Reasons Why Kinky Hair ROCKS that You've Probably NEVER Heard Before

Kinky hair is beautiful, but what's the point?

Before the natural hair movement, hair “facts” included such myths like “Kinky hair grows slower than other hair types”, “kinky hair is harder to maintain” and  “kinky hair is weaker than all other hair types”.  Thank God for some enlightenment, right? Now we’re more aware of our hair’s specific strengths. We know that it is versatile, strong, and able to grow long and healthy. And ok, that’s awesome, but what else?

So many times we look at the differences in our unique texture and think about the limitations. We think about the way it doesn’t act like other textures instead of WHY it doesn’t. There are benefits in the differences! There’s cool stuff about your hair that you probably didn’t even know! But don’t worry, by the end of this blog post you’ll be a kinky hair genius. You’re welcome. ;-)

1.       Kinky/curly hair protects the wearer from UV rays. 

      Straight hair works much like a fiber optics tube would in terms of the conduction of UV light. The UV rays can enter the root and scalp by way of the hair shaft. Kinky hair, due in part to its many kinks and curves does not react this way. Evolutionists theorize that along with UV protected skin, Africans near the equator developed this type of hair as a form of protection from the intense sun.  

2.       Kinky/curly hair keeps your scalp cooler.

      Kinky hair grows out, away from the scalp, as opposed to down, close to the scalp. No matter how long your hair is, in its natural state there is roughly the same amount of hairs touching your scalp at one time. Also, kinky hair has springs and coils that work sort of like air pockets and vents. These two factors allow for air to continuously reach and cool the scalp down, even in very hot weather. This also makes those with kinky hair less prone to things like heat stroke.

3.       Kinky hair is moisture resistant.

Kinky hair shrinks when wet. If your hair is already shrunken then there is little to no physical reaction to moisture. This is very different to other textures, who respond to moisture by stretching. What does this mean? Kinky hair stays more comfortable in hot, humid weather. It does not hang lower or need to be wiped out of the face. It stays put. In fact, the more you sweat, the more out of your face you hair gets!

4.       Kinky hair has volume without all the bulk.

      Though kinky hair looks thick, those with kinky hair have the lowest hair density of any other hair type. Could you tell? Probably not, because kinky hair actually LOOKS like the thickest of all hair types. It is naturally very voluminous! Because of this you can achieve very big and thick looking hairstyles without much effort without having to deal with the heat or bulkiness that other hair types with the same volume would have to suffer.

Impressive huh? Just like our darker skin, our kinky, curly, and coily hair protects us from the sun’s blaring heat. It’s beautiful, unique, versatile, AND purposeful. Our Maker knew just what He was doing when He created it. Just makes you want to love those kinks even more! So smile at your shrinkage and embrace those kinks. They were made especially with you in mind.

Sources:

 Jablonski, N.G. (2006). Skin: a natural history. 

      Berkley, CA: University of California Press

 Meier, R (2003). The complete idiot's guide to human prehistory.

       Alpha Books. pp. 57–59. ISBN 0028644212.

 hair biology - functions of the hair fiber and hair follicle.

       Keratin.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.