The Black Beauty Effect Docuseries on Netflix – My Review *EDITED*

It was just last week when I saw the promo for this docuseries on Instagram. The 10 second clip had me immediately intrigued, especially when they touched on natural hair. Since I had taken Friday off from work, I knew what was on my to-do list for the weekend.

I actually started to watch the docuseries Thursday evening and continued to watch until I finished it on Saturday. The three part series focused on the following areas in black beauty and how black women and men contributed to the beauty industry:

1. The Beat Effect (Makeup)
2. The Skin Effect
3. The Crown Effect (Hair)

What I liked about this series was the different women they used to speak. They came from all ages and backgrounds – black scholars, trailblazers and current trendsetters and entrepreneurs. They were powerful women in their own rights. Not only did they speak to their own experiences, they gave much needed history lessons regarding how we revolutionized makeup, skin care, and hair. Some of the people I already knew about, but there were a few that I wasn’t familiar with. I plan on researching the ones I didn’t know about later on.

When I got to the last part of the docuseries, I paid closer attention because now they were talking about natural hair. While I loved what they had to say and the history lessons that were given, I felt it was lacking. Yes, I know this docuseries was primarily about the contributions of black men and women to the beauty industry and was meant to give them kudos. So of course they had limited time and planned on talking about specific things. In hindsight, maybe this wasn’t the documentary to dive deep into the issues within the natural hair community, specifically the natural hair movement. However, I think a small portion could have been dedicated to that topic. At the end of the day, a discussion needs to be had about the state of the natural hair movement as it stands today.

A lot of people, including some who participated in the docuseries, have made millions if not billions of dollars off the the natural hair movement. You have those who started making products in their kitchens and then blew up over night and eventually sold their brand to Proctor & Gamble or other major corporations. What these brands and big corporations do is create product junkies. They see the amount of money black women spend on products for their hair, so they continuously pump out “new” products for them to buy. Black women buy them because of the results that these products promise to provide when most times they don’t. Products became the new creamy crack, and that’s why the natural hair movement was more beneficial to corporations than black women.

Greed and capitalism took over while the rest of us were left holding our party favors and drinks wondering why the party ended. Where’s the fun? Who turned off the music? The party is over. It ended years ago when the focus turned to products and money instead of actually helping black women care for their natural hair. The hosts of the party shut it down once they got what they wanted and were able to stuff their pockets full of money. Their parting advice before they sped off in their luxury cars was “Make sure you buy my ENTIRE product line that’s now available in Walmart, Target, and Walgreens!”

I don’t begrudge anyone making money. If you put out a quality product that actually does what it says it will do for black women’s hair, I’m all for it. What I’m against and absolutely hate are the bandwagon jumpers who put out crap knowing it’s not going to work for the average natural haired black woman. And there are A LOT of companies out there who push garbage on the black female consumer. This is the part of the natural hair movement that I hate and detest. And I hate that black women have fallen for the BIGGEST LIE: that they need five or more different products in order for their hair to “act right”. All this does is turn black women into product junkies while feeding greedy corporations pockets.

At the end of the day, we’re in a never-ending cycle of dysfunction. I honestly feel like I’m on an island by myself when it comes to this topic. I feel let down by the natural hair community and I feel we’ve dropped the ball when it comes to educating black women. There are some black women out there who are doing the work and doing their best to educate. But I can’t just blame the natural hair community as a whole.

Black women need to hold themselves accountable too.

We can’t continue the cycle of “This is all I know” or “This is how my mama and grandma took care of my hair”. In the age of technology – Google and YouTube in particular – there really is no acceptable excuse. In 2023, we know relaxers are not good for us. They are a detriment to our health and life. When we see our edges going bald and the baldness spreading from over use of wigs and weaves, we know it’s from wearing those wigs and weaves and braids too often. But we do it anyway. And THAT is the problem. Instead of getting our natural hair healthy, allowing our scalps to breathe, and loving our natural selves, we’ve become addicted to the easy cover up. We hide. Instead of correcting and fixing problems, we continue in the same harmful cycle.

Maybe the task or idea of bringing the natural hair community and movement to a healthier, helpful space is too big. It’s too far-reaching. Me and my grand ideas are expecting miracles instead of being realistic. I guess all I can do is do my little part with my blog and my YouTube channel and just keep making content with the intent of educating and helping. This is so frustrating to me, though. I see the beauty in us, our hair, our culture. But I also see a lot of black women and men who are still brainwashed and live by Eurocentric beauty standards. Our beauty and it’s power has been lost and it’s a shame. We’ve become comfortable not being ourselves and going out of our way to look like someone else. That’s sad.

