Spilt Ends: Black Women, Money, and the Cost of Hair Care

Hairy Situation

Last week, I watched a rerun of the early 1990s situation comedy, Martin. The show features an all-black cast. Its underlying premise is that Martin, a radio/television personality and his girlfriend Gina, and their best friends, Thomas, Cole, and Pamela navigate life's blessings and challenges with love, humor, and kinship. While positive in its overall message of the necessity and power of black community building, Martin also has been a window into black America's unresolved ambivalence, shame,disconnect, and discomfort with one of its most salient phenotypic racial markers--hair. 

In the series, black hair is treated as both  a topic of ridicule and point of black female sensitivity/insecurity. Martin repeatedly launches vicious, hurtful remarks about the repulsion of Pamela's hair; her response is often silence. In the particular episode that I watched, Pam's obsession for long and straight hair culminates in the shirking of civic responsibility and mismanagement of money. In particular, Pamela risked imprisonment due to her failure to pay back-taxes because she wanted to have enough disposable income to "keep her edges tight" and finance her costly hair-care regimen. 

Pamela 's poor decision making and  psychological discomfort with her hair forced me to ponder on the state of black women, money, and the cost of our hair care.  An analysis of the show begs the question, "To what financial measures do we, as black women, resort to maintain a particular hair-care aesthetic and why?" 

Art Imitating Life

Next to Chinese restaurants, liquor stores, check-cashing spots, and churches, there is no dearth of beauty salons in working class and low-income black neighborhoods. Walk past any beauty salon on a Friday night or a Saturday afternoon. You'll see it packed. Bustling. Brimming. --with black women waiting (sometimes hours) to have our hair permed, braided, twisted, locked, cut, conditioned, and extended. Buying. Comparing--the miracle products, best ointments, and sworn-by treatments. Talking. Scrutinizing. Stressing.--its "goodness", "badness", length, texture, strength, and beauty. Hair. Nappy-headed. Hair. Picky-headed. Hair. Bald-headed. Hair. 

Hair, a biological component of the human body, as are nail beds, gum tissue, and earlobes, is nonetheless considered an indicator of identity, beauty, and femininity in the African-American community. This socio-cultural phenomenon, ultimately, however, translates into a financial bottom line.  Black Hair Care is a multi billion dollar industry with annual estimated profit levels as high as $4 billion. As a community, however, we chiefly contribute to it as consumers and customers, not owners and investors.  An examination of the psycho-historical roots of our preoccupation with hair will contextualize, although not fully rationalize, the source of our collective discomfort and its economic implications. 

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

There was a time in our history when our hair was just a matter of fact. As just a matter of fact as the sun. As just a matter of fact as the moon. As just a matter of fact as the ocean. A reality to be marveled, paid attention to, and accommodated without misgivings, shame, or explanation. 

Prior to our arrival to America as enslaved laborers to the "New World",  our ancestors; the Wolof, Mende, Mandingo, and Yoruba in West Africa, and by extension their hair, were the central focus in the construction of the dynamics of cultural aesthetic, meaning, and function. Hair not only communicated age, wealth, status, profession, and rank, its arrangement also served as spiritual markers, aesthetic mainstays and everyday art. The evolution of  these social norms, beauty standards, and metaphysical nuance evolved from an unspoken understanding that culture was aimed to celebrate, pay tribute to, harness, and accentuate that which was the righteousness, goodness, and uniqueness of the African mind, spirit, and body. 

Conversely, once introduced to the Western Hemisphere as chattel, we confronted a Eurocentric standard of beauty and sensibility which distorted, negated, and destroyed (and in most cases) replaced our African self-affirming one. These standards relegated all things African, (i.e. hair, skin, and features) as inherently evil, ugly, bad, and inferior, simply, because they were not white. The white power class solely established these arbitrary norms so that it could systematically justify centuries of sexual brutality and economic exploitation, quelch campaigns of resistance/rebellion,  destroy/dismantle connection to an African affirming self-image as a way to guarantee the steady supply of an oppressed, hopeless, defenseless, and impotent laboring class. 

Overexposure to European aesthetics solidified a collective self-hate and disdain for African hair. Hair that was once respected and loved, became heavily scrutinized by Africans themselves. We labored over its coil and length. We labeled its worth --goodness or badness-- in relation to its ability to mimic the flow, texture, and type of white folks'. Whites rewarded our self-hate, affording economic and social advancement to Africans that postured, groomed, heralded, and affected European style standards. 

