Creaming vs Relaxing: A Primer for Black Men

[Tropicana]

Men on this board keep referring to women creaming their hair. Creaming went out LONG time. It came in a jar...made hair bone strait, burned when you put it on and would often damage the hair to the point where it would eventually break off.

[Tropicana]

Creaming was replaced with Jehri curls which looked HORRIBLE!! I never had one as I had stopped straightening my hair before that came in

Very nasty and greasy looking and dripped like crazy:

[Tropicana]

Today wash and wear hair is more the norm. The hair is relaxed slightly and retains 85 - 95% of its natural pattern. I would bet dollars to donuts that many Black men can't tell the difference between wash and wear and natural hair.



If someone has wash and wear hair and they want it to be straight, the hair is blow dried and then curled with a curling iron or straightened with a flat iron. Same woman...with hair relaxed - wash and wear and air blow dried and curled.


washandwearrelaxer.jpgblowdried.jpg

http://www.jazma.com/wash-and-wear-relaxer-at-home-kit-and-dvd

With flat iron

With curling iron

[Tropicana]

The joke is on you Emperah...a lot of the women I see you admiring have wash and wear hair.....

Unless the woman is really mixed...natural Black hair doesn't heng dung. A lot of the women they use in some of these so called natural hair videos are mixed.




FYI what we recognize as 60s style blow outs were achieved using blow drying with a blow out comb. So, it still involved using heat and reducing the kinkiness of the hair.

Afro.jpg

Here's how:

[Tropicana]

Weave

This is a weave. Natural or relaxed hair is corn-rowed (called cane rowed in Jamaica).




Then the horse's tail... I mean fake hair is sewn on.

[Tropicana]

The bottom line is we need to get to the point where a Black woman's choice of hairstyle is no longer a career limiting move.

[kia027]

Creaming was replaced with Jehri curls which looked HORRIBLE!! I never had one as I had stopped straightening my hair before that came in

Very nasty and greasy looking and dripped like crazy:

Soul glo?

[Tropicana]

Good memory:

The Jheri curl is a hairstyle developed in the 1970’s by white chemist and stylist Robert William Redding. Redding was also responsible for the creation of hair conditioner and PH balanced shampoo.

The hairstyle was advertised as a low maintenance wash and wear, and easier to take care of than a chemical relaxer for blacks. However, the activator had bad side effects such as the oil that would stain clothing, furniture and anything that came into contact with it.
The most famous Jheri curls were worn by Michael Jackson,Deion Sanders, Walter Peyton, Eazy E, Samuel L. Jackson, Rick James, Ice Cube and Eric LaSalle in the film “Coming to America.”

http://blackamericaweb.com/98606/little-known-black-history-fact-the-jheri-curl/

[Tropicana]

This is a good summary of the politics of hair that have affected Black women since slavery days.

.... how hairstyles have been interwoven into that history. It is a story that continues to evolve. Here is a look back at some of the key events and people who shaped the black hairstory.1444: Europeans trade on the west coast of Africa with people wearing elaborate hairstyles, including locks, plaits and twists.
1619: First slaves brought to Jamestown; African language, culture and grooming tradition begin to disappear.
1700s: Calling black hair “wool,” many whites dehumanize slaves. The more elaborate African hairstyles cannot be retained.
1800s: Without the combs and herbal treatments used in Africa, slaves rely on bacon grease, butter and kerosene as hair conditioners and cleaners. Lighter-skinned, straight-haired slaves command higher prices at auction than darker, more kinky-haired ones. Internalizing color consciousness, blacks promote the idea that blacks with dark skin and kinky hair are less attractive and worth less.
1865: Slavery ends, but whites look upon black women who style their hair like white women as well-adjusted. “Good” hair becomes a prerequisite for entering certain schools, churches, social groups and business networks.
Madame C.J. Walker
1880: Metal hot combs, invented in 1845 by the French, are readily available in the United States. The comb is heated and used to press and temporarily straighten kinky hair.
1900s: Madame C.J. Walker develops a range of hair-care products for black hair. She popularizes the press-and-curl style. Some criticize her for encouraging black women to look white.
1910: Walker is featured in the Guinness Book of Records as the first American female self-made millionaire.
1920s: Marcus Garvey, a black nationalist, urges followers to embrace their natural hair and reclaim an African aesthetic.
1954: George E. Johnson launches the Johnson Products Empire with Ultra Wave Hair Culture, a “permanent” hair straightener for men that can be applied at home. A women’s chemical straightener follows.

