Taylor Bembery
Blue & White Flash / Staff Writer
Many female students have waited this whole semester away from their beauticians at school; but now the wait is almost over. It’s the time of the year to get your weave and hair right and tight for the holidays.
Aside from all the natural girls on campus, the females with weaves and relaxed hair should be recognized as well. The texture of African-American hair allows it to be styled in many ways.
There are four ways to style African-American hair: natural hairstyles, press and curls, weaves, and relaxed hair. Weave and relaxed hairstyles are popular on campus.
A hair weave is human or artificial hair utilized for the integration with one’s natural hair. Weaving additional human or synthetic pieces can enhance one’s hair by giving it volume, length and adding color without the damage of chemicals or adopting a different hair texture than that of your own.
The idea of hair weaves and extensions first came about in the early days of ancient Egypt, where men and women utilized extensions in their hair to portray a more elegant appearance.
Hair weaves in particular, did not grow interest until the 1950’s; even during that time celebrities were the only ones using them. When the Disco era evolved, there started to become widespread hair weave use. Since that era, hair weave has only become more popular.
Hair weave can be synthetic or human hair. The more popular choice for hair weave is human hair extensions because of longevity and it usually blends better with real hair. The best human hair to purchase is Remy. Remy human hair means that all the cuticles are intact to cut down on tangling.
Human hair extensions can be quite expensive over time. Especially, when purchasing virgin human hair extensions such as Indian, Brazilian, Peruvian, and Malaysian hair.
Cherese Pendleton, a sophomore mass communications major from Vicksburg, Miss., said she likes to wear weave for convenience and the look.
“I think spending a lot of money on weave is worth it because it really is the perfect accessory. I love it. I wear weave 24/7 and it works for me because I am so busy with school and work. I don’t have a problem wearing my natural hair, I just love long big thick hair,” said Pendleton.
Danny Jackson, a senior English major from Memphis, Tenn., gave a male perspective on how he feels about women wearing weave.
“I do not like girls who wear weave because I prefer a natural woman although I do support weave sometimes because I understand women get tired of doing their hair,” said Jackson.
Relaxed hair is a style achieved by chemically processing hair. A relaxer is a type of lotion or cream generally used by people with kinky or curly-textured hair, which makes hair less tangled and also easier to straighten by chemically “relaxing” the natural curls. A nickname for a relaxer is creamy crack because of how addictive it can be once someone is use to the style.
There are three types of relaxers which are alkaline and lye relaxers, “base” and “no-base” formulas, and “no-lye” relaxers.
Shaquilla Williams, a sophomore biology pre-nursing major from Flora, Miss., said she can’t go without her “creamy crack.” Williams admitted that she is addicted to getting relaxers because it makes her hair soft.
“I feel the need to get a relaxer because it’s convenient and it makes me look like a new person. I get a relaxer every six to eight weeks. I went without a relaxer for four months one time and it was terrible. Having a relaxer is the same amount of work you would have to put up with natural hair,” said Williams.
Inez Doe, JSU alumnus, virgin hair distributor, licensed cosmetologist and owner of U Fancii Beauty Bar in Jackson, Miss., understands the role of hair extensions and relaxers in the world of beauty.
Doe said the most popular styles she does on her clients are sew-ins and quick weaves but she tries to get her clients away from the use of relaxers.
According to Doe, 85 percent of her clients are natural and about 15 percent prefer relaxers. Doe recommends that someone who is into weave and relaxers should always recognize that proper installation and healthy hair comes first no matter what.
Doe added some advice on what measures someone should go to when trying to find the best quality for hair extensions and relaxers.
“When it comes to choosing the proper relaxer anything from over the counter like boxed no-lye relaxers can be bad for someone’s hair. When getting a relaxer, professional only products such as, Design Essentials and Narobi products gives the best results,” said Doe.
She added, “When it comes to choosing the best quality for extensions, Remy hair is good for value and lasts for about two months. Virgin hair is the best hair extensions someone can buy because it last for a couple years, you can color it, and it looks more natural. Even though it’s expensive it is an investment and you get a better bang for your buck because of the longevity of the hair.”
African-Americans spent $507 billion out of a total estimated buying power of $836 billion in 2009 on hair care and hair extensions, according to a report published by Target Market News. This figure is up 16.6 percent from the $435 billion spent the previous year.
There has been so much in the media dedicated to this issue, such as Chris Rock’s 2009 comedy documentary “Good Hair” which focused on African-American women’s hair, including the styling industry surrounding it, the acceptable look of African-American women’s hair in society, and the effects of both upon African-American culture.
In the words of Erykah Badu, “I’d rather see a person with a natural mind and processed head than a processed mind and natural head.”
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