Kinks and Kitchens; Naps and Naturals: Talking about Black Hair

 Few topics can get sistahs more riled up than hating on our hair. Witness the uproar over Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas's "messy" hair, or Michelle Obamas's bangs, or the U.S. Army's restrictions on black hairstyles, mocked on the Daily Show.

Chris Rock was forced to take a new look at hair issues when his preschool daughter wistfully asked why she didn't have "good hair" like her white friends. Good Hair became the title of Rock's humorous yet fact-filled look at the black hair care industry. After talking to a chemistry expert about the composition of straightening creams ("they put that on their HAIR?!") bonding with some brothas over never being able to touch a black woman's head, and observing an over-the-top styling competition, Rock concludes that he wants his daughters to care more about what is inside their heads, than about what grows on top.

For more on black hair care and culture, check out,
 Hair story : untangling the roots of black hair in America 
Good hair : for colored girls who've considered weaves when the chemicals became too ruff   Hair matters : beauty, power, and Black women's consciousness 

And for a look at just how extraordinary the art of black hiar can be, treat yourself to Queens : portraits of black women and their fabulous hair