Hair Relaxer, Madame C.J. Walker
Hair relaxer has turned out to be a revolutionary invention. According to College of Agricultural Sciences report (2003), the entrepreneur Madame C.J. Walker, born in 1867 and initially named as Sarah Breedlove was a worker in cotton fields in Louisiana. She got married at the age of 14 but soon she started to work as maid after her husband’s sudden death in the year 1887. In 1906 she married Charles Joseph and then changed her name from Sarah to Madame C.J. Walker. When she was in her early 20s she started experiencing baldness this was because of using improper hair care techniques. Later on, to get rid of her baldness Madame C.J. Walker invented hair growth cream using her own ingredients. The hair growth cream that she invented turned out to be a wonderful product for every woman experiencing hair growth problems due to improper hair treatments or techniques. She was the first African American woman to start her own hair care products business. She began with travelling all across the world while performing demonstrations at different venues. She also opened her beauty school with the help of her daughter afterwards and name it as The Walker College of Hair Culture. By 1914 she established a chain of schools and beauty parlors all across the Caribbean, South America and United States. During 1919, approximately 25000 women were working as ‘Walker Agents’, name given to her sales representatives. Undoubtedly Madame C.J. Walker was one of the first self made millionaire woman for the United States. She died in May 1919 and according to her will women have always remained head of her company.
As it is explained in the report by College of Agricultural Sciences (2003), “Hair relaxers, also known as perms, are a common method for African American women to straighten their hair”. Hair care has always been an essential part of women’s beauty regime. The consumer industry is full of creations and inventions to aid proper hair growth and to maintain their beauty for a long time. One of such great product invented by Madame C. J. Walker is the hair relaxer. This hair care formula was developed after experimenting with different herbs, mild chemicals and staples. Capsicum and Sulfur are the two main ingredients that formulated this wonderful hair grower cream. The initial invented product was specifically designed to cater the needs of those women who suffer from hair loss or improper growth of hair. Later on, the product was given many different shapes to cater large number of users.
This product was formulated to fulfill the hair care needs of black women who suffer from hair loss or weak hair growth. The initial product comprised of two things; light hair oil and a broad tooth steel comb. After gently messaging the hair oil, the comb was heated on the stove and used to comb hair to give them a long straight look. The comb was designed in a way that it put less pressure on the scalp and hair while combing. The straightening effect that Walker system gave to the hair was quite appealing to most of the black women. Moreover, this hair care formula was not only effective but very healthy and nourishing at the same time.
Hair relaxer provided women with an effective and healthy technique to take care of their hair and scalp rather than using the unhealthy method of ironing hair to make them look straight. It was a solution for hair problems like; hair thinning, hair breakage, lack of proper hair growth, scalp damage, scalp irritation and hair loss. Although the initially invented hair relaxer product did not contain too many chemical elements but with further development of product chemicals were used to make it a more efficient product. A chemical that is used in such products is potent enough to relax or straighten hair without any hassle. The chemical helps to relax the natural curls and loosen them giving a straight look to hair. But care must be taken as too much exposure to chemicals can also be damaging to your hair.
According to an article by Cassia McClain (n.d.):
“When done correctly this method does successfully straighten, soften the texture of the hair, and provides stunning results allowing it to be transformed into dozens of different styles”.
The hair relaxer invented by Madame C.J. Walker was specifically designed not to damage hair further. It was formulated to benefit the health of your hair rather than damaging them. The process of applying hair relaxer consists of three steps;
Step 1: A petroleum base cream is applied to the scalp as a protective layer so that the hair relaxer cream doesn’t damage your scalp.
Step 2: Then relaxer cream is applied to the hair from top to bottom, leave it in for an approximate amount of time afterwards rinse it out with the help of warm water.
Step 3: Afterwards a oil based conditioner is applied to nourish and restore the natural shiny look of your hair.
The hair relaxer is formulated to be used on only un relaxed hair to give them a relaxed and straightened look. Once the process is completed, the hair would appear to be smooth and straight. If this product is used appropriately you can enjoy a life time of good hair health while using this hair relaxer. If correct method of application is used, you hair would look straight, soft and healthy in texture. You can transform yourself by trying out different hair styles without any damaging effects at all. It is a misconception that hair relaxers are unhealthy for hair and instead of nourishing extensive use of such hair growth creams can be quite damaging. But actually it all depends on how you use the product and in what quantity.
As described by Steve Herman (2000):
“The basis of the new hair- pressing treatment was light oil and a wide tooth steel comb. The comb was heated on stove, and the design placed less strain on the scalp than the tongs or puller previously used the result was long, styled hair”.
For instance, the hair relaxer formula invented by Madame C. J. Walker was designed to stop hair fall therefore the use of chemicals in this product has always remained minimal. Nowadays you will find plenty of different types of hair relaxers; some contain natural ingredients while others are formulated using chemical. It can be said that the initial invention has led to the development of hair relaxers this is the reason why so many other options are available out there when it comes to hair growth and development. Regardless of the formula, chemicals or no chemicals, the process of applying hair relaxer remains the same. That is, apply it to the roots and leave it in for a certain period of time, then rinse thoroughly and afterwards apply hair conditioner cream or oil to give a smooth and soft effect.
Lastly, it is a fact that hair relaxer was a revolutionary product and it has put an end to women’s hair loss problem. Since then, so many different types of hair relaxer lotions and creams have been created for textured hair to look smooth and straight. Alkaline, Lye, no Lye, base and no base are the different types commonly used nowadays.
References
College of Agricultural Science. (2003). Guide to exploring African American culture. Retrieved from http://www.extension.org/sites/default/files/w/8/8a/Guide_to_Exploring_African_American_Culture.pdf
Cassia McClain. (n.d.). The Truth About Hair Relaxers. Skin Biology. Retrieved from http://www.skinbiology.com/truthabouthairrelaxers.html
Steve Herman. (April 2000). The Lost Years: Notable Women Who Paved The Way for Today’s Cosmetic Industry. Black history facts Madame C.J. Walker. Retrieved from http://alfredoftexas.tripod.com/blackhistoryfacts/id4.html
