Around this time two years ago, I cancelled my hair appointment on a whim. That Saturday, I simply did not have time to fit my monthly wash and press into my schedule. As my desired straight hair reverted back into its kinky texture, worry struck me once I realized that I would have to wear my hair naturally to school. That Sunday night, I scoured YouTube for hours, watching tutorial after tutorial, initially looking for styles that would not look too “unruly” or unkempt. Yet, the videos displayed a deep appreciation for black hair that I had never really encountered before. Before my eyes, the European beauty standards that I had adhered to for years began to crumble down. Other black women have mirrored experiences with their hair. From spending hours in salons for a hair perm and press to making the big decision to “go natural”, black women around the world dedicate large portions of our time to thinking about and styling our hair.

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My objective for this project is to examine the universal focus on hair care in the black community and its political influences following the African diaspora. In order to accomplish this research, I will focus my studies on the United States. Furthermore, I will divide my research into two sections: the historical and the modern lens on black hair care. For the historical lens, I want to utilize books, movies, and internet sources to understand black hairstyles throughout the decades and the political factors that influenced them. Then I would like to explore the modern conceptions of black hair care through personal reflections, interviews, and narratives.