice for major retail chains to keep Black beauty products locked in cases, requiring customers to request assistance to access them.

This practice sent a clear message ❉ products for textured hair were somehow less valued, less “mainstream,” and required special oversight. Moreover, the practice of separating these products by race, often labeled as “ethnic hair care,” reinforced the idea that Black hair was an exception to the broader “beauty” category, perpetuating a singular, Eurocentric beauty standard.

This historical segregation within retail has had tangible effects on consumer experience and product accessibility. The message conveyed by such practices undermined the dignity of Black consumers and created hostile shopping environments. It also reflected a broader industry oversight, where the unique needs of textured hair were marginalized, leading to a lack of investment in diverse product development and marketing.

Why Does Scientific Neglect Persist in Textured Hair Research?

The bias extends beyond retail to the very foundations of scientific understanding. Historically, research into hair science has disproportionately focused on straight hair, neglecting the unique biomechanical properties and care requirements of textured hair. This scientific blind spot means that even today, dermatologists may lack sufficient knowledge of Black hair care practices, despite hair and scalp disorders being common concerns for Black patients. The ramifications extend to cutting-edge fields like neuroimaging, where Afro-textured hair can present computational challenges for technologies like fNIRS, leading to the exclusion of Black participants from studies.

This scientific oversight has a cyclical effect on product availability. When the foundational research is lacking, product innovation for textured hair struggles to move beyond anecdotal evidence or trial-and-error formulations. It impedes the development of truly optimized, scientifically-backed solutions that cater to the specific needs of curls, coils, and kinks. A genuine commitment to equity demands increased research funding and collaborative efforts involving Black scientists and hair specialists to rectify these historical imbalances in knowledge production.

Systemic biases, from retail segregation to scientific underrepresentation, continue to shape the availability and perception of textured hair products.

The growing natural hair movement, a reclamation of ancestral pride and a rejection of imposed beauty norms, has begun to shift this landscape. The movement has led to a significant decline in chemical relaxer sales, which accounted for 60 percent of the multi-cultural hair category in 2009, but only grazed five percent in 2019. This consumer-driven change has created an undeniable market opportunity, forcing the industry to reconsider its approach. Companies are now beginning to position inclusive haircare based on hair type, though the challenge remains to ensure this new approach does not inadvertently alienate the Black community that pioneered the demand for such products.

The shift in demand has also highlighted the historical ingenuity of Black entrepreneurs who, for generations, have understood this market.

• Madam C.J. Walker ❉ Popularized the “Walker System” of hair care, which included a hair grower, pressing oil, and specific methods for healthier hair, even while utilizing hot combs.
• Anthony Overton ❉ Founded Overton Hygienic Manufacturing Company in 1898, one of the first entrepreneurs to address the cosmetic needs of Black women, expanding to include hair products and relying on a network of salespeople.
• Lisa Price (Carol’s Daughter) ❉ Began mixing fragrances and oils from her kitchen, eventually building a multi-million dollar brand catering to textured hair, body, and skin, becoming one of the first Black-owned product lines with its own flagship store.

Reflection

The journey of hair product availability for textured hair is a testament to both enduring struggles and unwavering spirit. It is a story etched in the very fibers of our being, revealing how centuries of bias sought to diminish a profound aspect of identity, while also illuminating the persistent light of ancestral wisdom. Roothea’s ‘Soul of a Strand’ ethos reminds us that each coil, each kink, each wave is a living archive, holding the memories of resilience, the ingenuity of our foremothers, and the unbroken chain of heritage.

The landscape of textured hair care continues its evolution, guided by the rediscovery of traditional practices and the demands of a global community that refuses to be unseen. The past, with its overt discriminations and subtle exclusions, provides a crucial lens through which to view the present. By truly recognizing the historical biases that shaped product availability, from the scientific neglect of our unique hair structures to the segregation within retail aisles, we can collectively work toward a future where every strand is celebrated, understood, and nourished. This ongoing process calls for an active reverence for our ancestral knowledge, a commitment to equitable scientific inquiry, and a marketplace that truly serves the breadth of human hair diversity, honoring the deep roots from which our textured heritage springs forth.