What specific styles became symbols of Black heritage during the 1960s?

Roots

Consider the strands that coil and spring from the scalp, each a tender helix carrying whispers of generations past. For those of Black and mixed-race ancestry, hair has always been more than mere keratin and protein; it has served as a profound archive, a living testament to journeys spanning continents, centuries, and struggles for identity. The 1960s, a period of sweeping societal upheaval, saw these intimate connections surface with a compelling force, transforming specific textured hair styles into powerful symbols of Black heritage. This transformation was not a sudden burst, but a culmination of ancestral wisdom, resilience, and a profound re-claiming of self.

The origins of textured hair practices stretch back to the very cradle of humanity, on the continent of Africa. Ancient societies revered hair as a symbol of status, spirituality, age, and lineage. Hairstyles could communicate a person’s tribal affiliation, marital status, wealth, or even their role within the community. For instance, among the Yoruba, hair was considered the most elevated part of the body, a conduit for messages to the divine.

The intricate braiding and styling rituals involved hours, often days, a communal endeavor that strengthened bonds and passed on cultural wisdom from elder to youth. These traditions, born from a deep understanding of hair’s unique properties and its connection to the self, are the wellspring from which the defiance of the 1960s ultimately flowed.

Ancient Echoes in Every Strand

Before the transatlantic slave trade violently disrupted these lifeways, African people cultivated diverse hair practices. The very structure of textured hair, with its unique curl patterns and natural density, evolved to serve protective functions in various climates, providing insulation from the sun’s harsh rays and regulating scalp temperature. This elemental biology underpins thousands of years of human ingenuity in hair care. Think of the meticulous coil formations seen in ancient Egyptian depictions or the elaborate braided designs across West African kingdoms.

These were not simply aesthetic choices. They were functional, symbolic, and deeply integrated into daily life and ceremony. The care of hair, then, was an act of reverence, a physical manifestation of cultural and spiritual alignment.

Across the African continent, diverse hair practices served as living documents, communicating social status, spiritual beliefs, and community ties through intricate styling.

The tools of these ancient practices were often crafted from natural materials, such as wood, bone, and ivory, reflecting a harmonious relationship with the natural world. Oils derived from indigenous plants, butters, and herbs were used to nourish, protect, and adorn the hair, ensuring its health and vitality. These ancestral care rituals held knowledge not just for the hair itself, but for overall holistic wellness, recognizing the interconnectedness of body, spirit, and community.

Pre-60s Tides and the Legacy of Control

The forced displacement of enslaved Africans shattered many of these traditions, yet the spirit of resistance persisted. Slave owners often shaved the heads of enslaved people upon arrival, a dehumanizing act intended to strip them of identity and sever their connection to their heritage. Despite this, Black people adapted, finding ways to maintain elements of their hair traditions in secret, sometimes using cornrow patterns to map escape routes or hide seeds for survival. The very term “cornrows” in the Americas links back to the labor in corn and sugar cane fields, a reminder of both oppression and ingenuity.

The post-emancipation era presented new forms of pressure. To assimilate into a white-dominated society and gain economic opportunities, many Black Americans felt compelled to straighten their hair, conforming to Eurocentric beauty standards that deemed straight, flowing hair as “good” and natural, textured hair as “nappy” or “unruly”. Figures like Madam C.J. Walker, while building a formidable enterprise that empowered Black women economically, also popularized the hot comb, offering a means to achieve a straightened appearance.

This era, often termed “the great oppression” regarding hair, saw many resort to intense methods, including chemical mixtures, to smooth their hair, sometimes at the expense of scalp health. The social pressure was immense, impacting self-perception and access in professional spaces.

This historical context is vital. The 1960s did not simply birth new styles; they rekindled an ancient flame, offering a visible rejection of imposed beauty norms and a return to the natural, ancestral self. The cultural ground was fertile for a profound shift in how Black hair was perceived, worn, and celebrated.

Ritual

The decade of the 1960s pulsed with a rhythm of change, its beat echoed in the visual language of Black people’s hair. It was a time when the personal became profoundly political, when the coiled and spiraling strands, long hidden or chemically altered, became a public declaration of racial pride and cultural heritage. This period witnessed the ascendancy of specific styles that moved beyond mere aesthetics, becoming powerful symbols of defiance, self-acceptance, and a deep connection to ancestral roots.

