Not really, and the holistic education of hair is still evolving beyond the basics. Let me first recognize the knowledge of our professional cosmetologists - they bring a much needed degree of attention to our hair. However, when it comes to knowing and being educated about one's own hair, there's a significant gap.
For example...
I was recently on the phone with a friend and we began discussing hair. She started telling me that her hair was 4c and she was looking for 3c (clearly, I've been under some rock)...
Though she could not see my face, she could hear how blank it was. "So you're not talking about weaves/extensions?" No, she wasn't. A celebrity stylist developed a matrix to categorize and understand our hair types - from straight (type 1) to kinky (type 4). The letters (a-c) determine the degree of curl pattern in the hair type. Well, after doing my own research, I discovered that what matters most is that we are better off if we master and become experts at our own hair and learn how to manage and take care of it. But to know more about the hair types (who created it, why and how it is to be used), click here.
Read this Wikipedia article about hair history if you're interested in getting foundational information. Of course, this isn't entirely scientific, but a good place to start.
And for those of us who are looking for a more scholastic approach to understanding our hair, I recommend, The Science of Black Hair by Aubrey Davis-Sibrasothy.
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