"Do these products work on black hair?"
That was one of the most frequent questions from visitors to the Curly Hair Solutions
booth at the Michigan International Women's Show in suburban Detroit a few months
ago. Despite the fact that representatives of all ethnic backgrounds were raving
about how well the products worked in their hair, a sense of skepticism remained
as to whether Curl Keeper and the rest of Jonathan Torch's line would yield similar
results on their own Afro-textured hair.
It was an understandable concern. Many black women were taught early by their mothers,
grandmothers, friends and beauticians that only a certain group of products would
meet the needs of our hair and that "mainstream" brands were off limits because
they were supposedly drying. We learned that because of the dry nature of our hair,
we needed products that would keep our hair from becoming even more parched, and
"black" hair products contained the oils that we required on a daily basis.
So off we went to the small "ethnic" section at the end of the hair care aisle,
or to beauty supply stores that catered to black communities. We bought items that
had words like "moisture," "grease," "oil" and "lotion" printed all over the bottles,
and slathered them all over our tresses.
Whatever products we used, the result was the same. We might get a few hours of
softness from each product, but at the end of a day or two, our hair still felt
dry and brittle. "My hair just drinks up oil," became a common refrain.
No matter the type of "black" product used, there's a reason that many black women
have found it difficult to maintain moisture, and a major culprit is the frequent
use of the so-called "black" products that we were told for generations were what
we needed. Those oils, lotions and greases actually block out moisture, causing
the hair to become even drier, which in turn pushes black women to put more oil
and grease on their hair. The cycle continues, with the hair never getting the moisture
that it needs!
"Oil repels water and oil and water don't mix," said Jonathan Torch, the creator
of the Curly Hair Solutions line. "It's hard to get the product in the hair."
Curly hair is more porous than straight hair, as Torch explains, and the tighter
the curl, the more porous the hair. That means that Afro-textured hair would require
significantly more moisture than other types, and the best type of moisture available
is something that many "black" products often avoid, water.
Torch's products contain water as the main ingredient and shun essential oils and
butters found in most "moisture" products. Curl Keeper, for example, is a water-based
product that's applied to wet hair, and Curl Keeper works with the water already
in the hair to provide an extra dose of moisture to curly hair. It controls the
frizz – something nearly every curly desires – and makes the hair feel soft without
leaving it greasy. The result is well-defined and stylish ringlets that are also
soft to the touch.
But what about the fact that lotions, creams and oils work so well on dry skin?
Couldn't the same idea be applied to the hair?
"Skin is an organ," Torch said. "Hair is not. It's a different concept."
This is not to say that oil-based products have no redeeming qualities for the hair,
particularly black hair. Torch emphasizes, however, that their effects are often
temporary and don't address the hair's internal need for moisture.
"Coconut oil, shea butter, lanolin… they're all great products," Torch said. "They
can all be great ingredients, but if you're looking for style management, you're
just going to prolong the process. Do essential oils really do their job by grouping
the ringlets together and making hair manageable?"
At the Michigan International Women's Show, it was easy to answer the question about
whether Curly Hair Solutions would work for black hair. The show also provided a
great opportunity to dispel the myth of "black" products and "white" products.
Any product that provides water-based moisture is a great option for tightly-curled,
coiled and kinky hair. The race of the person owning that hair simply doesn't matter!
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