Politics of Black Hair.... The Kink Rules Supreme
Karen's Blog
Politics of Black Hair...Kinky... The Other "N" Word...Nappy

The "I'm Mad As Hell...& I Can't Take It Anymore" Award of the Moment Goes To...



The beautiful actress, Gabrielle Union for Hell-to-the
No in Fake Hair!

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Coil Beauty II by Naturalnana

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Teacher Chops Off 1st Grader's Braid



Can you believe it?  Back in mid-December,
a Milwaukee teacher cut off the front braid of
first grader Lamya Cammon.  The teacher
claimed Lamya was making too much noise
playing with her beaded braids.

The malicious teacher calls her up to her desk,
tricks her in to asking if she wants candy;
and then takes a scissors and chops off
half Lamya's braid and throws it in the wastepaper
basket.

The class laughs and embarrassed Lamya
goes back to her desk and cries.

The teacher was fined $175 for disorderly
conduct and currently the Milwaukee Public
School District is going through a disciplinary
process with the teacher.

Somebody should cut one side of the teacher's
hair -- and show her what it feels like.

Lamya is now in another teacher's class.

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Sisterlocks - Wash 'n Go Hair



(courtesy of Sisterlocks.com)

With Sisterlocks, we can
finally have that wash 'n go
hair.  And we no longer have to go to bed with
the Harriet Tubman/Slave headscarf.  We can be
free and just lay our head down on the pillow...pleasant
dreams.

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Sisterlocks in the Motherland



Here are 2 girls from the Nyangatom People from
Southwest Ethiopia and Southeast Sudan.  This is a
likeness to the trademarked Sisterlocks created by
Dr. JoAnne Cornwell (below) in 1993.
 
(courtesy of Sisterlocks.com)   

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Healing Hair - Sisterlocks



(photo courtesy - Boston Globe/Evan Richman)

The Sisterlock movement is alive!  Sisterlocks
originated in 1993, by Dr. JoAnne Cornwell,
professor at San Diego State University.
Here's an article from January 6, 2008 Boston Globe 
by Meghan Irons.

Sisterloctician Martine Bernard, explained that,
"It's healing hair....We are healing some of the
ingrained feelings about our hair....God does not
make mistakes."

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Best Hair Photo of 2009



The little man wanted to see if President Obama's hair
felt like his.

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Royal Crown Hair Dressing - 1960



(courtesy of vieilles annonces)

This Royal Crown ad said to "press it...dress it...forget it"
and get the Royal Crown look of pride!

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Hair Strate Perm Ad - 1960



(courtesy of vieilles annonces)

Indianapolis-based Summit Laboratories came out with a hair permanent. Not only was if for women it said, "it's for girls,
boys and daddies too." In 1960, Summit was trying to get everybody on the bandwagon.


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Posner's Genuine Bergamot Hair Conditioner Ad



(courtesy of vieilles annonces)

This Posner Bergamot Hair Conditioner ad from Ebony magazine,
December 1959 professes to be water repellent (yeah, right).

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Remember Sulfur-8? Here's a 1960 Ad


(courtesy of vieilles annonces) 

This Sulfur-8 ad for conditioner and shampoo claimed you would
have longer, healthier, & richer looking hair.  The ad also asked
if your hair is too short and measly (misspelled in the ad)-looking.

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Dixie Peach Hair Dressing Pomade Ad - Ebony, June 1960


(courtesy of vieilles annonces)

Here's a Dixie Peach Hair Dressing Pomade ad from June, 1960
Ebony magazine.  The ad underscores using Dixie Peach will
make your hair soft, smooth, & lustrous.

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"Greaseless" Duke Ad from Ebony 1960s

 
(courtesy of vieilles annonces)

Here's an Ebony magazine ad for
Duke hair pomade for men.  The ad
is emphasizing the grease is greaseless.
The model, Hal DeWindt looks like he
doesn't have the typical kinky texture of
hair.

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Mel B - Shame on You - Perming Your Daughter's Hair



Mel B, what were you thinking perming your little girl's?
What are you doing to her baby brain cells?

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Black Barbie Locked



(courtesty of  feministing.com)

This Barbie Beauty is by Loanne Hizo Ostlie
who sells Black Barbies on ebay. 
She re-roots the hair.

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Tyra's Real Hair








 
Ms. Banks threw off the fake hair
to show the world her real her natural
relaxed hair underneath.

Yes,that was a brave move.  It's a step
in a positive direction to show sisters.

The big leap would be wearing her hair
the way it naturally grows out of her scalp.

But she gets major credit for the first step.

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Braid Extensions Give False Hope



Braid Extensions are good to give your hair a rest...But it also gives a
Sister false hope.  It's make-believe long hair .  One step up from
a weave or wig because it's more Africentric?  But it's still imitation.

And some Sisters go way past the expiration-time-to-take-out date.
The Kink Rules and it's not going to let any synthetic hair stop it's growth.
That $6.00 pack of synthetic hair gets disarmed by the Kink after a couple
of months.

Fall in Love with YOUR NATURAL Hair!!!