1962: Actress Cicely Tyson wears cornrows on the television drama “East Side/West Side.”
1966: Model Pat Evans defies both black and white standards of beauty and shaves her head.
1968: Actress Diahann Carroll is the first black woman to star in a television network series, “Julia.” She is a darker version of the all-American girl with straightened, curled hair.
1970: Angela Davis becomes an icon of Black Power with her large afro.
1971: Melba Tolliver is fired from the ABC affiliate in New York for wearing an afro while covering Tricia Nixon’s wedding.
1977: The Jheri curl explodes on the black hair scene. Billed as a curly perm for blacks, the ultra-moist hairstyle lasts through the 1980s.
1979: Braids and beads cross the color line when Bo Derek appears with cornrows in the movie “10.”
Diahann Carroll
1980: Model-actress Grace Jones sports her trademark flat-top fade.
1988: Spike Lee exposes the good hair/bad hair light-skinned/dark-skinned schism in black American in his movie “School Daze.”
1990: “Sisters love the weave,” “Essence” magazine declares. A variety of natural styles and locks also become more accepted.
1997: Singer Erykah Badu poses on the cover of her debut album “Baduizm” with her head wrapped, ushering in an eclectic brand of Afrocentrism.
1998: Carson Inc., creator of Dark & Lovely and Magic Shave for black men, acquires the black-owned beauty company Johnson Products of Chicago in 1998. L’Oreal purchases Carson two years later and merges it with Soft Sheen.
1999:“People” magazine names lock-topped Grammy award-winning artist Lauryn Hill one of its 50 Most Beautiful People.

2001: Rapper Lil’ Kim wears a platinum blonde weave, while singer Macy Gray sports a new-school afro. Some black women perm, some press, and others go with natural twists, braids and locks.

This is fore Emperah and others who don't seem to realize that Black women who wear natural hair still face discrimination. These are just a few examples.

2003: New Bedford, Mass. Dance teacher Amy Fernandes’ refuses to allow 4-year-old Amari Diaw to participate in her ballet dance recital along with the other children in her class who have been practicing for the exciting event because she requires the girls to pull back their hair into a bun. Amari’s mom put Amari’s very curly hair into cornrows and pulled it back into a bun. Fernandes, however, insisted that the braids be removed and that Amari’s hair be pulled back straight into a bun.
2006: Baltimore Police Department’s new, more rigid professional appearance standards prohibit such hairstyles as cornrows, dreadlocks and twists. These natural hairstyles are deemed to be “extreme” and a “fad” by the department.
2007: MSNBC Radio Host Don Imus loses his job when he calls the Rutgers’ women’s basketball team “some nappy-headed hos.”

2006: Black hair-care is a billion-dollar industry.
2008: “The New Yorker” draws heat when a cover photo portrays Michelle Obama with an Afro and an AK 47 machine gun and and Barack Obama in a turban doing the fist bump. Many felt the cartoon reinforces negative stereotypes about both Muslims and natural hair.

[Tropicana]

Okay so I hope the men on Board Lane are all straightened out ...no pun intended.

Remember, when onno ready fe cream hair went out LONG time. even Jehi curl gawn out.

So when onoo ready fe , onoo fe pon:

• weave
• relaxed hair
• blow dried and curled hair
• blow dried and flat ironed hair
• wigs

I think that covers it.

[Emperah]

it nuh cover jack an who yuh tink ha time fi phish troo all a dis, a skim wi a skim ya now a days

Suh yuh really a try tell ppl seh de creme dem use fi "relax" yuh is different from de odda day deh?
Yuh really waan wi be believe dat if yuh mek de creme dem mek today nah bunn yuh if yuh leff it on too long, nah tear out de hair outta yuh scalp, nah eventually scold yuh scalp and cause other problems dung de road?

So wah bout Creme of Nature, maybe dem need fi change dem name dem caz it sound like yuh kno more den dem

http://cremeofnature.com/professional/index.php

[Emperah]

The joke is on you Emperah...a lot of the women I see you admiring have wash and wear hair.....