Yes, black people have contributed greatly to beauty standards. We’ve revolutionized everything from makeup, skincare and hair care. We are an innovative people. We are the standard. But we also need to remind ourselves that our natural beauty is the standard. Our natural beauty is beautiful. It’s what has so many cosmetic doctors rich because so many non black women want bigger lips, hips, legs and butts. All the things the majority of us have naturally. Why can’t we love ourselves and stop judging one another with trivial things like how light our skin is, how long our hair is or thinking a certain texture is better than a kinkier texture? We are using old disgusting standards like the brown paper bag test, but have flipped it to use hair texture and skin color to measure one’s beauty and worth. It’s sick and it’s sad. Until we get past such negative, trivial and divisive behaviors, we will stay stuck. There will never be unity.

In the end, The Black Beauty Effect was quite enjoyable and relatable. I learned new things, it made me feel more pride in how innovative we are with the things we had to overcome because we were refused opportunities and treated as less than. Our needs were never considered when it came to skincare, haircare or makeup. We had to fend for ourselves or make do with what we had and what was available. We are resilient, smart, and innovative because not only did we come up with hair, skin and makeup that suited our needs, we blew up the industries. If there’s one thing we will do, we will figure things out! I love that about us! There are so many layers to black people and our stories and journey. I don’t know if the natural hair movement is even still a thing let alone something that can be fixed or resurrected. I think I’m the one holding out hope for a revival, a rebirth of unity and I’m just fooling myself. I can keep wishing and hoping, though.

I hope one day someone will stumble upon my blog and read my words and see the need for a change or a pivot in the natural hair community.

*EDITED REVIEW*

I decided to watch this docuseries one more time and really listen to everything that was stated from start to finish. I wanted to soak in everything to make sure I wasn’t missing or overlooking anything. When I did this, I quickly realized that I wasn’t paying attention to a lot of key things that were discussed.

First, when it came to the creator of Carol’s Daughter, Lisa Price, discussing why she sold her business to Loreal – I was completely wrong. I have said on numerous occasions that she sold to Proctor & Gamble. That is false. I called her a sell out and was extremely disappointed in her selling while not understanding the business side of it all. I think most of us in the black community, those of us who supported and bought her products for years and even before she blew up, felt let down and disappointed. But when Lisa Price explained why she sold the business to Loreal it made total business sense. Once your business has done well and sold a lot of products and made a lot of money it can become stagnant. You have to find a way to continue to make money for yourself and your investors. Selling your business while it’s hot is what makes the most sense, and that’s what she did.

I apologize for my lack of understanding and ignorance. You could tell that being called a sell out – especially when all you’ve tried to do is HELP the black community – hurt Lisa Price. I think at the time the public was so hurt and in their feelings that they weren’t trying to hear WHY she sold her business, myself included. But hearing her explain the business side and why she did what she did and how she was able to create more businesses and more jobs for people of color, I applaud her for being able to do that. The moral of the story is sometimes you have to sell to continue to grow when it comes to business.

I also came to realize that I need to do better when it comes to my personal skin care. I’m 50 years old and there are a lot of things that I’m not doing that I should, such as wearing sunscreen EVERY DAY. Black people as a whole need to do a better job at wearing sunscreen. Black DOES crack! We DO and CAN get skin cancer and sunburn. I have dry skin so I need butters and creams for my skin, and I need to apply them at night. And I need to take my eye makeup off every night before going to bed. I have to stop being so lazy with that!

In conclusion, please watch this docuseries on Netflix! It’s worth the watch and you will enjoy it immensely!

Educating Does Not Equal Judging

Since I’ve started vlogging on Youtube, I’ve noticed in some of the comments on my videos that a lot of people feel like I’m judging other people’s hair or haircare choices. That couldn’t be further from the truth. My goal has always been to educate black women about their natural hair and the healthiest ways to care for their hair based on my own research and experience. You don’t have to like or agree with what I say, but Google has always been free so feel free to do your own research. As a matter of fact, I strongly encourage doing your own research.

I go out of my way to uplift and be encouraging to all because being natural isn’t easy for everyone. Especially if you’ve never seen or dealt with your natural hair because you’ve gotten relaxers your entire life. Many are intimidated, insecure, and have very low self confidence in themselves when it comes to being natural, so the last thing we need is more negativity. If I can help others avoid common natural hair pitfalls that many newbies encounter, then I’m going to share my knowledge as much as possible.

Being on social media, I follow a lot of natural hair and loc pages on Facebook and Instagram. One of my favorites is locmamas on Instagram. She is a professional loctician of 26 years and is based out of Atlanta, GA and also has a shop in Philly. Last week she posted a video of a young lady’s locs who combed out her ends to have the goddess braids look.

The image below is how goddess braids look on someone who does not have locs.