The Afro’s Resurgence

Foremost among these styles was the Afro, a majestic crown of natural, unrelaxed hair that became a ubiquitous symbol of the Black Power and “Black Is Beautiful” movements. The Afro, in its voluminous, spherical shape, represented a radical departure from the straightened styles that had dominated for decades. It was a deliberate, collective turning away from Eurocentric beauty standards, an assertion that Black features, in their unaltered form, were inherently beautiful and worthy of celebration. Wearing an Afro signaled an embrace of one’s natural heritage and identity, a stark contrast to assimilationist approaches to civil rights.

The Afro transcended a hairstyle; it became a potent symbol of Black pride, a visual declaration of self-acceptance and political resistance.

This style was adopted by activists like Angela Davis, whose iconic Afro became a powerful visual representation of the fight for racial equality and a challenge to negative stereotypes. The Black Panther Party, a revolutionary organization, also embraced the Afro as part of their uniform, further cementing its place as a symbol of collective resistance and a proud assertion of African heritage. The Afro was not without its maintenance rituals; it often required meticulous shaping with a specialized tool, the Afro pick, which itself became a symbol of Black power, sometimes adorned with a raised fist. The tools and practices surrounding the Afro connected individuals to a broader community, sharing knowledge and pride in caring for naturally textured hair.

Braids and Cornrows A Reconnection

Beyond the Afro, other traditional styles re-emerged with renewed significance. Cornrows, with their intricate patterns braided close to the scalp, experienced a powerful resurgence. These styles, deeply rooted in various African cultures, had served as means of communication, identity, and practicality for centuries.

During the transatlantic slave trade, enslaved people used cornrows to convey messages, even reportedly forming maps for escape routes. The names “cornrows” and “canerows” themselves speak to the history of forced labor in the Americas, transforming a painful past into a symbol of enduring strength and ingenuity.

The re-adoption of cornrows in the 1960s was a visible act of reclaiming this profound heritage. Celebrities and activists like Cicely Tyson courageously wore cornrows on screen, publicly paving the way for self-acceptance and self-love for African Americans. The patterns, sometimes simple and straight, other times elaborate and geometric, spoke to a legacy of artistry and cultural continuity that had survived generations of oppression.

The choices in styling during this era were not casual. They were deliberate, often requiring communal effort, reflecting the African traditions of hair care as a social event that strengthened bonds. These rituals provided moments of shared experience, storytelling, and the transmission of ancestral knowledge from hand to hand, generation to generation.

Consider the daily routines of care for these styles. The Afro demanded specific methods of picking and shaping to maintain its iconic silhouette. Cornrows required careful sectioning and tight braiding, often a process that could take hours.

These practices, while practical, also became acts of cultural affirmation. They were mindful engagements with one’s own body, a refusal to inflict the damaging chemical processes of the past.

• Shea Butter ❉ A traditional African ingredient, used for centuries to moisturize and protect textured hair, gaining renewed popularity in the 1960s for its natural properties.
• Coconut Oil ❉ Valued for its penetrating qualities and ability to reduce protein loss, it was a staple in many ancestral hair care traditions.
• African Black Soap ❉ Utilized for gentle cleansing of both scalp and hair, drawing from centuries of traditional West African formulations.

These simple, natural ingredients, often passed down through family wisdom, represented a holistic approach to hair health that aligned with the decade’s broader call for authenticity and a return to roots. The conscious decision to use these products, rather than the chemical relaxers of prior eras, was a subtle yet powerful act of rebellion against the imposed beauty standards and an embrace of heritage.

Relay

The styles that crystallized as symbols of Black heritage during the 1960s did not merely exist as aesthetic choices; they functioned as a dynamic relay, transmitting profound cultural and political messages across communities and generations. This period saw hair transformed from a personal attribute into a public, undeniable declaration, forcing a societal reckoning with race, identity, and beauty. The repercussions of this sartorial shift rippled through media, academia, and the very fabric of Black self-perception, establishing a legacy that continues to reshape conversations about textured hair today.

From Personal Choice to Public Statement

The adoption of styles such as the Afro and cornrows was a direct response to the “Black Is Beautiful” movement, which emerged from the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. This cultural phenomenon sought to affirm the inherent beauty of Black people, challenging centuries of internalized racism and Eurocentric beauty norms that had systematically devalued African features. For Black women, rejecting the pressing comb and chemical relaxer in favor of their natural coils represented a profound act of self-liberation and a political statement of solidarity. It was, in essence, a visible dismantling of the notion that one needed to alter their Blackness to be deemed acceptable or attractive.

The visual impact was immediate and undeniable. When figures like Angela Davis appeared with her formidable Afro, it became a powerful symbol of defiance, rebellion, and intellectual strength, widely publicized even on “Wanted” posters. Her hair, unyielding and unapologetic, communicated a message that resonated deeply with a community seeking to assert its agency and pride. This was not a passive trend; it was an active embrace of identity, a deliberate counter-narrative against the dominant societal pressures.