Unless the woman is really mixed...natural Black hair doesn't heng dung. A lot of the women they use in some of these so called natural hair videos are mixed.

i admire blk women of all sawts, nuttin nuh wrang wid dat beauty is just dat.
I have preference still but dat nuh mean seh bcaz a ooman str8n are hair seh shi nuh look good to me.

[Tropicana]

it nuh cover jack an who yuh tink ha time fi phish troo all a dis, a skim wi a skim ya now a days

Suh yuh really a try tell ppl seh de creme dem use fi "relax" yuh is different from de odda day deh?

Yes it is.

Yuh really waan wi be believe dat if yuh mek de creme dem mek today nah bunn yuh if yuh leff it on too long,

I can't comment on that. I do know that what they put on my hair when I was in high school would burn like crazy right away as soon as they put it on and before too long, the hair would break off. The relaxer today, doesn't burn. Now if someone was stupid enough to leave it on for along time, who knows? My hairdresser believes doesn't believe in using chemicals to make hair bone straight. She leaves 85 - 95% of the natural texture and uses a blow dryer and curling iron to straighten it fully when you want that kind of look. Wash & Wear Relaxer semi- natural hair system.

If you watch only one video, watch this one. It shows the difference between relaxer to create wash and wear hair and blow drying hair. Like I said, the joke is on you Emperah as a LOT of the women I see you admiring have wash and wear hair....not even you can tell the difference between that and natural hair.

http://www.jazma.com/wash-and-wear-relaxer-at-home-kit-and-dvd

nah tear out de hair outta yuh scalp, nah eventually scold yuh scalp and cause other problems dung de road?

Definitely any type of chemical relaxer or even the use of heat to straighten the hair is damaging so the person doing it had better know what they are doing. When did I ever say it wasn't damaging?

So wah bout Creme of Nature, maybe dem need fi change dem name dem caz it sound like yuh kno more den dem

Creme of Nature...never heard of it. The website says it is Advanced conditioning sodium hydroxide


These are the different type of chemical straightener in use today. I have never looked into it in this depth and didn't plan to but since you ask. To be frank, It all sounds pretty scary to me.

Permanent Hair Straightening

The concept of creating a style with the aid of chemical straightener is not new, but certainly exciting. When properly applied to hair that is in good condition, these scientifically formulated straighteners can safely and successfully remove as much or as little curl as desired. Today, straighteners are available in many formulations and strengths for different hair types.
Hair straightening process:

In order for the hair to form a new shape, its protein structure must be softened so that the hair can assume the straight shape. It must then be “rehardened” to hold the new shape in the hair. The hair is softened by a chemical reaction that breaks the disulfide bonds. This is called the reforming step. The protein chains which were previously connected are now released from each other and move to take on the straight shape. Once the straightening solution is rinsed from the hair, a second chemical solution is applied. This is called the neutralizing or oxidizing agent. In this step the chains are locked in their new shape.

From smooth to sleek to straight, we’ve got the word on straight hair options. To help you decide in making a permanent decision you need a stylist who is experienced. Someone who is familiar with the service and have had worked with all types of chemical hair straightening procedures on different types of hair, and not only TR and TR products. Here’s what your stylist and salon needs to know.

There are three types of hair straightening systems.

The most common active ingredients used in chemical hair straightening products are: Sodium hydroxide (lye) Guanidine calcium hydroxide (no lye)and Ammonium thioglycolate. Since the inception of TR, more and more people are having their hair chemically straightened.

To avoid major problems it is now imperative for clients to know which chemical ingredient was used on their hair. Sodium hydroxide and Guanidine calcium hydroxide relaxers are interchangeable. However, Thioglycolate and cysteamine are not interchangeable with Sodium hydroxide and Guanidine calcium hydroxide relaxers.

There is another hair straightening chemical ingredient, it is called Cysteamine hydrochloride. It straightens hair at a lower pH than thioglycolate, so it is considered somewhat milder. The negative to Cysteamine is that it smells like cat urine in the hair and the smell persists. Suffice to say, thioglycolate is the # one choice with stylists.

Sodium hydroxide hair relaxer.

Sodium hydroxide is used to remove unwanted curl from the hair. The difference between the strengths depends upon the percentage of active ingredients. This relaxer is alkaline in pH, which forces the cuticle to open so that the relaxer can penetrate into the cortex layer of the hair. Once there, the sodium hydroxide breaks the disulfide bond. When this happens, the hair will smooth out to a straightened form due to the weight of the crème, the pressure of smoothing, or in extremely curly hair, the gentle combing of the hair.