The image below is the look/current trend called “goddess locs” that those with locs are trying to achieve.

Below is what the young lady did to her hair trying to achieve the goddess locs look. In this photo she’s sitting in a salon chair to have repairs made to her locs.

Ladies, please listen: If your natural hair does not have a loose curl pattern or curl up naturally when water touches it versus drawing up into an afro the minute moisture of any kind touches it, this style WILL NOT work for you. And if you can somehow get your ends to curl up, I know for a fact it’s going to take a lot of products and time to make that happen. But the bigger question is WHY? Why take down the ends of your locs for a look or style that you are bound to get bored with until the next trend comes along? This is the part of the game that I will never understand and it’s a conversation that needs to be had.

Unfortunately, the world is full of trend and fad followers thanks to social media. (i.e. videos of naturals getting relaxers or Jheri Curls, naturals relaxing their edges, videos of naturals and those with locs dying their hair different colors every other week, people combing out or cutting off their locs – and all mostly done for social media views and clicks.) What is equally unfortunate is that there are a lot of black women (young and old) who refuse to educate themselves about their natural hair. The end result of these trends are damaged hair, regret, tears and the need for someone to correct their mistakes.

When professional locticians and beauticians express their frustration with these trends, (which ultimately result in their phones blowing by people wanting them to fix the damage they’ve done to their hair) they’re accused of being judgmental. Please make it make sense.

“Why do you care what people do their hair?”

“Let people live!”

“You need to stop judging people’s personal choices!”

“It’s their hair, not yours!”

Really?

You’re right. It is their hair and their decision to make. But when you follow fads despite being advised against doing certain things to your hair and you do it anyway… only to find out that the advice you were given was correct… and now you’re asking that same person to FIX the damage you’ve caused, don’t you think it’s only natural for that beautician or loctician to feel a certain way? We brag on how versatile our kinky, coily hair is, how easy it is for African American women to change up their style at any given moment. Yes we can wear our hair natural, we can straighten it, we can crimp it, have finger waves, get braids, weaves, and wigs in every style imaginable. But we have to do better at doing these things in a safe and healthy way! It disturbs and saddens me to see so many women creating harmful content for clicks and their followers following their lead because it’s the latest trend on social media. It’s sending out the wrong message and it’s hurting the natural hair community.

We must get out of this idea that giving correct hair advice is equal or equivalent to judging. It is not! It only feels or sounds like judgement because you’re not hearing what you want to hear. Too many people want to be told that it’s ok to do all the damaging and unhealthy things that they want to do to their hair. Or, they’ve already done some damaging and unhealthy things to their hair and they don’t want to be told that it’s unhealthy or wrong. These same people will flip it and say “Well it worked for me…I’ve been doing it for years and my hair is healthy.” What they’re not telling you is how many times they’ve had to big chop and start all over because their hair fell out. Their not telling you how damaged their ends were or that the breakage they experienced was so severe that they had patches all over their head.

Beauticians and locticians may not have all the answers, but what they do have is experience. Those who have many years under their belt have seen and heard it all, especially from the hard headed clients who insist on doing damaging things to their hair and then come back to them to fix the damage. They are irritated, frustrated and tired. They wouldn’t be doing their jobs if they didn’t educate and try to correct bad hair habits. And when vloggers like myself and others make videos or post blogs about unhealthy and damaging hair habits, it’s to help – not judge. We all know that everyone has the right to do whatever it is they want to do to their hair. We just want you to be informed and do things in a safe and healthy way. As members of the natural hair community, it is all of our duty to teach.

Products – The New Chemical Relaxer

Never did I imagine that products geared towards natural black hair would replace chemical relaxers as the next addiction for black women. We’ve gone from saying no to creamy crack to saying yes to anything that claims to be for black natural hair. How did we not see this coming? Was it because the natural hair movement was so new and everyone was so excited to be apart of it? Were we too busy fighting amongst ourselves because we had cliques of naturals who were extreme, others who were in the middle, and others who were spot on with their views on natural hair? Or were we too busy fighting with pro-relaxer stylists who knew the natural hair movement was costing them money and clients so they went out of their way to discourage black women from going natural?

I’d say it was a mixture of all of the above. While we were busy trying to get the message out that chemical relaxers are bad for our bodies and fighting amongst ourselves, beauty companies were sitting back watching and figuring out how they could profit off of the natural hair movement. Black women – if you haven’t already noticed, we generate a lot of money for these beauty companies because of our spending habits. We spare no expense when it comes to our hair, and these companies know this. That is why it was so easy for them to swoop in and figure out what we were looking for in hair products, and then create sub-par or out right trash products full of harmful chemicals to sell to us. And to top it all off, they make sure they use words like “Natural, Organic, For Natural Hair, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil”, on their product labels. We took the bait – hook, line and sinker.

