Chemical Relaxers
In the wake of the age of recent class action lawsuits, I wanted to do some investigating into relaxers. I noticed in the early 2000's that a shift was happening in regards to kinky haired women embracing their hair in its natural state.
Convenience
We live in a society where time is of the essence. Back when I was a child in the 80s and 90s, it was easier for my mom to give us a relaxer because it saved time in the mornings prior to going to school. It also solved the problem of dealing with a tender headed child. With the hair in a permanently straighted state, it's often easier to comb through. As I stated on the 2 season premiere of My two cents, “unkept” hair could end in a call to CPS.
Garrett A. Morgan
Relaxers were invented by Garrett A. Morgan. He was an American black inventor. According to the Case Western Reserve University's encyclopedia, Some of his inventions included the traffic light and a breathing device which was a safety helmet to protect the wearer from smoke and ammonia. In 1913 he organized the G. A. Morgan Hair Refining Co. to market a hair-straightening solution he had discovered by accident in 1905. This company soon offered a complete line of hair-care products.
(ABOVE : Garrett A. Morgan)
I must say although in my area, there is a train station named after Mr.Morgan I didn't make the connection until making this video.
The conk
I used to work in a nursing home. I remember a client mentioned thar relaxers used to be called a conk. According to NPS, A conk is a hairstyle that was worn by some African American men between the 1940s and early 1960s. The name comes from congolene, a lye-based gel used to chemically straighten or "relax" hair.
Once straightened, people styled their hair into pompadours or wore it slicked back. Getting a conk at the barber's was expensive, which is why some people conked their hair themselves, using a combination of lye, eggs, and potatoes. Lye, a strong chemical often used in soap, can irritate the skin and even cause severe burns if it is not quickly washed out. Adding to the cost and pain of the initial process, maintaining a conk is a lot of work, as chemicals must be reapplied as hair grows.
The conk was made famous by Black musicians like James Brown, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard, who wore their hair swept up into a swirl of waves on top of their heads. In addition to being trendy, the conk became a status symbol because having one showed you could afford to have your hair processed.
(Above : Singer James Brown)
Conks became less popular in the 1960s, when the Black Pride and Black Power movements encouraged Black people to embrace their natural hair, rejecting white standards of beauty.
Trends
Now I don't know what happened between this Era, and the women's liberation Era as it relates to the black power movement; But something happened that brought us back to the relaxer phase with the millennial generation. Perhaps it had to do with women working and pressed for time as I said in the beginning. Whatever it was, in the 80s & 90s commercials for relaxers were all over magazines, movie screens and television ads. Like I said, I was getting relaxers in elementary school.
(ABOVE : Rap group Salt N Peppa)
Next week we'll discuss the surge of lawsuits regarding the link between chemical relaxers and certain cancers that have been prevalent in 2023 and 2024.
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Dawn Michelle Williams is a licensed cosmetologist for the state of Maryland since the year 2000. If you need a hairstylist as a consultant because you don't have a regular stylists you may want to try our "Virtual hairstylist " plan. Visit us online at
Notes from the author:
I have a "Tales from a hairdresser " YouTube exclusive podcast series https://tinyurl.com/TalesFromAhairdresser
During our "on" seasons for "Research Shows
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