Black Women Hair -What is this ad saying.

I was lying in bed when I saw this advertisement on the Jamaica T.V.  TVJ. Women, mostly black women were in this hair dressing parlor dressing their hair. One of the women was wondering what to do to her hair, one suggested cutting it but she was not quite certain. Another said there is no problem there is always weave.Implying that if she did not like it she could always use braids to lengthen it.


The hair dresser eventually cut the woman’s hair to neck length. When she looked into the mirror she said it dos en’t look bad after all. The hair dresser said” My grandmother used to say if you want to know about a black woman touch her hair.”

What really is a true black woman’s hair? there is actually no real standard definition .There are so many different types of hair belonging to black women. The black woman hair  may be is defined as how African it is ,based on  how much of the true blackrace blood is found in the woman to whom it belongs . The real black hair feels like wool. It comprises of numerous protein chains. If this hair is processed by  removing the kinks it could revealed a length  of up to five times the length showed before processing. The black woman 's hair can range from very course to fine each capable of tolerating various strength processing.

                 • Coarse texture: Hair that is generally thick, hard and wiry.
                 • Fine texture: Hair that is generally thin, soft and smooth.

                 • Medium texture: Hair that is between fine and coarse.\

Because of the unique structure of black women’s hair it is not easy to find hair styles that enhances. Many women opt to have the hair processed. But for women who want to wear their hair as is ,it is indeed a challenge.

According to writer Michelle Labbe short hair styles like the Buzz cuts and the Pixie can be flattering.

Many black women choose to wear weave in which they buy synthetic or human hair built in sections and attached to the scalp by glue or sewn in  to the hair roots. This can stay in up to three months before the natural hair grows out and the hair has to be removed. This mimic other races hair like the Indian, the Caucasian and the Chinese.

 For those who believe they should stick closer to their roots they buy hair that are woven in as braids, this almost mimic the true African braid,

Others choose to wear their own hair and go through a process of solon locking this can be beautiful but consumes a lot of time and I would say energy, there are others who go for the natural grown lock which relied on nature to from the braids when separated by the fingers.

So what did that advertisement really meant ,"if you want to know about a black woman touch her hair? Is it just a catchy statement? If the hair is woolly that means natural, does it means the woman who wears it is sure of herself , or  she does not care much about beauty. oris  too  poor to have it styled ?


If the hair feels soft and straights  through  processing ,what does it reveals? Is this woman trying to  look  like another race, is she not satisfied with whom she is .or is her hair processed because it is easier to manage.

If the woman’s wears  plaited synthetic braids, coarse and smooth, is she trying to stay closer to her roots and  proud has she chosen a middle ground as if to say I am half my race, but imbued with the culture of another.

If she chooses to wear the salon locks, what is she saying ?. I am proud to be a black woman; my hair can be as beautiful as any other race. If she wears natural locks is she saying I am my own woman, proud to be me and all other race “F off " I choose to be uniquely me. What is the ad really trying to say?