Beyoncé or Rihanna have something in common beyond being women, singers, successful; both are particularly beautiful and distinguished by being fashion icons and imposing their style wherever they go. Much of this is thanks to the image they project and their hair’s beauty, which they often wear in box braids.
This hairstyle has a history of resilience, strength, intelligence, adaptation, creativity, and survival, so it’s not surprising that those who wear them make the floor rumble with their steps. If you’re still undecided about going to a box braids salon, read this article.
A clay sculpture from Nigeria’s ancient Nok civilization about 500 B.C. shows a figure adorned with sewn braids (cornrows). In Africa, historically, women could use cornrows to express religion, familiarity, status, age, and ethnic composition, among other credits. When the individuals of Africa were brought to the New Continent as slaves, they initially faced a loss of identity. While making the journey from the “Middle Passage” (that’s what they called the trip from Africa to America), slaves often shaved their heads for sanitary reasons. But the hair was growing back and with it, the culture.
In slavery, many Africans brought the braids to be connected to their heritage and assert their independence. The style was also adapted to the requirement that their hair should be clean and well-groomed while working on the plantations. But it wasn’t without improvisation. They had no brushes or natural medicines customarily utilized in Africa, so the slaves depended on bacon oil, margarine, and lamp oil to clean and condition their hair.
By the time slavery was abolished, black women in America had tended to straighten their hair. Even when they were free, these women still needed to work hard to fit in, and having “good” hair was one way to do it. Ladies with straight hair, similar to white ladies, were viewed as balanced and were more acknowledged. Simultaneously, numerous more youthful young ladies could proceed with the custom of sewn plaits in any case.
In the 1950s, braids seemed to have a resurgence. At the same time, Afro was becoming popular with blacks in America. With race relations on the way to becoming a sensitive issue, black artists, school children, and activists began to look for African hairstyles. By 1969, hairstyles came to symbolize a movement. In the 1970s, immigrants from West Africa brought even more hairstyles to America. In 1972, actress Cicely Tyson wore an intricate braid from Nigeria during a television appearance. By the 1990s, sewn braids had become the symbol of hip-hop culture, as artists such as Ludacris and Lil’ Bow Wow began to flaunt the style. Athletes such as basketball star Allen Iverson also wore the sewn braids.
Today, the care and maintenance of black hairstyles have become a multi-million dollar industry. Some stores around the country specialize in sewn braids and curls.
African braids can give you the elegant and bohemian style you’ve always wanted and can make your daily hair care much more comfortable. Having your hair professionally braided in a box braids salon can be expensive because it depends on your hair length and the time your stylist spends weaving it, but you can be sure that it will be worth it; you will leave the braiding salon wanting to eat the world!
Photo by murat esibatir from Pexels
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