MY THOUGHTS ON HAIR TYPING

The main question of the discussion is "Does it (hair typing) empower or alienate us?" I will be participating in the discussion through the comments section of the video link along with everyone else, but I wanted to get my thoughts out before then. 

For everyone who is new to the natural hair community, hair typing is the categorization of hair according to its curl pattern, coil pattern, or lack there of. The process of determining ones hair type is made easy with visual charts like the chart displayed below. Whether it's squiggly lines representing various curl patterns or actual pictures of naturals with varying hair textures, the concept is the same.

Standard Hair Typing Chart via allabouthealthyhair.blogspot.com

There are typically four hair groups (1,2,3, and 4) with 1 representing straight hair, 2 representing wavy hair , 3 representing wavy and/ or curly hair, and 4 representing kinky and/or a blend of kinky and curly hair. Each hair group is typically divided into subgroups a, b, and c which represents the degree to which a natural has the wave,curl, or coil pattern in their respective group. So in my case I have kinky hair which automatically puts me in the type 4 range. My hair strands definitely resemble the strands in the "c" group. Hence my hair type is 4c.

The answer to the question is  not "black and white" so I'll just get right into it. I think that the ultimate objective of hair typing is to empower. The methods of hair care (washing, deep conditioning, detangling, combing,etc.) is dependent on the texture of a person's hair. How is a natural suppose to care for their hair properly if they have nothing to relate to? Being able to identify what type your hair texture falls under or closely resembles is a starting point for new naturals and naturals trying to learn how to improve the care of their own hair. 

I do believe in playing devil's advocate for the purpose of seeing all sides to a discussion. With that said, hair typing can be seen as alienating, but it is not the real culprit for the feeling of being alienated. Alienation comes into play when a community of a certain hair type feels less celebrated or acknowledged by the entire natural hair community. It leads back to  a discussion that was brought up (very eloquently I must add) by fellow 4c hair chick Jouelzy in her "So Over the Natural Hair Community & Texture Discrimination" video. I agree with most of the points that she brought to light. However, I feel the reason why naturals with kinkier textures aren't getting as much props is because of the public's perception of "good", "pretty" hair. 

If women with type 4 textures were celebrated and receiving as much traffic as our type 3 sisters then hair companies would market their products for women in the type 4 group. There's not enough of us (type 4 chicks) supporting each other to the levels that make the "big heads" of various hair companies say "Hey there's a significant audience here. There's a demand  specifically for naturals with kinky textures. Let's adjust our marketing strategies towards them." There are so many Instagram accounts and Facebook pages dedicated to natural hair. However, most hardly feature ladies with the nappy, thick goodness that us type 4 ladies have. Even when they do feature type 4 naturals, the amount of likes are significantly less in comparison to the likes that ladies with baby soft curls are getting. 

I also believe that we have the European standard of beauty to thank for our perception of "pretty" and "good" hair. Although we have a natural hair community, we give the most attention and support to naturals with hair that is long past their shoulders and easier to manage. My mind keeps going back to Chris Rock trying to sell type 4 hair in his documentary "Good Hair". Everyone preferred hair that was as close to the European standard as they could get. 

Regardless of the current reality that type 4 naturals are not as celebrated as naturals with "good" hair, some thoughts remain clear in my mind. We all need to love our hair for what it is. We need to find strength and feel empowered in the fact that there are others with our hair texture that we can relate to. The promotion of naturals of a less celebrated hair type should be a priority if you  have that hair type also. I'm not saying that you should not enjoy the content of naturals from other hair types, but an effort should be made  to support type 4 naturals.

That's my 2 cents on this question.  I'm really interested to hear your thoughts this topic.