From madamenoire.com

A new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology definitely adds a point to the #TeamNatural tally with a published paper from researchers at Boston University linking hair relaxers to uterine fibroid tumors in women and early puberty in young girls.

Led by Lauren Wise of Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center, scientists followed more than 23,000 pre-menopausal Black American women from 1997 to 2009 and found that the two- to three-times higher rate of fibroids among black women may be linked to chemical exposure through scalp lesions and burns resulting from relaxers.

Women who got their first menstrual…

Check out any gym or health club and you don’t see many black women working out on a regular basis. Why not?

Fear of messing up the hair!

If you’ve spent two-three hours in the hair salon getting your hair done, spent upwards of $150-250 for the process, the last thing you want to do is mess up that style by sweating it out. I know — I’ve been there.

This is a real problem if you’re wearing a straight style without a relaxer. Unlike those with naturally straight hair, we can’t simply wash our hair after working out at lunch and expect to get back…

Long time fans of Whitney Houston are still coming to grips with her untimely death. We have seen her change and grow over the years. And we’ve also seen her many hairstyles.

Unlike divas before her, Whitney constantly changed her look and her hair — always keeping current and fresh.

I thought it would be fitting to dedicate a post to her trending hairstyles over the years. Join me on a trip back in time with Whitney and her Hair!

 

 

What’s your favorite Whitney hairstyle?…

Atasha Graham, a 34-year-old London woman died from an allergic reaction to the latex glue used to bond a weave to her hair. Although she’s worn weaves for 14 years, Atasha never had a reaction before.

After a night of partying, Atasha went into anaphylactic shock and never regained consciousness. Pathologist Michael Heath stated either the latex glue used to apply the weave or the solvent used for removing old ones may have caused the deadly reaction.

Ladies, beware. That hairstyle could actually kill you.

Read the full story here.

 

While many black women here in the States are going back to their (hair) roots and embracing their natural hair, their counterparts in the Motherland want the straight, silky look.

In the 1990s, Nigerian women wanted to look more like African-American women who were sporting long, straight hair — albeit from weaves and extensions.

Even the culture demands Nigerian women to straighten their hair or wear extensions. An 18 year-old woman exclaimed, “no rich man will marry a girl with village hair.” Others report employers warning them to “do something” about their hair. (see full story in The Guardian)

Although human…

In Brazil where it all started, there’s a new trend for black hair. No longer are women with kinky hair lining up to straighten their hair. They’re now lining up to keep it curly.

There’s been lots of controversy about the Brazilian Blowout — its ingredients list includes formaldehyde (yes, the stuff that’s used to embalm bodies). Check out the FDA warning here.

Enter Beleza Natural. A salon chain in Brazil has capitalized on the frustration women with curly or kinky hair experience. Salon owner, Leila Velez has developed a product call Super Relaxante. Forbes magazine profiled Velez and her salons in this article, but it never really explains what Super Relaxante is.

Looking at the photos, it reminds…

No matter what hair texture you have, it always seems like the ‘grass is greener.’ That even goes for those who are bi-racial (black and other races) and have so-called “good hair.”

Those with very kinky or nappy hair dream of having wavy, curly hair. And those with wavy, curly hair dream of having hair that’s more manageable and less frizzy.

What if you or your child are mixed race and have combination hair? How can you maintain your mixed hair?

Here are some hair care tips for you:

1. Shampoo hair no more than once a week with a sulfate-free shampoo. Unlike straight hair (Caucasian or Asian)…

Sony Music in Brazil has been ordered to pay $656,000 for releasing the song “Veja os Cabelos Dela (Look at Her Hair)” by the Brazilian clown Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva and now congressman best known by his stage name, Tirirca.

The lawsuit was filed by 10 non-governmental organizations that fight against racism and the proceeds will go to the Diffused Rights Fund of the Ministry of Justice.

 

Tirirca is indeed a clown.  His song is so outrageous, he compares a black woman’s natural hair to a scouring pad used for pots and pans. He also calls her a ‘stinking beast’…

What type of hair do you have?  There are actually several different hair types broken into four main categories — straight, wavy, curly and kinky. Does it matter what your hair type is?

Before I answer that question, let’s first consider the hair type classification system  (HTCS) created by Andre Walker (Oprah’s longtime hairstylist) as discussed in his book Andre Talks Hair.

TYPE 1: Straight

Type 1a is straight (fine/thin). Has no curl pattern, is soft, shiny, hard to hold a curl, and hair tends to be oily/hard to damage. Type 1b is straight (medium). Has lots of body (more volume/full) Type 1c is straight (coarse). Hard to…

Although we’ve known for several years that more and more black women are favoring natural hair styles over relaxing or straightening their hair, mainstream media is finally taking notice.

USA Today recently covered this topic in the article, ‘Natural’ hair is making waves among black women. Black women across the country are embracing their natural hair and enjoying the flexibility and creativity available with natural hair styles.

The Huffington Post also covered the topic in its article, Natural Hair Becoming Even More Popular Among Black Women.

Both articles discussed the natural hair trend and how it is changing the hair care…