How did historical oppression impact textured hair care practices?

Roots

To truly understand the legacy of textured hair, one must journey through the echoes of the past, for within its very coiled helix lies a story written by resilience and enduring heritage. How did historical oppression impact textured hair care practices? This is a question that reaches beyond simple hairstyling; it touches upon the very fabric of identity, ancestral wisdom, and the relentless spirit of communities shaped by forces seeking to diminish their natural beauty.

For those who carry the legacy of textured hair, the past is not merely a bygone era; it resonates in daily rituals, informing choices from product selection to preferred styles. The hair on our heads stands as a living archive, a testament to a journey from reverence in ancient lands to the challenges of forced assimilation and the reclaiming of self.

Ancestral Practices and Hair’s Sacred Place

In pre-colonial African societies, hair was a profound cultural marker, often signaling a person’s tribe, social status, marital standing, age, and even spiritual beliefs. Elaborate styles, such as intricate braids, twists, and locs, were not just aesthetic choices; they were forms of communication, rich with meaning (BLAM UK CIC, 2022; Odele Beauty, 2021; University of Michigan, 2023). The communal act of hair styling became a cherished ritual, a time for bonding, storytelling, and the transmission of generational wisdom (Lordhair.com, 2023). Women gathered, their fingers moving with practiced grace, sharing techniques and communal life, making the hair salon a deeply social time that existed long before its modern iteration (Not Your Mommas History, 2015).

Hair, in its diverse forms, acted as a visual language within ancient African societies, conveying identity and spiritual connection.

Hair’s placement as the highest point on the body conferred upon it a spiritual significance, believed to connect individuals to the divine. For instance, in Yoruba culture, braids were sometimes seen as pathways for messages to the gods (Odele Beauty, 2021). Care involved an array of natural ingredients harvested from the earth, such as shea butter, marula oil, and chébé powder, used for their moisturizing and protective properties. These traditional practices, passed down through generations, aimed at nourishing the hair, ensuring its health and symbolizing vitality (Obscure Histories, 2024; Sellox Blog, 2021).

Hair as a Cultural Identifier

The symbolic potency of hair texture, as explained by Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson, became a key marker of “blackness” (Literary Hub, 2020). This deep-seated connection meant that any assault on hair was an assault on identity itself.

• Shea Butter ❉ Extracted from the nuts of the Shea tree, this versatile ingredient served as a moisturizer for both skin and hair, known for its ability to trap moisture and restore damaged skin (Obscure Histories, 2024; Sellox Blog, 2021).
• Chébé Powder ❉ Sourced from the Chébé plant seeds in Chad, this powder, when mixed with water or butters, aided length retention by filling hair shaft spaces and sealing the cuticle, a tradition of the Basara Arab women (Obscure Histories, 2024; Sapan News, 2025).
• Marula Oil ❉ Often called “liquid gold,” this oil from the Marula fruit kernels provided rich antioxidants and essential fatty acids, a beauty secret in many African communities (Sellox Blog, 2021; Unlocking Ancient African Beauty Traditions, 2024).

The Erasure of Identity and Cultural Assault

The transatlantic slave trade marked a brutal disruption of these sacred practices. One of the first acts upon the capture and transport of Africans was the forced shaving of their heads (BLAM UK CIC, 2022; Lordhair.com, 2023; Noireônaturel, 2024). This act was not simply for hygiene on crowded ships; it was a deliberate, dehumanizing tactic designed to strip individuals of their identity, sever their connection to their heritage, and dismantle their sense of self (BLAM UK CIC, 2022; The Gale Review, 2021; Lordhair.com, 2023).

The forced removal of hair communicated that the Africans, whoever they were before their capture, no longer existed in that capacity (Library of Congress, 2023). Their cultures were to be erased, their names changed, their languages suppressed, and their hair, a symbol of pride and belonging, shorn (Library of Congress, 2023).

