One of the last things that a black woman can be convinced to reduce is the quality and quantity of her hair care. Yet, our very tough economic times have led many black women to significantly reduce the amounts they spend to keep their hair looking great. An amusing video by The Grio explores some of the reductions in spending on their hair care a few African American women have made given the state of the economy.
In this brief look at black women, the recession and hair care, Nythia Ellie said: "I do my hair at home. I've ventured out but not as much as I would before the economy got bad, so I really do my hair myself or have my sisters do it for me." And she is not alone. According to a survey by Design Essentials, thirty-six percent of African American women have reduced their number of visits to the hair salon as a result of the economic downturn.
Channeling Sarah Jessica
The queen of media Wendy Williams channels her inner Sarah Jessica Parker (or, Carrie Bradshaw circa 2000) with a cascade of blonde and brown waves. Throw in a pink animal print and a fuschia boa, though, and you've got pure Wendy.
Evan Agostini, Getty Images
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Wendy Williams Hair Transformation
Channeling Sarah Jessica
The queen of media Wendy Williams channels her inner Sarah Jessica Parker (or, Carrie Bradshaw circa 2000) with a cascade of blonde and brown waves. Throw in a pink animal print and a fuschia boa, though, and you've got pure Wendy.
Through Thick...
With a bit more weight (possibly before her lipo) and with brown and black tresses, Williams appears more subdued than her usual steelo -- simple black tank, hoops and a red lip. She's apparently chillin' in Miami in this 2002 shot.
Straight Gangsta
OOOH -- she's killin' em softly with the baby pink fur and hat to match -- brim to the side for all those who didn't know. This Jersey girl is all pretty in pink. Her hair a mix of black and her signature blonde.
World of Curls
Wendy Williams literally works the red carpet at the 2005 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors. She's chic and sleek in a black dress, simple accessories and brown lip, hair and skin.
Who Let The Pups Out?
Although this is a hair gallery, one's eye cannot help but go to Wendy's heaving cleavage in this 2005 shot. And good thing, too, because her hair is just a wee bit tangly here.
All Smiles
With those killer whites, Wendy Williams looks to be on top of the worl as she attends a Life&Style Weekly party. Her hair, we give a C-plus as her roots seem to go all the way back to the motherland (like, black, lotsa black.)
This is it!
In a look that is perfectly pulled together, Miss Wendy's hair is slick, straight and mod all at the same time. With vintage shades and a very nice fur, she's showing those rappers how it's done at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in '06!
Blonde Ambition
If there are two things Wendy Williams is -- it's blonde (mostly) and ambitious. We ain't mad at her -- we might be a teensy mad at her hair in this 2006 photo, but only a little bit.
Dahling....
WBLS New York's on-air personality Wendy Williams attends AllHipHop.Com's Relaunch Celebrity Bash in 2006 with an upswept 'do that is very becoming. Not one to leave her prints far behind, peep the cheetah bag on her arm.
Set A Part
With a part that appears just a little too much on the side, Wendy Williams appears happy, healthy and tan at the 2006 Essence Music Festival in Houston, Texas.
One set of businesses that might be benefiting from this trend is the beauty supply stores. As more women are getting their hair done at home, the need for home beauty supplies has started to increase. Also, simpler hairstyles are becoming more fashionable, like the natural afro worn by a young woman in the video, making it less necessary to go to the salons at all. But even "natural" styles require the right beauty supplies for your hair's special needs.
Black women faced with cutting back on hair care and changing to a simpler style may find that altering their hair can positively affect their health. Some women do not want to sweat out their expensive hairstyles, making it less likely that they will engage in physical activity. This can lead to problems like obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure, which affect millions of African Americans at a higher rate than other groups. If a black woman's hair is less of a priority, or is more natural, perhaps more will be willing to sweat vigorously on a regular basis -- leading to a host of health improvements. Of course, saving money is an added plus.
Perhaps it's time for a change in how we view black women's hair, and the amount of money we expect black women to spend on it. Should it really be that expensive to manage? Have you or your friends or relatives considered cutting back on black hair care because of the economy, or other beneficial reasons?
Lawrence Watkins is the Founder of Great Black Speakers. He is also the owner of speakers' bureaus dedicated to Hispanic speakers and Christian motivational speakers. His book, "Frame Your Future: 8 Principles to Effectively Focus on the Future and Not Dwell in the Past", will be released in August 2010. If you would like Lawrence's articles delivered directly to your email, please click here.
