Our Hair ROOTS: Incorporating our Black Family Hair Traditions and Routines as a Coping Technique to Increase Positive Mental Health
By Synia Shim, MSSW, CASAC-T
After obtaining hairstyles such as braids, locks, twists, or even a wash and dry, we would most likely finish off with products to nourish the hair and scalp. Many Black families can identify that the key to sustaining and maintaining Black hair, no matter style or state, is moisturizing. Greasing our hair is a tradition, passed down from our African ancestors, using natural products and continues to be shared throughout Black families, even with our children.
Growing up in a household of Black women, we had every hair product. I never realized how many unknown ingredients there are in the grease and oil mixtures I once used. All I knew was that I had a greased scalp, my roots would take in all that grease, and my hair was full of moisture after my mom finished with a different hairstyle each day. When my journey of adulthood began I wanted to connect with my African roots through natural hair care. I started to explore using organic hair products. I tried to feed my hair and scalp with more products with fewer chemicals due to the coloring and cutting of my hair. That was a task within itself, but I wanted to take on the challenge. Then I came across coconut oil. Coconut oil is an essential oil that is beneficial to our Black hair because of its high moisture content and the fact that it does not break down like other oils. The moisture stays locked in.
Coconut oil doesn’t only supply moisture. It can also combat physiological and psychological stress. A few years ago, I welcomed my child into the world. I was elated but exhausted as it was in my first year in graduate school. I was moving through life with symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. The only time I felt relief was when I could get a break to wash my hair in the bathroom. Washing my hair would be the self-care technique that proved to be what I needed/need to increase positive mental health energy and relaxation. I began researching holistic approaches that would allow me to decompress and decrease the negative symptoms I was experiencing. Again, I came across coconut oil but not for the same reasons as before. In my reading I learned that coconut oil can be used to improve brain functions and mental health concerns. I decided to create a mixture of coconut oil, coconut milk leave-in, argan oil, and water to put in the roots of my hair and scalp.
Have you ever fallen in love with a hair product? I have fallen in love with 100% Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Finishing Oil Serum by SheaMoisture. It remains one of my favorite products, along with other oils such as Jamaican castor oil. The serum is inclusive and can be used on all hair textures. A few sprays into your hand or onto your scalp, and you are ready to go. The product contains Coconut Milk and Acacia Senegal. Incorporating store bought natural products, my homemade mixture with Black hair routines and techniques as a means of self-care decreased some of the negative symptoms I was experiencing, and helped me gain additional relaxation after washing. I did not realize that combination would be what I would pass down to my little one.
As I watch my child grow, I realize that our children deal with negative symptoms such as stress and express themselves differently from adults. Our children are learning and developing daily. So, you can imagine the stressors our children go through. I noticed that there were nights, as my little one began the journey into toddlerhood, my toddler could not sleep. My toddler would cry sounds of frustration or stress before and after that warm bath. One night I was desperate, and I decided I wanted to give my toddler a bath, hair wash, and a twist style. Just give her the whole package deal. I created a mixture similar to the one I used for myself and made some for my toddler's hair using extra virgin coconut oil. I sprayed the concoction into my toddler's hair and began to moisturize and massage her hair and scalp. That moment created a positive space and connection between my daughter and me. The same bonds and connections that our ancestors shared through hair. My toddler was able to relax and eventually fall asleep.
Incorporating self-care techniques such as hair routines and hair products with nutritional elements can decrease negative symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression for all ages. There are no words to express that feeling after getting your hair done. Our ancestors' family teachings, traditional hairstyles, moisturizing the roots and scalp of our heads, and relaxation techniques through haircare are our traditions - Our Hair ROOTS.
Synia Shim is a psychotherapist and psychology student at the New School for Social Research hailing from Harlem, NY. Her interest includes providing mental health and substance use awareness to Black communities and incorporating haircare as a therapeutic approach to decrease psychological states of depression, stress, and anxiety. Her unique writing style involves outlines to begin the framework of her writing while listening to her favorite 90s and early 2000s R&B and Hip Hop, Dancehall, and Reggae music.