When DID black womens hair began to get short???

[BlkOnyx488]

I know it was the mis-use of Chemicals that did my hair in.
When I was about 8 my Father took me to get my hair pressed every two weeks. Once it started growing my mother took me to get a relaxer. Within 3 months my hair was snapping off like a bandit. My Father was pissed. He still complains about that til this day.

 

[BlkOnyx488]

I still see a lot of young girls in my sons elementary school with snapped off ends. Unfortunately I don't know their parents well enough to hold a healthy hair intervention

Definitely when relaxers, straightening combs, and at home hair dyes became popular. Also when unhealthy hair practices in general were rampant, which to me was really up until the early 2000s and when hairboards like this became popular (that's not to say that there still aren't a lot of unhealthy practices going on but I think it's definitely less than before. I seem to see a lot more healthy relaxed heads )

But prior to that time period, I think there was a lot of misinformation about proper ethnic hair care and poor practices going on like rough combing and brushing of the hair (which I still see some people do. This drives me nuts), using grease on the hair and scalp, not caring for the ends of the hair, and overprocessing/overheatstyling. All of that contributes to breakage and low growth retention.

 

[shasha8685]

I still see a lot of young girls in my sons elementary school with snapped off ends. Unfortunately I don't know their parents well enough to hold a healthy hair intervention

Every. last. one. of my cheerleaders, with the exception of 1 or 2, (ages 4-13) have hair like this. With the youngest, you can see that the relaxing began really early (around age 3 or so). It's sad b/c these girls are wearing their hair in ponytails and they are the saddest little ponytails you ever did see. I want to say something but don't want to get fussed out.

 

[Shadiyah]

my family pictures all had long healthy hair even my mother's hair was long. and the hair styles were to die for. I loved them and I know with my mother her hair just started breaking off when she was cutting and cutting it and it just never grew back. and she didn't relax but not that I don't believe it about the chemicals for over all in the community. but I also believe it has to do with the water too. remember they started adding so many things to our water.