“As far as neatly and efficiently chronicling African Americans and the importance of their hair, Hair Story gets to the root of things.” —Philadelphiaweekly.com Hair Story is a historical and anecdotal exploration of Black Americans’ tangled hair roots. A chronological look at the culture and politics behind the ever-changing state of Black hair from fifteenth-century Africa to the present-day United States, it ties the personal to the political and the popular. Read about: Why Black American slaves used items like axle grease and eel skin to straighten their hair. How a Mexican chemist straightened Black hair using his formula for turning sheep’s wool into a minklike fur. How the Afro evolved from militant style to mainstream fashion trend. What prompted the creation of the Jheri curl and the popular style’s fall from grace. The story behind Bo Derek’s controversial cornrows and the range of reactions they garnered. Major figures in the history of Black hair are presented, from early hair-care entrepreneurs Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam C. J. Walker to unintended hair heroes like Angela Davis and Bob Marley. Celebrities, stylists, and cultural critics weigh in on the burgeoning sociopolitical issues surrounding Black hair, from the historically loaded terms “good” and “bad” hair, to Black hair in the workplace, to mainstream society’s misrepresentation and misunderstanding of kinky locks. Hair Story is the book that Black Americans can use as a benchmark for tracing a unique aspect of their history, and it’s a book that people of all races will celebrate as the reference guide for understanding Black hair. “A comprehensive and colorful look at a very touchy subject.” —Essence

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! With rhythmic, rhyming verse, this picture book follows two girls—one non-Black Puerto Rican, one Black—as they discover the stories their hair can tell. Preciosa has hair that won’t stay straight, won’t be confined. Rudine’s hair resists rollers, flat irons, and rules. Together, the girls play hair salon! They take inspiration from their moms, their neighbors, their ancestors, and cultural icons. They discover that their hair holds roots of the past and threads of the future. With rhythmic, rhyming verse and vibrant collage art, author NoNieqa Ramos and illustrator Keisha Morris follow two girls as they discover the stories hair can tell.

The body is the canvas upon which women paint their secrets, their hopes and dreams, pain and disappointments. Hair has long played a role in the struggles for power, self-determination and autonomy--serving as a nonverbal language that represents women's lives. However, pain, anxiety, racism, sexism and rigid beauty standards can too often underlie these stories. Modern events like the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed societal barriers that prevent the free and equitable expression of hair. Although countless books and articles address body image, the personal psychology and the meaning of hair have been missing. This work empowers women to understand complex hair-head-heart connections, and pressures. Above all, the text emphasizes that hair is never just hair.

Hair Power – Skin Revolution is a collection of poetry and personal essays from a diverse group of black and mixed-race women – everyday women expressing themselves in their own unique style. The collection includes contributions from forty-eight authors, that explore the issues, interests, cultural and historical influences that have shaped their times and their imaginations. The writers offer empowering and creative ways of understanding and relating to the themes of hair and skin. They tell their narratives, presenting their views in passionate, intelligent, humorous, strong and reflective voices, some unheard; some previously published in the former two Shangwe anthologies.This third Shangwe anthology, by nature of its cultural diversity components successfully contributes towards representing and promoting the writing of women from African and African-Caribbean backgrounds. As well as being a contribution towards Black British literature, this anthology celebrates, reflects upon and embraces our diverse female identities and the common-thread that unites us living the UK experience.

Celia's mother helped her look her best. Whether the problem was hair, or something bigger, she stuffed her disturbing emotions deep into the corners of her soul. Her struggle with her hair was a way to cover her emotional troubles. She finally begins to understand, and process the source of her pain, while in a journey of self-discovery. Through a chance encounter with a Hair Fairy she finds hope.

