The release of Chris Rock’s 2009 documentary film introduced many non-Black people to the mysterious world of Black hair. As articulated in Rock’s film, “good hair” is essentially any natural-grown hair texture that is not an Afro or in the type 4 category. The concept of “good hair” and “bad” hair was instilled in me well before 2009, much like many Black people growing up.

These days, I hit up my barber the minute my hair gets long enough to require combing. In college, I sported a full Afro, and on my predominantly white campus, I was quite popular because of it. But I would be lying if I said that even those low-styling-required looks were not challenging at times.

Straightened or natural, Black hair care notoriously takes a lot of time, money, and energy. Natural Black hair is certainly more accepted in pop culture now than when I was in college; however, most Black women would agree the change in trends doesn’t make day-to-day management any easier. But is Black hair really so much more of a hassle compared to other hair types?

My Unique Epiphany

I came across an interesting video which featured a Black woman and a white woman swapping hair regimens. After my first time watching the video, I felt embarrassed for the Black woman as the white woman complained about all of the heavy products and tedious steps she had to follow to execute the Black woman’s routine. To make matters worse, when the Black woman finished completing the steps to the white woman’s regimen, which looked effortless in my opinion, her hair looked dry and deprived.

Watching the video the first time all the way through made me feel ashamed, as if Black beauty had been revealed to be fraudulent. Because a woman’s beauty should be effortless, right [insert ‘Cool Girl’ monologue]?

I watched the video once more. After the second viewing, something that the Black woman said stuck with me. While reading aloud the products needed for the white woman’s hair routine, she jokingly referred to the products as different forms of “air”.

As nice as being able to run my fingers through my hair at any time might sound, I’m not quite sure if I could accept paying for different forms of “air”. And people with oily and/or 1 and 2 type hair have to wash and style their hair more frequently than someone with hair like mine. This means they need to replace products more often. And this means my college roommates could have been spending $40+ every couple of weeks on “air” and colorful packaging!

Let’s Compare, Shall We?

Box braids are a popular style worn by many Black women with Afro and curly hair. In addition to their versatility, when taken care of, they can last anywhere from 1 to 3 months (and, yes, our hair can be cleaned in that time). If you’re unable to install the braids yourself, stylists charge at least $120 or more for box braids depending on clients’ desired length and/or braid thickness. Black women of all walks of life are willing to pay for this expensive style, and many believe it's worth every penny.

A style gaining popularity among non-Black women is the messy bob. I absolutely adore this style and it’s another style, like box braids for Black women, that is versatile and looks good on pretty much anyone, including Black women with the help of wigs and other installations. I sometimes wish that my hair had a much looser natural texture (at least for a short time anyway) just so that I could achieve this effortless look with my own hair. Based on pricing at Hair Cuttery in downtown DC, it would cost the average client a minimum of $40 for a hairstyle like this. But is that $40 really worth it for someone with 1 and 2 type hair if a) the curls will likely fall within 24 hours and b) you are going to need to wash your hair in 48 hours?

Pretty will inevitably hurt your wallet, your scalp, or both. We should all know better than to have doubted Beyoncé when she said “Pretty Hurts”. But we will continue to spend the money because, well, pretty is pretty. And for Black women in particular, our aesthetic is at a risk of higher scrutiny whether we are aiming to look pretty or not.

So who is really “winning”? Who actually has it “good”?

Regardless of race or texture, even in a society still desperately clinging to eurocentric standards of beauty, it’s hard to say that there’s really any group of people having a better time in the hair department. Everyone pays the price one way or another.