Do Bi Cultural people grow hair easier?

[sterry]

My children are Bi cultural. My husband of course is not Afro American

My four year old's hair is straight and averages about 36 inches. It comes past her butt. The other is seven and has loose curls that average about 30 inhes. That is in the natural state.
One of my clients saw them for the first time and stated how cute they were and began to pat their hair as if they were some rare animal never seen to mankind. She then proceeded to ask if they were mixed. (I thought to myself yes with milk and cereal) When I answered that they were Bi-cultural she then stated "Oh that's why they have such long hair" It easier to grow.
I was shocked! No I stated. I would say it has alot to do with care and heredity. My mother has always had long hair. Until about 7 months ago. All of my sister's have long hair. Myself 12 inches was my shortest until now. (Big chop)

My husband's hair is straight as a board. No curl or bend.
I can't believe this to be true.

4a/natural
medium texture
growing like crazy

 

[pebbles]

It could be that people with straighter hair have an easier time retaining the length they gain than people with type 4 hair, like me. Their hair is not as dry and isn't prone to as much breakage as type 4 hair is. It makes it appear as if it grows easier, but in reality I think they retain growth easier.

 

[Ayeshia]

everyones hair grows the same...its just that since our hair is dryer and have a tighter curl pattern we are more prone to breakage than other hair types. That was really ignorant what that lady said, I've seen plenty of bi-racial, even white people have trouble growing their hair.

 

[nekee]

i think it is easier for them yes

 

[jemini]

i think it's easier for them to "retain" length because their hair types aren't "prone" to breakage like type 4 hair which can easily snap and break. It's not how fast someone's hair can grow, it's how much length they're able to retain.

 

[Aerie17]

[ QUOTE ]
pebbles said:
It could be that people with straighter hair have an easier time retaining the length they gain than people with type 4 hair, like me. Their hair is not as dry and isn't prone to as much breakage as type 4 hair is. It makes it appear as if it grows easier, but in reality I think they retain growth easier.

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I agree. I have bi-cultural nieces and the stuff they do to their hair makes my hair stand on end,

yet they all have long hair that is healthy...well, I have no idea how long their hair is since they don't straighten, but surely bra-strap or longer.

 

[Isis]

I have several bi-cultural relatives and I agree with Pebbles, Jemini and others that bi-cultural hair just doesn't break off as easily. It grows the same as my 4a/b hair does.

 

[z3000zee]

i don't think their hair grows easier. i don't think their hair retains any better. i think if you compared a natural 4a/b child with a natural bi-racial child, they will probably retain length at comparable lengths (excluding genetics).

the older we get, the more we abuse our hair. i don't think it is an apples to apples comparison to compare the growth and/or retention of chemically treated or heat abused hair with natural hair. i bring this up, because you guys are comparing black hair to bi-racial hair. most black women apply chemicals and/or heat to their hair, therefore their hair is more prone to be dry, suffer from breakage, and have difficulties retaining length.

another factor is the appearance of length. although the child with the looser curls may appear to have longer hair, it doesn't mean they have longer hair. the tighter the curl, the shorter the hair looks.

 

[caralexis2005]

i agree with pebbles in that it is easier for them to retain length. especially if they are not doing drastic things like using heat and chemicals to drastically alter their hair texture. having said that i see white and bi/multiracial people with 2/3 hair types with damaged, thin, weak hair. so its also haircare that comes into play.
i'm sure you spend time taking care of your children's hair so that certainly contributes to the health of their hair and your own which is a different hairtype.

 

[HotCoCoGurl130]

[ QUOTE ]
pebbles said:
It could be that people with straighter hair have an easier time retaining the length they gain than people with type 4 hair, like me. Their hair is not as dry and isn't prone to as much breakage as type 4 hair is. It makes it appear as if it grows easier, but in reality I think they retain growth easier.

[/ QUOTE ]

i agree. i dont think that ppl with 1, 2 and 3 hair have extroardinary growth but I do know that hair such as 4a/b does grow but it is very fragile and breaks very easily. the culprit is dryness.

 

[KittenLongPaw]

[ QUOTE ]
z3000zee said:
i don't think their hair grows easier. i don't think their hair retains any better. i think if you compared a natural 4a/b child with a natural bi-racial child, they will probably retain length at comparable lengths (excluding genetics).

the older we get, the more we abuse our hair. i don't think it is an apples to apples comparison to compare the growth and/or retention of chemically treated or heat abused hair with natural hair. i bring this up, because you guys are comparing black hair to bi-racial hair. most black women apply chemicals and/or heat to their hair, therefore their hair is more prone to be dry, suffer from breakage, and have difficulties retaining length.

another factor is the appearance of length. although the child with the looser curls may appear to have longer hair, it doesn't mean they have longer hair. the tighter the curl, the shorter the hair looks.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you're right on point with this. I am bi-racial and my hair would never seem to grow because I abused it so much. I relaxed it, blow dried it, curled it, ironed it, colored it, then I wondered why it never seemed to grow

Now that my hair is natural, I am not having that problem. Type 4a/b hair may be more prone to dryness, due to tighter curl pattern, but I think that ANYONE who uses chemicals on their hair is going to have a more difficult time growing it

 

[Isis]

That does make sense. I'm not bi-racial and my hair was really long when I was a child - before the chemicals and abuse.

