Why Does “Mixed Hair Care” Offend Some People?

The terms “mixed hair care” and “biracial hair care” appears to offend some people. I’m a mom of two multiracial children, and often share mixed hair care tips. In fact, the subject matter is an ongoing theme throughout my blog.

As you probably know, my daughter previously grappled with accepting her mixed hair. That struggle inspired our Curly Hairstyle of the Week series.

As a result, Princess now embraces her curls and also enjoys styling her doll’s hair. She loves learning about the different nuances of hair care in general. We also find solace knowing that our cute hair tutorials have helped other families with the same dilemma.

So, I was a totally shocked about some folks being insulted by the “mixed hair care” and “biracial hair care” reference, allowing me to further question the meaning of these categories.

With the growing number of women deciding to forego relaxing their hair, many look for products on the market geared toward curly, kinky, coily textures. There are also hair care lines that specifically target people of mixed-race heritage like Mixed Chicks and CurlyKids.

These products may be misleading to some people. For instance, an Asian and Caucasian mixed person may not benefit from using the Mixed Chicks hair care line. The same goes for the CurlyKids line, which has “Mixed Hair Haircare” on the label.

Wendi Levy, co-founder of Mixed Chicks, says “A few black women were offended because they felt like we were making ourselves separate and better,” says Levy, and some white women thought the word “chicks” derogatory. On the other hand, there are people for whom the name resonates, who felt seen in a market that makes them choose a side. “Mixed Chicks describes me and a lot of other people, but I’m not trying to exclude any group.”

“Our objective was to focus on the hair and not the heritage,” says Charles Williams, president and CEO of CurlyKids.

My daughter happens to be the CurlyKids New York ambassador. We often share hairstyling tips on behalf of the company. Some parents have asked me whether or not they can use the product line on their black children’s hair.

Some of our YouTube viewers have also raised similar concerns. One mom told me that our daughters both have similar hair textures. But, her child is black.

For the record, the Curly Hairstyle of the Week videos are not meant to exclude kids of a single race. I reference mixed hair care because my kids are biracial.

While these hair care labels say “mixed hair care,” it’s important to read the product descriptions.

I’ve actually used products specifically marketed toward a multiracial textures on my kinky, coily 4c hair, and have had good results. Some white girls who are not technically “mixed”can also benefit from using these products.

But, I’ll admit there aren’t enough products that cater specifically to kinky textures in beauty aisles. Also, “mixed hair” may be broad or inaccurate to some folks, not to mention some of the ads that feature models who don’t share my finer kinks. Hopefully, that will all change in the near future as more companies join in on the naturally curly band wagon.

However the reality is curly hair can’t be easily summed up. Rather than focus on the name of the products, look for descriptions that your hair can benefit from like moisture, definition, shine, anti-breakage, frizz control.

While some may argue that there’s no such thing as mixed hair, I look at the description a little differently. In my opinion naturally curly hair is the same as mixed hair because curls have different patterns.

No one has just one type of hair texture. My son’s curls are much looser at the crown than the rest of his head. My daughter has waves in the front, and her strands gets curlier in the middle and back. The same goes for me. I have variations of type 4 hair throughout my head.

 

Instead of being offended by “hair typing,” we should view it as a way to identify the kinds of products that work best for different textures.

When I decided to ditch the relaxer over four years ago, I found hair typing quite helpful. Like many naturals, I researched products geared toward my hair type and found YouTube videos  extremely helpful. It’s easier for me to relate to someone with 4c hair than a type 3c texture.

So, don’t be offended by the terms “mixed hair care” and “biracial hair care. Just focus on whether or not hairstyles and products are the right fit for you.

What do you think about the terms “Mixed Hair Care” and “Biracial Hair Care?” Do these categories offend you?