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

Anonymous has an opinion

"What if hoards of Afrikan women realized that our hair texture makes us unique among all of the women on the Earth? That in days of old, before the oppression of our hair, our paradigm taught us that our tightly twisting coils mirrored the spiraling hair of the dieties. Our hair was compared with the swirling of galaxies, the torrential, whirling, winds of a storm. Our hair is like unto the helical meanderings of DNA - the very essence of life."

The passage above is from my post entitled, I bumped into my old stylist yesterday.

Ah, but alas, Anonymous has an opinion...
On July 11, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Anonymous left this comment in response to my post entitled, Black Women are Ugly:

"The majority of African American women exhibit masculine traits such as large hands and feet, tougher skin, and a pugnacious attitude. The general facial structure of African American women tends to exhibit an undersized chin and oversized cheeks, that is in stark contrast to women of other races who have fully developed chins and tight cheeks. African Americans also have tough hair which is usually not considered to be attractive in women."

Guilty. I have big feet.


But trade my gorgeous high cheek bones for a 'tight cheeks' and a jutting chin?!?!

~~~NOT happenin'!

Judge Mablean Ephraim, her hair and FOX network

I don't know how this escaped my attention, but I never knew that one of the issues over which Judge Mablean parted company with FOX and Divorce Court was her hair.

I had read that compensation was at issue. I had also read that Judge Mablean had requested time off to attend the convocation of her church organization, but was denied the time off. But it seems that the hair issue was of equal import. I found 63 webpages about Judge Mablean's hair on google.

Judge Mablean Ephraim with braid extensions added to her natural hair

She left the show two seasons ago, but I think her statement regarding FOX and her hair was poignant:

"The most unacceptable demand to me was when FOX said, 'There will be no changes in the current hairstyle to avoid time consuming issues regarding her hair,' I found this to be offensive. The requirement also comes very close to a violation, if it does not in fact violate, the Fair Employment Practices Act. An employer cannot demand one to wear a particular hairstyle unless it directly affects or impacts the employee’s ability to perform his or her employment duties. My hairstyle does not meet this criteria, it is, however, a racial and ethnic issue.

"Suddenly, after seven years of a show that has run neck- in- neck with the other top rated court shows, why is my hair an issue? Why, I ask? Because of my ethnicity - African American, Black, Negro, whatever term you prefer to use. Because of my genetics (short, curly, hair) which requires the use of chemicals and/or a hot pressing comb to straighten and curlers to style. It cannot be styled by a wash, blow dry and set. Therefore, in FOX’s opinion, it is a time consuming issue.

"I wore a short hairstyle which was my own hair. Due to a misapplication of a chemical process, I lost a substantial amount of hair in season six. Out of my desire to maintain continuity, and the image I had created (for the last five years), I elected to wear a wig last year for continuity. Had FOX asked me to maintain a short hairstyle for continuity and for image, it would have been a different issue. But they are saying I must continue to wear the wig because that would expedite the hair styling process. However, my hair has now grown. I had not yet decided what hairstyle I would wear for season eight. If I were to accept their demands, I would have been unable to make that decision.

Judge Mablean permed

Judge Mablean 'wigged' after losing most of her hair due to relaxers

"I therefore ask the question, when will FOX and the rest of America accept our cultural differences as African Americans and embrace us with all of our different hairstyles, hair textures, hair color, skin color, skin differences, whatever it may be? We take the time to learn about them, to learn about the different cultures in our society. They however have still chosen to neglect us, to disrespect us, and refuse to see us. We are still the invisible person."

Men like sisterlocks!

OMG! I got some major ego boostin' today!

I was walking down the hallway of the hospital, and as a (male) colleague hurriedly passed me by, he said, "You are just getting more and more beautiful every time I see you!" I smiled and laughed it off, but wow! The brotha really made my morning!

Then, in the afternoon, here we go again! More praise and adoration!

Lunch is served to the clinical staff at the community hospital, so the lounge is buzzing with people between 11am and 2pm during the week.

Today, I happened to find a seat at a table with Ken, the hospital CFO, and Jake, the pharmacy director, two pretty cool and personable pilgrims*.

When I sat down, Ken said, "Hey, you've done something different with your hair! I really like it!"

"Yes," I said, "I have. Thanks."

"Well it really looks good," he said.

Then the Jake chimed in, "It's really cute, Dr. D."



OoLaLa!

*translation: not brothas

What is a "dread perm"?

Dread perming is a new concept for me. I came across a website advertising classes for lock maintenance that taught the technique. While looking for an explanation of dread perming, I was hoping that it didn't involve relaxing locked hair with chemicals!

Interestingly, someone did tell me that there are people who put relaxer in their locks. She said that the locks tend to get weak and break off where the relaxer is applied. It seems to me that putting relaxer in your locks would defeat the purpose of having locks.

But dread perming is a way to make straight hair frizzy so it will lock more quickly.

From Wikipedia:

'The dread perming technique begins with at least 6 inches of hair. Thehair is then separated into appropriately sized dreadlock sections. Each individual section is then backcombed, or teased, to knot the hair and create a loose dreadlock form. After each section resembles a loose dreadlock, the sections are then rolled onto curlers, to help ensure even distribution of the perming chemicals. Once the chemicals are applied to the hair, each strand of hair begins to swell. This swelling causes the hair to forget its' original form. The hair then begins to shrink back to its' normal size, permanently taking on the shape the hair is currently in.'

The hair appears really curly and kind of odd looking at first, but over time it settles into a pattern that, they say, is indistinguishable from naturally grown locks after about a year.

I'm moving up the learning curve.

Knottyboy 'How to Lock' Video

I just watched the Knottyboy how to lock video. It seemed a little ridiculous. Kind of pathetic. Like someone trying to defy nature. Like someone trying to be someone they aren't.

The stylist made about 40 chunky, backcombed, waxed-up, pseudo-locks out of a guys frizzy, but essentially straight, orangy hair.

But, of course, if I have the right to straighten my hair while the whole universe knows it doesn't grow out of my heads that way, I suppose folks with straight hair can sculpt up some locks.