Obsessed With Hair

One of my earliest childhood memories is waking up early before school to make it to the hair salon by 5 a.m. Two hours in the salon and out the door no later than 7:15 a.m to make it to school by 8 a.m.

As many young girls and women know, a trip to the hair salon has never been an in-and-out type of experience. But, this is especially true in the black community. Hours are spent on the wash, blow dry and styling of hair depending on the services. It can take anywhere from three to six hours to finish an appointment.

The hair salon is a place where women go to relax, gossip and escape reality for a few hours.

But, reality sets in far before those trips to the hair salon start. Growing up, young black girls are asked "why does your hair look like that?" The first time I was asked this question marked a pivotal moment in my life where I realized my hair said a lot about who I am as a person. Not only was my skin color an identifier of my blackness, but so was my hair. And, that's a tough pill to swallow for a 7- year-old girl.

Girls are taught that "nappy hair" is not cute. The word nappy can be traced to slave times when it was used as an insult against African slaves. Because of that word and its ugly origin, many black women are trained from birth to take pride in the way their hair looks. It becomes a large part of everyday life both physically and financially.

Sanaa Lathan said it best in her new Netflix original movie "Nappily Ever After." "No fairy tale ever ended with the words nappily ever after." That line resonated with many black women around the world.

In fact, black consumers spent $54.4 million on ethnic hair and beauty aids in 2017, according to the Nielson "Black Dollars Matter: The Sales Impact Of Black Consumers" report.

Black women wear different hairstyles including weaves, wigs, extensions, and perms. Sometimes it's because of the convenience and sometimes it's a way of fitting in with the beauty standards of rest of the world.

In 2016, 44 percent of black women reported having a weave, wig or extensions in the last 12 months.

Bay Area native, Dyshanae Evans, got her first perm or relaxer at the age of 12. Relaxers chemically straighten textured hair. Evans got her first weave at the age of 14, and now, as a college student at age 21, her weaves are a part of her identity.

But, her first relaxer is where her hair journey really began. Evans blames her first perm on ruining her hair.

"My mom didn't tell me what a perm was," Evans said. "I didn't know how to properly take care of my hair while having a perm, but she told me the texture of my hair was too difficult and a perm would help."

There has been a 34% decline in the market value of relaxers since 2009, according to the 2017 Good Hair Study.

The decline in relaxers is credited to the "natural hair movement" that has been on the rise in the last decade. But, in addition to black women embracing their natural hair there's also been an increase in the use of protective hairstyles.

Protective Hairstyles

Many hairstyles fall under the web of protective hairstyles. These types of styles include but are not limited to weaves, wigs, braided extensions, and buns.

Evans chooses to wear protective styles.

"I choose not to wear my natural hair because my hair is very thin," she says. "Weaves are protective styles, along with braids and anything else that doesn't involve heat being put in your hair."

For a weave, hair is braided up, then a net is placed over the braids secured with a needle and thread. Finally hair (usually human hair) called tracks are sewn into the net on the head. And no, it doesn't stay on the head forever. Weaves must be redone every six to eight weeks.

"I do about four weaves on average daily," says L.A.- based hair stylist Trey Majors. "But, I love wigs because you can take them off at the end of the day, they protect your hair and your edges."

Wigs — lace front wigs are most popular right now — are easily removed and can be secured on the head with or without tape or glue. The base of the wig is lace and an extra flap of lace is located on the brim of the wig. Once the wig is placed and fitted on a head, the leftover lace is cut according to the hairline. If it's done correctly, it's hard to tell it's a wig. Wig wearers love the versatility. They also don't damage the hair. Wigs are a favorite of celebrities like Beyonce, Kim Zolciak Biermann and Kylie Jenner.

Braided extensions are when hair (usually synthetic hair) is braided into the natural hair. A couple of years ago, '90s favorite "box braids" made a comeback. Janet Jackson rocked these braids affectionately known as "poetic justice braids" named after the movie, "Poetic Justice," which she starred in with the late Tupac.

Dyshanae's Hair Journey

From age 1 to 21, Dyshanae has had many hairstyles which are popular in the black community.

Origin of Hair Extensions

Hair extensions are not just a thing of the 21st century. Hair has been a large part of society and cultures since the beginning of time. The use of hair extensions date all the way back to the times of Cleopatra. And by hair extensions that includes Cleopatra's legendary braided extension hairstyle as well.

According to an article on curioushair.com , "The first documented proof of hair weaves was seen among the Egyptians in 3400 BC. They wore wigs, sewn-on hair pieces and braids that were made of human hair and dyed sheep's wool. They used resin and beeswax to attach the extensions."

Braids made their debut circa 500 BC and were actually an indicator of age, religion, and wealth depending on the style of the knots and twists.

Fast forward to the 1700s and European women started to wear powdered wigs. These wigs were called Perukes and they too were an indicator of high rank.

Starting in the early 1900s, clip-ins became popular due to their easy maintenance nature. Then by the 1940s, long hair became the "it thing."

Weaves were not embraced by black women until the 1980s.

Cultural Appropriation

Kim Kardashian wearing cornrows.
Photo courtesy of Kim Kardashian/Instagram

Because of the "good hair" debate, the question arises whether black women wearing weaves is cultural appropriation.

Black women are accused of "wanting to be white" when they choose to wear weaves or wigs. Those who are anti-weave claim that black women who wear weaves are ashamed of their naturally kinky hair.

Evans hasn't had that experience though.

"A lot of black women wear weaves and it doesn't mean that I'm trying to be something that I'm not," she says. "Not everyone wants to wake up and spend 30 minutes or more on their hair every day".

Evans isn't the only one who feels that way. In 2015, 81 percent of black women preferred an effective, no fuss beauty routine.

In contrast, a cultural appropriation debate also occurs when white women or other races wear styles like box braids or cornrows.

Kim Kardashian almost broke the internet again when she wore cornrow-style braids and captioned a photo calling them "Bo Derek braids." Women accused Kardashian of appropriating black culture and not giving proper credit where it was due. Some black women feel as though Kardashian should apologize for wearing hairstyles that are popular among the community.

"While my client base is predominantly black, I do weaves and make wigs for women of all races," says Majors. "I won't turn anybody away because of their race because everyone deserves to feel like their best self."

Evans also wonders why other races are intrigued by certain hairstyles.

"It just makes me wonder why they want braids. Is it for the culture?" she says. "I just don't understand the reasoning behind it."

Kardashian never publicly spoke out about her choice to wear cornrows.

Maintenance & Costs

Cultural appropriation debate aside, it still costs money for a woman to upkeep whatever hairstyle she chooses to wear.

Evans spends "$200-$300 every month just to buy the hair and about $100 to install the hair."

She receives a discount because a friend does her hair.

Typically the human hair used for weaves comes from Brazil, Europe, Asia, India, or Malaysia, among other places, and costs start around $100 per bundle depending on the type and length of the hair. Two to three bundles are needed to complete a full head weave. Hair can last anywhere from a few months to a year with proper care.

A basic weave install includes a wash, blow-dry, braiding the hair up, and sewing the tracks onto the head. The costs can go up with extra services like cut and color. The price of coloring hair starts at $200 at Los Angeles-based salons. Hair is not included when going to get the weave installed. The install on average costs around $250.

Weaves need to be installed every six to eight weeks. So, to have a basic weave it would cost about $550 every two months and about $3,300 annually.

"I charge prices based on my skill set," says Majors. "I know what I'm doing and I also take care of the natural hair and a lot of stylists don't really care if your hair is healthy underneath your weave."