Transitioning to natural made me more and more curious about the texture that my hair possessed without the addition of chemicals. After waiting several months to rid myself of the limp permed hair I did not think I would have to wait even longer just to see what my true texture was.
Unfortunately this is the reality for naturals who are plagued with scab hair.
Scab hair is a touchy word in the natural hair community. Some believe it is just under processed hair. Some believe it is just dry hair or your natural hair texture and some believe that is doesn't even exits. Those that have experienced the phenomenon of scab hair describe it as hair that has no curl pattern and is dry, unresponsive to products and rebellious. Scab hair is thought to be caused by leftover chemicals from the relaxer that absorb into the scalp and damage the hair follicle. This in turn changes the shape of the hair follicle and the hair that comes out of it. Scab hair is treated by patience and babying the scalp until it fully heals. I myself have dealt with scab hair. Parts of my hair are coily at the root and extremely frizzy and dry at the ends. I do not attribute this to damage because I believe in healthy hair practices and do all I can to prevent damage. I have also noticed that as my hair gets longer the scab hair is less apparent. It could very well be that this is the natural texture of my hair but only time will tell. I am not waiting for my hair texture to change and am happy with and will embrace any texture that my hair is. What I do not want is for newly naturals to be disappointed in their hair texture, assume or hope that it is scab hair, and wait for it to change. Acceptance is key ladies ( and gents) :)
So whats your opinion on scab hair? Do you believe it is real? Have you experienced it yourself? What advice do you have for naturals dealing with it?
Great article chica. I thought that I had scab hair once because my hair in the crown area was so straight and dry. I experience some breakage in the area, and ended up doing another big chop. I thought that my hair in the crown would grow back differently, but it ended up growing back the same way. Now, I know to care for it with the right products, which makes it curl right up.
ReplyDeletethanks so much Nina. I am glad that you have learned how to care for and embrace you true hair texture:)
ReplyDeleteEvery single relaxer I have had for my entire life, I have ALWAYS had chemical burns on my scalp. I had the scabbiest scalp after every relaxer (I'm still surprised I have hair) So if anyone should have scab hair, it should be me, because my scalp got tore up! But I don't think I experienced this- my entire head feels the same. Maybe I got lucky?
ReplyDeleteI think it really comes down to how well people heal. Some people heal faster/better than others. This might explain why some people experience scab hair (their scalps are damaged) and others don't (their scalps have recovered fully). Or maybe DNA is to blame. Or aliens.
- Sydney
@ Sydney
ReplyDeleteYea I see what you are saying. You may not have scab hair, but it will be very difficult for you to tell until you cut all the relaxer off. But welcome to the natural side. No more chemical burns and scabs on the scalp :)