This is no different than fast food restaurants and liquor stores being strategically inserted into poor inner cities across the country instead of health food stores or healthy restaurant chains. And then doctors wonder why black people and other minorities are so unhealthy, overweight and dying from cancer at such higher rates than white people. This is all by design. They make more money off of us being sick than healthy. These beauty companies don’t care about black women going bald, getting cancer, having painful fibroid tumors, or young black girls getting their periods too early because of years of using harmful chemical relaxers. And they don’t care about using harmful chemicals in products that are geared toward black women with natural hair.

It’s a shame that being natural isn’t a simple, easy thing to do for all black women, because it should be. At this point in the game, everything comes down to choice. There’s enough information out there for us to educate ourselves. Google is free. We’ve all heard the reports of how harmful chemical relaxers are. And with these hair relaxer/cancer lawsuits that are being advertised all over social media, it’s hard for anyone to say that they didn’t know or haven’t heard about any of this. But if you decide to go natural, you still have choices to make. You have to be very careful about what products you choose to put on your hair and scalp. You need to read labels and understand which chemicals are harmful and which are good.

This is why I advocate for natural DIY remedies when it comes to caring for natural hair. When you make it yourself, you know exactly what you are putting on your hair. You have complete control, and if something goes wrong you only have yourself to blame. If something goes right then you can pat yourself on the back and be proud of yourself. I grew up with a natural hair guru, my mother, who knew the natural remedies to use on our hair to keep our hair healthy, and they worked. Our hair grew, our hair was free from split ends, and our hair was healthy. I get that not everyone wants to make things themselves. But it is an option that should be explored, and it can save you a lot of money from buying expensive products.

Let’s Get Honest About Our Relationship With Our Hair, Black Women!

If you’ve been following me and my blog, you know how passionate I am about black women’s natural hair. I always speak about its beauty and how regal and versatile it is. Trying to convince other black women to rock their natural hair is a whole other issue – and it’s a deep one. It’s easy for someone like me to stand on my soapbox and rant off about all the reasons why black women should go natural and about all the horrible things that are in chemical relaxers, jheri curls, and dyes. But unless you make up in your own mind that you’re going to stop doing something and take a different path, you’re not going to make any changes. In order to make a change and walk a different path, it is imperative that you are honest with yourself about your relationship with your hair.

Many of us have hair traumas that go back to early childhood. Some of us have been victims (I say victims because a lot of the things that were done to our hair at early ages were not necessarily good for our hair, especially if the person doing it doesn’t know what they are doing or isn’t good at it!) of mothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, or grandmothers who decided they were going to put a kiddie relaxer in our hair so our hair can be “easier to deal with.” Some of us had to deal with getting our hair straightened weekly with a hot comb, enduring ear, forehead and neck burns. And when heat, humidity or any amount of water hit our hair and it draws back up into our natural tight coils, then we had to deal with comments from family members, friends or kids at school who’d say things like “Your hair is so nappy! When are you going to get your hair done? You look like a pick-a-ninny!” The degrading terms go on and on – and sadly, it’s from our own black people.

For generations the slave master mentality about our natural hair was passed down to the next. The false thinking that our natural hair is ugly and unruly because it grows up and out instead of hang straight like the Europeans. Or that our natural kinky hair makes us look ugly if it’s not straight or it’s unkempt and not to be shown in public. So what did black women do? To fit in, we moved heaven and earth to keep our hair straight with harsh chemicals and heat on a daily or weekly basis. We hide our natural hair with wigs and weaves and would rather crawl under the earth than be seen without them. But the chemicals, heat, wigs and weaves cause damage as well. It’s called hair loss. Alopecia. Bald or thinning edges or bald spots throughout our head. Many black women choose to sacrifice their edges to keep wearing their wigs and weaves to the point that they are left with little to no hair over their entire head. Is it just me or is this the definition of insanity?

Please don’t read this and think I’m judging from my high horse of super judgement because I’m not. For many years I was that creamy crack addict. I began getting relaxers regularly at the age of 15. I was 40 years old when I finally found my courage and took the leap of big chopping my hair and going natural. I spent 25 years of my life getting chemical relaxers. My mother was never a fan of chemicals in the hair. She knew how to straighten hair with the straightening comb and she was good at it. She knew how not to burn your hair, and she knew that too much heat will damage your hair. She was a natural hair guru before it became a thing with her natural hair remedies and how she cared for me and my sisters hair. For that I am very thankful that she did not introduce relaxers or heat to our hair at early ages.