Most relaxers these days are sodium hydroxide based. Occasionally, guanidine calcium hydroxide is used, although most stylists agree that sodium hydroxide relaxers provide the best results. As most people are aware, sodium hydroxide (lye) is a pretty harsh chemical. Hair straightening/TR treatment services requires “Speed of hands”, especially sodium hydroxide and guanidine hydroxide hair relaxing systems. It is also important to remember that the chemical action of sodium hydroxide is irreversible.

Guanidine hydroxide hair relaxer.

Guanidine hydroxide relaxers are very similar to sodium hydroxide. It is generally used on clients with sensitive scalp. Guanidine hydroxide hair straightening system is also irreversible.

When to use sodium hydroxide or guanidine hydroxide hair straightening/ relaxer method:

Think about when other chemical hair straightening systems don’t work! Sodium hydroxide and guanidine hydroxide relaxer is used multi-culturally to relax all textures of hair to an almost desired level of straightness. These relaxers may be the only alternative for overly curly, corkscrew-like, excessively kinky hair. It does not defy frizz, and requires humidity control styling products.

Ammonium thioglycolate hair straightening.

Thioglycolate is used to straighten as well as curl the hair. Therefore, the process is reversible. The same chemical reaction that put curl in hair during the permanent wave procedure, takes curl out of hair in chemical straightening. Thioglycolate is used primarily on hair which has a very soft curl and soft wave pattern. Generally, it is not effective on African Canadian, overly curly, excessively kinky or wiry hair. Thioglycolate is the main chemical ingredient in Japanese Thermal Reconditioning/TR systems, and permanent wave products. The reforming solution (crème/gel) that is applied to the client’s hair generally contains 5-15% of thioglycolic acid compound. Perms for highly damaged hair contain less. Perms for resistant hair contain more.

The straightening solution contains other ingredients too. Alkaline substances such as ammonium carbonate are used to give the desired alkaline strength. Detergents are used to help the solution “wet/adhere” the hair more easily and make penetration more uniform. Chelating (metal binding agents) are used to remove metals like iron and copper. These metals can make the solution turn purple or green and give the hair a distinct odor. Conditioning ingredients, such as proteins, emollients and polymers help protect hair during the straightening and keep it manageable. And of course, a fragrance is added, since the “thio” compounds all possess a rotten egg or skunk-like odor. In general, these additional ingredients determine the speed and efficiency of the straightening step.


When naturally curly/wavy hair has ‘a mind of its own’, thioglycolate takes you Vertically Straight to more flexible styling and keeps it in line. It softens hair, making thick, coarse hair more manageable - excellent choice for fine and low density wavy, frizzy hair. Its versatility also allows clients to retain their waves by drying hair naturally or blow dry with a paddle brush. You get the best of both worlds since locks never become flat or stick-straight and your hair becomes more silky and responsive to a variety of styling methods and products. It produces dramatic results in most types of hair.

http://www.verticalsinhair.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=78

[Tropicana]

i admire blk women of all sawts, nuttin nuh wrang wid dat beauty is just dat.
I have preference still but dat nuh mean seh bcaz a ooman str8n are hair seh shi nuh look good to me.

..especially if she will no true Emperah? :rofl
Seeit deh....so why you a fah? You are proving Suesumba's point which by the way you STILL have not addressed.

[Emperah]

a lie ya tell, an a big dutty lie dat tuh.

mi cuz is a hairdresser si de video of har place ya http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8Tq-HHuzkk

mi hear har tell ppl dat if de creme stay on too long it will burn. i've been dere an si ooman a tap dem head top caz it a burn, but dem waan tandeh longah caz dem want it straighter.

yuh mussee tink seh cah mi name man mi nuh kno bout dem tingya

mi hear mi aunty in Ja, mi aunty in NY and upyasuh chat bout how some eedyat hairdressah leff de ting on too long an bunn har.
Mi si one aunty weh creme suhtill yuh cyan si har scalp choo seh de creme a bunn out wah shi ha leff.

Now repent thyself fi a tell suh much lie bout de creaming an ting, cho, yuh too big fi dehya a tell dem type a lie bout lye