China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Hair
Published in Lisa Jean Moore, Monica J. Casper, The Body, 2014
Lisa Jean Moore, Monica J. Casper
Almost all drug stores, pharmacies, and chemists have a hair care aisle, a section stocked with shampoos and conditioners, styling products and hair dyes, combs and brushes, and accessories like headbands and barrettes. Typically off to the side, at the end of the aisle or on the bottom shelf, is the Ethnic Hair Care section. In the United States, “ethnic hair” most often refers to African American hair. Products in the ethnic hair care section often include relaxers, curl activator, texturizers, and straighteners.
Ethnic Hair Care Products
Published in Dale H. Johnson, Hair and Hair Care, 2018
Leon (2) made another interesting observation, while working on the structural aspects of keratin fibers. He discovered that excessively curly hair contains a higher proportion of orthocortical cells than straight Caucasian hair. The cuticle of Caucasian hair is six to eight layers thick, whereas the cuticle of excessively curly hair is of variable thickness with six to eight layers at the end of the major axis of the fiber and then reducing to one to two layers at the ends of the minor axis. Therefore, excessively curly hair resembles a twisted oval rod, whereas straight Caucasian hair resembles a cylinder. The tensile properties of excessively curly hair indicate that it has lower strain values at break point when compared to Caucasian, straight hair (3). One reason that comes to mind is that twisted regions along the hair axis are more prone to damage and hair fiber break at a relatively lower strain or extension. African-American hair and scalp tend to be dry compared to Caucasian hair and scalp. For African-Americans, the sebaceous glands within the scalp are often less active and secrete an inadequate amount of sebum. Therefore, the scalp is relatively dry and so is the hair since there is less natural oil to be distributed along the hair shaft (4). The water content in African-American hair is slightly less than in Caucasian hair, as measured via differential scanning calorimetry (5). It grows from the scalp into small twisted spirals due to the configuration of the hair follicles. The tight curl pattern makes excessively curly hair particularly susceptible to breakage when mechanically manipulated (i.e., combing and brushing). The combing difference of excessively curly hair as compared to Caucasian hair is shown in Figure 3 (6).
Experiences with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Among African American Patients and their Bed Partners
Published in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 2023
Kristen A. Berg, Marquisha Marbury, Morgan A. Whaley, Adam T. Perzynski, Sanjay R. Patel, J. Daryl Thornton
While prior work has also detailed the concerns of patients regarding their appearance while wearing CPAP (Luyster et al., 2016; Shaw et al., 2012), this concern has focused on the mask itself. Little attention has been devoted to African Americans’ concerns regarding CPAP headgear disturbing their hairstyles. This highlights the importance of culturally congruent providers and researchers in caring for unique populations (Cooper et al., 2003). The sociocultural effect of hair is reflected in African Americans’ perceptions of identity, self-esteem, and even physical attractiveness (Thompson, 2009). Lanita Jacobs-Huey stated: “hair may seem like a mundane subject, but it has profound implications for how African American women experience the world” (Jacobs-Huey, 2006). In 2018, African American hair products comprised a $2.5 billion industry (Holmes, 2020; Turner, 2018). Addressing the concerns of the effects of CPAP on appearance, particularly regarding hair, are integral to maximizing adherence.