WHY BLACK WOMEN ARE LOSING THEIR HAIR Providing expert answers to Hair loss in black women Hair damage from chemical relaxers Hair damage from bleaching the hair Hair damage from extensions and braids Dandruff treatments Alopecia causes and treatment Common scalp and hair diseases and how to treat them This is the book to read if you are losing your hair or if you have any hair problems Chockfull of treatments and written in a clear style for the layman Women with hair problems will find that this book provides simple answers to difficult problems regarding optimizing the cosmetic problems of black hair Zoe Draelos author of Cosmetics in Dermatology A book for which all women, but especially ethnic women will thank you for Dr. V. Shephard Dr, .N. Persadsingh MD.FAAD an eminent dermatologist has provided answers to the problem of hair loss in black women Dr Persadsingh did his medical training at UWI.Jamaica and his postgraduate studies at St. Johns Hospital for Diseases of the Skin at the University of London He is a foundation member of the Dermatological Association of Jamaica and of the Caribbean Dermatological Association and is also a former member of the Cosmetic Committee of Jamaican Bureau of Standards He is also the author of the best selling book ACNE IN BLACK WOMEN

“[A] splendid collection . . . By turns wry, tender, pointed, and laugh-out-loud funny.” —Publishers Weekly “Untangles the many truths about hair, and the lives we lead underneath it.” —Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing Up Bébé Ask a woman about her hair, and she just might tell you the story of her life. Ask a whole bunch of women about their hair, and you could get a history of the world. Surprising, insightful, frequently funny, and always forthright, the essays in Me, My Hair, and I are reflections and revelations about every aspect of women’s lives from family, race, religion, and motherhood to culture, health, politics, and sexuality. They take place in African American kitchens, at Hindu Bengali weddings, and inside Hasidic Jewish homes. The conversation is intimate and global at once. Layered into these reminiscences are tributes to influences throughout history: Jackie Kennedy, Lena Horne, Farrah Fawcett, the Grateful Dead, and Botticelli’s Venus. The long and the short of it is that our hair is our glory—and our nemesis, our history, our self-esteem, our joy, our mortality. Every woman knows that many things in life matter more than hair, but few bring as much pleasure as a really great hairdo.

'Luke is someone I trust implicitly with my hair.' Victoria Beckham 'From the moment Luke Hersheson cut off my long locks ... I finally began to undersand my own hair ... My friend Lauren Laverne began to call Hershesons "The Happy Place".' Sali Hughes 'Full of his amazing advice. Only person who could convince me to take the plunge and cut it all off.' Alice Levine We all know the secret to happiness is a good hair day. It’s OK to take your hair seriously, because it’s more than just hair – it’s about confidence, it’s about self-expression, it’s all about feeling good in your own skin. This book will show you how. Practical, inspirational, products tested, myths-busted, all occasions covered. This book offers all the expert styling advice and hair dos and don’ts you will ever need from acclaimed fashion and A-list hairstylist Luke Hersheson, the man behind the iconic cuts and styles seen on runways for Missoni and Armani, in the pages of Vogue and i-D and worn by Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Emma Watson and Claudia Schiffer, among others. Foreword by beauty journalist Sali Hughes, bestselling author of Pretty Honest and Pretty Iconic. Chapters include: What’s Your Hair Type? It All Starts with a Good Haircut What You Need, What You Don’t Your Hair Routine Rules are There to Be Broken Hair at All Ages Hair Goals Five Looks That Always Work Hair Woes Great Hair From The Inside Out Hair and Clothes, Hair Icons, Special Occasion Hair AND MORE!

Over the last century, there has been a revolution in self-presentation and social attitudes towards hair. Developments in mass manufacturing, advances in chemical science and new understandings of bodies and minds have been embraced by new kinds of hairdressers and their clientele and embodied in styles that reflect shifting ideals of what it is to be and to look modern. The emergence of the ladies hairdressing salon, the rise of the celebrity stylist, the impact of Hollywood, an expanding mass media, and a new synergy between fashions in clothing and hairstyles have rippled out globally. Fashions in hair styles and their representation have taken on new meanings as a way of resisting dominant social structures, experimenting with social taboos, and expressing a modern sense of self. From the 1920s bob to the punk cut, hair has continued to be deeply involved in society's larger issues. Drawing on a wealth of visual, textual and object sources, and illustrated with 75 images, A Cultural History of Hair in the Modern Age presents essays that explore how politics, science, religion, fashion, beauty, the visual arts, and popular culture have reshaped modern hair and its significance as an agent of social change.