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Cornrows were a sign of resistance for slaves
They used it as maps to escape from slavery
They would hide rice or seeds into their braids on their way to enslavement. -
Madam C.J. Walker made the first hair product for black people -
Madam C.J. Walker produces her Hair care line made with all natural stuff -
Garrett Morgan invents a chemical hair relaxer -
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S.B fuller Company -
launches the Johnson Products Company with Ultra Wave Hair Culture, a “permanent” hair straightener for men that can be applied at home. A women’s chemical straightener follows. -
The natural afro became a popular statement of power, pride and resistance.
Some people felt hair straightening reflected a history of forced assimilation.
so embracing their natural textures was a way of reclaiming their roots. -
: The Jheri curl explodes on the black hair scene. Billed as a curly perm for blacks, the ultra moist hairstyle lasts through the 1980s. -
:Braids and beads cross the color line when Bo Derek appears with cornrows -
Grace Jones flattop fade -
: Spike Lee exposes the good hair/bad hair light-skinned/dark-skinned schism in black America in his movie -
: Singer Erykah Badu poses on the cover of her debut album “Baduizm” with her head wrapped, ushering in an eclectic brand of Afrocentrism. -
: Carson Inc., creator of Dark & Lovely and Magic Shave for black men, acquires black-owned beauty company Johnson Products of Chicago in 1998. L’Oreal purchases Carson two years later and merges it with Soft Sheen. -
: Black hair care is a billion-dollar industry.