According to a 20th-century study, the Yoruba often shaved the heads of newborns as a marker of each individual arising from the spirit world. As the most elevated part of the body, hair was considered a portal for spirits to pass through to the soul. In Yoruba culture, people braided their hair to send messages to the gods. Erembe headdresses signified new mothers and married women. In the Himba tribe, dreadlocks worn down in front of a female's face was a sign that she was going through puberty, while dreadlocks tied at the back of the head were worn by women seeking marriage. A Wolof man's braided beard could indicate that he was preparing for war. Within these kingdoms and clans, different hairstyles could "indicate a person's marital status, age, religion, ethnic identity, wealth, rank," surname, health status, geographic origin and the clan to which they belonged. Before boundaries divided Africa into states and countries through colonization, the continent was divided into kingdoms and clans. Since the beginning of African civilizations, hairstyles have been used to convey messages to a greater society. Without proper moisturizing, hair can become brittle and result in breakage. A significant amount of oils are produced but with the curly quality of the hair the oils can not be distributed from root to end easily. ![]() An individual with high-density hair creates a fuller appearance of curls.Ī protective oil called sebum is produced from the scalp to strengthen hair follicles, which helps to keep hair from becoming dry and brittle. Density represents the amount of hairs that grow from the head, with denser hair resulting from more hairs growing closer together from the scalp. African hair is seen to be much thicker and more dense meaning that the hair follicles are larger. Hair follicles can also affect the thickness of hair strands. More circular-shaped follicles cause hair to grow straighter, while more curly hair is caused by more elongated, oval-shaped hair follicles. This curly quality is the product of the shape of the hair follicles. Texture Hair follicle shapes that result in different textured hair.Īfrican-American hair comes in a range of textures, but the most common hair type is curly with lots of volume. This inability happens after the pigmentation cells in hair follicles die off. In old age, hair comes to turn grey due to the inability of the hair follicle to produce eumelanin. Black hair has the highest concentration of this pigmentation with brown, blonde and red hair following behind. This protein causes hair follicles to produce a type of melanin pigmentation called eumelanin. ![]() ![]() The most studied black hair gene is MC1R which causes the body to produce a protein called melanocortin. ![]() Color and texture Natural African American hair Color īlack hair is the product of a genetic trait inherited by parents at birth. Black hair has a complex history, culture, and cultural impact, including its relationship with racism. African-American hair often has a kinky hairy texture, appearing tightly coiled and packed. It plays a major role in the identity and politics of Black culture in the United States and across the diaspora. African-American hair or Black hair refers to Afro-textured hair types, textures, and styles that are linked to African-American culture, often drawing inspiration from African hair culture.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |