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Sunday, August 22, 2010

A Pill to "Cure" Curly Hair or "I have a Disease"

I have a disease...

...it's called "tricohyalin" and it's genetic. Perhaps you have it too. But never fear, a pill to "cure" tricohyalin is in development...



"..The Australian scientists that discovered the curly gene (aka trichohyalin) are now working on creating a pill that would "cure" genetically textured locks.

This pill would render relaxers, texturizers, and flatirons obsolete--but it could also signal the end of luscious, Tracee Ellis Ross-type curls, forever.

The thing is, if scientists can isolate the gene that causes curly hair, what's to stop them from one day reversing or removing the gene altogether? It's a chilling thought..." Read Tia Williams post on Essence.com

Apparently, the "curly hair gene" might be of help to law enforcement officials as well, helping them determine the hair texture of the assailant from genetic material left at the scene of a crime.

Professor Nick Martin, the scientist who reported discovering the tricohyalin gene several years ago, says it may be possible to come up with treatments (emphasis mine) to make hair straighter rather than relying on heated hair straighteners. According to the online magazine Naturallycurly.com, he claims that further development and marketing strategies are in the works. Last December, he said, “I will be discussing this with a major cosmetic company in Paris in January."

By the way, the company is L'Oreal.


The folks at NaturallyCurly.com aren't too thrilled about it.
They posted this editorial back in 2005:



"When you think of a pill, you think of something designed to heal an illness. That is why we at NaturallyCurly.com are appalled by L’Oreal Paris’ announcement that researchers are developing a pill to straighten hair.

Popping a pill, they claim, could turn curly hair straight and vice versa by changing the hook-shaped hair bulb. The thought that people would be swallowing hormones to straighten their hair is a terrifying prospect.

In addition to the possible health implications of ingesting something powerful enough to change your hair, it sends a negative message to people with curly and kinky hair.

We at NaturallyCurly.com do not believe curly hair is something to be cured. We are not against straightening curls, but do not believe people should feel that they have to do so to be attractive.

We would urge the scientists at L’Oreal to focus on those ailments that truly need fixing."


The National Science Foundation is, of course, on the opposite side of the issue.

They created the video below to praise the potential benefit of genetic manipulation of hair texture. It's discussed within the context of the treatment of a disease of hair growth referred to as "Wooly Hair".

They were politically correct enough to play down the potential market demand from the general population.



A National Science Foundation Promo Video


Would you take a pill to straighten your coily hair?
Or do you think they'll discover, soon after it's release, that the pill causes you to grow a third eye just to the left of the center of your forehead?


Take the poll in the sidebar.


Peace, love and self-acceptance,
DL

4 comments:

locstory said...

It starts with hair texture, then hair colour, eye colour, then they'll move to skin pigmentation. Before long, the whole world will be fair-skinned with straight blond hair. Wasn't there a mad man not so long ago who slaved to attain this at the cost of millions of lives? Call it cosmetics or ideology, some evil never really goes away, now does it?

Docs Locs said...

@Paula - As'e.

But skin bleaching is already here and permanent - it's popular among the 'upwardly mobile' on the Continent, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere - They just lay in a tub of hydroquinone breathing through a straw every few days for several weeks until the desired skin hue is achieved. Scary...and melanin is such an awesome molecule...I'm keeping mine :o)

fizz said...

ooh goodness people are really crazy 4 real! lol sorry id never change my texture with a pill, no way!

fizz :) follow me

Zebulion said...

Reminds me of the "cure" for the mutant gene from the X-men.

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