by
Black Girl With Long Hair
“Good hair” is a loaded phrase in the black community, as it often excludes kinkier textures and tighter coils in preference of straight locks or loose curls. It’s a sensitive topic, and the firestorm surrounding Melanie Fiona’s comments to Sophisticate’s Black Hair Styles and Care Guide shows that the wounds are still fresh.
Here’s an excerpt from Fiona’s feature in the June/July 2012 issue:
SBH: What’s the secret to your gorgeous long hair?
Melanie Fiona: I was born with a full head of hair, and my mom wouldn’t let me cut it until I was 12! I’m mixed – my mom is Black and Portuguese and my dad is Indian so I have a good mix for growth.
299 Responses
Growth isn’t an issue for people of any race. It is a matter of how you treat you hair that slows growth. If an Indian woman bleaches her hair I the same manner some women with kinkier textured hair she’ll have issues with growth too. My hair may look very short after I wash it & leave it alone, but it’s about ten inches long. And I love my shrinkage, the advantages of it. I never fight with my hair to get it to do things that it was not meant to do.
exactly!
Nothing is wrong with her response.
you guys are so caught up on race. why does it matter?? what is black?? by the way?? she just mentioned her parents origins, indian , black , portuguese. so what, yes and when you look at her you see “black woman”, she isnt fully african however we want to look at it same as obama is not fully black. it is what it is. its like the sandra liang story a black child born to white parents. it is what it is. and she was classified white because of her ancestry. race is nothing. we are all mixed in the end, white , black,aboriginal, malay, mongolian,arab whatever we all come from adam and eve.let her be.
I am not surprised at the backlash. So many ‘black’ Americans subscribe to that nonsensical ‘one-drop’ rule, it’s unreal. I am mixed and I’ll be damned if I ignore the fact that I have white and hispanic heritage just because everyone wants to label me as ‘black’. Melanie Fiona is right, people with the heritages she has DO have a good mix for hair growth and retention. Why that comment is a problem, I have no clue.
the problems is that that statement makes it seem like a pure black person cannot have good long hair, growth and retention. that is what is wrong with it but she does not know better and neither do you.
I don’t get the big deal lol. The fact that people on here can’t even agree what mixed is has me SMH.
I see what everyone is saying but some of you act like black hair doesnt grow…. Smh it does its just fragile it breaks off easily. Second of all people are gonna think fiona is african descent because where her parents are from SOME OF THEM ARE AFRICAN DESCENT yes not everyone who is dark is from african but guyana some of them are so all of you need to get your facts straight
black hair is not naturally fragile, people make it fragile.
She was asked a question about HER hair on HER head. I don’t understand other people getting their feelings hurt over that…?
We are all of African decent if you are Black/ brown weather it be Indian , Ethiopian, Morrocan, Nigerian, Mexican, Peurto Rican and etc. Its just the further ppl migrated from the sun they became lighter being in different habitats …but that may be a lil too derp for some to understand. .thats another topic…. You are still seen as a black person in their(White America’s) eyes…We are the only race who see and put each other on a higher pedestal because they’re lighter, have longer hair and etc…..We have to stop letting these things seperate us as a people….
They also do it in India. A BILLION people live there. The highest market in skin lighting products sold. SOUTH east Asia such as the Philippines too. Many Hispanics have this issue also.
Why is it that if a person has dark skin they are scrutinized for being of mixed race. Its sad thatin this day in age their are still ignorant people in this world from all races. I too come from a mixed race, Irish/Ethiopian/Moroccan heritage. My parents don’t think like American because they are not. We migrated here. I understand that in America everyone is judge by their skin color as most American see nothing in between, they just think dark skin = African, and that is NOT the case in all situations. Wake up people, brown skin is world wide and it does not always mean of African heritage. But I guess if you’ve been stuck in your small world, one has a small mindset. Really very ignorant and sad!
okkkk i saw a lot of comments and sometimes ignorance is so obviouuus! i’m sorry first of all, it’s an honest answer can we deny indian hair and black hair are different on growth??? but what about ppl who are black and have full head of hair like my grandma did..anyway
black diaspora is mixed true, but for the record even in Africa (Ehiopia, Angola, Nigeria, Congo, South Africa etc) there are mixed background this is the beauty of Africa, and of black community.Period. I’m congolese by the way..
She is mixed with two cultures that are known for not only full heads of hair but long full heads of hair and therefore she has a better potential to grow long hair. Because of her texture she is not faced with shrinkage. Yes, she has black skin but she is NOT African American. The bottom line is she has a head full of healthy hair.
Exactly
She said her mother is Black. That term black is usually just used with African Americans. How is she “NOT” African-American,
Okay… and people are trip’en on this statement for what? She answered the question from her perspective. They should not have asked that bunk a$$ question. Social Media can be sooo touchy.
Some of these comments are really ignorant. I am Guyanese with a Black and Indian background which is VERY common in Guyana and Trinidad(Nicki Minaj). Black is an identity and you can identify with blackness and come from a mixed background. Newsflash: Most people across the diaspora are mixed race whether they choose to identify as such or not. It doesn’t just mean black and white.Whether they look like Alicia Keys or Kimora Lee.
Secondly, there aren’t many Indian or Portuguese websites dedicated to hair growth, shrinkage and length retention. These are issues that impact black women and their hair. I have some common problems- split ends and curl definition,but hair growth? Nope. My hair grows down my back if left untouched. This comes from my indian background.
What’s your secret to long hair? I’m part indian and growth isn’t usually an issue for indian hair. Sorry that she didn’t recommend a custard or protective style, she gave an honest answer.
Growth snit the problem with black hair,it is retaining length. The hair grows,but you have make sure the ends don’t break off, that is how the hair loses length.
Understandable but she is saying a conscious effort has to be made for this. The hair is much more delicate due to being more tightly coiled. Hair that allows more manipulation and resistance to breakage is GOING to grow easier, even with untrained hands.
The punishment for mishandling our tighter tresses is much more unforgiving.
Amen. All of this.
However, be advised that not all music CD’s are formatted as MP3’s.
No$GBA is an emulator for Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS games,
while most DS games are still copywrited, you can play most GBA
games and download them with no DMCA orders.
Now you need to setup your CD-ROM plugin if you are going to be ripping or “storing” your PSX images on your hard drive, you may
want to download a CD-ROM emulator program like Alchahol 52% or Magic ISO
virtual CD.
Ok, let me set this straight if i may…BLACK is a color or race of you will. BLACK does not define your ethnicity. There are black people all over the world and they do not all look or behave the way that you may want to believe. Black is versitile. You can be black and be mixed, just as there are mixed white people. AND I would like to add that we cannot assume that she was excluding BLACK from that “good mix for growth” comment because SHE DID say she was black right?? And as a matter of fact black was the first thing she stated she was mixed with everyone who is making this out to be something to hate is absolutely out of control.
Umm, she’s black or whatever designation one gives to the original peoples of the world. She isn’t mixed in the sense she would think. Not meant to insult, because it is simply the state of not knowing, but the ignorance comes about because of parents who do not know what they are and have been given all these erroneous classifications.
is there several ways of being mixed? being mixed doesn t relate to a specific phenotype but to a (mixed) ancestry
And we are all “mixed” when you think about it.
Who the hell is Melanie Fiona? If that’s a picture of her, she is BLACK not mixed.
All you had to do was google her to find out who she is. In the article she clearly states that she is mixed with Black, Portuguese, and Indian. And her parents are Guyanese.
In any case Melanie doesn’t know anything about being a Black women who isn’t mixed. She doesn’t know the history of the term. Only a real Black woman would know that.
What does being mixed look like? It doesn’t mean you have to be between a fair completion person and a darker completion person. It can be between two different nationalities. How bout you learn something before you speak on something.
I am not offended. She is of mixed heritage, has a looser curl pattern, and detangling for her isn’t as nearly as tedious as it is for me with my 4a,b, and g (yep I have a patch of 4g) hair. I am not offended. This is life;it’s genetics. Can we please not be so sensitive about our hair? It is all beautiful and yes different. Some people have more ideal genetics to grow hair with less effort. My aunt for instance has like 6c hair and we can big chop it today and it will be a ponytail by the end of the month;she’s Black but her hair texture is more resilient. Genetics are important and that includes race people.
If you have hair on your head it’s ALL GOOD!!! Just ask a bald person, or someone that has gone through chemotherapy.
I think the point here is that, the interviewer was asking her to spill on her beauty maintenance and hair secrets, not questioning her ethnic background or her having “good mix for growth.” While I don’t think Fiona was trying to offend anyone, her answer had nothing to really do with the question. I don’t understand how being mixed mixed makes your hair grow anymore than the next person’s. Both my parents are hella mixed and I don’t walk around using that as a crutch for my having long hair. I simply take care of it and share my secrets with my fellow naturals!
My question is what prompted the interviewer to ask her that any way? I mean what did she think shed say???
for starters black girls are overly sensitive about their hair and take it hard when compared with mixed girls or even girls of other ethnicities with more loose hair. however, melanie’s comment was stupid and untrue. i hate how mixed black girl’s always have to go out of their way to make themselves sound more exotic by talking about what they’re mixed with and creating this idea that they’re different from black girls and it needs to be mentioned. having a bit of portuguese and indian thrown in the mix with black doesn’t always make for “good growth”. i would know. i’m pakistani-portuguese-khoi san(native south african)-dutch. and i have the kinkiest hair in my entire family. my hair is auburn but it barely grows. it’s tight, dry and very curly and frizzy. my hair needs tons of care and moisture. everybody thinks that because i have light hair, i should naturally have “good hair”. BULLSHIT
You are Khoi-San… the oldest genotype in the world LITERALLY, do you know how strong your genotype is? Of course, the hallmark of You’re too much for me!!!!
I am mixed, barely, Indian and Jamaican Black with a little Irish thrown in somewhere… and let me tell you all 3 of my parents kids have different hair textures, skin colours and even facial bone structures. I love the diversity of my siblings and I. It only hurts when my sister tells me she’s jealous that she has to do 2 days of conditioning, bantu knots and braid out for what takes me 5 minutes wash and go in the shower. Because I love her hair, it’s strong and has volume and not as porous as mine. SO you see, every mix comes out differently but its all beautiful
BLACK GIRLS ARE CRY BABIES!! I swear it wasnt even that serious…
News flash : Race is NOT biological !!!! It is social
End of discussion
Hair grows period not all “black hair” requires constant maintenance and ultra protective styles and all that jazz. I know personally for the first two or three years that I was natural I washed my hair everyday with shampoo and sometimes I would moisturize with olive oil and sometimes I would just leave it be and my hair was still moisturized, retaining length and growing(fast). Then I got weaves for about a year straight and barely ever saw my hair let alone moisturized it and guess what it still wasn’t dry and brittle AND it retained length. It all depends on your hair, your genetics and what your hair requires in care not every black person needs to do excess to moisturize and retain and not every white, mixed or other ethnicity has hair that will grow and retain. It has to do with what God gave you and it looks like he gave her healthy fast growing long hair which she seems to take good care of….
And it’s crazy because people keep saying that natural hair is coarse and dry and brittle but that’s not everyones hair type. So really that’s not a legitimate excuse to defend her statement. Though it may be true for you it’s not true of all the natural hair community, so to extend your personal hair issues to the whole community makes your statement more false then convincible.
And no I’m not saying her statement needs defending or is in any way false but since some of you feel as if it does at least defend it right.
Hair growth has nothing to do with race but hair care and genetics if you have the genes for fast hair growth believe me it’ll grow long and fast I have friends who are “100%” Black and there hair grows like a weed and I know some people mixed and white who can’t get there hair to grow as long or as fast as they want it to to save their lives. It is really largely depended on your genes. So in technicality her genetics are obviously good for hair growth……..
IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT MOST RACES HAIR GROWS FASTER THEN THE BLACK RACE. THAT’S WHY YOU SEE THEM WITH HAIR DOWN THEIR BACKS. IT IS NOT THAT OUR HAIR DON’T GROW IT JUST BREAKS AS FAST AS IT GROWS THAT WHY YOU DON’T SEE LENGTH. NOW IF WE TOOK BETTER CARE OF OUR HAIR IT WOULD GROW AND YOU WOULD SEE LENGTH. OUR HAIR IS VERY DRY SO IT BREAKS FASTER THEREFORE YOU DO NOT SEE THE GROWTH. I HAVE BEEN NATURAL FOR 3 YEARS AND I AM SEEING MORE LENGTH NOW THEN BEFORE. THIS IS BECAUSE I MORSTERIZE MORE NOW THAT IS STOPPING THE HAIR FROM BREAKING. SO IF YOU MORSTERIZE YOUR HAIR MORE YOU WILL SEE THE DIFFERENCE. MY HAIR IS GROWING VERY GOOD NOW. I DO NOT AND WILL NOT PERM IT OR COLOR IT AGAIN. IT IS VERY SOFT AND VERY CURLY. I AM EXCITED TO SEE HOW LONG IT WILL GROW.
my hair is natural and grows in 2 different textures, my hair at the back and bottom of my head is a whole 1 1/2 inches longer than my hair at the top of my head and guess what? My hair at the top of my head is the “nappiest” meaning its a courser texture and my hair at the back and bottom of my head is a looser (more of a wavy texture rather than a curly coil type texture) and i did the big chop and cut ALL of my hair off to only 1/2 inch long 19 months ago so sum 1 please explain to me why my hair is shorter where the texture is courser……
i can’t help but notice that the courser the hair texture the slower it seems to grow (seen evidence of this too many times in “our” meaning AA/black people community)and yes I am not 100% black either (my heritage is mixed, Native American, white and black)
Seriously are you guys trying your hardest to find things to be upset about.