Many have been in this cycle for years, probably since childhood, which is why so many black women have a hard time with the mere thought of going natural. For some, the thought of exposing the damage they’ve caused to their scalp and hair and taking the necessary steps to try to repair it is too much for them. For others, letting go of the idea that black hair is only pretty if it’s straightened is hard for them to accept. They can’t see the beauty of their natural hair because they don’t look at their natural beauty long enough to see it for themselves. Nor do they have family or friends to encourage them to embrace their natural hair. When everyone around you get relaxers or wear wigs and weaves, it can be hard to stand out and be different. It takes courage and a strong mind and will to do so.

White or European beauty standards, especially when it comes to hair, has a literal chokehold on black women and it’s sad. Many are still enslaved when it comes to how they view themselves and it needs to stop. I wish there were workshops in every city in every state that helped black women to see their beauty in all facets of life: At work, at school, dating, married, at home by themselves or anywhere in public. There were laws put in place during slavery times prohibiting black women from showing their hair and forcing them to cover it up. Being the natural creative people we are, black women wore elaborate, beautiful headwraps instead. But today, hundreds of years later, we don’t have to cover our hair anymore, yet we do. With wigs and weaves because we’ve been shamed and brainwashed into believing that our natural hair is ugly. What a horrible lie to be told! But why do we still believe it?

We’ve been conditioned to.

As individuals, we must take a hard look at ourselves and unpack our hair trauma. Where did it begin? How did it affect you? Why is it still affecting you? What will it take for you to see and show your beauty and not care about the beauty standards of misinformed family members, friends, or white people that don’t apply to you? Once we are honest and real with ourselves, then we can take the necessary steps to move forward. I run into so many women, some are my own family members, who think there are shortcuts to natural hair or who think they can continue to practice harmful habits with their hair and not suffer consequences in the end. It doesn’t work that way.

Being natural means different things to different people. I know all too well that not everyone is going to do things the same way when it comes to their natural hair. I’m just an advocate for healthy natural hair practices and education. I’m simply happy if you go natural and leave the creamy crack alone! Building a healthy relationship with our natural kinky, coily hair takes time, work, and honesty. Once we unpack our hair traumas and get to the bottom of what has us afraid to rock our natural hair and let go of unhealthy hair practices, only then can we move forward.

2022

I cannot believe we’re almost a month into the new year! I haven’t blogged much because there has been A LOT going on in my life outside of my locs, mostly good things like starting my cookie business, being at a new job, and planning for the future. But I do feel the need to catch you up on some things hair related because…that’s what I do! So let’s get into it!

New Loctician???

Y’all know how I’ve been back and forth on finding a new loctician versus self maintaining my hair. I would start my search and stop, find someone and be disappointed. The last person I found to establish my daughter’s locs and to hopefully go to for my retie was on a whim and she turned out to be a total FLAKE. She was never on time for her appointments and always had some long drawn out story/excuse for it. I’m talking 35 – 45 minutes late, and even had the nerve to ask to reschedule for later in the day because she was sick and hung over from partying the night before! She’s young, but definitely old enough to know better! If doing hair is your main gig then you need to step your game up and be a professional. She has zero respect for other people’s time but wants everyone to be understanding of her situations. Sweetie, when people are trying to get their hair done they don’t want to hear about your bad planning and forgetfulness. And the sad part in all of this is the girl is GOOD at what she does. She does BEAUTIFUL work! She started my daughter’s locs and did her first retie and did great work both times. She’s extremely talented and knowledgeable but very unprofessional.

About a month or so later, I found my current “loctician” through my cousin who started her loc journey but later combed her locs out. We’ll discuss that in a later post. I found out the young lady’s name and made an appointment for myself because I was in desperate need of a retie at the time. The shop was located deep in the hood, but that didn’t bother me. I’ve been to plenty of shops in the hood in the past and my hair got laid, okay? I was more concerned about how she was as a person, her skill level, etc. This young lady is younger than the previous girl I went to, but that didn’t bother me either. She was very kind, already at the shop and waiting for me unlike the previous loctician, and very gentle in washing my hair and doing my retwist.

Plot twist: I no longer interlock my new growth – I now twist! There’s so much I have to catch y’all up on!

Listen. She was so gentle doing my retwist that I fell asleep during most of it!!! It had been so long, years even, since I’ve had gentle hands in my hair that it felt like heaven on earth! I’m not exaggerating. Ever since I started my loc journey, from the person who started my locs and all the other people who have touched my locs since, they have either tugged, pulled, or done my reties too tight to where my scalp hurt for several days later. When this young lady got done, my scalp felt refreshed, clean and wonderful! My locs were light and bouncy and shiny. I loved it. So here’s why I put question marks behind ‘new loctician:

After I got my hair done, I immediately scheduled an appointment for my daughter for her second retie. Now my daughter has traditional locs and they are clearly new. The young lady studies my daughters hair and looks concerned. I ask her if anything is wrong and she says “No….I’m just concerned about how frizzy her locs are.”

