Friday, December 4, 2009

NHD topic

http://sheniquemag.blogspot.com/2009/01/black-history-hair-weave-and-ancient.html

Psychology and the Hair Weave

“She’s Gotta Have It”

I realize that the subject of hair is more far-reaching than one may imagine. A cosmetology license doesn’t offer nearly enough credentials for counseling women about self-esteem, long-term effects or the psychology of hair additions. The psychological scarring could emanate from earlier unpleasant memories.

“All my high-school classmates looked like Barbie dolls. Too often, my hair looked awful. I was always late for morning classes because my hair took so long to style, and I was painfully self-conscious. After gym class, the girls would share combs and brushes, but it was always clear we black girls couldn’t borrow a comb or brush from our white classmates. It would be no surprise that by the time weaves became available my only issue was how to pay for the procedure. Not only would I finally have long, beautiful, well groomed hair, I heard that weaving would make my own hair grow like weeds and that it would be healthy, thick and damage free. That was definitely not true. I wore a weave for eight years. I’ve had every method: from braiding, to interlock, to individuals, to infusion, to sewing, to the wefts, to wig cap and even glue. You name it, I tried it—each time a stylist gave me reasons why their method was healthier and better than the rest. I was getting my hair redone every four to six weeks, paying anything from $250 to $1,200. (That was just for putting it in, not for the hair or styling, etc.) Between weaves, despite deep conditioning treatments, I was always disappointed with how my hair looked. My hairline was becoming thinner and thinner and I was losing plugs of hair from where the end of the weft was sewn. Some method of weaving looked beautiful on, but when it was time to remove it, it seemed to require a surgeon’s skill. The folk who took them out (usually a stylist's assistant) notoriously cut my hair, despite their claims otherwise.” According to Jill, a client I persuaded to remove her weave and grow out her natural hair.

Too many sisters are unwittingly victims of harmful services rendered in the hair salons today worldwide. Most consumers are misled about the deleterious effects of hair weaves. After extended or prolonged usage of the hair-weave process (six mouths or better) most weave clients will experience a degeneration of their texture. Once the hairline fades or the hair texture thins, the client is more susceptible to continue wearing the weave to hide her imperfections and to maintain an image. Sadly, this is another form of bamboozlement that has plagued the black beauty industry for years. Black women have suffered through some of the worst product launches I’ve seen in the last 25 years. The No-lye and Gel relaxer kits, Rio products, permanent colors and high alkaline shampoos, etc. In some respect, the local beauty supply store has turned into a chemical waste dump.

Why are sisters so infatuated with hair additions? Some women say they follow the celebrity leads for fashion. There are some women who say their husband or boyfriend likes long hair: I’m lazy; the weave is easier to take care of; I can wear different styles without cutting my hair; I need the thickness and length; I never liked my hair; I’m trying to get me a man; I feel sexier or I’m trying to hide my bald spots as a result of alopecia.

Whatever your mind can conceive, you can achieve with a weave. The irony about that is, weaves aren’t very popular with the men. Many of them are unprofessionally done, and those that are done correctly are so neatly done that the man doesn’t learn it’s a weave until in the midst of intimacy. Some may see that as a form of betrayal because the hair may have been a motivating factor of interest. Ladies, you may want to let him in on your secret before he finds it out himself, and you know he could. Most men would rather see you with your real hair busted than with your weave hair looking good. However, some men don’t care how you wear your hair: braids, weaves, wigs or frizz. Such a man would rather live in your world than to live without you in his. Most men prefer hair that is healthy, natural looking, fresh smelling; touchable, not overly done and painless to run his hands through. So sisters, if you’re weaving for a man take some advice from the beauty director of Essence Magazine Mikki Taylor. “Hair is a very tangible form of self expression, of how we feel about ourselves, and how we want to be perceived."

For those occasions when you need instant glamour, try removable hair-accessories. Clip-on tracks are great for temporary fashion addition. You can buy the clamps from the beauty supply store and stitch them to the wefts. Clamping involves inserting the clamps onto parted sections, snapping it into a secured position. To remove, push down on clamp and slide out of hair. This method is a less messy procedure than bonding glue. For those of you that have lost your hair in the top crown area, weave netted fabric is used. The net is measured to fit the bald area then braid surrounding area and stitch weave hair to the net, which becomes a filler for the bald area.

There are exceptions, such as when one has a serious hair deformity and are forced to use hair weaving however, there are other women who use their hair weave as a fashion crutch and in the process allow themselves to become enslaved by their weave. (She’s gotta have it) This grooming obsession develops when women begin to place too much value on their beauty accessories and diminish the value of their natural beauty. In these instances, you may want to stop and question how much credit you are giving your hair-weave for contributing to your beauty and overall image. Chances are, you may be giving it far more credit than deserved. What’s even more psychologically disturbing is that one would sacrifice the health and well-being of their own hair to perpetrate an image.

Black women in most cases don’t realize how much pressure they put on their hair to represent them, wanting it to say things about them that will never come out of their mouth. She relies on her hair to make a statement about her when she walks in the room, takes a picture or go to an event. Weaves can be seen as a form of bondage, keeping the person wearing them on edge; wondering if it looks too “wiggy”, how it fares in certain lighting, self-conscious about the tracks showing or a thread hanging.

Here are some of the things you won’t have to worry about when you come to grips with yourself or decide that you no longer need to hide behind hair that’s not truly yours:

~ Spending 6 to 10 hours in the salon

~ Flinching every time someone touches it

~ Hair shedding from the tracks

~ Gray hairs intermixed

~ The look of the hair when it gets old

~ Spending outrageous amounts of money

~ Trying to tack down loose tracks yourself

~ Headaches from having the hair stitched too tightly

~ The wiggy looking photos

~ Trying to clean, condition and protect your hair in between the tracks

~ Tracks that don’t lay properly or were laid incorrectly in the first place

~ Emergency salon visits

~ Wondering what other people are thinking about your hair.

~ Excessive frizzing and tangles

To avoid going bald by the age of 45, don’t get hooked on weaves if you don’t have to. It’s okay to cut your hair short and start over growing it out. Yes, I understand it takes a lot of self-confidence and high self-esteem however, health and wellness has to be incorporated within all beauty services.

The Surgeon General hasn’t issued a health warning, but there’s a serious problem in the community with reference to hair, and black women are losing the battle. Pull out your old family albums and look closely at your grandmothers' or great-grandmothers' hair. You probably will notice they had longer, fuller, thicker hair than we have today. The average black woman had 10 to 12 inches of hair - between 1900 to 1950 - and now the average black woman has 4 to 6 inches.

“The battle scars of our never-ending hair wars are impossible to miss: breakage, excessive dryness inadequate growth, even balding. So when a sister somehow makes peace with her hair, when, through proper care and nutrition, she allows her crowning glory to become a glorious crown, indeed—she feels as great as she looks.” (Donna Britt – columnist Washington Post) That is the reason I insist that every black family read my book WHY ARE BLACK WOMEN LOSING THEIR HAIR? It will truly help you establish a relationship with your hair.

Beweave-it or not? How you take care of your hair will determine how long you keep it. Sometimes it’s best to cut your hair off and start again or go natural instead of chemically altering it. Going natural can be seen as going home; short hair reveals self-love, confidence, self-esteem and power - some of you weave lovers could use a healthy dose of that. Find the courage to be yourself.

God Bless America! … America the beautiful, home of the braids, land of the weaves.



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