Millions of women in American purchase hair that came off the heads of women from India (particularly Hindi), bleach it, cut it, put it in their OWN heads on a 365 day basis for thousands of dollars years. Nicki Minaj and Jessica Simpsons $3000 wigs come from Hindi women. That’s not speculation, that’s 100% fact. Fiona’s ancestry is from these same women we buy that hair from. Indian women will sometimes chop their hair off and have 20+ inches every year or more. So uh, yeah, her hair could be long based on her Indian ancestry. It doesn’t mean that YOUR hair isn’t long based on YOUR ancestry, but it could be the truth for her. That’s all she was talking about, her own truth.
Stop getting butt hurt when she did NOTHING to try and tear you down.
@Brittany – that was VERY insighful!!! I agree with you 100%. Thank you for your post. I believe that if we divert our efforts more into finding out what works best for us, and less time being wasted on criticizing someone else’s beliefs, we would do ourselves a lot of good! It’s ok to feel how we feel, but just keep the nasty comments to ourselves and keep doing what’s right for us. ….. On another note, we should be celebrating our President winning for another term (this is for those who are happy about it – so please, no negative comments needed). Overall, let’s stop with the negative speaking (you know about Karma?) and open our minds and creativity to positive things. Let’s turn this discussion around into helpful incentives and ways to HELP each other reach our goals. To start with, I’m currently using MSM with Vitamin C (as a carrier) to increase my growth. You know, at first my nails got hard as rocks, my skin cleared up and my hair grew very fast (this lasted for about 1 month). Then it just simply “stopped” (for about 1 month)—- no growth/no breakage/no nothing. It seemed to be stuck in limbo. Now it seems to be starting the phase all over again? Does anyone have any experience of this happening? I’m glad it’s starting over with the growth, but as long as I can hear about it happening to someone else, I can have an idea of how it works on some of us. And I don’t have to feel so disappointed and will have something to look up to. Thanks everyone!
Brittany you tool the words right out of my mouth.. Millions of women walking around with 20 inch Indian Remy sewn to their heads but get mad that someone attributes hair growth to their Indian heritage.
Are you kidding me? WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY? How is this an ignorant comment? She basically doesn’t have to do much of anything to grow long hair because she has mixed heritage. Ok…since when did we start to disagree with this? Didn’t we once think this was the *only* type of hair that could grow long before the arrival of hair blogs and YouTube?
Number one, she isn’t *wrong* in her observation–Asians and Caucasians grow hair that is very resilient. Africans, on the other hand, have a texture that is absolutely perfect for hotter/tropical climates (it is lightweight and it shrinks and kinks up,which protects the scalp from the sun without leaving you feeling overheated and sweaty; it dries fast, which helps you keep cool. Naturally, it stays short, which makes sense. If we weren’t moisturizing it all the time and/or insulating it from the air in these protective styles we wear, it would be short). Which brings me to my next point…
Number two, what is wrong with having hair that doesn’t easily get long? Why the stigma attached to hair that doesn’t get long? Just because long hair is en vogue, doesn’t mean that short hair should get shunned like that. There is nothing wrong with it, there are no adverse health consequences to having short hair. You can disagree with what she’s saying, but I don’t see why one would take offense to it. Which brings me to my final point…
Number three, ok she may have misspoken, since arguably Black people of non-mixed heritage can grow hair just as fast. But arguably our hair does grow slower–shoot, mine does!–and our hair needs more attention if we want to retain length. My friends of other races can walk out of bed, take a shower without a shower cap, sling their hair in a ponytail, put NOTHING in it but some soap, sleep on it without tying it down, and their hair never breaks off. It is what it is.
Black women are very sensitive! If we where in africa with no Hair produces Most of us would have SHORT HAIR!!
SMH THE ignorance is mind blowing LEAVE FIONA ALONE SHE can grow her hair with little to no effort!
Africa has hair products,it called all natural. Shea butter, coco butter/oil comes from there. I’m Ghanaian when my mom,family or family friends goes visit,I ask them to bring some back to Canada, plus I don’t have to worry about if it is natural. I have never brought Shea butter or any natural product from the stores. When I go to Ghana,I never have to worry about product since most of the plants like aloe is in the backyard. There is no need to go to the stores or worry about if the products are natural because everything is natural and is in your backyard. If you have never been to Africa don’t say anything that pops into your head about the continent. Please buy a plane ticket go to one of the 56 countries in Africa, gain experience and comeback to your country with some knowledge.
thank you! haven’t read most of the comments but so far you’re one of the few (of those i have read) that argues with reason on your side. nevermind that you posted this a year ago but i just had to say smtg b/c i’m tired of folks getting quite so worked up over an issue that’s been beaten into the ground by now.
for the ones that are all hurt over what she said, i think they should ask themselves- if it were just soooo “easy” to get black hair to retain length, or grow, as the masses would say it- then WHY would we have far more information and articles/blogs/videos specifically dedicated to the proper way to maintain our hair to the end of getting it to do what? GROW! and grow LONG, than whites/asians/hispanics, etc. do?
i haven’t seen nearly so many videos aimed at white women or women of other races to that effect, because it’s taken for granted that the hair of everyone else but we the people can grow.
there’s some merit to that!
the reason is just what you said in your comment, that we have to go to far more lengths, no pun intended, to get, well…the length. and there’s nothing wrong with that!
i feel that the ones getting the most upset are the ones who probably haven’t accepted their hair for all that it is.
that’s like me being white and getting upset over the fact that if i stay out in the sun for hours to days on end in the hot of summer, my skin will blister and break over. (i’ve seen this with my own eyeballs. it is SURREAL, and made me quite thankful for my dark skin tone that is perfectly resilient against the sun’s rays) so why is it a crime, then, to assert that straight hair is better suited for natural and easy length retention than curly hair? it’s a fact.
and it probably wouldn’t be such a stretch to also say that it’s possible that black hair, on average, does grow slower. in fact i’ve seen much evidence to indicate that this might be factual as well. so people need to take a breather and chill.
personally i have yet to encounter a white, asian, indian, hispanic person or whatever who struggled to grow their hair to long, healthy full lengths, or had setbacks in doing so. that’s pretty typical with natural and relaxed black hair though. it is what it is.
now part of that is due to the fact that many of us are only just learning the proper way to maintain black hair, but i think the larger part is that our hair is just not naturally, genetically suited (without much care and attention) to retain length in a LOOSE state. we have hair that dreads very easily, that will turn into knots galore if merely washed and left alone to do its own thing in the absence of detangling. how many of us KNOW this? that which we call a “wash n go” is essentially what most people (except black people) do anyway with their hair, and what most black people are advised to not do if they dont’ want either dreads or extreme breakage.
therein lies the difference, and i think this perfectly illustrates it. most of us spend a good chunk of our time detangling our hair. most white girls, by contrast? maybe just all of five to ten minutes washing it (a lot of them don’t even bother with condish), slang that ‘do into a ponytail and they’re out the door with dripping wet hair. and they repeat this process without detangling maybe daily, or every other day, whatever. maybe they comb it, but it takes them just running the comb a few times through their hair, and running a brush down over it just to smooth into place any flyaways, and THAT IS IT. if they choose to do more to it it’s purely on aesthetic only, but not because they’re fighting against hair that naturally wants to tangle and mesh up, like ours.
it’s time we approach our hair realistically- only then can we learn to love it and work with it.
So true, our hair is harder to grow, but that doesnt mean it isnt beautiful. if my hairwas straight it would be APL but I prefer to wear it in big afro instead. if it got longer it wouldnt be a round afro anymore.
Black hair is beautifully diverse
We still arguing about this?….oh get a grip….I think it is already exhausted…
moving on……
websites know what makes the “natural hair community” tick and argue w/each other….as long they can keep us fighting/and being petty with each other, the next generation will never learn.
I’ll go find a silly post and watch the flies fight over it….
haha…..
Y’all are being sensitive. Let’s keep it real and get off our natural hair high horses. People of mixed heritage usually have hair that grows faster. That’s not to say that negroes can’t grow long hair, but it is easier for a mixed (ie. non Black) person to grow their hair b/c of its makeup.
Ftr, I’m not mixed but I’m also not petty and foolish. The fact is some races have hair that grow longer and faster than ours, and she didn’t say she had good hair, she said she had a good mix (of ethnicity) for hair growth, there is a HUGE difference.
@Teacia – I agree with you 100%!
It has a great deal to do with genetic makeup. Everyone has one. Some folks can run faster, some are more artistic, some have better rhythm, some have longer/faster growing hair, etc. To say that your hair is attributed to a “good mix” for hair growth is NOT saying that anyone else doesn’t have it! A good mix can be Black/Black, Black/White, Asian/Hawaiian, Indian/Black, etc. It’s all good! Everyone has a full right to express how they feel about themselves. Example: if anyone goes out in public and says that they’r tired, is that to say that all people of their race is tired? Absolute NOT! It’s simply someone defining how they feel about themself.
+1 i love MF i dont get why so many people are offended by her comment, i didnt take it in a negative way.
So sad…but lets be honest that many ppl think that if you r mixed, THATS why you have curly or “good hair”. It doesnt help that if they BY CHANCE meet a person with SOME mixed heritage the person feels justified in thinking thats the REASON the person has “good hair” and so they box you in.The problem Ive run into is that I am medium tone, nothing special average black woman and when ppl see my semi-curly hair…they often ask where my parents are from!THEY CANT HELP THEMSELVES!Ppl are programmed to think you cant be “pure” african american and have a curly grade of hair! Its annoying! If I admit theres native american and Chinese waaaaaay back in my tree,they mentally nod to themselves bc NOW they can define me and NOW i make sense to them!I cant help I have native american and chinese back in my tree but what abt that kid with no definitive “mixed” heritage?WHY does she have long and/or curly hair? and you can tell ppl DONT believe you when u say both your parents and grandparents were black! They think you dont know or your just lying. No one WANTS to beleive it! Its sad!
Ok, let’s do this:
SBH: What’s the secret to your gorgeous long hair?
Debbie: I was born with a full head of hair, and my mom wouldn’t let me cut it until I was 12! I’m Afican American – my Mother is African American and my Father is African American so I have a good mix for growth…..In other words, EVERYONE has a good mix for growth as long as you take care of it, eat right and/or take the right supplements. lol.
The sensitivity! We all know how fragile a non-mixed black person’s hair can be, thus making it more difficult to retain length. Don’t take her quote out of context.
@Jaz_w her comment was ignorant and your reply just further asserts the implication that two black people cannot have a child with hair that can “grow”. You are talking about a texture not an ethnicity. COARSE hair may be fragile when not cared for properly. Just like straight hair can be oily. Every race can have people with coarse hair in it, there are Jewish and many other races that have people with coarse hair. I am tired of “mixed” people acting like they deserve an award and digging up Indian grandmomma’s left and right. Guess what? EVERYONE is “mixed” and It doesn’t mean you will have a certain hair texture, length, or apparently intelligence.
?
Jaz-w is correct our hair is FAAR more fragile! why are you taking it personally? it’s scientifically proven that our hair is fragile. Someone of a mixed race will more likely have an easir time growing longer hair face facts
exactly @jaz_w.
Duuuuuuuuude. If she has a “good mix for growth,” does that imply that I with two Black parents do not have a good mix for growth?!
OH. I didn’t realize…Thanks, Melly!
Hardy, har, har.
Girl A (we’ll call her Fiona) wears her loosely-curled hair in a protective style all year, moisturizing and cleansing when needed.
Girl B (we’ll call her Chrissy) does the same.
At the end of the year, we measure their growth. I bet Fiona grows her hair 6 inches and Chrissy grows her hair 6 inches.
Muahahaha! I’m a mad scientist, not an angry Black woman.
Really? Hair that is washed and goomed grows period. Race is not a factor. As Blacks we have been FORCED to believe it is. I think we will one day let the “good” hair “bad” hair thing die one day. I hope it is soon.
