What ancestral practices relate to modern hair care and CROWN Act protections?

Roots

Consider for a moment the profound connection between our physical self and the echoes of generations past. For those with textured hair, this connection runs deeper than the eye can perceive, reaching into the very helix of each strand, a living archive of identity and resilience. Our hair is more than mere adornment; it represents a continuation of ancient lineages, a testament to enduring wisdom passed down through time. To understand modern hair care and the protections afforded by legislation like the CROWN Act, we must first trace the journey of textured hair back to its source, acknowledging its origins not as a deviation from a norm, but as a sovereign expression of being, profoundly linked to ancestral practices and heritage.

Hair Anatomy and Physiology Specific to Textured Hair

The unique characteristics of textured hair—from soft waves to tight coils—are fundamentally rooted in its anatomy. Unlike straight hair, which typically grows from a round follicle, coily or curly hair emerges from an oval or even ribbon-like follicle. This distinctive follicular shape dictates the curvature of the hair strand itself. As the hair grows, the uneven distribution of keratin within the cortex causes the strand to curl and twist upon itself.

These inherent twists and turns, while beautiful, also create points of vulnerability, where the hair shaft can be more susceptible to dryness and breakage. This is where ancient understanding, long before microscopes, intuitively guided practices.

The outermost layer, the cuticle , composed of overlapping scales, is particularly important for textured hair. In tightly coiled patterns, these scales tend to be more lifted, making it harder for the hair’s natural oils, sebum, to travel down the length of the strand. This anatomical reality underscores why moisturizing and sealing practices, prevalent in ancestral hair care, became so vital. Our ancestors observed, without formal scientific terms, what modern science now articulates ❉ textured hair often requires particular care to retain moisture and maintain its strength.

The Essential Lexicon of Textured Hair

For generations, specific terms have described the diverse forms of textured hair and the practices that honor it. This lexicon is not merely a collection of words; it reflects a deep cultural understanding and a reverence for hair as a living entity.

• Coils ❉ Hair strands that form tight, spring-like spirals, often with a distinct ‘S’ or ‘Z’ pattern.
• Locs ❉ Formed when strands of hair naturally intertwine and matt together, a practice with ancient roots across numerous African cultures.
• Twists ❉ A styling method where two sections of hair are wrapped around each other, creating a rope-like strand, a foundational protective style.

These terms represent more than just styles; they are markers of heritage , identity, and sometimes, even spiritual connection. They speak to the history of a people who celebrated the natural form of their hair long before external pressures sought to define it otherwise.

Hair Growth Cycles and Influencing Factors

The journey of each hair strand follows a predictable cycle, comprised of three primary phases ❉ anagen , the growth phase; catagen , a brief transitional phase; and telogen , the resting and shedding phase. The length of the anagen phase primarily determines how long hair can grow. While this biological cycle is universal, environmental and nutritional factors, often tied to ancestral living conditions, certainly played a part in hair health.

Traditional diets, rich in nutrient-dense foods, supported robust hair growth. Conversely, periods of scarcity or forced displacement, as experienced during the transatlantic slave trade, severely impacted hair health, stripping individuals of their traditional tools, ingredients, and the very time needed for care.

Textured hair, with its unique follicular structure and moisture needs, inherently carries the narrative of its ancestral care practices.

In pre-colonial African societies, hair care was a meticulous, communal activity, deeply woven into daily life and often signifying social status, age, marital status, or tribal affiliation. The very act of caring for hair was a social opportunity, strengthening familial bonds and community ties. This communal grooming stood as a stark contrast to the dehumanizing acts of forced head shaving imposed during the transatlantic slave trade, an act intended to strip enslaved Africans of their identity and cultural roots.

Ritual

The ancient practices surrounding textured hair were not merely functional; they were profoundly ritualistic, imbued with meaning that transcended basic hygiene. These rituals, passed from elder to youth, formed the bedrock of hair care knowledge, a living legacy that informed not just appearances but also social standing, spiritual connection, and collective identity. The wisdom of these ancestral ways, long before synthetic compounds and complex formulations, understood the hair’s inherent needs.

