Nowadays it's rather difficult for those who are used to relaxed or fixed hair textures, to know exactly what natural African hair is supposed to look or be like. Most professional photos online show extended afro type hair with extremely long lengths and various designs.

To complicate matters, some Nigerian women have very sensitive scalps and feel much pain when their hair is combed or braided. Some can even get physically sick because of this.


Keeping natural dreads (ie not combing the hair) helps with the problem, but not everyone has that option if it's attached to a spiritual significance.

In Nigeria, female kids were often taught to withstand the pain by their hair braiders (either their mums, relatives or professionals), by disciplining them so they sit still (smacking, etc). This was before, I dont know about now. Cutting the hair was also an option.

These days there are more non-relaxer products to soften African/Nigerian hair and make it manageable. Unlike before.

Natural Nigerian hair is considered one of the toughest levels of afro type hair (to manage), despite it's fragility. Some Nigerian females do not have hard hair, but many do.

I'm looking at the pictures of afro hair on another thread, and I believe some of the afro hair is actually afro extensions of various shapes and sizes.

Natural african/Nigerian hair does not have the exact same bulk from root to tip. There should be a thinner length towards the ends of the hair. This part is often trimmed so the hair can grow. Pictures showing very long, bulky and kinky African hair with the entire length (or tips) the same volume as the roots, are likely hair extensions. I could be wrong of course.

Typically, the hair is thick at the roots and middle, then the ends allow more visibility.

So, this is supposed to be a rant thread about kinky hair?

Some females can endure the pain from fixing afro hair, for others it's not as simple as that.

They can have serious symptoms and be very ill. Modifying the hair treatments to reflect the person's ability to manage them, is important.

In Nigeria, many girls are/were required to cut off their hair, this partly solved the problem until they are/were responsible enough to do their own hair the way they prefer/preferred. Although the reason for having short hair was not because of tenderness when plaiting but for convenience and neatness.

pictures

African hair threading from long ago was a very effective way of taming and detangling hair. It made the kinkiness much easier to manage if done properly.

[img]https://naturaltales.files./2013/08/613x.jpg[/img]

I'm not sure why a discussion about Nigerian hair became a tug of war over which facial features are good or bad, but limiting the topic to Nigerian hair only, the kinky type, might be more helpful.

More pictures please.
All the analyses of hair without photos