I dont think what she said was wrong or offensive to anyone or any other race. If she associates her long loose curls to her ethnic background let her be proud of that. I associate my long beautiful black 4c hair to my black heritage. Im not a doctor or one who studies those types of things so i cant personally say that one races hair grows faster then others but i do know that my sons hair (he is mixed with black from me and Italian from his father) grows at a faster rate then mine. I know this because i track the growth of my hair and his, not because i am on some long hair journey but because i am experimenting with different natural products and am trying to figure out what works best with my hair. And after months of tracking i came to the conclusion that his hair grows at a much faster rate then mine, almost twice the rate of mine. I cant say its because hes mixed and i cant say its not because he’s mixed. There must be a reason why his hair grows so much faster right??? We eat the same things and use the same products, were both healthy, and both active. But i spend hours and hours loving my hair and he just washes it and goes and it is moisturized and soft and shiny and grows faster. Ive always assumed it was because his hair is a looser texture which he obviously got from his father. I can see why some people get so upset tho. I dont because i love my hair the way it is and am secure with the way it is. I think the people that get upset are maybe a little insecure about themselves. Or even sometimes its easier when you are black and have longer hair to say race or ethnicity has nothing to do with it. I could easily say my hair is long and im not mixed, but it took years and years for me to get at mid back length. I dont know. I think all hair is beautiful and i think all the different races are beautiful in their own way. Its not wrong for an asian, indian, african, african american, mixed or whatever to love the way there hair grows out of their head. Its plain to see that all the races were created differently its not so wrong to think that certain things like hair growth rate may also be different. And if someday someone proves that it does grow at a different rate in different races so what?! what will it change? I hope that women are secure enough in themselves to not think that they are inferior because the next womans hair grows fatser then hers.
Well I am black, my mother is black, my father is black! Genetically I don’t know what gene pool I am exposed to, since our foremothers were raped by everyone for a long time…
I can tell my hair texture; the back is thick, soft and curly, the sides have a coarser texture, the middle and the top is what we call kinky and thick…
I live in Canada and this climate is not good for Afrikan hair nor skin, you have to make a concentrated effort to manage and maintain health wellness fitness and vitality…
I have great hair and i love the fact that I know my hair triggers for growth, health and fullness.
As Afrikan women most of us don’t self identify that way nor want to! I know from living with the other nations any touch of Afrikan blood you are labeled as an Afrikan. As Peter Tosh, the famous Reggae Icon said in one of his famous Reggae hits – “No matter where you come from as long as you are a black man/women you are an Afrikan”… Still yet in these times we don’t know who we are because of the lack of nation identity!
It sad that MF is still articulating herself this way! She is not black, she is south asian and caucasian… I don’t take kindly to others like her disrespecting the Afrikan traits or our uniqueness, we are beautiful in every way the creator created us.
I don’t see the problem here. She said she has a “good mix for growth” And? that’s great, so does a lot of people. She didn’t go out and say that people with kinkier hair have problems.. she made her comment based on what is present in her community , HER family history, HER family origin. She didn’t maliciously go after one group of people. People are overly sensitive to prove the fact that they are a part of a bigger nation.. blah blah blah.
She’s recently gone blond (why?) and I absolutely hate the look on her.
geez…smh
Nope…..not offended by what she said at all because I know that you don’t have to be mixed to achieve long beautiful hair. Nubian Prize summed it up perfectly!!!! If we take care of our hair naturally we can achieve gorgeous hair. What God gave us is wonderful!!!! Work with it, not against it.
I understand why her comments created a backlash. It doesn’t matters if she’s ignorant or self-hating, she’s essentially creating this dichotomy of “good” versus “bad” genes. The answer should have been about the work and practices she puts into haircare. But she’s implying that b/c she isn’t completely black she is able to achieve a great deal of hair growth. And I’ve seen enough black naturals to know that genetics at best can determine your hair thickness and curl pattern. I don’t know so much about overall length but as far as I’m concerned there is no “long hair gene” that is somehow outside of the reach of mono-racial black women. I found her comment to be offensive and hopefully she rethinks her statement. But the way our society is whiter is better, mixed is better. It’s all based in anti-blackness. I’m just not going to drink the kool-aid. It’s cool that she comes from a mixed background but what of it? No one should be deemed a credit to their community or have their genetic background praised over their accomplishments, who they are as a person, etc. This is esp bad for women, we’re constantly being judged by how we look and expected to meet someone’s expectations of what is pretty, exotic, wife material, you name it. Don’t think that what she said was innocuous or occurred within in a vacuum. From day one as a black woman you are taught that you are not good enough, at least in the US. Why else do we keep getting the same results for the white vs black doll test? Just be aware these statements are indicative of what most people are taught to believe and the messages they reproduce.
the issue is not that she is multi-racial. no one is questioning her Blackness or whatever she chooses to identify as.
the issue is that she paints a certain type of hair as better, more manageable, easier, and almost lucky in a sense-thus, meaning that it is BETTER than other types of hair. you cannot be “blessed” with one type of hair while believing that ALL types of hair are “good”.
and no, please do some research. all hair grows at generally the same rate excluding hair and scalp diseases and conditions. it is about hair RETENTION. and HAIR RETENTION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GENETICS. hair retention has to do with how one takes care of their hair.
how it is that this type of foolishness about kinkier hair being harder to manage on these comments is beyond me when we’re on a website that speaks about this stuff everyday. there’s a photo of a sister with 4c hair down her back appearing all the time on here. have none of you seen them??
“oh, she’s just stating her reality”. what does that even mean? it isn’t about that. it’s about how, in the process of trying to describe her hair, she makes her hair seem better, and thus other types seem LESS THAN. that’s like me saying “i’m blessed with light skin; i’m lucky because my genetics gave me lighter skin”. you cannot say such without believing that lighter skin (less kinkier hair) is BETTER THAN OTHER TYPES.
“long hair gene”?? are you serious?? please, tell me where the long hair gene is? what is it’s locus and composition? where is that located at on the double helix?? i’m curious…
Amen!
She does not make her hair seem better. It is a fact that most people with mixed hair or a looser texture can get they hair long without effort and even without taking care of it. Yes kinker textures grow long hair too but we need to do A LOT for that(moisturize and seal every night, sleep with satin scarf, protective styles – the list can get long lol). Looser textures don’t do all of that to get healthy long, they have it naturally. That is a FACT!
she doesn’t make it seem like her hair is better?
so explain what she means when she says she has “a good MIX for growth”. what is the “good mix” for growth?
YOU CANNOT HAVE A *GOOD MIX* WITHOUT HAVING A *BAD MIX*.
this is not reading too much into what she’s saying, it’s being analytic and understanding that when most Black folks, and people that are bi/multi-racial with a Black parent speak about their hair, it is usually saturated with ideas about race and dichotomies of good and bad features.
wrong-these things you’re saying are not facts. there are plenty of Black men who do absolutely nothing to their hair and have full thick heads of hair quickly. and no, you don’t need a lot to do that. are we not on a website names BLACK GIRL Long Hair? do you think that your ancestors were sleeping with satin caps in Africa? moisturize and seal every night? that’s excessive-not standard. you do that because you want your hair to look a certain way. but it isn’t VITAL.
i’m seeing now just how difficult it is for Black people to get away from these ideas of thinking our hair is “bad” (in however way you want to say it – more prone to shrinkage, breakage, tangles, harder to manage, etc. what next? it’s hard to comb and i can’t whip it over my shoulders??). c’mon Black people…
I’m african and in my country I’ve seen many women who sleep with scarves (not for growth reasons but to preserve styles). So let me tell you, my whole childhood in Africa I’ve never seen a women with hair past her shoulders! Now most of the women I’ve seen live in my life are black and none of them have long hair. And even still now when I go on hollidays I don’t see a black african women (in my country) with long hair, WHY? I use to think because they don’t moisturize and bla bla.
So, when it comes to grow long hair with less effort or without effort at all I dare to say a looser texture is a good starting point. And for me that is not an offense, I’m ok with that!
if you look back at what i wrote, i said ANCESTORS. meaning not anyone living currently. i mean in traditional, pre-colonial Africa. but if we want to go current, i’m talking about the very small portion of peoples that have isolated themselves to the degree that they can from colonialism. the Himba of Namibia (those that are still living outside urban cities) wear they hair wrapped in clay (meaning its’s moisturized 24/7) and it is down their backs. Fulani of West Africa (men and women; again, those living in the traditional ways) have their hair usually in elaborate braids. and their hair is down their backs. i can go on for nearly every region of Africa, only excluding those such as the San of South Africa/Namibia who wear their hair cropped short.
the reason that you haven’t seen any African women with hair past their shoulders is because most don’t know how to care for their hair. most are trying to get their hair straight instead of taking care of and respecting their natural texture. that has nothing to do with the genetics of their hair-and all to do with how they care for it. you really think that NONE of those women can grow hair past their shoulders? do you really think that the constant manipulation, perming, stretching, etc. have not contributed to the lengths of hair you’ve seen?
again, this entire thread is just showing me how little the people who come to this website actually read the stories that are posted and how many Black women STILL, sadly, cling for dear life to these myths about our hair being less than and other hair types being better. it really is depressing.
@Nell, You are repeating exactly what I said. That coarser textures need to protect and/or take good care of their hair to grow it long, where looser textures do not need to do anything special to grow their hair long. Meaning coarser textures have to put more effort in growing long hair than looser textures. That’s it! And this is why I don’t see black women with long hair because they don’t put the effort in, where I see a lot of women with looser textures that have naturally long hair and don’t put effort in growing it either!
show me these black men of whom you speak, because i haven’t seen any except the ones who wear their hair in dreads. i’m pretty sure my ancestors probably had short hair (if it their hair weren’t in dreads or braids) because most africans of arguably kinky hair have SHORT hair. I don’t think that speaking out about our hair’s natural attributes is our way of saying it’s bad, necessarily. it’s just stating facts. for our intended purposes, it doesn’t make it easy to do, which is what the “issue” is. if you have hair that’s prone to…all the things you listed above, then naturally you’re probably going to have to work at retaining length as opposed to someone whose hair isn’t described by the same. that’s just common sense.
abeg show me the scientific paper that states its a “FACT”. i have had white people and mixed come up to me asking for hair advice. so there goes your “FACT” right out the window.
LOL i agree. i think what surprises me the most about this whole thing is what people are saying on THIS website..
EVERYBODY TAKE A CHILL PILL !! Black/Africans can & do grow long hair ! Last year I had a very pretty DARK CHOCOLATE COLORED girl student from KENYA who had thick,almost waist length TYPE 4 NAPPY HEALTHY HAIR. It was very healthy, jet black( so is mine,BTW ) & of a coarse texture where you could rub it between your fingers & feel the strength of the strands,unlike my type 4 wispy FINE hair.The African American girls were always admiring her hair & its length & asking what she did to get it that long.She said she just used oils.
I met her parents & some family members at her 6th grade graduation & they ALL are DARK CHOCOLATE BROWN WITH FULL HEADS OF HAIR. The girl told me she’d NEVER HAD A PERM but I don’t know about her family because I didn’t have a chance to ask. I told this young lady TO NEVER EVER EVER IN THIS LIFE OR THE NEXT GET A PERM BECAUSE IT MIGHT DESTROY HER GORGEOUS HAIR.As for us African Americans….how many of YOU had nice heads of hair when you were kids, despite the grease many of us used? Had Long ponytails? I wore my hair in two long twists about 16″ long.oUR MOMS TOOK GOOD CARE OF OUR HAIR. many of them even put GLOVERS MANGE ( awful smell !!) in our hair.
THEN THE RELAXERS HIT
And after awhile,girls started losing all theat good child-hair;even the girls with “good hair” started to lose it from the perms.I know 2 women with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia. SCALPS SHINY & NO FOLLICLES AT ALL;TOTALLY DEAD & GONE,NEVER TO GROW HAIR AGAIN. PERMED TO DEATH.Not even scab hair will grow there.
Ladies!! Long story short…IF WE TAKE PROPER CARE OF OUR HAIR & SCALP IT WILL GROW A LOT BETTER THAN WHAT WE THINK! No more perms & nasty drying chemicals.My hair has gotten a whole lot better since I quit the curly perms,got rid of the scab hair & used nourishing products: Ayurvedic oils,Qhemet Biologics,Carol’s Daughter. I have other new natural sistas asking me what I use on my hair.
She actually said that she, “had a good MIX for growth.” Which makes perfect sense. However that doesn’t mean that others don’t have a good mix as well. I’m sure you have noticed some half-white/half-black folks with a lot of rhythm and they might have said that they have soul because of their black roots. They are proud of who they are and that’s a good thing. They are not putting down the white half, they are just expressing how they feel. Would you knock them for saying that?
I both agree and disagree with most of the comments. IMO she was simply decribing her heritage and what she firmly believes about her hair (which she has every right to do). I don’t believe that she meant it in a derogatory fashion. I can also relate to the “nay-sayers” here. Think about it, how long have each of you watched television, looked at magazines, worked with someone with long-flowing locks. At very early ages, we are brainwashed by the media into believing long hair is beautiful and short a.k.a. nappy hair is ugly. Automatically that causes self-hate, insecurity, etc. Then we begin to see those who are “mixed” and MOST (BUT NOT ALL) tend to have long, pretty, flowing hair. So we begin to assume that every African American with long, pretty, flowing hair “must” be mixed and couldn’t possibly be ALL African American. Just like they portray practically ALL Africans as being poor, starving and diseased. When in fact, there are Kings and Queens in Africa. It comes down to brainwashing. The key is to find out what works for us!! We know the bad, now let’s find the good and do it to the max! Don’t feel bad if your hair isn’t as long/flowing as you’d like….feel inspired to change it, if that’s your choice. Do some research into why the hair grows longer and faster and get started on your journey. …. Forget the external “fixes” aka hair greases, etc. Your hair grows from within. Watch what you eat! Take the right supplements! Drink lots and lots of water! Etc. Research,research,research!!! Decide what your goal is and go for it! Forget what someone else looks like. Chances are, they’re dealing with other “demons.” Hair is very important to me and sometimes I get so, so upset when I see people with long, long hair and do very little (externally) to grow it. Later I sometimes find out that it’s something that they eat or some sort of mineral or vitamin that they’ve been taking for a long time, etc. Don’t be a Hater/Be a Lover of Yourself First! Don’t worry about her. She’s not going to worry about you or pay your bills – think about it. You’re beautiful – so keep it that way and just keep improving. lol!!