Come again??

This was when I knew she was not quite a loctician by definition at all. Right now she’s someone who knows how to do neat reties and style locs. When it comes to the locking process and the different stages, she needs to learn more. Frizzy locs are most definitely part of the locking process, especially in the beginning stages of locs. Having said all of that, I’m gonna stick beside her.

She’s young and she’s only going to get better and grow as she learns.

She’s already taken steps to move out of her uncle’s shop (which is hideous and in desperate need of a total remodel and makeover) that was located in the hood to a better shop in a better neighborhood. (I hate barber or beauty shops where it’s clear that the money they make goes directly into their pockets instead of into fixing up their shop, getting new chairs, equipment, etc. so the customers can have a wonderful and comfortable experience!) I applaud her for making such a move because she stated that she knows she’s lost clients or potential clients because of where she worked and the atmosphere. Speaking of atmosphere, it was very loud with loud sometimes in appropriate music. It was a busy shop where choice language is used in front of children and women which I found to be highly disrespectful, but I was also so immersed in my scalp being pampered that I tuned out most of it. This young lady wants to elevate her clientele and their experience, and I totally respect that.

If you follow my Youtube channel Its Sonya, you probably know all about the issues I’ve encountered with various locticians since getting locs three years ago. It hasn’t been an easy journey to say the least, but now I’m in a place of acceptance. I’ve finally accepted the fact that I will never find the perfect loctician where I live, and if there is one in my city I’ll never get an appointment with he or she because they are booked well into the next year! Yes, I can do my own hair when forced to, but I’d much rather have someone else do it for me. I’m that kind of person. I want to be pampered. I don’t think this young lady will damage me or my daughter’s hair. I’ve seen her work, and she does beautiful work and she’s gentle. I’m willing to grow with her as she learns.

I guess you can say 2022 has been good to me so far. My locs are still growing and flourishing. What more can you ask? Getting locs is still hands down the second best hair decision I’ve ever made besides going natural. 🙌🏾🙌🏾👍🏾👍🏾

Hair Dye, Relaxers And The Increased Cancer Risk For Black Women

On Wednesday, December 4th, 2019, there was an article published stating that hair dye and chemical relaxers increases the risk of breast cancer in women, but especially in black women by a whopping 9%. If you haven’t read the article, here it is: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/12/04/784838430/hair-dye-and-straightener-use-linked-to-higher-cancer-risk-especially-for-black-

The truth about relaxers

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The harmful effects of chemical relaxers: Breakage, scarring, and permanent hair loss.

This article and it’s findings is alarming yet not surprising. Relaxers are made of very harsh chemicals, even if there isn’t any lye in them. Some of the main chemicals used in hair relaxers are sodium hydroxide, ammonium thioglycolate, and sodium thioglycolate. The fact that these chemicals have been tested and proven to eat through and melt various metals should frighten us. (See Chris Rock’s movie Good Hair) When relaxers are left on our hair and scalp too long, guess what happens? Our scalp burns, and once it heals, you’re left with ugly scabs and patches and loss of hair. When you do this continuously over the course of decades, imagine the damage done to our bodies inside and out? Our body is absorbing these chemicals, and these chemicals are damaging our insides. No one should be surprised at the rise of fibroid tumors, endometriosis, permanent hair loss, and cancer in black women who use chemical relaxers and hair dyes on a regular basis.

An attack on black women and their hair

I’ve read some interesting opinions about this study, and there are those who have stated that the findings was ‘yet another attack on black women and their hair.’ I totally disagree. This article is bringing attention to a problem that still permeates the black community: The dangerous things black women do to have straight hair. More importantly, why we still feel that in order for our hair to be pretty it has to be straight. Also, why aren’t we teaching our young girls that their natural hair is beautiful and enough?

I hate that we’re still willing to overlook doing things that have been proven to be unhealthy for us. We’d rather keep doing things that we know are harmful to our bodies because we’ve been taught that straight hair is the standard of beauty. Basically, we refuse to see the beauty in our natural hair. That is very sad to me. I know women who would rather die than let their natural hair show. The idea of showing their natural hair to the world gives them anxiety. That’s how deep the issue of straight hair versus natural or ‘nappy’ hair is in the black community.

There is no judgment from me as to whether if you choose to get chemical relaxers or have natural hair. The choices we make in life all have consequences. We know eating junk food is bad for our health, yet many of us still eat it, myself included. It’s been proven for years that there are harmful chemicals in junk food that contribute to poor health and preventable diseases. On the flip side, there are numerous reports and studies that show that healthier fruits and vegetables claiming to be organic aren’t organic. Harmful pesticides are still being used on fruits and vegetables that in turn, make us sick. Chemicals are in everything. However, we do have some control over what we put on and into our bodies. We don’t have to use chemical relaxers or hair dyes. We don’t have to eat foods that we know are bad for us. So when we know better, why is it so hard to do better?