 

[pebbles]

[ QUOTE ]
KittenLongPaw said:
Type 4a/b hair may be more prone to dryness, due to tighter curl pattern, but I think that ANYONE who uses chemicals on their hair is going to have a more difficult time growing it

[/ QUOTE ]

Respectfully, I disagree with this. Any type of hair, natural or relaxed, that is being taken care of, can and will grow. The key to growth is the care you give your hair. It is very true that chemicals do dry out the hair even more and can cause extensive damage, IF you don't know how to care for it. I just started relaxing my hair last October after 4 years of being natural, and my hair has never been as long as it is now in my entire life. The difference? I now know how to care for my hair, and it's growing in very nicely. I'm less than 5 inches away from bra-strap length, and I never had hair past just above my shoulders in my entire life, never. A lot of women can attest to the fact that the relaxer has not made growing their hair more difficult.

 

[lilchanel]

[ QUOTE ]
sterry said:
My children are Bi cultural. My husband of course is not Afro American

My four year old's hair is straight and averages about 36 inches. It comes past her butt. The other is seven and has loose curls that average about 30 inhes. That is in the natural state.
One of my clients saw them for the first time and stated how cute they were and began to pat their hair as if they were some rare animal never seen to mankind. She then proceeded to ask if they were mixed. (I thought to myself yes with milk and cereal) When I answered that they were Bi-cultural she then stated "Oh that's why they have such long hair" It easier to grow.
I was shocked! No I stated. I would say it has alot to do with care and heredity. My mother has always had long hair. Until about 7 months ago. All of my sister's have long hair. Myself 12 inches was my shortest until now. (Big chop)

My husband's hair is straight as a board. No curl or bend.
I can't believe this to be true.

4a/natural
medium texture
growing like crazy

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow! People say anything these days..

About 2 years ago we were stationed in Iceland, and when they would see african american children they would go crazy. They thought they were so beautiful. Some of my co-workers were Icelantic and when they saw my kids, they would play in there hair and touch all over them..

One of the older ladies told me oneday, I like little black children and they are even prettier when they have a mixture.

I didn't take it offensive because I knew she didn't mean any harm.

 

[Guest]

I have to wonder why you say: Of course, my husband is not Afro American.

Wish to elaborate?

I'm assuming you are Afro American or black?

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
Isis said:
That does make sense. I'm not bi-racial and my hair was really long when I was a child - before the chemicals and abuse.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine too!

 

[Lindy]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm less than 5 inches away from bra-strap length, and I never had hair past just above my shoulders in my entire life, never.

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GO PEBBLES!!

I can't wait to see your hair pic update, Pebs!!

Why are you holding out on us????!! I wanna seeeeee!!!

Doesn't it feel GOOD when your hair surpasses it's "longest ever length???!!! Mine is now longer than it's ever been, too, and I'm loving it!!

 

[pebbles]

Hey Lindy,

I'm going to update my pictures pretty soon. It does feel good to see some progress. I had a trim a while back that took away some of my length, but lately I've noticed that my hair isn't as short as I thought it was, so I'm very pleased indeed!!

 

[soslychic]

[ QUOTE ]
ayeshia said:
everyones hair grows the same...its just that since our hair is dryer and have a tighter curl pattern we are more prone to breakage than other hair types. That was really ignorant what that lady said, I've seen plenty of bi-racial, even white people have trouble growing their hair.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I wouldn't say everyone's hair grows the same. I DO NOT, however, think that hair type affects how a persons hair grows. Hair grows differently for different people depending on how you take care of it, genetics, and your health. However, yes I do agree with previous posters in thinking that the looser the curl, the easier it is to keep on your head because it's simply not as dry. But curlier headed people can retain just as must length, it justs take a little more want.

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

[ QUOTE ]
pebbles said:
Hey Lindy,

I'm going to update my pictures pretty soon. It does feel good to see some progress. I had a trim a while back that took away some of my length, but lately I've noticed that my hair isn't as short as I thought it was, so I'm very pleased indeed!!

[/ QUOTE ]
Can't wait to see those pics Pebbles!

Oh, your location is cute. I wish I were there too!

