The politics behind black hair elicits a lot of emotions due to the varied opinions. Due to historical conceptions about it, many black people tend to straighten their hair through different styling methods, as it’s considered attractive and professional. As such, you might not be able to tell whether the hair is naturally straight. In this article, we’ll explain the concept of black people with straight hair.
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Disclaimer: Please note that Spotcovery doesn’t endorse hair straightening. This article is solely for educational purposes.
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Is It Possible for Black People to Have Straight Hair?
Black people with straight hair get questioned about their origins because we tend to have curly hair. There are various ways of explaining this, environment and adaptation, and genetics.
Environment and Adaptation
Human beings change to fit their conditions for survival and that’s what happens with our hair. The result is the coiling of the hair to protect the scalp from excessive heat. Another impact is the coarse texture of the hair and this is due to evaporation leading to lack of moisture. Straight hair would retain the heat in the scalp which wouldn’t be ideal for people living in high temperatures.
Genetics
The type of hair you have is determined by your genes. People with coily hair tend to have oval-shaped follicles while those with straight hair have round follicles.
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Hair Styling Techniques
Black people use different styling techniques to achieve straight hair as it’s more acceptable.
Hair is a booming industry, especially within the black community. A lot of people look for easy ways to maintain it hence the decision to straighten.
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Also, societal perception of black hair forces many to take this route as our natural hair is thought to be unpresentable.
Until recently, black women were forced to either straighten their hair, use wigs, weave or braids, to be accepted. However, the natural hair movement insists that black people should wear their hair as is and today, many of us feel comfortable in our natural hair.
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How to Straighten Your Black Hair
Even though black people are now embracing their textures, some still want to have it straight. So what’s the best way of doing it without damage?
- Use a hooded dryer. It’ll prevent you from exposing your hair to too much heat as you can use different settings. You can gently straighten your hair and at the same time, dry it.
- Wrap your hair using a microfiber cloth to squeeze out as much water as possible. After, section your hair and use a silk cap over your head and by the next morning, your hair will be straightened.
- Alternatively, weaving your hair protects your hair from heat damage, and constant combing and helps strengthen its roots and add length. Also, you can twist or braid.
- Using cold air rather than heat to blow dry your hair prevents it from heat damage. Although this process can be long, you can get similar results while lowering the chances of breakage due to intense exposure to heat.
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Can Black People Have Straight Hair?
The simple answer is yes. Black hair is diverse and depending on the factors stated above, your hair can be straight or coily. Most black people straighten their hair through styling techniques.
Although this is what happens, people of African descent should be proud of their hair. Black or African hair is beautiful. Manage it and see your crown transform your look!
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Hey, being a black girl myself, we look great with straight hair and weaves both.