You know what some people are just ignorant. Melanie is mixed and her hair grows faster and it looks the bomb. Get over it. She never said she’s better than anyone or prettier than anyone. Everyone of us is beautiful no matter the race, the hair type, or our skin color. This is why women have trouble getting together, because a lot of us take the simpliest things and make it seem as if that person thinks she’s better than everyone, when all along it was just their insecurities clouding everything up. People come down and relax…
It has been proven that almost EVERYONE’S hair grows at the same rate. Only SOME asian and native Americans have been shown to grow hair at a somewhat faster rate. And hair grows faster during hotter weather. I’m not angry about what she said any more than I am about what you said. There’s a lot of misinformation about this issue.
Her hair texture obviously has to do with her dna admixture. HOWEVER! Everyone’s hair grows. Duh! The ability to grow long hair has to do with hair growth cycles. As well as chemical and heat use and not understanding one’s texture. I do think her comment was a bit dumb. But she probably doesn’t know any better like a lot of black women who utter the same words. Black women don’t have any problem growing hair, but retaining that growth. Tightly curled hair tends to be dry because the natural oils do not easily go down the hair shaft. However, I don’t even feel like my hair is that dry it’s certain products and styling that causes it to be dry. However, most of aren’t 100%
I don’t know what the issue is. Maybe because people know its true??? Lol I am a 4b and I know for a fact I’ve seen articles saying how hard it is to grow hair that is as dry and as kinky as mine. The fact that my sister who isn’t mixed has 3a hair and her hair retains growth easier than mine. Smh why so serious?
I have no problem with how she responded to the interviewer’s question.She was talking about her heritage. Additionally, we have to breathe and heal collectively around whose hair does what. I am in the tighter, coily, needs lots of moisture, etc. category. I LOVE MY HAIR, so much more because of ALL of you beautiful wavies, curlies and coilies- all the wonderful information you share has left my hair in its best condition EVER.
Thank you SO much.
…..It’s true people born to biracial parents hair GROWS quicker. She didnt say her hair was GOOD. While some are aggy over her comment, u have to ask most women who are not wearing their hair natural about the Indian textured hair they by for extensions.They buy that type because its better hair for them than what grows out their head. To them it’s good! Some say backlash and others go buy that same so-called good textured hair. She just said she has genes for good growth. We can all say we have good genes for growth but because her hair is of a softer texture, it has been mistaken as her saying she has good hair….Reread! I have long locks…Very good genes for growth. They are down to my waist! POW!! LOL
Diata, that is not true whatsoever. There is no black or even mixed phenotype. A biracial person (assuming they have one black and one white parent one with straight hair and the other kinky), can have hair texture any where along the straight to kinky spectrum. I know plenty of biracial people who do not and have never had long hair. And I also know whites who cannot grow long hair. This topic is mute. I agree from the excerpt that she didn’t place any value on her racial makeup, or hair length. But she did make a false statement. If you are on this website, perhaps you should know better. Blackgirllonghair.com Stereotypes die hard I guess.
That Melanie Fiona girl didn’t get to her station in life from being educated, sensitive, and eloquent. Which obvioulsy, she’s not.
And I agree with you, lin.
I think that her comment is like all other comments of this type. A person being pretty, hair retaining length in spite of her being black. It is almost like there has to be some mix in order to explain the “good”. It kills me. My daughter’s hair is long, it is curly (like her mom’s). Her length is past her behind. My hubby, her father is white, yet her hair is coiled like mine. I had long hair pass my shoulders. I recently cut it because I wanted, no reason other than that. Curly, kinky, nappy, natural whatever you want to call it hair can retain length. Anyway her hair probably retains length because of the things she does to take care of it. I’m not saying that genes won’t factor in somewhat but it also comes down to what you do with what you have.
She only spoke her truth and I agree. Some hair types do grow easier than others. I have kinky 4c type hair and yes it grows, however it takes very special care to get it to grow long & healthy. That’s just a fact. My hair is a lot more fragile than Melanie’s. That doesn’t mean my hair hair is bad hair and her’s good hair and that’s not what she said. She said she has a good mix for growth, not good hair.
I have no problem with what she said.
I don’t really see anything offensive in what she said nor why there should be a backlash…she was simply stating her background and that this attributes to her quick hair growth. Bottom line is I don’t believe it was meant in an offensive way or to say that her hair is any better than other textures…just that because of her genes her hair grows faster. If you follow Melanie Fiona you’ll see that leaving her hair out and big in it’s natural state is more often than not her look and she definitely rocks it.
I think that people go to the extreme about having what we call ‘good hair’. We can see that Melanie Fiona is mixed, in trinidad we call a mix of black and indian ‘dougla’. My both parents are black and I had long relaxed hair on my back down to my bra strap and for some reason people always thought that it was weave because apparently it’s deemed wrong for ‘black’ people to have long hair. I recently cut it chin level and I get a lot of comments saying that I cut my beautiful hair. I think that every type is hair is considered beautiful and can be long, it’s what you do with it and how you take care of it.
That is a ridiculous statement…people are so trained its ridiculous…race has nothing to do with hair growth…at all…
and the issue is…smh
Evidently, the comment touched a nerve. For someone living in a country that has always made being black/having black hair something negative, even when the comment is innocent, the negative connotation is always there. I enjoyed reading the comments of those who said they didn’t care. That means there is some progress there. I grew up in the ’80’s with mostly white girls who didn’t understand my hair, but mostly because I didn’t understand it and was therefore embarassed by it. As we got older, they were amazed to see all the great things I could do with my hair and the confidence I have now to wear it the way I want to, NATURAL. But I was the one that had to change my perception and start loving myself for who I was without fear of anybody else’s opinion. Let’s just accept the fact that we all as black women still have some barriers to break through, some self-imposed, but we are the ones that have to get past it. I live in a very conservative part of the U.S. and still get some crazy looks when I sport my lovely ever-growing 4a/b/c fro, but when they look at my biracial daughter and her gorgeous hair, long and more loosely textured than mine, they still know where she got it from…ME. I bet Melanie’s mom doesn’t obsess about hair and taught her daughter not to care either. That’s how she could make a comment like that so innocently. She is not the one with the problem…we (those of us who cringed, including me)ARE. Stop looking at yourself through someone else’s mirror. Hasn’t this site taught us anything???
it doesn’t bother me per say but what does surprise me is that in this day and age of hair journey movements albiet natural or relaxed, women are still justifying their hair length to being mixed race.
at this point we should know that race has nothing to do with it, its a matter of how you look after your hair. there’s proof of that everywhere you look, pictures online and when you step out of your house. black and mixed women with hair of all length and curl types.
there’s no denying she is mixed and her genetics has a role to play in her hair, but her comment continues to perpetuates the notion that you have to be mixed to have your hair look a certain way.
Race admixture or race in general doesn’t determine growth rate. That’s all I gotta say. All hair grows, at different rates, yes, but race doesn’t play a part in that shit.
Errrrrrrm she is right, lump it, love it or hate it, she is right.
“Mixed” hair and “non mixed hair”, the vast majority of times, is in fact different. That difference, the looser texture makes length retention easy.
Length retention = long hair.
No one said anything about better just ****different*** And please let’s not even try and act as if the exception is the rule. I swear, “We” can’t even be honest about something as simple as hair. GMAFB
I’m seeing a lot of insecurities over “just hair”
There is definitely some truth to what she said. In that “good ethnic mixture for growth” she included black. So why are we offended? And yes it’s probably true. I doubt very seriously if an Asian women saw that statement she would get upset. She would probably agree.
Also, would we get offended if Halle Berry told Vouge magazine that “I look so young because my father is black.”
I mean all she said basically was, because she mixed, she has a unique blend,,which in her opinion means it grows out well, Doesn’t mean that other types and blends don’t grow as well, but i see where someone may have a little neg. feelings about it as well. Bottom line is all people like long flowing hair for some reason…
http://www.mypureremy.com/remytransporter
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Remytransporternew.jpg[/img]
I can see why some people got offended.
“…so I have a good mix for growth.”
Had she left that sentence out, it would have been worded better. I’m glad she was honest that her long length wasn’t due to any secret, just genetics. But that last part… wasn’t necessary. Yes, some races of women have an easier time growing long hair (or length retention. Semantics. Whatevas) however attributing long hair to being mixed isn’t exactly true because black women CAN have long hair. That statement touched a raw nerve. When I read it I cringed a little. That didn’t need to be said.
As someone said earlier, the sentiment is similar to attributing attractive features to being mixed. I can’t believe how many black people –American or African–who literally believe that the attractive facial features of some nations and tribes, is due to some foreign ancestry! The Fulani, Hausa, Angolans, Nubians (Sudan and Egypt), Ethiopians, the Tutsi. The list goes on. For the record none of these ethnic groups are mixed, but people believe it, because they don’t believe that black people can be that beautiful naturally.
The same is also true for hair. Black people have been brainwashed to see themselves as subhuman. And I can understand the other points about bragging about mixed heritage. Are some people reading more into it than what is there? Perhaps. But let’s not play dumb here. There is a record of mixed black people –and black people in general — making it a point to state their non-black lineage. Because they know that in this white supremacist nation, where blackness is despised, that being anything other than just black is deemed superior. And there ARE mixed people that have subconsciously absorbed these subtle messages.
I’m I going to stress over what she said? No. But I understand the touchiness.
One morning on Ricky Smiley morning show she stated…”Everyone in Canada is beautiful because were mixed/biracial/triracial. I stopped being a fan then. Dumb Comment/Statement.She did attribute attractive features for being mixed!!!
Well put, my feelings exactly. I’ll tell you about an experience i had with a lady i got speaking to one day. she was with her young son and i commented on how handsome he was. Her response to me was that i should see her older son because he has more European features. I thought to myself, is she trying to make her youngest feel less inferior to her eldest because his looks are less European. Unfortunately i’m hearing things like this all the time, it seems as though it’s built into our psyche and its a difficult one to shake off.
I don’t care about (good hair/bad hair) anymore I use to but now I just think it’s silly. Anyway I don’t think she meant anything by it so whatever.
My hair looks just like Melanie’s except it’s not as glossy and I’m nowhere near mixed. So what does that say? And maybe there are products out there to make it glossy. There is some truth to what she said but it’s not the case all the time
Why aren’t more people picking up on the fact that she includes black as part of the “good mix”? (Includes it first, even.)
I think people view certain comments through their own prism of insecurities and hair baggage. I don’t have a problem with what she said. I think it’s great that she didn’t act as if it was some magic elixir product/vitamins for people to run out to the stores to buy or some special/secret technique that allows such growth and retention. Good for her. She pretty much said she didn’t have anything to do with it. Just her genes, which is true of a lot of things. I’m naturally thin. Can eat what I want, not exercise and won’t gain an ounce. If someone asked how I stay fit/slim would it be ignorant or bad form to say it’s in my genes. My parents are naturally thin. Or do I pretend my genes had nothing to do with it?????
I think her comment shows her ignorance. Not because it’s not true that it’s easier for her to retain length but because she’s in the public eye and she shouldn’t speak every thought that comes to her mind. Some things just perpetuate bad feelings and bad thoughts and should just not be said.
Comments like that honestly do get on my nerves. My family isn’t of mixed heritage. Yet many of the little girls in my family have long thick healthy hair. Why, because their Mother’s take care of it.
+1000 Geechee Goddess. My mother took amazing care of our hair and was always adamant about letting folks “play” in our hair. Tying our hair up at night was meant to preserve the hairstyle, but it actually helped to protect the overall health of hair as well.It all went downhill after she decided that we were “old enough” to get perms, God bless her, lol.
I see your name is Geechee Goddess, I am from SC as well.
+1!
IF she gave products n strict instructions for hair lengths, MOST if not ALL would
go and buy the products……
Now THAT would be intersting….
Speak for yourself and your own money.
Umm….While I don’t agree with the idea that being mixed in general means you have “longer hair genes” as some of you have said, I don’t really see what SHE said as being offensive. I also don’t even think there’s really any backlash. Apparently from what I’ve seen, everybody doesn’t think it’s a big deal, and it was probably two or three people with nothing to do who decided to start this “controversy”. I’m Guyanese like she is, and while I’m not biracial, we are all hairy in general, Lol!! I bet if she wasn’t black at all and said “I have long hair because I’m half Indian half Russian”, our first thought would be, “Well that makes sense because their known for their full, lengthy heads of hair. I’m a MF fan, and she said nothing offensive in my eyes.