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The Truth About Hair Relaxers - by Lalachicki

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Natural Hair Is Beautiful Part 2 by Naturalnana



Another video education by Naturalnana:

   Natural Hair Is Beautiful - Part 2

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Naturally Speaking - Linda Jones on Recovering Permies




For Recovering Permies Seeking Support
 
by Linda Jones   
September, 2009
|
This column is dedicated to permaholics who are in recovery. Also known as recovering permies, these women are addicted to chemical relaxers but are ready to kick the habit. First, let me congratulate you for your decision to make the transition to a more natural lifestyle for your hair. You have taken a major step toward setting your follicles free.

While I hope your transition will be a smooth one, you will likely face challenges along the way. Brace yourself for criticism from those who will question your sanity and don't be surprised if there are times when you second-guess yourself. Post-Perm Guilt is common among recovering permies. You blame yourself for taking your hair off drugs. You need to be reminded that those feelings of guilt are only 'natural.'  You have done nothing wrong.

As recovering permies, you should not take this journey alone. I strongly urge you to find a support group-particularly one that hold regular "hairepy" sessions where you can get help managing your chemical relaxer addiction. I also encourage you to build a network of supportive, nappy-headed friends who you can call on whenever you feel a relapse coming on.

For those of you who need spiritual support, I offer my 12-Strand Program for Permaholics. Please note that any similarity to other recovery programs is purely parody.
 
The 12 Strand

1. We admitted we were powerless over perms and that our lives had become un-mane-geable. 

2. Came to believe that a Hair Power greater than ourselves could restore us to nappiness. 

3.
Made a decision to turn our will and our follicles over to the care of a Higher Hair Power as we understood Her. 
 

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our follicles.

5.
Admitted to a Higher Hair Power, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our follicle failures.
 
6. Were entirely ready to have our Higher Hair Power remove all these defects of character.
 
7. Humbly asked our Higher Hair Power to remove our short-combings.
 
8. Made a list of all nappy-headed people we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
 
9. Made direct amends to nappy-headed people wherever possible.
 
10. Continued to take personal hair inventory, and when we snuck out to get a touch-up, promptly admitted it.
 
11. Sought through meditation to improve our conscious contact with nappiness as we understand it to be, meditating only for more knowledge of that state of being and the power to maintain it.
 
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to permaholics and to practice these principles in all our hair affairs.  
It is my sincere hope, dear permies, that these guiding principles will help you stay the 'coarse' and take your recovery one nap at a time.
 
Linda is author of Nappyisms:  Affirmations for Nappy-Headed People and Wannabes!

 

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Malia Gets Criticized by the Right





Below is an excerpt from The New York Times article,
Black Hair, Still Tangled in Politics, by
Catherine Saint Louis on
August 26, 2009 
re:  ignorant bloggers on Free Republic about Malia's twists:

    Anyone who thought such preconceptions were outdated would 
    have been reminded otherwise by some negative reactions to the 
    president’s 11-year-old daughter,
Malia Obama, who wore her hair 
    in twists while in Rome this summer. Commenters on the 
    conservative blog Free Republic attacked her as 
    unfit to represent America for stepping out unstraightened
.

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Chris Rock's "Good Hair" Official Trailer Coming this Fall to Theatres



HILARIOUS!

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We Need Some More Hair In Here by Jason Lewis



...Too Many Weaves...enjoy!

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Where do natural extensions come from?




Ladies, you perpetually wear those weaves and now the
mainstream media is making fun of you?

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New Look for Solange Knowles



Solange Knowles has put the weaves & wigs
in the draw for the time being.

She's wearing her natural look.  Some hip-hop
celebs & regular ignorant folks have been
brutal with her new look.

The look is crying for a better shape up,
but I know her hair is saying thank you
for some free sun & oxygen.

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The 60's Ronnettes with the Beehive Look

 


Here's the 60's Ronnettes with the Beehive style.

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Hairstyles From Waaay Back In The Day



These vintage sisters are profiling...all trying
to let their hair lay down like the dominant
culture...Natural Black hair reaches toward
the sun. 

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Amen! THE COIL REVIEW



The Coil Review

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Look for Chris Rock's "Good Hair"



Look for Chris Rock's  Sundance
Award-winning Good Hair film by HBO
Films coming out this fall.
..I'm sure he's going to expose
the ridiculous obsession black woman
have about our Un-natural hairstyles.

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Vintage Hair Pomade



It's Sensational, Joe Louis Hair Pomade" -
around in the 1940s.  Joe Louis was
World Heavyweight Champion from
1937-1952.

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Damn...Breaking Down Concrete Wall to STEAL WEAVE HAIR!

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Good Hair II by NaturalNana

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"THE I'M MAD AS HELL...& I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE" AWARD of the MOMENT Goes To....



The wonderful actress, Kerry Washington -
overflowing in a mass of fabricated fake-ness.

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The Real Halle



Then



Now!

Halle's rockin' her REAL hair, again....Amen!

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Crazy Hair



Pink & Black Braids?  This woman has lost her mind.

