Hair Straightening Was a Cultural Practice
Straightening or smoothing the hair was not something copied from Europeans.
It was a cultural and ceremonial practice that existed long before colonization—passed down through generations for spiritual, religious, and social reasons.
So how could we be trying to look like someone we hadn’t even encountered yet?
That logic alone should make people pause.
The True Origin of the Relaxer
What we now call a relaxer traces back to the Conk, short for Congolene—a hair-straightening gel popular among Black men from the 1920s through the 1960s.
That gel was traditionally made using eggs, potatoes, and lye.
But here’s the key part most people never learn:
Our ancestors already understood how to create and use lye long before colonization.
Ancient Science They Don’t Talk About
Indigenous people practiced a process called nixtamalization, used to treat maize (corn) to make foods like hominy and grits—yes, the same grits your grandparents ate.
By soaking corn in lime or wood-ash lye water, they discovered it softened and removed tough outer hulls.
That same lye water was also used to:
- Soften tree bark fibers
- Remove sap
- Create materials for ropes, mats, baskets, bags, belts, shoes, and tools
This wasn’t primitive behavior—this was advanced chemistry and material science.
Eventually, this knowledge extended to hair and grooming practices, including creating gels for styling and straightening hair for cultural and ceremonial purposes.
What Colonization Destroyed
Once colonizers invaded, laws were created that outlawed Indigenous religious and cultural practices.
Over time—through slavery, displacement, Jim Crow laws, and forced assimilation—much of this knowledge was lost, fragmented, or stripped of its origin.
The practice remained.
The understanding disappeared.
Enter Garrett Morgan
In 1910, Garrett Morgan, also known as Big Chief Mason, patented the first commercial hair-straightening product.
Here’s something many people don’t know:
Garrett Morgan openly claimed full-blooded Indigenous heritage from Walpole Island.
He didn’t invent the practice—he formalized and patented knowledge that already existed.
And let’s not forget, this same man also gave us:
- The three-position traffic light
- The smoke hood that protected firefighters
- Multiple innovations that helped modernize America
Yet somehow, his role in hair history gets stripped of cultural context.
Media, Hollywood & the Spread of the Style
As film and mass media grew in the early 1900s, relaxed and straightened hairstyles became more visible.
Hollywood itself was shaped by pioneers like Oscar Micheaux, a Black filmmaker whose work laid the groundwork for the industry—including what we now know as the Oscars.
Through movies, music, and barbershops, the style spread—often passed down from fathers to sons, barbers to clients—while the original cultural knowledge faded into the background.
So Let’s Be Clear
Relaxing your hair is not self-hate.
It is not cultural betrayal.
And it is not about wanting to be white.
It is a grooming and styling practice rooted in ancient cultural knowledge, long before European contact.
You don’t have to wear your hair one way to prove your Blackness.
The real power is knowing the truth and making informed choices—whether you wear your hair natural, relaxed, locked, braided, or shaved.
This is Darron from Darren’s Beauty Shop
👉🏾 darronsbeautyshop.com
Stay beautiful, stay informed, and stay thinking for yourself.
Peace.