LOL @ “we are all hairy in general.” So true. Statement would raise no eyebrows in Guyana where dark skin and long hair aren’t an anomaly. Absolutely nothing offensive about her comments. I wonder if we’ll ever get to the point where black folk can make perfectly innocent comments without having their every word dissected and discussed.
I think she’s a little uneducated just like a lot of women are. It appears as if it is easier for her to retain length because her curl is looser than tightly coiled/curled hair. However, her hair may grow at the same length. The way she takes care of her hair, just as any other, is key. Breakage doesn’t discriminate/hair loss. It will happen if you aren’t 1) taking care of your hair or 2) maintaining a healthy lifestyle to include a health hair regimen. If she’s not clipping her hair, then again, she will retain length. I hadn’t clipped my hair for almost a year while transitioning and had below shoulder length hair at the time. When I clipped it, I ended up with collar length. No surprise. Same concept. Like I said, she’s a little uneducated on what makes up healthy hair. It has little to do with ethnicity.
Oh and as a curly, tighter kinky, or whatever one may call it, who no longer has relaxed ends, I find it easy to retain length…just as easy when I relaxed. I only cut when necessary and my breakage is non existent. I don’t know why it is assumed that it’s harder for a curlie or what have you to retain length.
I see nothing wrong with her statement. Her hair can be attributed to her heritage. We got to stop being so sensitive about our hair.
I don’t see what the problem is. Her genes allow her to grow long hair and retain her growth with what sounds like little maintaince. Are those of you sitting or standing hours every day/week trying to grow/retain your hair’s length CATCHING FEELINGS? She’s speaking to her truth, not yours. Get over it.
Some black women have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to those of us with mixed heritage in our family that have hair that grows long with little work. They need to just get over it because it’s not like they can’t have nice long hair, they just have to work harder to obtain it.
This statement… The anti-Blackness is strong. smh (And nope, I’m not mad or have a chip on my shoulder)
this comment ( and many others made on this article) is proof to me that black people are still not ready to become one, we have a long way to go. no matter what movement comes along, there will always be a divide, whether its natural vs relaxed, light skin vs dark skin or according to you blacks vs people who are mixed.
how can you make such a demeaning comment. what does being mixed have to do with the amount of work you put into your hair? I know a black Nigerian girl born and bred who does absolutely nothing to hair but washes and conditions and her hair is soft, has a loose curl pattern and is long. I also know a mixed girl, “your people” jamaican and canadian, who still struggles with her natural hair and is tempted to get a relaxer once and for all.
your statement is foolish.
i want you to know, as black Ghanaian, i don’t have chip on my shoulders, i don’t hate or envy you or “your people”. I ain’t mad at your skin colour or your hair type.
but i must say for someone who actually spends time on a blog like this, especially one with the name black girl with long hair, I’m surprised you’re so little minded that you still equate race or mixed heritage to hair growth and retention, when its clear just by going through the gallery that is a completely false argument.
I’m disgusted!
Become one? Over hair?? Seriously? Girl, do you and stop looking for societal co-signs of your coif. I have been natural for 3 years and am tired of struggling with twists and conditioners. What I do will and should have no impact on you, Melanie or “the struggle”.
i have nothing against relaxers, or straight hair or being mixed. im not sure why you brought it up, but yes natural hair isnt easy. i never said it was. i never said you had to by force love your natural hair. i dont know what i said to make you think im part of a natural movement/struggle.
what i did say, and what my problem was with the comment i responded to. i had a problem with the fact she said “some black women have a problem with people like her of mixed race.” my response was that it had nothing to do with whether you’re black or you are mixed race and i also said it was just hair. that no matter the colour of your skin or hair type there is evidence that you dont have to be mixed to have a certain hair type or length of hair.
i thought that from this natural movement, people would educate themselves. not being ignorant. respecting our own and each others decision. accepting ourselves and one another. i didnt understand why it had to turn into a black versus mixed thing. no one is hating on the fact that melanie fiona is mixed or has wavy hair, well im not at least. i only said that its not right that the message that you have have to be mixed to have “a good mix for growth” is still being passed along despite all the proof that its not true and thats not the case.
maybe you didnt read it all, maybe you didnt understand what i wrote. im not an advocate for natural hair, i dont walk around condemning anyone with staright/wavy hair. i agree with you 100%, do you. do what makes you happy. and dont try and please anyone. if you wanna have relaxed hair go ahead, you wanna go natural go ahead.
but i still have a problem with the comment (not melanie fiona’s, the one i responded to). maybe you dont, but i do.
And what she said WAS IGNORANT. It don’t make no d*$m sense and thats where my backlash comes from. How could anyone be jealous of something that makes no sense?!
Oh, and here’s a good question… who asked the question? Aren’t reporters supposed to be creative?
Its fun to see what black women think of themselves when it comes to abstract things like beauty, goodness, intelligence, because it ranges and the negative opinions of self can always be traced back to some colonized train of thought that was reinforced by our white colonizers to make blacks hate themselves and love and become dependent on the presence of the oppressor.
This particular conversation on hair growth is interesting to me to me because I think its no different from other abstract opinions of ourselves.
How can the black women writing comments even say our hair doesn’t have the “proclivity to grow long/retain length as well” on a website entitled BLACK GIRL WITH LONG HAIR that gives us countless examples of kinky, no rather NAPPYheaded women with hair to their butts??!?!?!!! (and for the record “nappy” has a positive connotation)
C’mon black women saying something concrete like our “hair doesn’t retain length as well or grow as long without extra “other” than black/african genes” is the same as saying something abstract like “black women are prettier when we also have “other” than black/african genes in us”.
Get it together.
Love yourself.
Our BLACK hair is no less strong and capable of growth just as we as beautiful intelligent BLACK women are no less strong and boundlessly capable of growth.
Best,
She, the black college student
cosign.
THANK. YOU.
Its this kind of thinking that has every 4-type sista out there throwing in the towel. The secrets of retaining length in African hair can be very simple. Its the lack of effort put into discovery and education on the topic that have us believing all this BUUUULL
BLACK GIRL WITH LONG HAIR does not mean MIXED BLACK GIRL WITH LONG HAIR (though obviously, they are included)
Well said KI
Soo true ..well said
Beautiful girl, beautiful spirit, beautiful singer…tightly coiled hair needs extra help getting moisture to travel down the hair strand, this is fact. Because she is mixed with Portugese or whatever else her hair grows out silkier and does not need as much help getting the moisture to penetrate the strand, hence the reason she has a good mix for length retention. Why should I have an opinion about a fact? This s what I consider a dead end debate.
I so agree. I made a similar comment over at Clutch.
Honestly, even the “good hair” comment doesn’t bother me. What people choose to think about themselves is their business. It doesn’t matter if a person’s hair is tightly or loosely coiled. If you think your hair is “good” then so be it. I could care less. The only opinion that matters about a person’s hair or self worth for that matter is their own…and God’s 🙂 Heck, I wonder what ppl would think if he HE had an opinion on “good hair” hmmm
This! Please…on my hairs worst day it’s good hair, and nobody can tell me other wise.
There’s nothing wrong with her statement. Certain hair types retain length better than others for a number of reasons. Being able to retain length means, being able to grow longer hair. And yes, the hair growth rate is faster in some hair types, we need to get over ourselves and this hair thing.
I dont see what the problem is. she is telling it like it is. she is mixed and because of that. she has a higher rate of growth due to the ethnicity and her DNA. What is all the nitpicking about. she said she has a “good mix for growth” she did not say she has good hair. she was talking aobut the growth of her hair not the texure of her hair.
Exactly. People are twisting her words
I don’t know why people get in a tiffy every little hair comment. So her background mix makes it easier for her to retain length. So what? We all know that ALL hair grows, at various speeds, that ALL hair grows period, even super-tight-curly-kinky-nappy whatever you want to call it hair. We ALL know that length is harder to retain when hair is curly – isn’t that why all these blogs, videos etc on “natural hair” exist? To teach us how to retain every precious milimeter of hair BECAUSE curls are so much harder to retain than bone straight?? So why WHY would anyone get offended by someone saying they have mixed hair and attribute it to being able to retain length?? It’s either jealousy or massive “chip on the shoulder” syndrome. She has hair that makes it easier for her to retain length, good for her! Why shouldn’t she be proud of that fact if we *nappy heads* can be proud of our curls?? Seriously, I think the backlash comes people who wake up in the morning with the sole purpose of finding something to be angry about because they hate who they are and feel they have less because their hair is curly…it’s all transposing self-hatred onto someone else. Get OVER yourselves and mind your own damn hair!
This.
THANK YOU! You’re common sense is appreciated
+10000000000
I could not agree more
Church!!
Yes indeed!!! I saw the title, read the comment and asked myself, backlash over what? I don’t see it and decided to read the comments. Thank goodness for people with some sense. There is nothing here, moving on…
I tell you people have too much time on their hands to make mountains out of mole hills
THANK YOU. I was thinking, “And they’re mad about what?” Don’t these natural communities constantly tell us that our natural oils don’t travel very far which makes our hair drier which makes it more difficult to retain length? Im gonna build several seats for Christmas gifts for some of y’all!
Thank you! So done with some of these off-the-wall responses.
Exactly…look here my friend pretty much chopped all her hair off I had about 3 good inches of natural hair at the time. Lemme tell you her hair is double the length of mine in the same amount of time! She is Black and native American, bigger curl pattern, softer.
Not even gonna lie i call people on BS people who think that it’s a lie that people’s hair grow differently. I’m a firm believer that haird does grow differently. My hair breaks so easily, her’s doesn’t I dont know why folks get in a tizzy over these things. Personally it sounds to me like women even with my hair type that breaks is constantly looking for something to complain about, and they are kinda sensitive about their hair. I sometimes meet woman and they aren’t even in love with their natural hair, they constantly complain about how others perceive their hair instead of loving it to the roots. i don’t know what it is but I really wish folks would stop and consider their own hair as “good” no matter what the grade. We all have certain qualities about our hair. I do agree that some have a crazy chip on their shoulders about anything regarding hair.
Like i said in another hair blog about this. I wake up every morning loving this hair, even if it’s tough as a brillo pad. I love it, and i always will no matter how I wear it. I don’t get into this what is considered good hair, my hair is good hair, because it’s mine and I love it.
Well said!
can I get an Amen. I seriously think the only people who would get mad about this are people who have serious self hate issues! Let’s just celebrate who we all are and accept that we’re all different and beautiful.
I wish there was a like button.
Thank you!!! Thank you!!! To thine own hair be true!
TRUTH, you just made me feel better for the time I wasted reading about this. Thank You.
“the backlash comes from people who wake up in the morning with the sole purpose of finding something to be angry about because they hate who they are and feel they have less because their hair is curly…it’s all transposing self-hatred onto someone else”
TRUTH, you just made me feel better about the time I wasted reading about this. Thank You.
“the backlash comes from people who wake up in the morning with the sole purpose of finding something to be angry about because they hate who they are and feel they have less because their hair is curly…it’s all transposing self-hatred onto someone else”
Where is the backlash??? Other than here…i mean…she’s mixed…that generally comes with long hair genes…
stupid.
Poorly said? Yes. Not completely correct? Yes. Stupid? No.
The same attributes that we complain about are the same reason Black hair tends to be shorter. It’s drier, tangles more, and weaker at the points where the hair bends. Those reasons are why Black hair is so much harder to maintain and why it’s harder for to achieve length.
Now I know that Black women can have long hair. I have seen plenty of examples on this site, but let’s not pretend that super long hair is easily attainable. Most Black women don’t have long hair. That is what it is.
I don’t understand the problem either, if you google her parents you can clearly see that they are mixed, her father even just looks guyanese indian…we all come in all diferent colors and shades…why because of the intermixing…it is what it is…being part or full doesn’t make any you anybetter or less, I just think that she was stating her reality, I mean her last name is Halim, yes we all are culturally black but we have to just to come terms with that we have a mixed, diverse background that varies from person to person….personal I think that if she was lighter skinned she would’ve have such bad feedback, like when light skin people close to affirm their pure black identity its accepted with open arms but when a brown person chose to identify with a blended culture its looked down upon…I think that true unity comes really identify with who we are as a cultural and stop identify black as a race, because it is our black culture that connects us not necessary our race because ifwe all took DNA admixture tests we would all get vary degrees of different things
Hi Nyla,
You make a great point. Alot of people don’t know also that there are black Indians of both the Hametic and Shemite Nations. Also if you look at us we are majority all brown, dark brown, red, yellow, tan and so forth different shades of blackness. There are Indigenous people who are darker than Melanie with long hair and Indigneious ppl with curly, straight. It seems to me alot of the people who tend to get offend by this do not know the history of “COLORED” people. They think to be black that = African (Hametic Peoples and that is not true). Every single “BROWN & Black person has different texture of hair because of DNA and it has nothing to due with being European. A majority of it has to do with DNA type, and we do not all look the same. People have been brain washed with socialism and all kind of off the remark standards.