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1950s Quiz



This 1952 Ebony magazine quiz asks,
who's Black, who's White?

The hair is certainly not a giveaway.

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Crazy vs Natural




Which makes more sense this?

or



This?

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Headwraps for Centuries



(photo by Georgia Scott)

We been wearing headwraps for centuries.  Countries like
Morocco, Mali, and Niger wear them to protect their heads
from the harsh heat.

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Is Shame Hiding Under the Headwraps?

 

Perhaps Black women have & still are wrapping  
our hair due to shame or hard to control hair.

Many of us have never taken the time to understand
the natural flow of our hair.  We'd  rather imitate
someone's else hair texture.  & when we can't
get it -- we wrap it up.



Here's an old cardboard trade card advertising
Clark's O.N.T. spool cotton from1894....
The sister's hair is hidden under the headwrap.

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Black Women & Headwraps



Here's  a vintage ad from 1941 advertising a Servel Gas Refrigerator.
The maid is Mandy whose got her headwrapped Aunt Jemima-style.


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Weaves for Babies - OMG!!!




(courtesy of  BlackHistory.Wordpress.com)

I know we've lost our mind!

Now, we're slapping weaves on our babies.
It's called baby bangs.  A headband of fake
straight hair.


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Beyonce Weaving It Back When She Was 12



Beyonce before she was a teen was weaving it.
Weaves on young, weaves on old -- weaves are
ravaging the Black community.

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Braid Extensions - Black Woman's Ethnic Answer to Long Hair

 
(above montage photo courtesty of theglamourouslife.com)


Braid Extensions = Long Hair with a conscience.

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Woman Attempts Guinness World Record for World's Longest Locks



Asha Mandela is attempting the Guinness World Record
for the Longest Locks.


In the above video, however, ignore her remarks about 
she's from a mixed family and that's why her
good textured hair grows so fast.  Child, Please!!!!

Little does she know that it is kinky hair that adheres to locks
the best.  And what is she talking about good textured hair?

Anyway...check it out.  It took her 20 years to cultivate.

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The Truth about Black Women & Their Hair -- by Lalachiki

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Beauty of Natural Hair by Naturalnana



Our Natural Hair IS Beautiful!!!

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"Good Hair" Documentary Featuring Chris Rock Competing at Sundance





Comedian Chris Rock is featured in a documentary competing
at the Sundance Film Festival Jan 15-25, 2009.  It's called:    
            Good Hair.

Chris uncovers the real deal on the unique Black Hair Industry.
It's directed by Jeff Stilson.

It all started when Chris' daughter, Lola, came up to him crying,
"Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?"

Not having a solid answer Chris committed himself to search the ends
of the earth to find out what put this concept in Lola's head.

The film takes you to India's sacred temples where many of the hair weave hair originates; and what's an expose on Black Hair without featuring Atlanta's Annual Bonner Brothers Hair Show.

Other celebs featured in the film include:  Ice-T, Kerry Washington, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symone, Maya Angelou & Rev. Al Sharpton.

I pray the film is informative and in good taste...with all his comedic genius --we know how Chris can get.

Check out Eurweb.com  and  Sundance Film Festival 2009  for more on the film.


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Koreans Dominate Billion Dollar Black Hair Industry - Film by Aron Ranen

Koreans dominate the Black Hair Industry.

The billion dollar revenue is leaving our community!!!

Filmmaker Aron Ranen is exposing the truth.  Support him
at Blackhairdvd.com.

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Ange Can't Find Barbie Dolls with Kinky Hair for Zahara




 Mediatakeout.com  mentioned that Angelina Jolie in an
interview said that Zahara wants her hair to look like
her mummy's:  straight.

And when she looks for an Black Barbie, the hair is
straight.

So Zahara has hair issues that's going to snowball.

Mediatakeout suggests Ange call Jada..she needs to hire
a full-time conscious hair stylist -- just for Zahara.

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Who Knew? The Brother who invented the Traffic Light, also invented Hair Relaxer.



Garret Augustus Morgan (1877- 1963)
      
The website  Skin BiologyThe Truth About Hair Relaxers, elaborates
on how Garret Morgan, known for his invention of the
traffic light and gas mask, also invented the first hair relaxer.

He was working in a sewing machine repair shop around 1910.  Garret was trying to invent a new lubricating liquid for the machine needle.

The story goes that he wiped his hands on a wool cloth.  He came back the next day and the woolly textured of the cloth had smoothed out.

He was perplexed and wanted to find out how the liquid chemical straightened the wool.

Garret experimented with an Airedale dog; known for its curly-texture.


      Airedale Dog

The same result. 

Then Garret tried the concoction on his own hair.  He called it,
hair refining cream.

He patented the first chemical hair straightener.

This was the jump start to his own  personal grooming 
products company which included, hair dying ointments,
curved-tooth pressing combs, shampoo, and a hair cream 
advertised as: 
         Positively Straighten Hair in 15 Minutes.






.
(courtesy of ric.edu)

...and the brainwashing has continued into the next millennium.






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