Black Hairstyles Timeline

      Hair in many Black cultures is very significant. It comes in many textures and can be treated differently. Black women's hair can be styled in different ways such as braids and many different hairstyles. Throughout history, kinky hair wasn’t appreciated, which made it difficult to love and appreciate our textured hair to this day. However, in the past, Black people used different techniques to keep their hair healthy. For example, In the 1600 slaves used kerosene to grease their hair while also braiding cornrows that looked like cornfields. This timeline will represent the significance of black hairstyles throughout history. 

  1400-1600: 

Around this era, black women wore different types of hairstyles such as locs, twists etc. In West Africa having these different hairstyles represented wealth and marital status.

1600-1700:

During this time slavery started. Textured hair was compared to wool and wasn’t appreciated. Additionally, black men and women would get their heads shaved for sanitary purposes. Also “a shaved head can be interpreted as taking someone's identity” (catdir.loc.gov). However, when it would grow back black people would use kerosene and pig fat to grease their hair but couldn't comb it because combs were not developed yet

1800:

The stereotype of “ bad and good hair” started to arise. This meant that straight hair was accepted while black kinky hair wasn’t. This made black women disregard their beautiful coily hair. They started to use harsh strong chemicals to fit in the stereotype.

1900:

Black women started to have more hair products. Madame C.J Walker developed her own hair care brand. She also developed the hot comb for women to straighten their hair that is still used to this day.

1920-1930:

Black women started to embrace their hair. In the 1920-1930 black women started to style their wavy-boobs and finger curls. Later on, they had hairstyles like brush curls, pin curls and water wave hairstyles.

1940-1950:

The first sew-in was invented by Christina Jenkins. Black women had hairstyles like victory rolls or chignon.

1960-1970:

Afros started to make an appearance and women started to wear their natural hair out because of the black power movement. This movement encouraged black women to leave their natural hair.

1980-1990:

Jheri curls were very popular during the 1980s.However in the 1990s straight hair styles were worn a lot. Then, in 1993 Janet Jackson had box braids so  braids started to make more of an appearance. 

2000-2010:

Women started to have protective hairstyles, embrace their natural hair, wear wigs and many different hairstyles.

I was able to find most of my information from, https://behindthechair.com.