I have a head full of coarse hair I was born that way and my heritage is majority “colored” of different ethincities: Jamaican, Choctaw, Taino, (India) (Zulu-South African). So I don’t understand why people are so ignorant when it comes to understanding of the Black Race, which is of three different nations: Shem, Ham and Japeth. Out of the black skinned tone we have different shades of brown,red and yellow people and we get darker at that so to say anything intelligently as a brown skinned person by the way is a threat because of biblical rationalizing and brainwashing. For the concept here is that colored people are suppose to be stupid, especially brown people. I’m brown and intelligent so people should leave Melanie alone.
I don’t see the problem either. She is right with her statement. The texture and curl pattern of her hair allows her to retain length easily.
I’m 4a coarse and my daughter is 3c/4a silky. The silkiness of her hair alone makes a huge difference. She has zero single strand knots, her hair does fine even after a week without moisturizing and with 2 years she already has 13 inches of hair versus her cousins with 4c hair that have only 3 inches of hair at an age of 4.
My coarse 4a hair gets a lot of single strand knots and split ends if I style it in its wet state. I went natural 5 months ago and because of the knots and split ends (yes I moisturize my hair every single day) I had to cut all of the length that grew since. Meaning no length retention in 5 months because of the coarseness of my texture and tightness of my curl pattern!
I’m sure everyone on this site are not all “mixed chicks” yet everyone has reported some kind of hair growth; thus proving that it is possible for all types of hair to grow. That being said, I take no offense to Ms. Fiona’s comment. For all we know, her own parents probably got her brainwashed into thinking mixed hair is the only hair that can grow…we can’t always judge without all the facts, so her comment is irrelevant in my book.
I have no problem with what she said about HER hair. I think that as BW, some of us can be overly sensitive. Her hair is beautiful– so what? Some of us will never have that kind of hair, but that’s fine. Realizing that there are other beautiful things about us and having higher self esteem would make what Melanie said a non- issue. The obsession with hair length, texture and skin color is a disease, a mental illness.Some of us need therapy for it.
can you tell us where the “long hair genes” are? were they discovered during the Human Genome Project or some other experiment? were they discovered by Crick & Watson or someone else?
i’m really curious about these genes that don’t exist…
It’s not about long hair genes lol. It’s as simple as her hair is not as kinky so therefore it’s less prone to breakage. So it’s easier for her to retain length which is a good mix for growth like she said. And we all know that apart of retaining length is preventing breakage.
so….in other words, she has “good hair”…
because that is basically what most of the comments on here are saying. this is really just an argument about someone saying she has good hair, and other Black women, unfortunately, co-signing on it and trying to show through science that she’s right.
what seems to be forgotten in this discussion is that not ALL Black people have 4c hair texture. some have 3c/4a or 3a/3b type hair-and are just as Black as anyone else. although, even still, 4c textured hair grows, again, at the same rate and retention is the same, however, shrinkage is a big issue that alludes to a shorter length.
so this idea that she has “good genes” for hair growth is a concept in reference to race. and she feels as though she has the “right mix of genes” because she has a parent that isn’t Black. THIS is the issue. plenty of Black people that have two Black parents have looser texture hair than other Black people (and plenty with 4c texture hair grow long and healthy hair). so what are we talking about other than this idea that she feels she has BETTER hair because of her genes-that is, she has a non-Black parent, whose GENES contribute to her “good hair”.
it’s really sad just how deep these ideas of “good hair” and “bad hair” are that someone can virtually say that have good hair because of their non-Black and Black mix of genes and have Black women with a plethora of textures supporting her.
Exactly! Ignorance at its finest! I know plenty of African Americans withlong hair and they’re not running around saying they’re mixed and that’s why they have a “good” grade of hair! I’m really surprised at how many women agree with that bs!
Let’s be honest, the lion’s share of African Americans has hair in the 4’s, with a slight minority with hair of looser textures. This is why people are mad at her comment, she is alluding to her genetics giving her her hair (which, duh, it did), and since there’s generally insecurity (and sometimes downright self-hate) in the black community about hair texture, some black women got all butt-hurt, and projected their insecurities onto her.
true*
I don’t think, there is any thing wrong with what she said for her circumstances. Now is it true for everybody? No, it is not. I have relatives that are multiracial and not all of them have the luck (for the lack of a better word) to get fast growing hair. It all depends on the flip of the genes. Also in my experiences, my cousins that are my age and multiracial would compliment my hair, because it was long. I too, am like Melanie. I was born with a head full of hair and had long hair all my life. Why? because my mom took care of it and my parents are black. While on the other hand, their hair would not grow, or was never my length, till they started taking care of it themselves. So i state again, that for Melanie that is the guess, but it isn’t true for all multiracial people. Its the luck of the draw.
I am BIG fan of Melanie Fiona, so i’m not gonna hate, but personally for me its how you take care of your hair that counts whether your mixed or not mixed, its the effort and care you put in for your hair, simple!!!
I agree with you.
Nobody should be offended by this AT ALL
“A good mixture for growth”
Everyone knows that the two other ethnicities in her bloodline tend to grow longer, less kinky hair. She didn’t talk down, Or hell even call her hair “good” or “bad” she said she got a good mixture that allows her hair to grow well.
Anyone that got offended is being touchy
Oh please, everybody knows Portugese and Indian people are hairy as hell.
My mom is Black and my dad is Blacker (that makes me 1/2 black, 1/2 blacker). That’s a good mix for growth since my 4a hair is shoulder length when natural and waist length when straightened.
So I have a question. Is it the differences in hair or the difference in hair practices that affects length and growth. Many black children grow hair that is very strong, thick, and long. Once these children began trying new practices on their hair, it seems to me that that is when hair length retention and growth becomes a struggle. As a chid my hair was thin, but yet it grew long. Even when it was permed it grew fast and long. Back then it was maintained by my mom. As a new natural (advent afro wearer), my hair grows just as fast but it has become more difficult to maintain length because of moisture levels and tangling, which is especially troublesome because my hair is thin. I think differences in hair thickness and style is very important. Perhaps Indian women grow such long hair because their strands are thicker. This implies that those with thicker strands may have less hair breakage, but it does not imply that this is race or ethnicity specific. I feel as if thin or thick hair occurs in all kinds of people. Also, past practices, current diet, and social and environmental factors have an impact on hair growth and retention.
Lmaooo at these comments, seems like a war zone hahah!!
What’s wrong with the statement? there are millions of black women walking around with indian hair on their head.
That is the problem right there!!! lmbo
I don’t see what the big deal is. She didn’t say she had “good hair”, she said she had a good mix for growth. Like Melanie Fiona, my mother was Guyanese of mixed heritage (Indian, Black and White). Unlike Melanie Fiona, my father is Liberian. I too would say I have a good, even GREAT mix for growth. I have locs that are past my rear. People are making it a “good hair” issue. It is not.
*sigh*
Since when did geographic/national origin relate to hair texture?
Wow!
Black people kill me–we really are the most ignorant–I mean we make it so easy to be the laughing stock.
Really.
Preach @FloridaHoneybee
I don’t think it’s a big deal that she attributed her long hair to her mixed race. Race is biological and genes do play a role in hair growth. She may not be 100% right, but it definitely IS a factor. Other textures retain length better than us because the coilier the texture, the more fragile it is b/c it has many areas in which it can break. So she is at least partially if not fully right. Even so, it’s her own life, why should it matter what she attributes it to? I’m sure she wasn’t trying to harm someone else. Show a little grace people. Everything is not always an attack, let’s not make them one. We end up having too many issues in our community and over nonsense 🙁
All you people here are fucking crazy. She was not attacking all black women and their hair. She gave her opinion about why she has naturally long thick hair. Your nationality obviously has to do with hair growth, Indian women for example grow their hair up to 32 inches long! Some of yall just need to deal with the fact that everybody is not going to be rapunzel, and some genetic predispositions mean very thick, very long hair. God, you natural hair nazis need a fucking ego check.
I don’t see the problem, even if she wasn’t mix she does have a hair texture that is simpler to handle in terms of growth. All hair can obviously grow, some just do so faster and easier. The end.
Sometimes I feel like people take things personally and read into things too much.
It is definitely still a sensitive topic in the community…being proud of our “Black Hair” means accepting the good and the bad. Good : you can go to a lot more créativity and craziness in the hairstyles…but for the growth rate…even with vitamine, excellent routine, etc, the Black Hair grows slower than a mixed-etnicity or an Asian or a White person hair. This is not saying that our Hair is bad or that we don’t love it but just accept that it has certain caracteristics and proprettes. Full stop. No necesity to make any comment controversial.
I’ve noticed that on this website, people always find ways to bicker about something. Everything is not worth arguing about.
I agree so much, the other day was Tia, last week it was Nikki who will it be next week?
FYI, many black Americans are mixed race. We’re all a long way from 100% African. But we can’t ignore the racial history that contributes to how we define good hair. And I take offense to people who dismiss valid emotional responses to what this singer implies in her statements (whether conscious or not). The interviewer asked her how she got her gorgeous, long hair, to which she responded not with a routine, but her DNA. What this site and numerous others have taught me is that not only can black women with mostly African DNA have gorgeous, long hair, that I can too. I would like to think that I am confident enough in myself, my love of my hair, and my more African than European features, but in this society, I am bombarded by images and messages that elevate people with European features over the African features. And even I can weary sometimes, and am allowed to express it. This singer might be wonderful, gentle and great, but her delivery sucks.
Brilliant reply, agree 1,000,000%
Black people when are you people going to wake up an stop being so ignorant!!! You think your hair don’t grow or grow slower than every other race so it does!!! How about you actually start to take care of what’s on your head and see that it does grow just as fast!!! smh I can’t believe some people on here are actually taking up for that ignorant comment that the singer with a lack of real talent and longevity made. This is why ya’ll are where you are today a bunch of follow the leader type people instead of being leaders yourselves.
I didn’t think anything of it. Certain ethnicities do grow hair faster…but not because of race. It’s genetic. Their diet, their health habits, etc. I am black and grow hair as fast and as long as my white and Indian counterparts…as long as I leave it alone and stop chemically killing it! Or tacking something else in it. Mi have long thick hair. I also drink tons of water, eat lots of veggies, very little meat, etc. my mom has long thick hair. Her mom had long thick hair. It’s a mix of DNA and what you do to maintain, and your diet.
I don’t see anything wrong what she said. She DOES have a good mix of ethnic groups that generally mean you won’t have any problem growing your hair. Women who are 100% black tend to have hair with tighter curls and thinner cuticles, meaning that their hair breaks easier and does not retain length as well. Melanie attributes her hair length to the fact that she is mixed with other ethnic groups that don’t have such curly hair with thin cuticles, meaning less breakage and better growth retention.
What’s wrong with that?
another +1
We have almost the same mix. I am Jamaican, Portuguese, and Indian.
Now back to the matter at hand. I have half brothers and sisters who are not mixed and have grown their hair to a long length. Race does not contribute to how long your hair will be. She sounds so ignorant. You can’t blame her, she has probably been told that’s the reason since she was little. Someone should definitely school her though.
Is this seriously an issue? LMAO. So Melanie Fiona attributes her long hair to her mixed race. Who cares?
+1
Since joining the natural hair community, if there’s one thing I’ve noticed with this “natural hair movement”, its that folks are really insecure. Yeah I said it. All this talk about loving your hair, confidence yada yada, and soon as some one says something to something they don’t like, or doesn’t fit the mold, they scream foul. Please. And why can’t she claim her heritage, because she isn’t 100% black, the “I got good hair, I got african in my family” shirts are okay, but if somebody has one that says I got white in my family, black, indian, portuguese, etc. Its a problem? puhleeze. This is just the community stirring the pot as far as i’m concern. If your really secure, and confident with yourself, these little things wouldn’t offend you so easily.
One thing I notice is how many Black women seem to think so many Black women are insecure because they simply love their chemical fee hair! That is bull. Some of you need to go back to or just keep your perms, hotcombs and flat irons….the love of Black hair in colonized countries by BLACK PEOPLE is back on the rise so what is wrong with discussing it and discussing some of the self hating comments that we still hear today. It is as if some of you are ashamed to admit that it still exists. NOBODY ever goes into detail about where in Africa their family is from or even seems to want to find out but can quickly point out where their 1% of white DNA is from. Now THAT is silly if you ask me…celebrities are no different.
PREACH @hotttgyal
All up and through this forum!!! That’s what’s wrong with us as a people today we have no unity!!! We just let ppl of other races say what the want to say about us, to belittle us and we believe lies that we have been told vs. seeking the truth!!! Who told us that our hair grows slower!!! I dont know about any other black person but my hair grows very fast so “They” cannot tell me that my hair grows slower than a person of another race because I know that it doesn’t. “My people are destroyed by a lack of knowledge” it’s time for us to wake up and know who we are!!!
I think this is definitely one of those issues that’s getting blown out of proportion. She didn’t say she had “good hair” but she said she had a good mix for growth…and I don’t even think she meant harm in saying, “good mix.”
