"Is Hair Care Oppressing My Black Daughter?"

I recently came across an interesting article on the Root, “Is Hair Care Oppressing My Black Daughter?”  The person posing the question is a (white) stepmother, who is caring for her husband’s (black) daughter from a previous relationship.  The stepmother also has a biological (white) daughter from a previous relationship, of the same age, who does not have a hair care regime – i.e. she can “get up and go” or "wash and go" in the morning, whereas the (black) stepdaughter doesn't do so - instead she gets her hair "fixed".  The stepmother is questioning whether a negative message is being sent to her (black) stepdaughter, who needs to get her hair “fixed” either daily or worn in braids.

Personally, I agree with most of the points made by the author, in response to the stepmother's question. While I believe that the stepmom is sincere, I think the question speaks to the issue of what is “normal”.  What may be “un-normal” hair regime practices for one culture, may be perfectly “normal” for another culture.    Personally, I find washing, conditioning (sometimes with a heat cap), moisturizing and styling my girls’ hair on a weekly or biweekly basis perfectly “normal” within my cultural context.  Additionally, a lot of sharing and bonding takes place during the time that I spend on keeping my girls’ hair healthy and happy.  We take pride in getting our hair "fixed" whether we are braiding, twisting or rocking afro-puffs!  Upon finishing each hairstyle (usually braids or twists), my girls love to look in the mirror to see how they got their hair “fixed”.  Finally, hair textures are all different (even among blacks) and require various levels of attention and care to maintain health.  Black hair may be on the more demanding side of the care scale, and I am OK with that – we work with what we are given!  I hope the stepmom can learn to be OK with that too.  

Photo: Generic Image (Thinkstock)
From The Root