Luckily, since the post-Emancipation era,  there have been waves of black nationalism at the beginning, middle, and late 20th century which sought to reconnect the African with his African self.  Marcus Garvey pioneered the Universal Negro Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.) and the Back to Africa Movement; Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party preached self-love through self-acceptance and black power; early Hip-hop artists and groups  such as X-Clan,KRS-One, Arrested Development ushered into public attention a dignity, intellect, and regality associated with African aesthetic alignment. 

Beauty Ain't Cheap

The struggles and challenges that our predecessors faced in search of a unique African-American hair standard and aesthetic left us with options. Many of us still prefer styles such as weaves and perms that are  European-inspired in texture, look, color, and length. While others have selected styles such as locks, twists, and braids which take advantage of the natural composition of black hair. Below are the annual financial breakdowns of our hair-care identities within the five boroughs. The cost of coloring, transportation, food, babysitting fees, gratuity, and supplementary hair-care products are not included. 

Hair Style #1: Weaves

Background: Weaves are usually redone every 3 months or four times a year. Many women prefer human hair because of its quality and often purchase new hair each time they replace their weaves. Some women relax their hair prior to the attachment of the weaves so there is congruity with the weave's texture. They continue to relax their hair every 6 weeks or close to nine times a year. In order to maintain a neat weave and clean scalp, biweekly visits (26 visits annually) are strongly recommended. 

1. Purchase of Human Hair (3oz). $100.00 x 4 times a year $400.00
   
2. Relax Hair to Match Texture of Human Hair $40.00 x9 times a year $360.00
3. Labor- $150.00 x 4 times a year $600.00
4. Bi-weekly Maintenance (Wash/Set) $25.00 x26 times a year $650.00

Average Annual Expenditure: $2,010

Hair Style #2 Locks

Background: Visits to the locktician vary. It generally depends on the activity-level of the individual, how fast his/her grows, and their personal philosophy with regard to the general appearance of his/her locks. Many enjoy a very groomed, meticulous look, while others enjoy a less manicured, liberated style, making trips to the salon as frequent as bimonthly and as seldom as quarterly. A general rule of thumb, however,  is that locks should be attended to once every 4-6 weeks or between 9 and 13 times a year. 

1. One-time fee to initially cultivate locks: $80.00

2.Monthly Maintenance (Wash, Twist, Condition, and Style) $70.00 x 13 times a year: $910.00

Average Annual Expenditure: $990

Hair Style#3: Braids

Background: Black women usually keep extensions in for 3-4 months, making their visits to the African beauty shop as few as three or four times a year. Synthetic hair or human can be purchased prior to a braiding session or will be included as part of the total cost of the braiding service.  On average, it usually requires between 5-6 packs of hair to braid a client's full head. In order to maintain healthy new-growth and prevent breakage once the extensions are removed, it is important that women wash and condition their hair every two or three weeks. This is usually done at home. 

1.Purchase of Synthetic Hair $3.00x6 packs: $18.00 x4 times a year: $72.00

2. Labor $150.00 x4 times a year: $600.00

Average Annual Expenditure: $672.00

Hair Style #4: Relaxer (Perm) 

Background: The beauty ritual for black women maintaining a relaxer is a six-week cycle. The chemical straightener is applied to the hair every six-weeks or nine times a year. In between each application or "retouch", black women visit the salon every two weeks or twenty-six times a year to wash,condition, and set their hair. 

1.Initial Application of Chemical Straighter $40.00 x9 times a year: $360.00

2.Bi-monthly Maintenance (Wash, Condition, and Set) $25.00x 26 times a year: $650.00

Average Annual Expenditure: $1,010

I Am Not My Hair

There is constant pressure placed on black women to acquiesce or conform to white societal norms and visual expectations. When we do not, we are targeted.  Don Imus' "nappy-headed hoes" reference surrounding the appearance of  young, female, black scholars and athletes at Rutger's University coupled with a Glamour Magazine staff member's disdain for the presence of afros in the professional settings serve as testimonies to the institutional terrorism we confront daily.  But fundamentally, we are not our hair and our money should be used more wisely, so as to enhance our quality of life, personal growth, and spiritual development. Here is a list of four things that $2,000 can buy you:

1. A Bigger Brain

Invest in your mind. Full-time tuition at City University of New York (CUNY) costs $2,000 per semester. Find a passion, a career, and interest. 

2. A Beautiful Body: Invest in your health. Membership fees are as low as $200 annually. Personal trainer sessions also cost as low as $20. Prevent major health complications. Have more peace and tranquility. Prolong your life. 

3. Peace of Mind: Invest in your spiritual growth. Fund a trip to the African continent or to a place you've  always been metaphysically connected to. 

4. A Piece of Property: Build a legacy of wealth in your family. Stashing away this amount annually will put you in a position to secure land within the United States and abroad sooner rather than later.