Under the institution of slavery, African textured hair was systematically denigrated, dismissed as “woolly,” “matted,” or “kinky,” and deemed incompatible with any standard of beauty (Buala, 2024). This devaluation was a cornerstone of the slave system, establishing a white aesthetic as the sole measure of beauty (Buala, 2024). The lighter one’s skin and the straighter one’s hair, the greater the perceived value and opportunities, even within the confines of plantation life (Buala, 2024; Odele Beauty, 2021). This created a hierarchy rooted in physical characteristics, directly impacting the lived experiences and treatment of enslaved people.

Ritual

The impact of historical oppression did not cease with the end of slavery; it continued to shape textured hair care practices through deeply ingrained societal biases and economic pressures. The period following emancipation saw a complex interplay of reclaiming heritage and conforming to dominant beauty standards. This ongoing negotiation forms a significant ritual of daily life for Black and mixed-race communities, linking ancestral resilience to modern care.

How does discriminatory history continue to shape hair care choices? This question guides our understanding of the persistent pressures and the enduring spirit of self-determination.

The Burden of “Good Hair” and Assimilation

Post-emancipation, the pressure to conform to white aesthetic norms intensified, particularly as Black individuals sought employment and social advancement (Buala, 2024; Lordhair.com, 2023; Scholar Commons, 2022). Straighter hair became associated with “good hair,” professionalism, and civility, while natural, coily textures were often labeled “bad hair” or “unprofessional” (University of Michigan, 2023; Halo Collective, 2024). This ideology, deeply rooted in the pathology of racial hierarchy established during slavery, compelled many to alter their natural hair (Library of Congress, 2023; Lordhair.com, 2023).

Early methods of hair straightening, dating back to the 1800s, included crude practices like ironing hair and pulling it taut (Buala, 2024). The turn of the 20th century, however, brought about significant changes with the rise of Black women entrepreneurs. Pioneers such as Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam C.J. Walker revolutionized the Black hair care industry by developing specialized products and systems, including creams and hot combs, designed to straighten textured hair (Annie Malone and Madam C.J.

Walker, n.d.; Buala, 2024; NaturAll Club, 2018; Nature’s Little Secret, 2025). Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, built an empire, becoming one of America’s first self-made female millionaires, empowering thousands of Black women economically as “hair culturists” (Annie Malone and Madam C.J. Walker, n.d.; Roots of Black Hair Care, 2024; Nature’s Little Secret, 2025).

The invention of chemical relaxers and hot combs offered a pathway to Eurocentric beauty standards, driven by societal pressure for assimilation.

Despite their entrepreneurial spirit and the economic opportunities they provided, these innovations also cemented the idea that hair straightening was a necessary step for social acceptance. Garrett Morgan, known for inventing the traffic light, accidentally discovered the first chemical hair relaxer, contributing to the widespread use of hair straightening creams for decades (Nature’s Little Secret, 2025). This widespread adoption was not solely a matter of personal preference; it was often a means of survival, a way to navigate a society that equated Black hair in its natural state with inferiority (Hair Love, 2024).

The Enduring Legacy of Hair Discrimination

Even in contemporary society, the echoes of historical oppression persist through pervasive hair discrimination. This negative bias against natural or textured hair styles, often worn by people of African descent, continues to manifest in various settings, including schools and workplaces (The Person Beneath the Hair, 2023; Halo Collective, 2024). A 2017 poll revealed that a third of Native Americans experienced discrimination at school and work (The Mixed Space, 2024). A more recent study found that Black women are 80% more likely to change their natural hair to meet social norms at work, and 1.5 times more likely to be sent home due to their hair (The Mixed Space, 2024).

This discrimination often forces individuals to adopt styles that mimic Eurocentric standards, despite the potential health risks. A 2023 survey indicated that Black respondents reported the most frequent use of chemical straighteners compared to other races, with 61% stating they used them because they “felt more beautiful with straight hair” (What Every Dermatologist Must Know, 2023). Chemical straighteners contain harmful chemicals like parabens and phthalates, linked to increased risks of early puberty, uterine fibroids, and cancer (What Every Dermatologist Must Know, 2023).