Change is hard

Change can be hard. We all know this. Regardless of color, we tend to do things out of habit, tradition, or what we’ve been told and taught. The same goes for black women and straightening their hair. We grew up getting our hair straightened with straightening combs or ‘hot combs.’ When we got a little older, we were introduced to chemical relaxers. Unfortunately, some have been introduced to chemical relaxers at very young ages, some as young as three years old. But WHY?

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African Queens and Princesses

We can’t have this discussion without going back to where this all originated, which is slavery. Our ancestors where kings and queens, princes and princesses in Africa. Our hair was worn in regal, intricate styles that told important stories of what tribe we belonged to, who our family was, and if we were of royal descent or not. When we were kidnapped and shipped to the United States, we were stripped of our identity and heritage. Our hair was shaved off. When we still found ways to braid and adorn our hair, laws were put in place where we legally had to keep our hair covered with rags and scarves. We were told that our hair was nappy, kinky, unkempt and ugly. All of these terms were meant to degrade our hair.

Imagine being taught that your hair was beautiful, regal, something to be proud of. Then one day, you’re forcibly taken to a new country and forced into slavery, and told that your hair and your heritage is not beautiful and has no meaning. Many lengths are taken to strip you of your identity. Instead you’re taught that only straight, blonde or brunette hair is beautiful. And over time, you believe this because it has been literally beaten into you, and you in turn pass this down to your children, grandchildren, and so forth. And here we are today.

Wake up call

Articles like this should be a wake up call to the African American community. We should be moved to do better, to educate, and to advocate for natural hair. There are so many things that affect us disproportionately more than any other racial group, and our health is at the top of the list. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can do things to better our health, to give ourselves a chance to live longer, healthier lives. This includes how we care for our hair.

Natural Kids Hair Salon in Richmond, VA

More education on natural hair, how to take care of it and maintain it from birth into adulthood is desperately needed. I feel there should be college courses or resources offered specifically geared towards educating ones on natural African American hair and how to care for it. There needs to be more natural hair salons that offer classes to mothers, fathers, caregivers, non-African American couples who have adopted black children on how to care for African American children’s hair. There is a strong need for education in our community, and if there were more resources in every community, I truly believe more people would see how beautiful natural hair is, and how natural hair is the best option for their overall health.

What are your thoughts on this article’s findings on the connection between chemical relaxers and hair dyes and the increased cancer risk in African American women? I want to hear from you!

A Word…

In a world where many still believe the lie that curly, mixed, or straight hair is good hair but coarse, tightly coiled, or “nappy” hair is bad hair…Don’t believe the hype.

Pure Unrefined Shea Butter is NOT Yellow!

Early in my natural hair journey, I was ga-ga over shea butter, and I thought the yellow kind was the real deal. Nope. In my naive excitement, I was duped. I fell for the okey-doke, and as a result, I ordered this stuff in bulk and even received a bad (moldy) batch once. That’s when I stopped using shea butter and started looking into other natural, REAL butters.

Correction is needed

Looking back on my earlier posts on this blog about shea butter, I feel the need to correct the information I gave regarding shea butter, especially when I pride myself on giving the best information and advice possible when it comes to natural hair.

To recap: Shea Butter is an all natural product that comes from the nuts of the karite shea tree. It is often used in cosmetic and skincare products such as facial creams, soaps and lotions. Shea butter is a skin nourishing emollient that can be applied to the skin or hair in its pure form, allowing your skin and hair to receive all of it’s healing and moisturizing benefits.

Pure unrefined shea butter

Pure unrefined shea butter is packed with Vitamins A, E, F, and K. Containing many fatty acids, it is a very effective moisturizer. These fatty acids are needed to retain skin elasticity and moisture. It can be used daily as a pure moisturizer or be used as a barrier against harsh elements.

How to identify pure unrefined shea butter

How do you identify pure unrefined shea butter? You can identify it by its color and smell. Pure unrefined shea butter is white or beige in color and has a characteristic nutty/smoky scent. This shea butter is made from the nut of the shea tree without any additives or chemical processing. Yellow Shea butter is made and processed similarly from the same nut with the addition of the Borututu tree root during the milling process. Additives are added which lessen or completely take away the many natural healing properties and vitamin benefits.

make an informed choice

The choice is yours: If you want the pure unrefined shea butter which will give you the most benefits for your skin and hair, make sure it’s white or beige and nutty in scent. However, if you don’t mind having processed shea butter with little or none of the healing benefits and vitamins, then the yellow shea butter is for you.

