A book to read: Hair Story

[Myjourney2009]

Hair Story : Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America


Did you know:
The "Jheri Curl" was NOT initially intended for Afro textured hair
Women did not initially use relaxers
Relaxers were not initially called relaxers
A black man changed the formula for "conks" to make them less irritating to the scalp
Madam CJ Walker was not the inventor of the "hair growth grease" or the hot comb, it was actually another black woman she "borrowed" many ideas from. ETA the hotcomb originated in France I think.
The "juice" that many know and love has been around before the "Jheri Curl"
Revlon brought the African American Brand "cream of nature" in the late 70's


These plus some others are things I have learned while reading this book and I am finding it all fascinating.



Thought someone might find this book interesting as well.

 

[AmyRose92]

I really need to check out that again because I didn't finish reading the entire thing, though I did read enough for me to get A LOT of information/reality checks on the history of black hair. It was one of the major things that made me go natural in the first place! So I highly recommend reading this book.

 

[anartist4u2001]

yeah that's a great book!!!!!!!! i'm gonna have to read it again.

 

[Myjourney2009]

I really need to check out that again because I didn't finish reading the entire thing, though I did read enough for me to get A LOT of information/reality checks on the history of black hair. It was one of the major things that made me go natural in the first place! So I highly recommend reading this book.

Yes it was quite shocking

 

[naturalTAN]

My favorite hair book!

 

[Leesh]

Myjourney2009, May I ask, Is it in Story form or factlet style?

 

[preciouslove0x]

Read it a few years ago. Didn't read the entire thing because I lost interest as I read on.... But the first few pages were very intriguing.

 

[B_Phlyy]

Funny thing is I'm at the public library and they have it on display as a "featured book" to read. I read it a while ago and it was indeed very interesting. I think I have a review of it in my (currently neglected) fotki.

 

[Akemi]

I saw this at the library and considered borrowing it. I will get it tomorrow.

 

[Myjourney2009]

Myjourney2009, May I ask, Is it in Story form or factlet style?

IMO it is more factlet style

 

[Myjourney2009]

I saw this at the library and considered borrowing it. I will get it tomorrow.

Yup thats where I got it Gotta love the library

 

[Myjourney2009]

My favorite hair book!

Which other ones have you read?

 

[lilyofthenile]

Sounds like a good read! May get it!

 

[AuNaturalMaMa]

I'm going to put this on reserve @ the library. Thanks.

 

[naturalTAN]

Which other ones have you read?

Last summer, I was a research assistant for my professor who was writing a book on hair at the time. She has sections on women who have too much hair (beards, etc), too little hair (natural thinning, chemo), and she wanted my help on the section about Black hair. I had to read a bunch of books and articles to cite the information that I had discussed with her before. I read these books:

From the Kitchen to the Parlor: Language and Becoming in African American Women's Hair Care
Thank God I'm Natural
Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women
Hair Matters: Beauty, Power, and Black Women's Consciousness
Rapunzel's Daughters: What Women's Hair Tells Us About Women's Lives

and these articles:

“Race & Ideology: African-American Images In Television Advertising”
“Why African American Women Try To Obtain ‘Good Hair’”
“Malcolm’s Conk and Dante’s Colors: Or, Four Logical Petitions concerning Race, Beauty, and Aesthetics”
"Race & Ideology: African-American Images in Television Advertising”

Hair Story is by far my fav of all of these. The bolded is my favorite article. The researcher interviewed black teenagers and asked them why they wore there hair how they did. It was eyeopening.

 

[Myjourney2009]

Last summer, I was a research assistant for my professor who was writing a book on hair at the time. She has sections on women who have too much hair (beards, etc), too little hair (natural thinning, chemo), and she wanted my help on the section about Black hair. I had to read a bunch of books and articles to cite the information that I had discussed with her before. I read these books:

From the Kitchen to the Parlor: Language and Becoming in African American Women's Hair Care
Thank God I'm Natural
Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture, and African American Women
Hair Matters: Beauty, Power, and Black Women's Consciousness
Rapunzel's Daughters: What Women's Hair Tells Us About Women's Lives

and these articles:

“Race & Ideology: African-American Images In Television Advertising”
“Why African American Women Try To Obtain ‘Good Hair’”
“Malcolm’s Conk and Dante’s Colors: Or, Four Logical Petitions concerning Race, Beauty, and Aesthetics”
"Race & Ideology: African-American Images in Television Advertising”

Hair Story is by far my fav of all of these. The bolded is my favorite article. The researcher interviewed black teenagers and asked them why they wore there hair how they did. It was eyeopening.

Thank you for this.

I am going to have my DD read these books after she finishes the one I posted about

okay after going to amazon and reading a few of the books some might be over her head

 

[Sha76]

I remember reading Hair story years ago. I think I may need to read it again. Great book