Cultural Reclamation ❉ The Afro and the CROWN Act

The mid-1960s witnessed a significant shift with the Civil Rights Movement, which ushered in a powerful wave of Black pride (Lordhair.com, 2023; What Every Dermatologist Must Know, 2023). The Afro hairstyle emerged as a potent symbol of Black identity, activism, and a direct rejection of Eurocentric beauty standards (Lordhair.com, 2023; What Every Dermatologist Must Know, 2023; Tangled Roots, 2021). This period saw a resurgence of natural styles, including cornrows, braids, and traditional African headwraps, becoming powerful political statements (Lordhair.com, 2023).

The contemporary natural hair movement continues this legacy, advocating for the acceptance and celebration of natural textures. Legislation like the CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act), which bans discrimination based on hair style or texture, represents a legal battleground against these historical biases (The Person Beneath the Hair, 2023; The Mixed Space, 2024). The CROWN Act clarifies that a person’s hair should not disqualify them from employment or disrupt a healthy learning environment (The Mixed Space, 2024). Its passage in numerous states symbolizes a collective move toward humanizing lived experiences and recognizing hair as a fundamental aspect of identity and self-expression (The Mixed Space, 2024).

Relay

The transmission of knowledge regarding textured hair, from ancient communal practices to modern scientific understanding, reflects a profound relay of heritage through generations. This relay, however, has been profoundly shaped by periods of historical oppression, which sought to disrupt and redefine this connection. We observe not merely a transfer of techniques, but a persistent assertion of identity, a reclaiming of ancestral practices in the face of imposed norms.

How has scientific understanding validated ancestral hair care practices? This inquiry allows us to appreciate the deep intelligence embedded within traditional approaches, often overlooked due to colonial impositions.

The Interplay of Ancestral Wisdom and Modern Science

The rich legacy of African hair care, rooted in the use of natural elements, finds unexpected allies in modern scientific inquiry. Traditional practices often relied on plant-based ingredients for their intrinsic properties, even without explicit scientific understanding of their chemical composition. Consider, for instance, the widespread use of various butters and oils across the African continent. Shea butter, derived from the Karite tree, has been used for centuries to seal moisture into hair (Obscure Histories, 2024).

Today, scientific analysis validates this, showing its high content of fatty acids and vitamins that contribute to hair conditioning and protection. Similarly, the Basara Arab women of Chad employ chébé powder, a blend of indigenous plants, to promote hair length retention (Obscure Histories, 2024; Sapan News, 2025). While traditional accounts speak of its ability to “fill hair shaft spaces,” modern trichology can explain this through the concept of the powder coating the hair strand, reducing breakage and thereby aiding length retention.

This connection between heritage and modern understanding highlights a fascinating continuity. What ancient practitioners understood through observation and communal knowledge, contemporary science often explains through molecular mechanisms. The emphasis on moisture retention, a cornerstone of ancestral textured hair care, is now a scientifically recognized critical factor for the health and integrity of coily and curly hair types, which are naturally prone to dryness due to their structural characteristics.

Historical Hair Typing Systems and Their Biases

The very language used to categorize hair, and consequently, its care, bears the scars of historical oppression. The concept of “hair typing” has a controversial past, deeply intertwined with racial categorization. Early 20th-century systems, such as the “hair gauge” invented by German Nazi scientist Eugen Fischer in 1908, aimed to determine a person’s “proximity to whiteness” based on their hair texture (Byrdie, 2021; Literary Hub, 2020; OurX, 2024).

This alarming historical example illustrates how scientific endeavors were perverted to reinforce racist ideologies. Another egregious instance was the Apartheid Pencil Test, which classified individuals as non-white if a pencil could remain in their hair when shaken (Byrdie, 2021; OurX, 2024; Halo Collective, 2024).

These systems were not neutral classifications; they were tools of social control and racial stratification. They pathologized tightly coiled hair, branding it as “ugly” or “inferior” (What Every Dermatologist Must Know, 2023). While modern hair typing systems, like Andre Walker’s, developed in the 1990s, aim to provide consumer guidance for product selection (Byrdie, 2021; CurlsBot, 2025; OurX, 2024), they are still critiqued for potentially perpetuating texturism—a bias favoring looser curl patterns over tighter ones (Byrdie, 2021; OurX, 2024). This history underscores how deeply ingrained discriminatory perceptions can affect even seemingly objective classifications.