Whatever you decide, I want you to be well informed on what you purchase to use on your body or in your hair. While we’re discussing pure unrefined shea butter, let’s go over the many benefits this butter offers:

skin Benefits

*Shea butter has the ability to soothe, hydrate and balance your skin.

*It is used as a moisturizer for dry skin and eczema, as a dry scalp treatment, for chapped lips and to help soften cracked dry skin on heels, elbows and knees.

*Shea butter has natural anti-inflammatory properties that have been known to heal scrapes, cuts and burns; relieve sunburn and rashes; take the sting out of insect bites, and ease the pain from muscle fatigue and arthritis.

*Shea butter has been used for centuries as a wrinkle reducer. Shea butter contains essential fatty acids, along with vitamins A and E, which are imperative to maintaining your skin’s elasticity and suppleness.

Hair Benefits

*Shea butter is a great natural sealant to lock in moisture on your natural tresses. Apply to the ends of your hair and twist or plait up after a wash and deep conditioning.

*As a scalp treatment, it can help with dandruff, eczema or itchy scalp. It does not clog pores as many believe if you wash your hair regularly.

*It is a sun protectant for your precious coils from damaging UV rays.

*With many of the vitamins that are packed in pure unrefined shea butter, it aids in hair growth.

I hope this information helps you to make the best-informed decision for your skin and hair health.

African Head Wraps

“African women wear the head-wrap as a queen might wear a crown.”

To say that I’m obsessed with head wraps would be a huge understatement. If you looked at my Pinterest page https://www.pinterest.com/eyeznsmiles/wrap-it-up/ for head wraps, you’d understand. While I’m not the greatest at wrapping my hair, I do enjoy finding beautiful fabrics and scarves to use.

In the African and African American community, wrapping one’s head is more than a fashion statement. It has cultural and historical significance as well. I found an informative article (see link below) that explains the origins of head wrapping, which started in sub-Saharan Africa. It is important to note that other cultures practice head wrapping as well, and this is discussed in the link as well.

African women and the significance of a head-wrap (Dhuku)

Living in the mid-west where we have some of the coldest winters, it is important to protect your natural hair. This is the time of year that wrapping my hair – even if it’s in a protective style – is a must. Put your crowns on, queens!

 

 

 

Natural Hair In Review – 2017

Every year I learn something new. New techniques, new natural things to use on my hair such as herbs and oils. While I may not have tried them all, they’ve definitely been added to my “to-do” or “wish” lists.

Lessons Regarding My Hair

The first important thing I’ve learned is to let go of the bad ends. I neglected to clip my ends for quite some time, and I paid for it. My afros,while big, looked scraggly. When I finally got rid of those bad ends, my afro looked healthy. Let go of the dead weight people. Don’t hang on to bad ends for the sake of length. It will always hurt you more in the end with the amount of hair that you end up having to cut.

The second important thing I learned about my hair is that it grows better when it’s braided or in some type of protective style. For a good portion of 2017, I wore my hair in its natural state. I let my fro fly free. While I enjoyed rockin’ my big hair, it became a chore at times. I felt pressured to find and try new styles that weren’t always good for my hair.

For one, the temptation to twist my hair into two strand twists or plaits every night to have fresh curls in the morning was something I had to fight against. Also, the temptation to semi-straighten/stretch my hair more than I should (in the attempt to try new styles) was also there.  Both things can cause breakage when done in excess, and after finally clipping my bad ends, more breakage is the last thing I want. I also noticed that my hair growth seemed slower when not in a protective style. Having observed all of these things about my hair, it’s time to listen to what it needs. I will be more diligent about my protective styles to promote healthy hair growth.

Lessons From The Natural Hair Community 

We have a long way to go with education, acceptance, confidence, support towards one another, and respect. While I’m happy to see many women making the change from chemical relaxers to natural hair, many of them need to be educated on African American hair so they can better understand their own hair. They need to learn our history about hair braiding, head wraps, designs, and why certain negative terms and views that date back to slavery and beyond still have a vice grip on many of us today that prevent us from seeing the true beauty of our hair. Educating yourself is one of the most important steps in your natural hair journey.

It makes me happy to see that there are so many natural hair events all over the states that celebrate all types of African American hair, and I hope to attend a few of them that are close to my neck of the woods. I’ve heard nothing but good things regarding those events, and we need more like them.

I’m going to continue to do my part by encouraging hair-positive messages in the natural hair community through my blog. My focus will be on the positive stories in the natural hair community and less on the negative ones. And as usual, I will continue to strive to take better care of my natural hair.

Thank you all for supporting my blog, and here’s to healthier hair in 2018!

Sonya