Black People's Hair

[Jabrosky]

I am a white guy, but a lot of my characters are black, so I feel it is in my interest to know more about black people's hair. I'll start with three questions:

1. Suppose a black person got lost in the desert for a long time and didn't have access to a barber. Would their hair grow into a big, bushy ball? If not, how on earth do black people grow ball-shaped hairstyles in the first place?

2. Do black people need special tools to style their hair into braids, cornrows, or dreadlocks? Or could our hypothetical black person in the desert do it even if he didn't have hairstyling tools?

3. Is it possible to stick things into black people's hair like a pin-cushion? I'm inclined to think so, since I've seen a black guy stick a pencil into his hair that way.

 

[Chilari]

1. Afro hair is very tightly curled. It might be a big bushy ball after a long time without being cut, but it wouldn't look much unless they've got an afro comb and have spent a lot of time using it. Even bed hair afro looks really awful, but after weeks of not washing it or combing it, it's gonna be icky and a huge clump of mess.

2. Don't know about dreadlocks, but from what I've seen when accompanying my fiance to the hairdresser, an afro comb (to make it manageable) and a pointed device like the pointed end of some types of comb to get the rows straight is used, but cornrows at least can be done without any tools but hands. It's not so neat but it is possible. Disclaimer: unless my fiance has just been lax with his own attempts, those hands will have to be someone else's. He can't put his own hair in cornrows, he has to go to a hairdresser or get his mum to do it.

3. If it's a well cared for afro, yes. My fiance sometimes used to keep pens and pencils and even a ruler and protractor in his hair for school, and was once asked by a stranger to use it to smuggle drugs into a club (he declined).

Source: my fiance has afro hair. I always lose in arguments about bad hair days.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I found this on the wiki which may help:

Afro-textured hair - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

One thing I would say is that hair varies from person to person, and I being a white guy with extremely fine, fly away slightly wavey hair can grow something like an afro. My hair's actually too light to hang down. Actually it looks more like a bush having a bad leaf day but you get the picture! There is a reason I cut it short.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Chilari]

For the record, when it comes to putting afro hair in cornrows or dreads, the owner of the hair can do it, it's just my fiance never learned to do his hair himself. Having now cut the whole thing off (apparently people doing job interviews aren't fond of giant afros) he no longer needs to do this.

 

[LordDoubhri]

I'm no expert on this matter, seeing as I am also a white guy, but my family recently adopted two baby boys from Ethiopia, so I think I have a little advice to offer. One thing I noticed with my brothers is that their hair is extremely different. One has long loose curls, the kind that you can pull and watch spring back into place. His hair is soft, and doesn't seem like an afro type of hair. My other baby brother, well he has mostly hair growing in a mohawk way on top of his head, and it's starting to curl a little bit.

Now obviously, my experience with African hair is limited, and my brother's are both babies, so their hair will change. But, it seems to me that it depends on what type of hair your character has. Does he/she have tight curls, or loose bouncy curls. I guess it's something you'll have to decide. That's really all I know about the subject, so just make sure you know what type of hair you want your character to have.

 

[imsc]

wow interesting question. there are some good answers here. as a black male, i'll add my two cents *lol*.

1. yes most black people's natural hair will grow into an afro if not cut. of course there are variations, but that's what would happen in general.

2. don't know much about dreads, cornrolls etc. . . . as i don't have those type of styles (i keep my hair real short). i do have a friend used to do hair (and has dreads), i'll ask her and get back to the forum.

3. yes things can be stuck in the hair if it's long enough. i used to do that when i was a kid and my hair got long. i don't know under what conditions things would stay there though.

hope this helps!