The pervasive impact of these historical biases is evident in public perceptions and even in the beauty industry’s marketing. A 2023 survey highlighted that 61% of Black respondents used chemical straighteners because they “felt more beautiful with straight hair” (What Every Dermatologist Must Know, 2023). This statistic starkly illustrates the enduring influence of Eurocentric beauty standards, a direct inheritance of oppressive historical narratives, on personal beauty choices and perceptions of self-worth.

1. Fischer’s Hair Gauge (1908) ❉ A tool designed by Eugen Fischer, a German Nazi scientist, to categorize hair texture for racial classification, particularly to determine proximity to “whiteness” (Byrdie, 2021).
2. Apartheid Pencil Test ❉ A discriminatory test where individuals were classified as non-white if a pencil held in their hair did not fall out when shaken, reinforcing racial hierarchies (Byrdie, 2021; Halo Collective, 2024).
3. Andre Walker Hair Typing System (1990s) ❉ A more recent system for consumers, categorizing hair into types 1-4 (straight to coily) with subcategories, but facing criticism for implicitly favoring looser textures (Byrdie, 2021; OurX, 2024).

The Politics of Hair ❉ Legislation and Reclamation

The journey to liberation for textured hair is a continuous relay, finding expression not only in personal choices but also in legislative action. The Civil Rights Movement sparked a powerful reclamation, with the Afro becoming a symbol of Black pride and defiance against imposed norms (Lordhair.com, 2023; What Every Dermatologist Must Know, 2023). This era was a critical turning point, where embracing natural hair transcended personal style to become a political statement (Lordhair.com, 2023; What Every Dermatologist Must Know, 2023).

The current push for legislation such as the CROWN Act in the United States directly confronts the lingering effects of historical oppression. The act, which prohibits discrimination based on hair texture or style, aims to undo centuries of policies and societal norms that marginalized Black and Indigenous hair (The Mixed Space, 2024). For example, a study cited that Black women are 80% more likely to feel pressure to alter their natural hair for work and 1.5 times more likely to be sent home due to their hair (The Mixed Space, 2024).

This legal framework seeks to ensure individuals can show up authentically, without fear of economic or social repercussions stemming from their hair. The CROWN Act represents a critical step in honoring hair heritage, affirming that the diverse beauty of textured hair holds inherent value and deserves protection under law (The Mixed Space, 2024).

Modern legislative efforts, such as the CROWN Act, represent a legal continuation of the fight against historically rooted hair discrimination.

Beyond legislation, the narrative of textured hair continues to be rewritten through cultural movements and media representation. The ongoing natural hair movement, supported by widespread community engagement and digital platforms, has created spaces for shared wisdom and collective healing. This movement actively counters the negative internalizations of the past, celebrating the versatility and intrinsic beauty of coily, curly, and wavy hair. It is a powerful affirmation that hair is not simply a physical attribute; it remains a profound symbol of identity, freedom, and the enduring spirit of heritage.

Reflection

The story of textured hair care practices is not merely a chronicle of routines and products; it is a profound meditation on spirit and memory. From the deliberate erasure of identity during enslavement to the persistent societal pressures that followed, hair has stood as a silent witness, a canvas upon which the brutal realities of oppression were etched. Yet, in every coil and every strand, there has been an undeniable current of life, a defiant refusal to yield. This legacy of perseverance reminds us that care for textured hair is more than superficial; it is a sacred act of remembering, of honoring the wisdom carried forward by those who came before us.

The echoes of ancestral hands, once meticulously braiding secrets of freedom into strands, continue to guide contemporary practices. The pursuit of “good hair,” once dictated by oppressive standards, has transformed into a journey of self-discovery, where authentic beauty is redefined by internal acceptance rather than external validation. This evolving relationship with hair speaks to a larger human story of reclamation, where what was once a tool of subjugation becomes a vibrant symbol of liberation and cultural pride.

Our journey to understanding textured hair care is an ongoing conversation with the past, a dynamic dialogue that shapes our present and informs the boundless possibilities of what is to come. It is, truly, the soul of a strand, stretching from ancient roots to an unbound helix of future.