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Natural Hair Timeline

By emmanadjasmine
  • 1300

    1300

    1300
    Slaves in Egypt had to shave their head or wear head wraps. Slaves wore cornrows to symbolize agriculture, order, and civilized lifestyle; cornrows were named after cornfields.
  • 1400

    1400

    1400
    Europeans began to trade with West Africans; culture still intact.
  • 1500

    1500

    1500
    Slaves hair reflected their labor; Field slaves had to hide their hair and house slaves were forced to wear wigs.

  • 1600

    1600
    The first slaves arrive in Jamestown, Virginia. The African culture begins to fade.

  • 1700

    1700
    Many white people begin to call African hair “woolly”, and by doing that they continue to dehumanize Africans and their cultures.

  • 1735

    1735
    Negro Act is passed in South Carolina telling Black people how they’re allowed to look as a way to degrade their appearance.

  • 1800

    1800
    Slaves have no access to proper hair oils and are forced to use bacon grease and butter.

  • 1850

    1850
    Lighter skinned slaves begin to go for higher prices at auctions; creates colourism.

  • 1863

    1863
    Slavery ends; Black people with “white hairstyles” are considered “well-adjusted” and ”professional.

  • 1880s

    1880s
    Hot combs (created by the French) became easily available in the U.S.

  • 1900s

    1900s
    Madame CJ Walker creates a product line for black hair, also popularized the press and curl style; 10 years later become the first American Woman Self-Made Millionaire.

  • 1954

    1954
    Women chemical striaghtener is invented.

  • 1960s - 1970s

    1960s - 1970s
    People are starting to go against society's beliefs; actress Cicely Tyson wears cornrows on TV, model Pat Evans shaves her head, and Angela Davis with her large afros. Natural hairstyles are being used for political awareness.

  • 1961

    1961
    Melba Tolliver was fired from ABC for wearing her Afro at Tricia Nixon’s wedding.

  • 1970s

    1970s
    Jheri curl becomes popular as a curly perm for blacks; the natural hair movement takes place.

  • 1974

    1974
    Beverly Johnson first black woman to appear on the cover of Vogue wearing long, smoother textured hair.

  • 1980

    1980
    Hip hop brought more Afros; head-wraps gained popularity and were worn to protect hair.

  • 1988

    1988
    Spike Lee’s movie, School Daze, shows the separation between the good hair/bad hair light-skinned/dark-skinned prejudice.

  • 1990s

    1990s
    Natural Hair becomes more accepted and has more representation.

  • 1993

    1993
    The show Living Single features African American women with a variety of looks and hairstyles.

  • 2000s

    2000s
    There are more natural hair products.

  • 2006

    2006
    Black hair care is a billion-dollar industry.

  • 2007

    2007
    Glamour magazine degraded natural hair by saying the phrases say no to the fro, dreadlocks are truly dreadful, and the office wasn’t a place for “political” hairstyles.

  • 2009

    2009
    Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” documentary causes more awareness for black women hair and culture.

  • 2000s - 2019

    2000s - 2019
    YouTube tutorials encourage many to go natural.