Protective Styling Beyond Adornment

From the intricate cornrows of ancient Ethiopia, dated back to 3500 BC, to the meticulously styled locs of Maasai warriors, protective styles have been a cornerstone of textured hair heritage. These styles were not solely about beauty; they served practical purposes ❉ protecting delicate strands from environmental elements, retaining moisture, and minimizing manipulation. Yet, their significance extended far beyond utility. In many African societies, specific braid patterns denoted social status, marital status, wealth, kinship, or religious beliefs.

For example, among the Yoruba people of Nigeria, intricate hairstyles symbolized community roles. Himba women in Namibia coated their locs with a red ochre paste, symbolizing their connection to the earth and their ancestors. This intricate connection between hair, identity, and the sacred realm meant that hair groomers held respected positions, possessing unique skills that upheld community standards.

The resilience of these protective styles truly showed itself during the transatlantic slave trade. Despite unimaginable oppression, enslaved people found ways to maintain these practices. Braids served as silent maps for escape routes, sometimes even concealing seeds and valuables for an uncertain journey. This continuation speaks to the profound spirit of defiance and cultural preservation inherent in these styling traditions.

Natural Styling Techniques in Historical Context

Beyond protective styles, ancestral communities practiced a wide array of natural styling methods that honored the hair’s inherent form. These included various forms of twisting, knotting, and shaping hair without chemical alteration. The aim was to work with the hair’s natural curvature, rather than against it. This involved using plant-based emollients and careful manipulation.

The collective memory of these rituals extends to the concept of hair as a spiritual antenna, the highest point of the body, a conduit to the divine. This belief meant hair was not merely a personal attribute but a communal asset, linking individuals to their ancestors and the spiritual realm. Such reverence for hair shaped how it was touched, styled, and even revered, establishing a profound cultural blueprint for care.

The Complete Textured Hair Toolkit

Ancestral tools were simple yet effective, crafted from natural materials. Combs were carved from wood or bone, used for detangling and creating intricate patterns. The hands, too, were essential tools, performing the precise braiding and twisting techniques that formed the basis of many styles. These tools, coupled with a deep understanding of natural ingredients, composed a comprehensive system of hair care.

Ancient care practices were not mere aesthetics; they were expressions of cultural belonging, identity, and enduring wisdom.

Traditional African societies often used natural butters, herbs, and powders for moisture retention and to assist with intricate styling. Scarves and headwraps, while offering protection, also served as symbols of elegance and sophistication, often worn during significant events. The ingenuity in using available resources to maintain and adorn hair speaks volumes about the value placed on hair health and appearance within these communities.

Relay

The lineage of textured hair care, from its ancient origins to its modern protections, forms a powerful current, carrying stories of resilience, self-expression, and the enduring fight for acceptance. The journey from ritual to legal protection is a direct response to historical efforts to diminish and control Black and mixed-race hair, an undeniable assertion of self that finds its strength in ancestral wisdom.

The Historical Policing of Textured Hair

The transatlantic slave trade marked a brutal disjuncture for African people, not only through forced displacement but also through systematic cultural eradication. One of the first dehumanizing acts upon arrival was the forced shaving of heads, intended to strip individuals of their cultural identity and sever ties to their heritage. This act established a foundational prejudice against natural Black hair, a prejudice that morphed but persisted through centuries.

Hair texture was even weaponized, creating a caste system where those with straighter textures were sometimes granted “privilege” in domestic roles, while those with coily hair were relegated to field work. This fostered internal divisions and internalized perceptions of “good hair” versus “bad hair,” directly linking hair texture to social standing within oppressive systems.

In the United States, this systemic bias found legal expression. A striking example is the Tignon Laws of 1786 in Spanish colonial Louisiana. These laws compelled free women of color to cover their hair with a tignon, a simple knotted headscarf, when in public. The stated intent was to control their appearance, which was seen as too elaborate and alluring, particularly to white men, thereby disrupting social hierarchies and emphasizing a subordinate status.

The Tignon Laws are a stark reminder of historical efforts to suppress Black hair as a symbol of identity and allure.

Despite this legal suppression, these resilient women transformed the mandate into an act of defiance, adorning their tignons with vibrant fabrics, jewels, and feathers, reclaiming the headwrap as a statement of elegance and resistance. This powerful act of reclamation, turning a tool of oppression into an expression of beauty, echoes through generations as a testament to the spirit of self-determination.

Post-slavery, the pressure to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards intensified. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the popularization of hair straightening methods, with inventions like the hot comb. While figures like Madam C.J.

