The term that Black skin does not crack is to describe Black people ageing as ageless.
The black skin apart from the melanin that protect the skin it also how we are prepared to look after our skin. Due to harsh cold weather our skin gets dry and loses moisture so we are taught from a young age into creaming our skin with Vaseline, Aloe Vera or Cocoa butter from bath to keep our skin looking from ashy and dry.
Afro-textured hair is a term used to refer to the natural hair texture of certain populations of the African diaspora, where hair has not been altered by hot combs, flat irons, or chemicals (through perming, relaxer, or other straightening methods).
Each strand of this hair type grows in a tiny, spring-like coil shape. The overall effect is when compared to straight, wavy or curly hair, afro-textured hair appears thicker.
Afro-textured hair have been in the past described as “woolly”, “kinky”, “nappy”, or “spiralled”.
Afro-textured hair has been classifies as ‘type 4’. It has been describe as ‘type 4’ because of different hair types that exist by the shape of the coils.
These are the other hair types (straight hair is type 1, wavy type 2, and curly is type 3, with the letters A, B, and C used to indicate the degree of coil variation within each type), with the subcategory of type 4C being most exemplary of this hair type (Madam CJ Walker, 1997).
In the height of Afro
In the 1960s, natural afro-textured hair was transformed from a simple expression of style into a revolutionary political statement with the triumphs of the civil rights movement, and the Black power and Black pride movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
This encouraged and inspired African Americans to express their political commitments by adopting more traditionally African styles. The Afro hairstyle developed as an affirmation of Black African heritage, expressed by the phrase, “Black is beautiful.”
“Afro hair came to symbolise either a continued move toward integration in the American political system or a growing cry for Black power and nationalism.” wearing an Afro was an easily distinguishable physical expression of Black pride and the rejection of societal norms.
However, during the movement, the Black community endeavoured to define their own ideals and beauty standards, and hair became a central icon, which was “promoted as a way of challenging mainstream standards regarding hair.”
Angela Davis wore her Afro as a political statement and started a movement toward natural hair. This movement influenced a generation, including many different actresses like Diana Ross.
Jesse Jackson, a political activist and well-known cultural icon, says that “the way he wore his hair was an expression of the rebellion of the time”.
Certain Black people sought to embrace beauty and affirm and accept their natural physical traits. As a result, natural afro-textured hair has became a symbol of that pride.”
In 1971 Melba Tolliver, a WABC-TV correspondent, made national headlines when she wore an Afro while covering the wedding of Tricia Nixon Cox, daughter of President Richard Nixon. The station threatened to take Tolliver off the air until the story caught national attention.
Afro-textured hair came back later on with Erykah Badu’s movement in 2005 as well as Janelle Monáe and Solange Knowles who have also played a part with their own natural Afro hair looks.
In 2014, People Magazine named actress Lupita Nyong’o as their “Most Beautiful”. Her short, afro-textured natural hair is a signature trademark, and the wide recognition of her as a beauty and style icon.
LACE NEWS:
If you come across any of your creation’s and you have not been credited correctly, please get in touch with us as we do not wish to offend anyone, this page is intended to give information of what we do and what is going on around in Africa fashion and Education. We are creating awareness of information in one area to emerging designers and public to get inspired by. Much Love LACE…..
Source: Wikipedia.org and Research
Sarah Breedlove was born on December 23, 1867, near Delta, Louisiana. Her parents and elder siblings were enslaved people on Madison Parish plantation, owned by Robert W. Burney. She was the first child in her family born into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. During the 1890s, Sarah Breedlove developed a scalp disorder that caused her to lose most of her hair. Sarah had previously learned about hair care from her brothers, who owned a barber shop in St. Louis so due to suffering from a scalp ailment she began to experiment with both home remedies and store bought hair care treatments in an attempt to improve her condition.
In 1905, Breedlove was hired as a commission agent by Annie Turnbo Malone, a successful, black, hair care product entrepreneur whilst experimenting she decided to invent a line of African American hair care products. Sarah decided to name the products under the name of Madam C.J. Walker.
Madam C.J Walker moved to Denver, Colorado and she married her second husband Charles Joseph Walker, a newspaper advertising salesman.
While there, Walker’s husband Charles helped her to create advertisements for the hair care treatment for African Americans that she was perfecting to created specifically hair products for African-American hair.
Her husband also encouraged her to change and use the more recognisable name “Madam C.J. Walker,” instead of Sarah Breedlove, which she was thereafter known.
In 1907 in promoting her products, Walker and her husband travelled around the country giving lecture demonstrations of her “Walker Method” involving her own formula for pomade, brushing and the use of heated combs.
This eventually established Madame C.J. Walker Laboratories to manufacture cosmetics and train sales beauticians.
Her principle business acumen led her to be one of the first African American women to become a self-made millionaire.
Madam C. J. Walker was 51 when she died at Villa Lewaro on Sunday, May 25, 1919, from complications of hypertension. In her will she directed two-thirds of future net profits of her estate to charity, she donated nearly $100,000 to orphanages, institutions, and individuals.
On their shoulder’s we stand! – We honour you as an Icon of our time!
LACE NEWS:
If you come across any of your creation’s and you have not been credited correctly, please get in touch with us as we do not wish to offend anyone, this page is intended to give information of what we do and what is going on around in Africa fashion and Education. We are creating awareness of information in one area to emerging designers and public to get inspired by. Much Love LACE…..
Source: Wikipedia.org and Research
Walter Sammons (1890 – 1973) was a inventor for an enhanced patent for the hot comb. Walter Sammons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania received U.S. patent #1,362,823 on December 21, 1920 for an improved comb that straightened hair. According to Walter Sammons’ patent he invented a heated comb that removed kinks from the hair.
The hot comb (also known as a straightening comb) is a metal comb that is used to straighten moderate or coarse hair to create a smoother hair texture.
The hot comb was an invention original developed in France as a way for women with coarse curly hair to achieve a fine straight look traditionally modelled by historical Egyptian women. However, it was Annie Malone who first patented this tool, while her apprentice and former worker, Madam CJ Walker widened the teeth.
The main function of the hot comb is to be heated and used directly to straighten the hair from the roots. The hot comb was very good particularly for Afro hair who hair was coarse.
There are different hot combs that have been created. The first hot comb was invented to be place directly on heat to get hot. It was placed directly on the cooker stove or on wood fires until now in 20th century it was finally replaced to be electrically heated.
It is not uncommon, especially when using a traditional hot comb, to burn scalp or damage the hair. A hot comb is often heated to over 65 degrees celsius, therefore if not careful severe burns and scarring can occur. The hot comb that you use directly on the stove or on fires are different from the ones that you electrically heated as the coating of the hot comb is different and by using this particular hot comb in the original way can singe your hair.
There are creams that you would use straight on the hairshafts to protect the hair when hot combing. When using the cream, the hot comb would produce smokes from the heat of the hair, the cream would seal the cream in the hair by making it shiny and healthy.
Many African American and women of other races, still uses hot combs because of forming of straightening is temporary and less damaging to the hair if done properly. Today, hot combs are still used by many African American salons and families as an alternative to chemical hair straightening.
After slavery the hot comb was a very controversial invention because many debated on whether it was beneficial or hurtful to the black community. There were some African Americans who believed that the hot comb damaged the African American community because it made the community submissive to the ‘white ideal image’ of beauty and disregarded African American culture. Others believed that efforts like hair straightening would boost their social and economic status. This mindset continued throughout the 20th century.
On their shoulder’s we stand!
Source: wikipedia.org, internet and self knowledge
Wari LACE 