White Girl Braids/Anglo Braids- The Good, The Bad, & The Frizzy

            In college, I took a class with my best gay guy friend Jacob called History of Dress. He was a fashion major and I had lots of room in my schedule for another class. We learned about everything from the Crinoline Period, to Disco Fever in the mid 70s, to the Grunge Era that begun in 1985 (and thankfully ended in 2000). The final for the class was to write a paper on a chosen topic, being raised in Cleveland and being a minority as a caucasian resident I chose what I was naturally always curious about: Black Hairstyles. I learned everything from the beginning of history and wrote about the "Gold Coast" where European settlers expected to find gold but instead found its year-round lush, fertile land that was bountiful and trade begun between western Africa and Europe since Africans were willing to trade cheap labor.
 They were tribal and their greatest form of expression was their hairstyles, which were impeccably ornate and detailed and often reflected the Africans' age, religion, wealth, marital status and ranking in society. The various African clans of the 1400s were able to easily distinguish someone's last name by their hairstyle. The hairdressers were the center of the community and highly respected. Especially Religious Africans believed that the hairdresser was a Diety because the hair on one's head is closest to God (the Divine One). Women would decorate their hair with flowers, shells, and fabrics and most of them were some form of up-do which was functional to keep their hair out of the way when they were farming the land. Hairdressing circles were popular, but not co-ed hairdressing circles; men and women should not touch each other's hair it was believed. Men often worn a loincloth with some kind of intricate pattern shaved into the hair on their heads.

Trade went on for nearly a century Africa and the Africans who inhabited it. The land was bountiful and the settlers wanted their land to be just as giving; so enslavement of Africans began as a transaction--Africans sold their prisoners, debtors, outcasts, and some even sold their wayward relatives to the settlers. This went on for a bit and Africans were being shipped to the Americas in ships to be auctioned off as slaves. As women settled after the men, the gender ratio of men to women settlers was skewed so men began having children with female Africans; there being so few women. The kids got their fathers rights until the 1700s when slave laws became stricter and anyone with African descent could be enslaved. In 1619 Africans were brought to the new world and were confronted with their first loss of identity when their heads were shaved. The once beautiful ornate hairstyles were replaced with rough, makeshift headscarves to cover thick matted hair. In this 1700s, black hair was offensively called "Wool" by whites, reflecting the lack of tolerance for diversity by the settlers, as well as the animalization and dehumanization of slaves. I know we don't need to remind you about Plessy V. Furgeson allowing for "separate but equal" treatment of blacks and whites or the God-awful Jim Crow Laws that softened the victory of the emancipation of slaves in the United States, all in the late 1800s.

In the 1900s, after the French Pressing Combs of the 1880s were heated on stoves to smooth black hair, Medame CJ Walker came out with a line of black hair care products; she became the FIRST EVER FEMALE AMERICAN BILLIONAIRE within 10 years of starting her company. This was excellent news for the black community, and her status helped close the class disparity between blacks and whites. Then came the Motown era and Black Hairstyles became one of the most fascinating and beautiful evolutions in US history. Here's my slide on the famous people and why Lionel has a Jerry Curl still.

When doing this project several years ago, I found out much more about history and culture than I bargained for, and more than I put on the slideshow. I found out about cultural oppression and how afros and cornrows were referred to as "political hairstyles" and banned from workplaces through the 1990s. I read about the pain of having black hair chemically relaxed or tightly braided. I learned so much about black hairstyles that I know how much work, time, thought, and pain go into each and every hair appointment. So next time you see someone of color, don't be afraid to compliment their hair that looks AWESOME. We've all seen it, but before becoming woke to the situation I never uttered my appreciation of the art that is their hair. Be appreciative, and be kind. A friend of mine who is black told me that to her, it's all about the quest for the "pretty, white hair" and that couldn't have made my head spin more. White is not in my opinion prettier or better than black. I like to think that most people are not bigoted in today's society; but a quick trip to the south will remind us all about institutionalized racism, propagated by families and religions and communities. Racism shows a lack of education and an antiquated mindset. This is more than an informative post, it's more than a black lives matter movement, I am posting to address the cultural appropriation of braids/dreads on white people. I don't believe it is cultural appropriation and I have many black friends and they all agree that they wouldn't be offended if I got cornrows or box braids, but wondered why I'd want to go through that pain. So, next post will be of me doing what I can to achieve cornrows, and might do box braids with extensions in the future, or my Cuban friend might do her white hair in box braids simultaneously. Wait and see! For now, I'm posting THE BEST PRODUCTS FOR BRAIDING WHITE HAIR. See a product review of the living proof perfecting spray-BEST LEAVE IN CONDITIONER also coming up!

Living Proof Perfecting Spray: Best Leave-in For Blondes

Best Purple Shampoo/Cool-toning Shampoo Set

Biotin Supplements Cause Bloating-Go straight to the root with a PureZero Mask

I'm going to do a full review on these products, there is a chance that it is the cheapest, best shampoo conditioner for blondes and everyone with no sulfates or parabens