Whether we are European, African or Asiatic, our hair doesn't have the same appearance. Wavy, curly, straight or frizzy hair, the types is different depending on its ethnic origin. The rumour says that African hair would be a lot more difficult to do and would be harder to take care of than other types of hair. So, what is true?    African hair has a broken and black aspect, thick and hard to control, but in reality it is fine, and so even more than Asiatic or Caucasian ones.  

Why is African hair frizzy ?

When Homo Sapiens appeared on Earth, he lived in the African savannah, under a burning sun. To protect themselves from the sun and its very powerful UV rays, Men had frizzy and thick hair. For thousands of years, the capillary gene has been subject to various changes, among others, the length that protected them against the cold. Today, it exists eight types of hair (voir see diagram below).   The hair follicle shape is determined by its implantation, that in the case of African hair is in the shape of an s. African hair root where are located its production cells, swollen more on a side than on the other and then take the shape of an s that can be seen on the capillary stem, and that is the reason why African hair is wavy. The scalp is also used to hot climates that have a lot of humidity in the air. So, by nature it is drier than any other scalp, the pores are more tighten and the skin is thicker. African, European and Asiatic scalp don't have much in common.  

How does African hair react in European climate ?

When African hair finds itself in European climates, it undergoes some changes. In deed, humidity fall creates a spores tightening, that instead of evacuating the sebum, maintains it under the skin, it's a bit like yellow skin. This prevents a good root irrigation. African scalp dehydration is the reason why it has more dandruff than other types of hair, and sometimes it can go as fas as skin lesions. In order to not attack the scalp, avoid hair straightening or hair extensions, or shampooing the hair too frequently. The sebum presents in the scalp increases hair dryness and waviness. Then it becomes more difficult to do it and various women have to straighten their hair or use hair extensions, which is not recommended as their scalp is dry.  

So, African hair is it harder to do than other type of hair ?

So, African hair is it harder to do than other type of hair ? African hair in good health can be done in different techniques. It can be waved, and that will maintain braids and allows you to keep them longer. Well done braids can be associated to different types of colours (red braids for example) and you can use them to personalized your clothes or your mood. African hair is really good to create high hairstyles with a big volume of hair, the texture is perfect for this. It isn't necessary to use a lot of hair products and African hair, once humidified, is easy to comb. Doing curls on African hair is quite easy; using hair curlers and a hair straightener. Well hydrated hair curls easily and gives a meticulous look. Moreover, various hairstyles can be created and when you go to a creative hairdresser, the results can be stunning !  

Chloé Kieffer for LiveCoiffure.com

  ►Discover the second episode of our file “common preconceptions”: Asians have less white hair ►Discover the third episode of our file “common preconceptions”: My hair asked the full moon