From the tingling sensation of creamy hair relaxers to the 2010s resurgence of the natural hair movement, Black women have redefined haircare through innovation and the pursuit of products that enhance and define every strand.
Within each loc of hair lies the incredible science supporting our roots, upbringing, and self-expression. From sew-ins and wigs to quick-weaves, faux locs, box braids, and knotless braids, black hair continues to embody creativity and cultural pride—honoring the legacy of beauty salons filled with skilled hands of old-school hairdressers and the familiar scent of Pump It Up Spritz. Yet, the standards imposed on Black women’s hair remain layered, complex and often misunderstood.
For many young Black girls entering classrooms, workplaces, and social settings, the way they wear their hair can shape many aspects of their livelihood, making it increasingly important to choose products with care and awareness.
At HBCUs, as the science behind products & hairstyles change, so do the standards of beauty.
The 19th century brought about a significant shift in Black haircare history with the invention of hot combs, relaxers, and waxes.
In particular, hair relaxers are coined as the product that straightens curly hair strands via the use of strong chemical agents that allow disulfide bonds in curly hair to break.
Research supports that Black women are twice as likely to experience hair-related anxiety & pressure to straighten their natural hair in comparison to their White counterparts within the workplace.
Many of these products contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, and triclosan that can mimic the hormone estrogen. This hormonal interference increases the risk of hormone-related cancers, breast cancer being a significant concern. While hair relaxers are still being used in today’s time, their influence is no longer culturally reinforced to the same magnitude as it was during peak 1960s-early 2000s. This time frame was when straightened hair for Black women was seen as professional, beautiful, and palatable to the general mass.
Figure 1. Shown above is Skin Deep’s Database: a public product database that contains over 130,000 personal care products & their ingredients. 15 of these hair relaxer brands were categorized. The hazard scoring follows as 1-2 indicating low potential hazard (green), 3-6 moderate potential hazard (yellow), and 7-10 high potential hazard (red).
Sodium hydroxide, or colloquially termed as Lye, is an active ingredient in hair straightening products that is proven to have damaging effects when active in high concentrations. Relaxers landed a scoring average of 8.1, a low quality score. 13 out of 15 relaxers claim to be “free of lye” despite packaging contradicting this fact as brands have the ability to withhold certain ingredients.
This dichotomy blurs the lines for Black men & women in finding what products are trustworthy and the right products for them.
Presently, PATTERN beauty LLC. in 2018 was established by CEO Tracee Ellis Ross. Today, companies like PATTERN serve the purpose of challenging these societal beauty norms through inclusivity, nourishment, and the celebration of Black beauty. Ross’s brand is free of parabens, harsh sulfates, and cyclic silicones.
Across A&T’s campus, a new generation of Aggie women push cultural bounds wearing styles from locs to quick-weaves.
Third-year honors liberal studies pre-law student Michelle Cartwright is using her platform to create engaging and relatable content centered around Black Hair & her personal hair care journey.
To women of A&T struggling to find an alley to be themselves in, “You are not alone. Entering A&T, I felt pressure to mirror what was displayed on social media as our school thrives off of media,” Cartwright said. “Finding community is the key to seeing more women comfortable with wearing their natural hair on campus.”
Although hair care routines are often dismissed and misunderstood, informing ourselves to the science behind haircare along with these powerful conversations is a step towards reclaiming the narrative.
Understanding the history and health behind hair practices is essential for future generations who deserve to see their natural beauty celebrated, not suppressed.
