nappy hair

     

Natural hair, black hair, an afro-textured hair are terms used mainly by Western people to refer to the texture of sub-Saharan African hair that has not been altered chemically (by perming, relaxing, straightening, bleaching or coloring). It should be noted though, that not all people of sub-Saharan African descent have naturally afro-textured hair. In particular, certain groups, such as those from the Horn of Africa and the Fulbe of West Africa, tend to have hair that ranges from straight to loosely coiled due to admixture with straight haired groups from outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, among non-admixed sub-Saharan Africans, tightly coiled, Afro-hair is a ubiquitous trait. Adjectives such as “hard”, “kinky”, “nappy”, or “woolly” are also used to describe natural hair. This hair is typically tightly coiled and soft to the touch. Andamanese Negritos and most Melanesian people also have tightly coiled hair.