 

[CaramelKiss]

[ QUOTE ]
KittenLongPaw said:
[ QUOTE ]
z3000zee said:
i don't think their hair grows easier. i don't think their hair retains any better. i think if you compared a natural 4a/b child with a natural bi-racial child, they will probably retain length at comparable lengths (excluding genetics).

the older we get, the more we abuse our hair. i don't think it is an apples to apples comparison to compare the growth and/or retention of chemically treated or heat abused hair with natural hair. i bring this up, because you guys are comparing black hair to bi-racial hair. most black women apply chemicals and/or heat to their hair, therefore their hair is more prone to be dry, suffer from breakage, and have difficulties retaining length.

another factor is the appearance of length. although the child with the looser curls may appear to have longer hair, it doesn't mean they have longer hair. the tighter the curl, the shorter the hair looks.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you're right on point with this. I am bi-racial and my hair would never seem to grow because I abused it so much. I relaxed it, blow dried it, curled it, ironed it, colored it, then I wondered why it never seemed to grow

Now that my hair is natural, I am not having that problem. Type 4a/b hair may be more prone to dryness, due to tighter curl pattern, but I think that ANYONE who uses chemicals on their hair is going to have a more difficult time growing it

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. I think chemicals do make retaining length more difficult and challenging to maintain. I also think both permed/and or dyed hair and most curly/kinky hair are extremely fragile and have to be treated more gently than other hair types.

 

[pebbles]

[ QUOTE ]
dontspeakdefeat said:


Oh, your location is cute. I wish I were there too!

[/ QUOTE ]

Come on down, it's fun!!

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

[ QUOTE ]
pebbles said:
[ QUOTE ]
dontspeakdefeat said:


Oh, your location is cute. I wish I were there too!

[/ QUOTE ]

Come on down, it's fun!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Alrighty then!

 

[Nyambura]

I just wanted to point out that biracial people's hair isn't always different from the hair of people who aren't biracial (in this case, afro-textured hair). Bob Marley is an excellent example of this. His father was white British and his mother black Jamaican. His hair looks like a Type 4 to me.

Also, Type 3 hair shares many of the same concerns as Type 4 with respect to how fragile and dry the hair is. I agree with the posts that said length and speed of growth rate depends more on genetics, diet, and care than hair texture.

 

[Guest]

[ QUOTE ]
Nyambura said:
I just wanted to point out that biracial people's hair isn't always different from the hair of people who aren't biracial (in this case, afro-textured hair). Bob Marley is an excellent example of this. His father was white British and his mother black Jamaican. His hair looks like a Type 4 to me.

Also, Type 3 hair shares many of the same concerns as Type 4 with respect to how fragile and dry the hair is. I agree with the posts that said length and speed of growth rate depends more on genetics, diet, and care than hair texture.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's all to do with genetics!

As some here have said, they abused their hair and it was still down to their a$$es, so...

A coworker of mine once said that children's hair takes after the mother.

If that's true, that would explain why children with a white mother/black father have the softer, wavier hair and children with the reverse, black mother/white father, have hair that's closer to afro style.

HOWEVER! I have seen plenty of children with a white mother/black father and their hair was nappier than mine!

So, there really is no rhyme to the reason! Ha!

 

[Victorian]

I agree that it's about genetics too. I mean think about it, even when both parents are black, and not mixed, their children can have varying textures of hair. If I had to offer an explanation for that, I would say it has to do with the fact that almost all of us have "other" blood in us somewhere, even if it's waaaay far back. We may not LOOK like we're "mixed," but that doesn't mean we aren't carrying certain genes that were passed on from a distant, white (or other race) relative. So it's all about the random chance that some gene will be manifested within a certain individual. I'm no geneticist, but I bet there are a lot of different genes that contribute to the resulting phenotype of hair texture. Probably for those of us that aren't mixed, there aren't enough of the "other" genes or they aren't strong enough to contribute MAJORLY to our hair type so we end up with the typical type 4-ish hair. But sometimes it will be enough to make a small difference (for instance my sister and I have slightly different hair textures but both of our parents are black). Oh and also I should add that not every tribe in Africa has the same hair texture either so even if you knew that ALL of your ancestors were from various parts of Africa, you and your sibling might still have different hair types.

Soooo when the non-type 4 blood is CLOSER in the bloodline there is just a much higher probablility that those genes will show up. That's why it's more likely that a mixed child will have a looser curl pattern in their hair, BUT there are also plenty of cases when they have type 4 hair too. So I guess what my now long-winded post is trying to say is that just BEING bi-cultural doesn't mean your hair will grow easier. It means there is a higher chance that you will inherit certain genes that are conducive to hair growth (or maybe I should be saying growth retention/less dry hair, any of those other things that have been discussed). Does that make sense?

And of course, as others have mentioned there are plenty of white/other race people that still have hair problems, even if they aren't using chemicals and stuff. They may have inherited hair that is just naturally drier, or they may just have a naturally slower growth rate--it's all genetics again.

 

[Spicee1t]

Well said, BlackCardinal!

 

[Guest]

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Spicee1t said:
Well said, BlackCardinal!

[/ QUOTE ]

Okay! Because I have even seen a few white people with nappy hair, and then you have black people, like my cousins whose parents are both black, but they have straight hair.

So! Yes, I agree with everything BC said!

 

[ineedmoney]

basically all hair grows about the same rate. straighter hair is just easier for it to retain legnth because it isn't as dry. not because of some magical process.

 

[pebbles]

I'm feelin' ya, BC.