HairBoutique Blog

Comedian Chris Rock has encountered both rave reviews as well as snickers and boos in response to his new documentary, Good Hair.  While some people have enjoyed the film, others are not as happy with Rock’s viewpoints.

Chris Rock on the other hand is gleeful about shining the light on secrets, which he says are “bad for the human spirit.”

(Image of Tracie Thoms - Intermix - 09-25-07 - DailyCeleb.com - All Rights Reserved)

As a result of his own daughter’s angst about not having “good hair” he set out to examine the African American history around having good or bad hair.  As Chris as explained in interviews with the media African American hair has been burdened by the twin legacies of slavery and racism with strong pressure to compare their hair to Caucasian hair.

Historically in the African American community, “good hair” is categorized as soft, smooth and manageable. “Bad hair” is typically called short and “nappy.”   Traditionally when trying to alter bad hair and transition it to good there has been the adoption of chemicals and hair weaves. (more…)

When I was a teen I had a horrendous hair experience with Castor oil.  I used the old fashioned kind you buy at the corner drug store.  It cane complete with a little cross on it because Castor oil can actually be poisonous if not consumed appropriately.

(Image of Heritage Castor Oil - Available From Amazon.com - All Rights Reserved).

For me the Castor oil turned my naturally wavy hair into a major oil slick.  It took many days to finally get the slick oily mess out of my hair.

Although I never tried Castor oil on the bulk of my hair, I did play with applying it to the ends of my hair.  Used very sparingly it did work to temporarily bind any split ends together.

Heritage Products Castor Oil Cold Pressed

The biggest problem I had with Castor oil is how thick, sticky and slimy it is.  Some of hair consumers, especially those with very dry hair or those transitioning to “natural” are using what is known as Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO).

The reason for the new popularity of the Black Castor oil is that it is completely unrefined.  The good news is that it contains virtually no chemicals of any kind but it does have a very pungent aroma. (more…)

On today’s show - Friday, October 9th, 2009 - Oprah had Chris Rock as her guest to talk about his new film, Good Hair, which opens in select theaters today and nationwide on October 23rd.

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Chris was on Oprah’s show previously discussing his “Good Hair” project but now that the film is being released and many women have had a chance to see the trailers, the film is raising some criticism from African American women.

During the show Oprah invited members of the audience to share their feelings about the film, which looks at African American hair rituals, techniques and styling secrets.

Oprah made a point of saying that a lot of people don’t believe the hair on her head is actually hers.  They think it’s a weave or a wig or something else.  In fact, Oprah even Tweeted about her hair at one point saying it’s not a weave or a wig but her own hair. (more…)

It was reported by Joe Ryan on Wednesday of this week (August 26, 2009) by the Star-Ledger newspaper that a West African immigrant pleaded guilty to helping run a secret human trafficking operation that reportedly forced women to work in Newark and East Orange, New Jersey salons braiding hair for 14 hours a day.

(Image - Kids Of Africa - Casanna1 - All Rights Reserved).

The ring lead by a man and his ex-wife appeared to have smuggled victims in to New Jersey from Ghana and Togo were forced to work braiding hair against their wills.  The case was recently heard before a Federal Judge.

Most people do not realize that human trafficking occurs even in the United States where people from other countries are lured away from impoverished countries with promises of lucrative employment opportunities. (more…)

Hair bandanas have gone full circle in Sacramento, California where a group of men robbing Chatham Beauty Supply store (4200 block of Norwood Avenue) covered their faces with bandanas which are a common hair accessory worn in a variety of ways.

(Image of bandana headband - HairBoutique.com - All Rights Reserved).

It is ironic that a beauty supply store would be robbed by men wearing the common and very popular hair accessories.  Both women and men wear bandanas as either loose, rolled or fitted head bands or head scarves. (more…)