It may be a blessing in disguise for us hairstylists. This way you can see what we are worth after your trial and error. And P.s. Get a better income so that you can enjoy the finer things in life.
Dear Mr. Watkins, Thank you so much for a timely, relevant and "on point" article. An African American mother of a 21 year old bi-racial daughter residing in Europe since 1992, I have my share of hair stories. Many years ago, my daughter and I were lucky enough to find a Guadeloupian woman to braid our hair in all sorts of styles. Now, my daughter is an adult. As a result of the braiding and care, she had flowing tresses down her back...that is, until she decided to plunge into the world of perms. She is a bit disappointed with her latest Brazilian perm(the salon rep promised her the perm(cost 380 Swiss francs, approximately $380.00) would last three months. Just three weeks later, one notices that her roots were incorrectly done....a ploy to coax her back to the salon......She has already mentioned that she will reconnect with our Guadeloupian hairdresser.
At the age of 53, I reflect on the journey from my late grandmother's straightening comb to the afro, afro to the perm, perm to the jheri curl, jheri curl to the wave nouveau, wave nouveau to the buzz cut, buzz cut to the Grace Jones fade, Grace Jones fade to the twists, twists back to the natural. With this journey, wisdom has flourished. Ain't nothin' like the hair that God has given us.
One book that has been extremely helpful to me during my hair journey in Europe is entitled Textured Tresses The Ultimate Guide to Maintaining and Styling Natural Hair by Diane Dacosta, ISBN 0743235509. I highly recommend it!
Presently, I am sporting blonde braids. But when I remove them, my natural kinky hair with squirts of gray is healthy, soft, and waiting to halo my face.....and doesn't cost a thing!!!!
Amen, I've allways had so much trouble with my naturally frizzy hair, and not been able to get too much help at salonsm but after a chance encounter with a dominican hair salon I found some alter ego hair products which have helped a whooole lot.
I am now sporting wigs more now. Some I have purchased. Some I have made by viewing youtube videos. Not too hard to do. When I do wear my hair, which is fairly long, I wear it in a ponytail.
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Comments: (45)
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By: Marcella on 8/24/2010 3:24PM
Hi Joanna, it's a pitty that they don't deliver in Holland.
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By: Cari on 8/25/2010 11:28PM
It may be a blessing in disguise for us hairstylists. This way you can see what we are worth after your trial and error. And P.s. Get a better income so that you can enjoy the finer things in life.
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By: Anna on 11/10/2010 11:44AM
Dear Mr. Watkins,
Thank you so much for a timely, relevant and "on point" article.
An African American mother of a 21 year old bi-racial daughter residing in Europe since 1992, I have my share of hair stories. Many years ago, my daughter and I were lucky enough to find a Guadeloupian woman to braid our hair in all sorts of styles. Now, my daughter is an adult. As a result of the braiding and care, she had flowing tresses down her back...that is, until she decided to plunge into the world of perms. She is a bit disappointed with her latest Brazilian perm(the salon rep promised her the perm(cost 380 Swiss francs, approximately $380.00) would last three months. Just three weeks later, one notices that her roots were incorrectly done....a ploy to coax her back to the salon......She has already mentioned that she will reconnect with our Guadeloupian hairdresser.
At the age of 53, I reflect on the journey from my late grandmother's straightening comb to the afro, afro to the perm, perm to the jheri curl, jheri curl to the wave nouveau, wave nouveau to the buzz cut, buzz cut to the Grace Jones fade, Grace Jones fade to the twists, twists back to the natural. With this journey, wisdom has flourished.
Ain't nothin' like the hair that God has given us.
One book that has been extremely helpful to me during my hair journey in Europe is entitled Textured Tresses The Ultimate Guide to Maintaining and Styling Natural Hair by Diane Dacosta, ISBN 0743235509. I highly recommend it!
Presently, I am sporting blonde braids.
But when I remove them, my natural kinky hair with squirts of gray is healthy, soft, and waiting to halo my face.....and doesn't cost a thing!!!!
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Janine on 12/20/2010 3:08AM
Amen, I've allways had so much trouble with my naturally frizzy hair, and not been able to get too much help at salonsm but after a chance encounter with a dominican hair salon I found some alter ego hair products which have helped a whooole lot.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: CoffeeBiz2 on 3/05/2011 9:20PM
I am now sporting wigs more now. Some I have purchased. Some I have made by viewing youtube videos. Not too hard to do. When I do wear my hair, which is fairly long, I wear it in a ponytail.
Reply to this Comment | Report This