Walker built empires in this era, some historical analyses critique the role of such innovations in perpetuating the idea that straight hair was a prerequisite for social and economic advancement. Hair deemed “unprofessional” or “unkempt” often served as a barrier to employment and education.

The CROWN Act and Its Ancestral Imperative

The CROWN Act, or “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” stands as a modern legal response to this enduring legacy of hair discrimination. First introduced in California in 2019, it prohibits discrimination based on an individual’s hair texture or protective hairstyles, such as braids, locs, twists, and Bantu knots, in workplaces and public schools. This legislation directly addresses a form of racial discrimination that has historically gone unchecked, where policies about “professionalism” often implicitly or explicitly targeted Black natural hair.

1. Legislative Trajectory ❉ The CROWN Act was initially passed in California in 2019. Since then, over two dozen states and numerous local jurisdictions have enacted similar laws, showing a growing recognition of this issue.
2. Federal Efforts ❉ On the federal level, the CROWN Act has been introduced multiple times in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. While passing the House in 2019 and 2022, it has faced obstacles in the Senate.
3. Protected Styles ❉ The act specifically names styles like locs , cornrows , twists , and braids , acknowledging their cultural significance and ensuring individuals cannot be penalized for wearing them.

The impetus behind the CROWN Act comes from extensive data illustrating ongoing bias. A 2019 study supported by Dove revealed that Black women are 1.5 times more likely than other women to be sent home from work or know of a woman sent home due to her hairstyle. This is not an isolated incident; it represents a systemic issue where individuals with textured hair face adverse consequences in educational and professional settings, simply for wearing their hair in its natural state or in culturally significant protective styles.

The connection to ancestral practices here is profound. The styles the CROWN Act seeks to protect—braids, twists, locs—are direct descendants of ancient African grooming traditions. By legally protecting the right to wear these styles, the CROWN Act acknowledges and safeguards the heritage of textured hair, recognizing it as an integral part of racial identity and cultural expression. It represents a legal affirmation of the inherent dignity and professionalism of Black and mixed-race hair in its diverse forms, a direct counterpoint to centuries of enforced conformity.

Hair Classification Systems and Their Cultural Origins?

The scientific classification of hair has its own complex history, sometimes reflecting societal biases. Traditional systems that categorized human hair into broad “ethnic” subgroups (African, Asian, European) failed to grasp the spectrum of human biological diversity. More contemporary approaches, such as the Irizarry Hair Texture Scale, aim to define hair types based on physical features like curl pattern, density, and style, without relying on problematic ethnic categories. This shift acknowledges that hair characteristics exist on continuums, not as discrete racialized boxes.

It is worth noting that even modern hair typing systems, such as Andre Walker’s, which categorize hair into numerical types (1-4, with sub-letters), have historical links to eugenics-era classifications. Eugen Fischer, a Nazi German scientist, developed an early system in the early 1900s to determine “Blackness” based on hair texture. This historical context underscores the deep-seated nature of hair discrimination and the importance of legislation like the CROWN Act, which seeks to dismantle these biases. The CROWN Act represents a critical anti-discrimination effort, working to address systemic inequities where hair-based biases intersect with broader societal patterns of disadvantage.

Reflection

The journey of textured hair, from the communal rituals of ancient lands to the legislative chambers of today, truly embodies a living archive, a continuous conversation between past and present. Each coil, each strand, whispers stories of ingenuity, spirit, and unwavering identity. The wisdom of our ancestors, expressed through their meticulous care rituals and the profound meanings they assigned to hair, reverberates through contemporary practices. We see this wisdom not just in the ingredients we choose or the protective styles we adorn, but in the very act of upholding the intrinsic beauty of our hair.

The CROWN Act, then, stands as a modern echo of this timeless struggle for self-possession. It is a legal affirmation that the deeply rooted expressions of textured hair heritage—braids, locs, twists, and all their variations—are not mere trends or personal preferences to be judged, but integral facets of identity deserving of respect and protection. It is a recognition that the fight for cultural acceptance often begins with the very visible markers of who we are.

Our hair, once a silent language of status and spirituality, later became a silent protest against oppression, and now, through such legislation, becomes a loud declaration of freedom. It is a testament to the enduring soul of a strand, forever connected to its source, forever unbound.