Now, what I think we should be talking about is the fact that not every long/thick haired woman has hair “secrets.” Let’s talk about that! Too many of us naturalistas and hairlistas think that every long haired woman has a detailed hair regimen and is doing something spectacular to her hair. Not so! I know many long haired women who fry and dye their hair, only for their hair to still LOOK healthy, continue growing and not break significantly. However, the keyword there is “look.” This doesn’t mean that their hair is healthy or that they’re doing anything right! Regardless of race, some women just have incredibly resilient hair. In my opinion this is where genetics kicks in for some (not all, but some).
I’m personally thankful that she attributed her length to her genetics instead of running down a list of some bs regimen or products that probably wouldn’t work for anybody. It’s far worst to have had hair all your life (by chance or genetics) and then pretend that you’re doing something incredible that the next person isn’t doing. Now, what she could have done is worded her answer differently by only saying, “I’ve always had long hair, no secrets here” or “everyone in my family has long hair, it’s probably genetic.” I just like when people let it be known that they haven’t done anything special to get what they’ve got. At least she’s being honest *shrugs*
I honestly think people who are bashing her, are insecure about themselves.
I bet NONE OF YOU of you would have the balls to say these condensing comments to her face….computer screen makes people bigger than they really are.
I guess you are right about that considering your very own handle is ‘Anonymous B” lol Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house!!!
the people jumping down her throat are tired of having everything associated with blackness, such as kinky hair, implied to be less than. you can hear sneaky snipes at blackness all the time. its a microagression and its tedious.
well…her hair is pretty sick
I don’t think she meant anything bad by it, and it is what many of us thought years ago. However, with all the information available now, there’s no excuse to be living under a rock! Black people grow long hair too! When they know how to retain hair that is.
All the people who are slagging off poor Melanie Fiona need to get over themselves. She is entitled to her opinion and personally I do not see anything wrong with what she said. To her her hair probably is the best thing since sliced bread.
Saying you are going to delete her song from your iPod please get a grip.
What is wrong with her going on about her heritage she was asked a question and she answered it in the way she thought fit. I think you are the ones with the chip on your shoulder.
Natalie:
You are entitled to your opinion. I am entitled to mine.
Yes, I deleted her==much like I deleted R. Kelly and others who have theories, ideologies, philosophies and general behavior–not in alignment with my thoughts, ideologies–
See that is the thing about this theory of capitalism–CHOICES!
Hope that helps you, well,,….understand.
LOL!
furthermore….why does she feel the need to “Advertise” her heritage????? I don’t advertise mine….People who do that in my opinion are insinuating that they have a 1 up on everyone else because they are mixed….whatever I’m over this….REally!!! Being bi-racial does not make you prettier, better, smarter, faster, stronger, or more intellegent than the next person!!! Find another crutch to lean on sweetie!!!
Exblackly!
My Gawd, I am tired of reading about the Biracial Blues.
Yeah Yeah cry me a river–everyone has issues–suck it up already.
For nothing else do I like Halle Berry, “Yeah my Momma is white and I moved on.”
I can’t apologize for saying—if being biracial is your proudest accomplishment–you haven’t done much.
I don’t care how she meant it, it came out all wrong and her publicist or whoever should’ve caught that. The fact that it’s 2012 and people are STILL making comments like this is mindblowing. I’m not mad about it, but people should just be careful about what they say.
I didn’t take her comment seriously, I have friends with kinkier hair who feel that their hair cannot grow as fast as other races for whatever reason, and EVERY TIME I tell them that it is not true they cannot just let go of that old way of thinking. It’s not that she puts herself on a pedestal for her hair it’s just that if something has been considered correct for so long it may take a while to disprove in the eyes of so many although i’ve personally never felt like that because i’ve always seen Black women with naturally long hair.
I didnt not know she was mixed…….as far as her comments….it is not that serious peopl
She was a one hit wonder and not particularly good at that hit. I listen to the song every now and then–when I am in the mood for a cat wail.
She isn’t the prettiest and she is no Ledisi, Susan Boyle, Adele in regards to singing talent.
Frankly, if touting her cultural albeit nationality bloodline makes her feel special, earn points and sells records–how is this different from Rihanna announcing her father was some derivation of Irish or was it Scottish?
We make ourselves the laughing stock–for all of these black people claiming Portuguese, French, Irish–do you not find it interesting–these other cultures, nationalities NEVER EVER–claim black? When was the last time someone white announced–well–my never aging skin comes from my black slave great grandmother?
It doesn’t happen.
Think of it–if Melanie is claiming Portuguese where are her Portuguese speaking counterparts claiming her?
She is ignorant and ridiculously irrelevant. And I’m deleting that stupid song from my Ipod.
Thanks for the tidbit. One does wonder–is her stupidity directly related to her sinking like the Titanic career?
Well…. She said she had a good mix for hair growth. That’s it…. Was that comment worth all this ugliness and anger? Lol sheesh
+1 on this, some people seem so quick to jump down persons throat, It completely baffles me when people judge a persons integrity by their hair.
+1
im starting to really dislike the word “claim”
AMEN best post on here lol She just made herself appear ignorant!Why do SOME of us insist upon claiming all these other nationalities but hardly EVER can pinpoint where their black ancestors came from? You can point out INDIA and PORTUGAL but where in AFRICA did your people come from? Why aren’t you as proud to talk about that as you are about every little percentage of everything else you have in your blood. Sellouts are on the rise these days…
@hotttgyal..so true, the only mixed celebrity I can think of to say they are BLACK is Halle Berry…and she keeps her her short…who is this broad Melanie Fiona, never heard of her
HAHAHAHAHA I found it hilarious people are addressing this “Melanie” whoever she is
And she’s not even going to read it…..
Ladies take care of YOUR own hair n let it blow in the wind…
WHO CARES ABOUT SOMEONE’s hair comments …
COME ON!!!!!
I wanted to bring her up on the whole Nicki minaj post… I mean if Nicki was sooooo Indian as people claim. I believe she would rock MORE of her natural hair like Melani Fiona does.
Nicki minaj is a different type of entertainer. She has different colored hair and a new cut every time i see her. if she did that with her real hair she would have none left so…
short hair…don’t care (-_-)
she looked awful as a blonde
I definitely do not think she meant any harm, she wasn’t saying that she had “good hair” I took it as she meant she had hair perfect for length retention, which I think might be true. While it is true that many Indian women take good care of their hair their hair also tends to be a bit “stronger” or less prone to breakage so they tend to hold on to the growth. I have seen so many negative comments, I think many are being a bit too sensitive. I have learned that if you have a certain texture of hair you should be very careful of how you talk about your hair, choose words very carefully because hair is such a loaded topic. I bet it she had tightly coiled hair (like maybe Lauryn Hill) and she said something similar then there would be way way less backlash. Not that I don’t understand why. Hopefully one day this won’t be such a sensitive subject.
Black women look stupid when they go out of their way to prove they are ‘less black’ than the next black woman — like it’s a step-up or something. It seriously makes her look like an idiot. I really don’t see Indians or the white Portuguese claiming her as their own no matter how long her hair is. Melanie, YOU-ARE-A-NEGRO, just like the rest of us honey. Like it, live it, love it! That little hair-social-hierarchy you’re so heavily relying on for likability is crumbling-down. Get over yourself.
Exblackly!
So she shouldn’t be proud of being Indian and Portuguese as well?
cos they aint proud of her
Sorry I didnt realise you were their spokesperson, lol. I don’t see why person needs any sort of validation or permission to be proud of their heritage.
I’ve witnessed some people go ham on mixed women of pedominntly other races for “trying to be black”[and those accused are proud to be part African or African American]
smh, you people…
This woman is not black. She is multi-racial and has only 1/4 of black in her. Americans are so brainwashed I swear. One drop of black doesn’t make you black. Bi-racials/multi-racials are not black. Please stop it with that slave mentality and stop claiming every and anybody who has a tiny bit of black in them. Y’all look ridiculous and desperate.
She made a throwaway comment that may have come across as a little ignorant but she is not the first person and won’t be the last who thinks this way or says this. I have seen people who are using YouTube and hair sites who have said the same thing plus many people and society in general believe that on the whole Afro textured hair doesn’t grow especially tightly coiled Afro hair like mine I.e 4b, c etc. Maybe the women in her family all have long hair and growing up she only saw mixed women with long hair while the people she knew that were black with kinkier hair did not have long hair, who knows?
I do think care plays a larger and pivotal part in the retention of tightly coiled hair. End. Those with looser hair and less dry textures and curl types or thicker strands in general will not have to be as diligent or put as much work in as those with drier, tighter textures and fine strands.
What’s important is what you do to care for your own hair.
who ?
Thank you, and +1!
It really doesn’t make sense , to comment on a article and say “who cares” cause if you didn’t we wouldn’t take the time to write, but really tho? Even though she alluded to her being mixed as why her hair was so long, who really cares? This is just her opinion, we all know the truth here. Maybe she will too one day, or maybe not.
Oh Melanie… lol. Well this is just another example of the inaccurate ideas about our hair that have been imprinted in our minds for generations. You can’t fault her for what she’s been taught… but to be frank, she’s only 1/4 Black, so I would not put any weight on her perceptions of knowledge of my plain old Black coils 🙂 Just sayin… With that said, I used to really believe kinky hair grew at a slower rate because I could not retain length. Even when I went natural I still believed that. But the more exposure you have to different hair types you see the truth. I have a friend with coilier hair than mine whose hair grows SUPER fast… and a White coworker of mine with barely wavey hair whose hair grows reallow SLOW. We just have to UNLEARN what we have been taught…
+1 I agree. My hair is coily, and grows an inch per month. I just have to protect my hair more than most in order to retain length. But, I can stretch my hair super easy, and as a result, it looks fuller than Melanie’s (but not that length yet due to BC last July). When I was younger, my hair was super long(before the relaxer)and people would either tell me that my mom must put weaves in my hair or I had Native American in my family, so that’s why it was long. Ignorance is within our own community, but the only thing to do is lead by example.
Ignorance is bliss all people who are alive have hair that grows!!! smh I really wish people would stop identifying race with long hair it’s what you do with your hair to retain length that matters….Natural hair police has nothing to do with this….HELLO & WAKE UP….Her comments make me believe that she is a very superficial person who probably also believes that all men want her because of her mixed heritage and long hair!!! Get a life sweetie!!!
Thank you what is all this crap about natural hair police? That is so ignorant and I bet this is coming from the same self hating women who were all up in arms about Gabby’s hair! Now all of a sudden being natural is almost automatically some sort of bad thing? STOP HATING 🙂
Uhmmm, I’m not entirely sure it’s what you do to your hair, is the definitive answer, when seeking to retain length. For example, I have curly/kinky hair apparently, and I big chopped last September (11), and my hair is now, thick and curly and past my shoulders. I rarely wash/cowash, moisturise at the most, twice a week, sleep on a cotton pillar, never do protective styling, and my hair has grown, loads. Tell me what is the reason for that? And although, I’m biologically, my grand parents, were mixed, I would class myself as black. What causes my hair to grow o quickly?
Check me out at http://www.lovefro.wordpress.com, and my hair has grown since the picture you see there….
I don’t think she meant any harm…she doesn’t strike me as “that” type of person.
Her hair is gorgeous, and from the pics I’ve seen it is quite long, so what she is saying is true. It is what it is.
LOOKA HERE! The only reason why it seems like other races hair grows fast is because its straight or has a looser curl pattern. Kinky hair is fragile and it breaks QUICK which cuts the length retention. Kinky hair requires extra care that a lot of females don’t put the time in. Either that or their hair is breaking off from relaxers. I mean come on now, we are at a natural hair site, we should know this. I don’t take what she said as offensive.
@Tonya..I agree! The science of it is if the curl pattern is looser your hair grows at a faster rate.
+1
@ Tonya & Miz B Exactly!! I don’t get why people aren’t acknowledging this. It is what it is!
Retains better – it doesn’t grow faster. Jeez.
Exactly….Stop thinking that our hair grows slower when it doesn’t people!!! gish
actually new data has proven we tend to have below average or average growth whilst many white and asians are above average. But either way let’s not split hairs we all know what we mean when we say grow. We mean the ability to go from one length to the other i.e retain so let’s not feign ignorance
That depends a lot on the person and heredity. My hair grows very fast!!! I dont know about yours or any other black person!!
@Miz B–No. Be careful with your wording, because you are saying something different than what Tonya said. If the curl pattern is looser, it LOOKS like your hair grows at a faster rate. If you compare to women with the same hair length but one has a curlier texture than the other, of course the less curly texture will appear shorter! Come on, ladies. Genetics is what causes it to grow faster or slower; it has nothing to do with your curl. But maintaining the length that you have? THAT part is up to you.
+1000000
I didnt bother to read the whole artical because who cares really. But seems some of you didnt even read the text provided. She didnt say she had good hair. She said she was born with a head full of hair and because of her African/Portuguese/Indian heritage she feels she has a good mix for growth.(I read that as potential for growth) Good hair is strong and healthy not just silky. If nappy/kinky/coily headed women cant accept that their type of hair can be good too thats not the fault of the person who chooses to describe their thick full silky hair as such. I have good hair because its strong and thick and full and soft and kinky and coily and it grows from my scalp. Some of these natural hair freaks REALLY dont have anything else going on in their lives.
