“I Remember My First Relaxer”: Black Women Voicing Psychologically Engrained Practices of Chemical Hair Straightening

Abstract

Chemical hair straightening is a statistical norm for Black girls and women, but due to the toxic combinations of chemicals in these products, many Black girls suffer from hair damage, breakage, and loss during a critical stage of identity development. The existing psychological interpretation of hair straightening centralizes self-hatred without accounting for the complex psycho-social impetus as told through the stories of Black women. Using the Guided Hair Autobiography, researchers elicited and analyzed the narratives of 38 Black women who underwent chemical hair straightening during their youth. Achieving “manageable” hair, community belongingness, and maternal choice were the identified reasons for chemically straightening hair. Both physical harm and psychological conflict were consequences of this beauty practice. These narrative insights offer clinicians a critical context for the role of early memories in body image and family dynamics. This study highlights the role of chemical hair straightening embedded into the identities of Black women, complicates the internalized narratives of racialized embodied aesthetics, and invites deeper examination of toxic beauty practices in Black female relationships and identity development.