A question about black hair and extensions

[JellySlice]

In this article the brother of the girl says "Extensions make the hair easier to maintain. It allows my sister to have access to the swimming pool without having to get her hair redone every night,".

Why or how do extensions do this?

I hope this is not taken as being judgey or goady. It's not intended to be!

I see nobody has responded to your post...

Afro hair does not respond well to water. I just had my hair braided yesterday in what is called a 'protective style' - this is exactly what it does, it protects your hair.

If I have my hair braided with no extension and went swimming, it would frizz uncontrollably. If I have added extension in my hair to almost encase my natural hair and add this extra bulk/protection, it would frizz a little, but minimally.

FWIW I think it's absolutely shocking what was done to this poor little girl. Extensions which are braided in to your hair are not the same as extensions which are used to make unstyled hair longer. This type of extension serves a purpose. Braids are culturally important. They are not unprofessional and they should not prevent you from gaining an education.

Can you tell which of the women below are wearing extensions? Do you think they'd be sent home from work for wearing hair like this?

I think it's about time schools started learning about black culture so little black girls can stop being ostracised. Last year girls were told their Afro hair was unkempt and unprofessional, now their braids are too. It's a sad state of affairs and IMHO this school should be ashamed.

I see. Braids being protective made sense (I have DDs with hip-length hair. You can be sure their hair gets plaited and pinned up to protect it!), but, as my understanding is that extensions are harmful to 'white' hair, I didn't understand the brother's statement.

I don't get why white people make such a fuss over black peoples' hair! Surely the same basic rules can apply to both white and black?

Safety: keep it out of your face and out of harm's way.
Courtesy: keep it out of other people's personal space and keep it clean.

Beyond that, what does it matter?

My dc's school says: tied back if below the shoulders, no unnatural colours, no shaven heads and no extremes of fashion. They apply this across the board. I think 'shaven heads' means less than a 0 or 1. Would you consider this fair?

In the school where I work there are no regulations about hair, other than that it must be tied back for certain activities. Some of the black girls have bunches, some braids, some extensions. Sometimes the extensions are in non-natural colours. I dont think it's ever occurred to any of us to query that.

Though I have been puzzled as to why anyone would go to the hassle of extensions in 5yos' hair. Especially as they're horribly itchy (I get lots of cuddles, and in summertime the extensions really prickle me through my thin blouse.) But if they serve a purpose beyond decoration, then it does make sense.

I don't think white people make a big fuss over black peoples hair, that's ludicrous, you might get the occasional random idiot, but as a generalist statement that's really quite offensive.

I was appalled to read about the treatment of this girl in school. It is discriminatory and demonstrates a lack of awareness of issues facing girls with black hair. As the brother said - it affects black girls more than white. It's bloody shocking this day and age that this level of ignorance still exists.

Sorry - wrote in haste! Meant to say issues facing black girls and their hair. My cousins used to have to endure all sorts to try and keep their hair 'acceptable'. Makes my blood boil - WtF - acceptable to whom? White people!!!

@PPPMA but Afro hair does respond well to water, that's the reason why it needs to be moisturised regularly and then have the moisture sealed in. It can be very porous, and that is different. Think of porosity as being a sponge, it soaks up water very easily, but equally due to the micropores, it loses water just as easily. Thus why those with typically Afro hair (think hair that grows upwards and feels soft and fluffy when out, very curly etc) tends very well to the use of shea butter etc to seal the moisture in.

But it can take a looooong time for most people of African heritage to define what their hair likes, as the care depends on your hormones (ages), season, water type, care etc. Thus furthermore why it may appear to be difficult to look after, it is actually very versatile and yet delicate.

But OP , extensions allow for the moisture to be locked in for longer, and allow the scalp to rest for longer between the care phases (if you imagine that the hair would be moisturised and styled daily, washed regularly, etc), extensions allow for gaps between those stages to be prolonged, but not dismissed completely. After extensions users will often find their hair very fragile in need of delicate care in the form of hair masks etc.

@JellySlice there are some funny rules floating about. Box braids are banned from one school in Birmingham (of all places) and I can't really get my head around it. A young boy was also told he needed to cut his dreadlocks off as they weren't above his shoulder. His mother tied them up - this wasn't good enough apparently. We live in a multi cultural society but it seems there are some folks who don't want to embrace this.

I wouldn't say that white people tend to make a fuss over black hair as a whole. Many of my white colleagues are fascinated by mine and are nothing but complimentary. I've never once considered that it would prevent me from completing my work, or that it is unprofessional.

I think there is a problem in schools at the moment where rules are applied which make sense when applied to those who have Caucasian hair and do not NEED these styles to actually protect and maintain their hair, and to save hours of maintenance time, and to of course allow for girls to wear what is considered normal as perfectly acceptable within their culture.

@TeaAddict235 my hair is well and truly Afro and whilst it absorbs water like a dream, in terms of styling, it does not respond well. It frizzes and if I were not wearing extensions I'd not have a hope in hell of getting a style to last more than a few days.

My hair has never been more delicate once I have taken it out of braids. I wash it when it is braided, I apply product and oil and actually find my hair is much healthier/stronger after I've had it in braids for a while.

Oh yeah, I agree @PPPMA, again showing that wild generalisations are often incorrect. An old hairdresser used to force everyone getting their hair removed of extensions to have a hair mask and then sit under one of those bloody noisy hair driers with a hair mask on whilst being forced to watch some nollywood film.
Forgot to say in my earlier post that those photos are beautiful btw. I can only vouch for such beauty on the way home from the hairdresser and thereafter no more

This might interest you @PPPMA

Anyone on a natural hair jouney?http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/styleandbeauty/3187944-Anyone-on-a-natural-hair-jouney

It gets some regulars dropping in from time to time and it would be a shame to let it go to the wilderness.