It is cracking me up how much HATE natural women are getting in here…and from OTHER BLACK WOMEN. This is so sad. Where oh where are the natural women who are freaks, nazis, or policing this topic? It seems like some of you women are trying to divide natural women into all kinds of NEGATIVE categories in order to defend those who straighten their hair. For what? I’ve met more misguided crazy women with FAKE, STRAIGHT DYED and FRIED hair than naturals so please get it together and stop attacking sisters who love their natural hair and may just want to educate others on it!
I agree!!!
*SIGH* I hope we can put this issue to rest once and all.
I just got on someone in the Tia Mowry post about that “good hair” shtick. I don’t think Melanie was being spiteful, but her choice of words were miseducated concerning what she meant.
Like the comment above said, ethnicity and nationality DOES NOT play a role in how fast, or healthy, your hair grows. Like my mom told me growing up, “Good hair is healthy, clean hair”. Unless we mentally outright reject the notion that there is a such thing as a good grade of hair, this will still be an issue in the AA community. Almost like the old “dark skin girls in music videos” debacle. WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THOSE AVENUES FOR VALIDATION, ANYWAY???????? Same goes here….
i do agree that ethnicity and nationality does not but RACE does. Why do we not want to face the facts. It’s just hair. A caucasian or asians ability to retain length does not make them better than us so let’s call a spade a spade and admit that they have an easier time growing out their hair because they retain length better.
I understand the point you make about length retention, but HOW FAST YOUR HAIR GROWS versus HOW MUCH OF THAT LENGTH YOU RETAIN are two different things. Yes other races do not have to tend to their hair as much to retain length but that doesn’t mean their hair grows any more FASTER than AA’s. Not to mention other factors such as shrinkage, etc. You bring a good point but I’m still gonna have to disagree.
*cradles face into palm of hands* Its not race that makes your hair grow, its the caring and keeping of your hair. A lot of people, multiracial or otherwise, don’t have long hair. My white roommate in college had the hardest time growing her hair and I know many non blacks that ask me for advice. I assume Melanie hasn’t heard of the internet or hair blogs and forums or met a black girl with long hair (pun intended) so I won’t go in.
I’m made of the finest African chocolates and my hair is long, thick and healthy. I guess I got that good hair, too.
Why is just now being discussed? It’s from the June/July issue…??
I was wondering the same thing…
In my opinion this is a non-issue,, she makes no reference to the term ‘good hair’ all she argues is that she has her heritage to thank for her good growth- and its TRUE- Why do you think many indian women can grow and sell their beautiful hair for weaves?
smh the natural police are too sensitive
I’m not trying to debate what you’re saying, but traditionally what makes Indian women’s hair grow and seem healthy is their hair care practices. Many don’t use heated irons or chemicals on their hair and rely mostly on natural oils and powders.
And yes, the internet is hyper sensitive.
+1
+1 with this Natalee, you’re completely righ hey are diligen with their hair care, I think I was momentarily considering my sister in law who’s from sri lanka and has done all manner of things to her hair and its still beautiful grows like weed lol.
I guess some hair can tolerate that!
Took the words right out of my mouth!
i disagree. Many of the rich women do not sell their hair as they do not need to. Most of the hair comes from poorer women who do nothing to their hair and have poor diets due to third world conditions. Asians have the strongest hair out of all the races because of their strands circular shape and large diameter which makes it very strong. I had a pure indian friend who did nothing to her hair besides wash and condition and she had some strong hair. We used to try to break her strands by pulling on them and those bad boys were tough. It’s just genetics. Yh there are exceptions but the rules still stand.
+1 Ivy!
AGAIN what does this have to do with women who have naturals? Some of you wannabes sound really jealous….I am natural and you couldn’t pay me to put Indian hair on my head. It’s not for me nor do I think it is superior in beauty to Black hair. BTW Melanie Fiona ALL hair grows so you don’t have to have a MIX to have hair that grows. DUH!
I don’t think Melanie Fiona meant any harm considering the ‘mixed’ races she was referring to generally have long hair. There are many ‘mixed’ race people whose hair doesn’t grow that fast. I do think many celebrities speak before completely mulling over the context of what they are trying to say or to what point they are getting across. For many, this is still a sensitive topic in our community so there’s no way to fain ignorance on it. At the same time, we have sites like this and other hair blogs that debunk the myth black hair cannot grow.
She didn’t reference fast or slow growth, but her comments imply that without certain “mixes” its harder to grow hair. Afro textured hair takes more intentional effort to MAINTAIN LENGTH (not grow from the root) due to its propensity to knot, tangle, and break due to dryness. Point blank period. HER ETHNIC MIX IS GOOD FOR LENGTH RETENTION because her hair has less propensity to knot, tangle, and break due to dryness. She’s a singer, let’s give her a pass. #move on
You go girl. That’s the truth of it-“length retention.” I wish more of our people understood that.
you beat me to it. Well said and this is TRUTH.
+1
I dont think she meant any harm either & guess what its her hair she can call it, define it how ever she wants to! The natural community is so darn sensitive when another natural describes, there hair or say something they deem to be NOT political correct!! YEAH, she got that GOOD HAIR….long, healthy and thick!! Nobody is standing in line for short, thin, hair that is breaking, natural or not!
@ B – ROTFL! You are not lying –> “Nobody is standing in line for short, thin, hair that is breaking, natural or not!”
Thanks DaynaJoe!
lol B you are too real! Love it!
Thanks Kourtne, just keeping it real, like you said!
Wait a minute since when is having short hair having BAD HAIR? That is a crock of crap and people need to stop denying some of the self hating crap that people say. When I look at her I see a BLACK WOMAN so as mixed as she wants to appear she needs to try harder lol BTW since when did this become a topic for ‘naturals’ only? Seems like you have something against them as from what I see ALL black women with different hair types and styles had varying opinions on this not just those who choose not to STRAIGHTEN their hair…
IF short hair was so coveted why is there thousands of blogs, videos, Facebook pages, You Tube videos all about GROWING LONG HAIR!! No other group of women focus on hair length and growth then black women!! Heck, there hundreds of hair products all aimed at HAIR GROWTH!!
Why do APL, WL, BSL all exist its all about growing long hair! Naturals even called the stage between TWA & long hair the AWKWARD STAGE!!
Bottom line MOST black women want long hair, relaxed, natural, loced or weave!
Hilarious!!
i agree with you, especially given the knowledge that we have about black hair growth available to us today. But based on my experience in my personal life, i can honestly say that a lot of people of other races actually do have markedly faster growth. I remember growing up and going to a mostly white school, how my white classmates would get hair cuts in the spring, and would come back off summer break in the fall, literally with hair down their backs. it never ceased to amaze me. they would grow, i kid you not, at least a rate of 1 to 2 inches monthly. it wasn’t just me imagining it, because i noticed it consistently among most of them.
For most black women who take care of their hair well, that still would be a pipe dream. it’s not to say that one group is better or worse than another or has bad genes- but one thing i keep in mind is that when you think about it, our hair was molded genetically for totally different purposes, so it makes perfect sense that their hair would grow faster and have the texture that it does.
i’ve come to accept that now, especially after seeing countless white girls tear through their hair with fingers or combs, only to have piles of hair on the floor that were entirely composed of shed hairs and not broken. I realized that they can treat their hair almost any kind of way and not have breakage or split ends like we do. Let us try that and most of us will be setback before we can say the word, if we’re trying to grow hair long.
So between the growth AND the characteristics of the hair itself, i definitely do think that there are some noteworthy differences that people who make comments such as “she mixed so, she got that good hair,” are just being real about. True, some of it is ignorance, but some of it is grounded in more factual evidence, much as we would hate to admit.
The factual evidence you’re referring to is simply your experience with your own hair growth and resilience versus the other people around you. With no information about nutrition, genetics, haircare practices your evidence sounds short-sighted. Also there are countless examples of the exact opposite of what you write, your personal example can’t be used to create facts and sustain ignorant stereotypes.
Agree with you there – based on my own experience. My hair grows extremely fast, but I do not treat it well at all. I’ve tried so many times to be consistent with water intake, because it promotes healthy hair, and it’s still a battle. I’m anemic, my thyroid is slow and I have other health issues, but yet my hair is thriving. I cut my hair down to around 3 inches about 2 years ago, and my hair is bra strap, heading toward mid-back length, and this is in spite of the fact that every time I deal with my hair, my scissors is close by, I trim almost daily. I can count on about 10 occasions for the past 2 years that I didn’t trim it daily, and there were a few times that i literally cut my hair. Last time January 15th. So a person can’t generalize about people’s hair, based on their own hair experience. Hair grows at different rates for everyone.
there actually was a study produced that i’m sure all of us know about by now that did give factual numbers behind the different hair growth rates of the various ethnicities in question. While i can find a number of real life black women who have long hair (MBL to WL), as i’m sure can most of us here, the fact does remain that generally speaking what i said holds true. I’m quite certain that most black women do grow hair at the average rate, or slightly less than (a few perhaps faster. i’ve seen this on youtube). but i’m also at least as sure that a lot of our counterparts from other races, percentage-wise, grow the average or faster (factor in youth, diet, and all that stuff that you mentioned above). i’m going to quote a source that most of us here are familiar with and hold to be solid: JC of the Natural Haven Bloom: http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2010/08/hair-does-it-matter-if-you-are-black.html
this is the study i’m referring to.
and i’m sure that my experience with my classmates is not an isolated case, by far. maybe where you’re from it may be singular for black women to grow between 3-6 inches a year and white/asian/other to grow between 5-6 or 7 but i think if most of us are being honest, we would hardly find this news. Mind you, my own hair growth is 5-6 inches, factoring in diet, exercise and water intake. And i think that is quite common for black women, not factoring in length retention yet. Once we factor in length retention, this becomes a whole other ballgame.
now personally i believe that most of our issues with length stem entirely from retention and not from perceived slow growth. But it is not ignorance to quote fact, or fact according to study.
please you guys are the exception not the rule. I have never heard of caucasians and asians going on hair journeys to grow out their hair. I have witnessed the bad hair care practices of asians and caucasians and they suffer no ill effects. How many white hair care sites have you seen or heard of and white hair care is not as large of an industry as black hair care is. Lets face the facts, coarser hair and less curls equals stronger hair that retains length better. Does that mean they are a superior race? No it just means they will have an easier time growing hair big whoop.
Lol @ I never heard of Asians or Caucasians going on hair journeys hahaah, I love ur comment. Pple who just meet me think I have fast groing hair but it’s just I mastered length retention (FOR MY HAIR) I have breakage prone,dry, fine kinky hair, 15-16″ that took about 6 yrs to get! I drink a half gallon of water a day and am a vegan and my hair is still dry lol ( genetics man) anyway The tighter the curl the drier the hair tends to be and more prone to breakage. Imagine tryn to get through 18-20″ of kinks!!? I’m good where I’m at lol
+10000
that’s what i was trying to say. thank you so much for saying it better than i could!!! this woman is jumping down my throat for stating fact, when everybody else knows what’s up. it’s true. i’ve never heard of white girls (or any other race for that matter) ever doubting that their hair could grow long. for us, even when armed with good hair advice and techniques, still are unsure about whether we can or not. because generally our track record is staunchly against us. doesn’t make it impossible of course, but it does mean that we face tons more obstacle than they do in that arena.
Your ignorance is frightening. Countless examples of Black women around the world on this site and others growing long, strong, healthy hair at the same rate as any other woman and yet you cling to your own myths and unsubstantiated racialized baggage.
Indian women living in poverty with poor nutrition manage to grow long, thick hair. Just sayin.
hello they never put chemicals in the hair Hello ignorance just saying..seriously people your points are not valid.
Than you go ahead & explain why that is not the case for African women living in poverty with poor nutrition? I’ll wait, Ms Anti Ignorant RMFE
my friend goyte side note all hair whether ehtnic or not grows the same..everbody no!! other ethnic hair asian hispanic whatever grows faster. There hair over our hair appears to grow faster especially if you are natural because are hair shrinks 50 to 80 percent!!!my hair out the shower is one length and stretched is a completely different length. Don’t forget that no other race has something better then the other we are all equal and the same just. Just characteristics are different. Our hair doesn’t grow straight that’s a character. It grows and long. Straight hair will appear different but curl that hair up and what it appears shorter. Come on folks please let the ignorance go . Its not serving us anymore!!
i’m aware of the effects of shrinkage but i’m actually saying that i believe that many of those races do grow hair faster. if it’s genes that determine whose hair grows faster and whose grows longer, then no doubt, race (from a genetical standpoint and not as a social construct) must also be a determinant of that, logically speaking. i never said in any way that that made one group better than another- in fact i remember specifically saying the opposite. it’s not ignorance- it’s observation. i’m not going to be in denial simply because a lot of other people actively choose to be. trust me. i know better than anyone that black hair can grow long. when i was twelve i had hair to my mid back- granted, it was due to the fact that my hair constantly was kept in braids, and i find it interesting that since wearing it loose i never seemed able to arrive at that length again. but i know that black hair grows long. no kidding. i’m just saying that we have to work a lot harder at growing loose hair than they do. the record speaks for itself.