Two Bits

Well-known fact: I don't have many black friends. This isn't to say I don't have more than most of my friends at Cal, because, clearly, I do. But I do have significantly fewer than many of my friends at home. Of course, race shouldn't matter when it comes to friendship and whatnot, but not having many black friends has had its consequences. One prime example has become more and more apparent, especially today when I was getting my haircut.

Non-blacks don't appreciate black hair.

This notion was at first pure speculation but has since been written into canon. Questions like "Why do you brush your hair?", "Why do you need a haircut?", and "Why do you use hairspray?" arise all too often, and, although they may be ignorant and annoying, perhaps they aren't entirely undeserving of an explanation.

The hair of a black male is coarse, usually manifesting itself as small, thin, tightly bunched curls. These curls, known as "BBs", are unsightly and have to be taken care of. There are a number of ways to get rid of BBs. Some of the more popular are as follows:

1. They can be combed out. This usually results in hair becoming less dense and more full. If the hair is long enough, it becomes an afro, a well-known hairstyle that has thankfully dwindled in the past 20 years.

2. They can be brushed out. This does NOT result in an afro. Rather, it just results in moderately long hair.

3. The hair can be cut short. Black (AA) hair, when cut short enough, becomes straight. This is called a "close" haircut. This is Rob's preference.

4. An exotic hairstyle, such as cornrows, braids, or gelled curls, will do the trick.

Numbers 1 and 2 are quite easy to achieve, as one can perform the task himself. However, 3 and 4 are considerably more difficult. Most people understand the difficulty with regard to cornrowing and braiding hair or maintaining gelled curls, but most people do NOT understand the difficulty of perfoming a proper haircut on black hair. For example, the average time it takes me to get a haircut is about 45 minutes. This fact will give 90% of non-blacks a perplexed look. How can a haircut possibly take that long? Let me 'splain.

First, the hair has to be cut. This is a fairly simple task. You just turn on the razor and cut away. THEN, the hair has to be STYLED. This can be very easy with fair hair, but it is almost always quite difficult with black hair. First, the hairline has to be sculpted to perfection. It must be a perfectly straight line, and it must be perfectly positioned. Cutting it too high will result in abnormal hair growth on people who would normally have widow's peaks, like me. Second, the back end of the hair must be properly sculpted in the same fashion if solid or properly faded if... faded. Third, the sideburns, which can have a variety of different styles, must be sculpted, faded, or gotten rid of. The curve lines behind the ears and corners leading from the ears to the hairline also take a considerable amount of time to sculpt properly. This is precisely why haircuts take 45 minutes. Fair hair can simply be clipped. *snip snip* DONE. Black hair isn't so easy to do.

Not only does the hair on top of our heads take considerable of effort to take care of, but the hair on our faces does as well. Being coarse and curled, our hair is highly susceptible to a condition known as 'pseudofolliculitis barbae', which is more commonly known as 'ingrown hairs' or 'razor bumps'. There is really no efficient way to treat this condition except to stop shaving, shave less closely, or have laser surgery performed. Otherwise, we have to resort to means of hiding the condition (ie. cosmetics) and taking anti-inflammation medicine to treat the dermatitis.

Hopefully this post will enlighten some of you who have expressed confusion over the care and treatment of black hair. It is a very difficult task, and I hope you will walk away with a newfound appreciation for our lifelong struggle with uniquely coarse and curly hair.

Fresh cut!