A 1969 Newsweek poll provides a concrete illustration of this shift. It revealed that 70% of northern African Americans under the age of thirty approved of the natural style, with 40% of all southern African Americans also embracing it. This statistic underscores the widespread societal acceptance and endorsement of natural hair within the Black community during this transformative period, signaling a significant cultural realignment.

The Science of Adornment and Protection

The embrace of natural textured styles in the 1960s also brought a renewed appreciation for their inherent protective qualities. Textured hair, with its unique helical structure, can be prone to dryness and breakage if not cared for appropriately, yet its tightly coiled nature naturally guards the scalp from the sun and offers insulation. Styles like cornrows, for example, minimize manipulation and exposure to environmental elements, promoting hair health and growth when properly maintained. The traditional African practices of oiling and braiding were, in essence, early forms of protective styling, ensuring the integrity of the hair strand.

Modern scientific understanding validates much of this ancestral wisdom. The natural curvature of textured hair means that oils produced by the scalp do not easily travel down the hair shaft, necessitating external moisturizing methods. The protective styles popularized in the 1960s, a return to these traditional techniques, allowed hair to thrive by reducing tension, preventing tangling, and creating an environment conducive to healthy growth. This convergence of cultural practice and biophysical understanding underscores the deep, intuitive knowledge embedded within Black hair heritage.

Legacy and Continuing Resonance

The shifts of the 1960s laid an undeniable groundwork for subsequent natural hair movements, including the contemporary resurgence seen in the 2000s. The visibility of natural hair, once radical, began to normalize, opening pathways for broader acceptance and challenging institutional biases. Laws like the CROWN Act, enacted in various states, directly address hair discrimination, a testament to the ongoing fight for hair freedom that found its strong voice in the 1960s.

The enduring legacy of 1960s hairstyles is a living narrative, inspiring ongoing movements for self-acceptance and challenging persistent biases against textured hair.

The styles that became iconic during this decade – the Afro, cornrows, and even the natural twists and locs that gained momentum shortly thereafter – represent a powerful cultural relay. They communicate a message of self-determination, an honoring of ancestral lineage, and a persistent refusal to conform to restrictive beauty ideals. They are not merely historical footnotes; they are living symbols that continue to inform discussions about Black identity, beauty, and resilience across the diaspora.

1. The Afro Pick ❉ A tool designed specifically for lifting and shaping the Afro, becoming a potent symbol of Black pride and identity, often adorned with a raised fist motif.
2. Head Wraps/Tignons ❉ While historically enforced to subjugate Black women in some contexts (like the Tignon Laws in New Orleans), they were also used traditionally in Africa to denote status and in the diaspora to protect hair and assert cultural identity. In the 1960s, head wraps gained renewed popularity as fashion statements and protective measures, bridging ancestral practice with contemporary style.
3. Wide-Tooth Combs ❉ Essential for detangling and maintaining the integrity of textured hair, this simple tool gained renewed importance with the embrace of natural styles, a practice rooted in gentle care and minimizing breakage.

These simple tools, alongside the styles they helped to shape, collectively spoke volumes, articulating a heritage that refused to be silenced or confined.

Reflection

As we gaze upon the coiled, the twisted, the magnificently voluminous forms that became symbols of Black heritage during the 1960s, we are not merely observing historical artifacts. We are witnessing the enduring resonance of a spirit, a defiant echo from the source that found voice in every strand. The Afro, the re-emergent cornrow, the nascent natural twists – these were not fleeting trends. They were conscious reclamations, tender threads woven into the fabric of a renewed identity, unbound helixes spiraling towards a future steeped in ancestral wisdom.

The ‘Soul of a Strand’ ethos reminds us that textured hair carries the very memory of generations, a living archive of resilience and beauty. The 1960s provided a critical juncture, a luminous moment when Black individuals collectively decided to shed imposed narratives and stand in the fullness of their natural selves. This profound act, rooted in a heritage that spans millennia, transformed hair into a visible sacrament of belonging, a testament to unbroken lineage.

Today, the ripple effects of that transformative decade continue to shape our understanding of beauty, identity, and wellness within the textured hair community. We stand on the shoulders of those who picked their Afros high and braided their cornrows with intention, reminding us that care for our hair is care for our history, and respect for our coils is respect for our very essence. The styles of the 1960s remain a vibrant call, an invitation to continue honoring the sacred inheritance that springs forth from our scalps, a heritage living, breathing, and ever-evolving.