Afro-textured hair comes from certain populations in Africa, where people’s hair wasn’t damaged by any kind of hair straightening treatments (hot combs, chemicals or flat irons). The evolution of such dense hair is supposed to have been a protection by the early ancestors from the harmful UV radiation of the sun in Africa.

Many cultures have even developed certain hairstyles that would determine their social status, age, wealth, ethnicity, identity, marital status, social rank, fertility, religion, adulthood and even death. Those who cared about the aesthetic standards – would groom their hair accordingly, as it was part of the community life. Therefore, the denser, cleaner and thicker hair was – the more admired and desired it was.

What is more, hair groomers would have incredible skill when it comes to styling the hair and unlike the United States and Western Europe, it wasn’t turned into a multi-million business, it would be only someone who people knew closely. Plus, hair grooming, in many traditional cultures, was the time when women could strengthen and find new bonds between themselves and other women.

As for styling – hair threading was developed. It evolved in many African countries, especially in the Central and Western parts of the continent. There are many ways to thread the hair – one of them involves nylon threads, which are neatly and tightly wrapped around tiny sections of hair. Others include wrapping extra shiny, strong and mercerized cotton or it could also be wool. Hair threading makes the hair extremely stiff but still flexible, which makes it possible to mold it into various geometric shapes.

Cornrows is another highly Americanized hair trend that originates from ancient African traditions. The hair is braided very close to the scalp, which could be formed to either simple straight lines (like the name implies), or they can also be turned into complicated geometric or curvilinear designs. Depending on the region in the world, cornrows can be worn either by men, women or even both. They are favored by the people due to their easy maintenance, which can be worn for weeks.