Head Wraps

By Amore' Thompson

Head wraps have several practical functions such as keeping the hair flat, so it won’t be hard to maintain in the morning.  Professional bicyclist wear head wraps in order to keep their hair from becoming tangled due to all of the sweat from their workout.  Some head wraps are worn through their culture.  For example, Turbans are worn by Sikh men in India and also worn by men in the Middle East, Northern Africa, South Asia, and some parts of Jamaica.  For the Sikh men it is mandatory to wear a turban and in Afghanistan it is widely worn by men in rural parts of the country.  In Africa, the men and women wear head wraps in order to show off their social status or to show their spirituality.  Head wraps have been a part of Africa since the early 1700’s.  The origin of head wraps was also placed into African culture, so the men can look at their colorful head wrap on their head before they look at their body.  It was a sign of respect by looking at the colorful distraction placed upon their head.  The wealthy black men and women were the ones who wore head wraps the most.  It was hard for the lower class to come by these wraps. 

Today, African-American women wrap their hair at night with a silk scarf after they have straightened their hair, so it won’t become coarse again while sleeping.  This helps prevent heat on the hair by flat ironing or hot combing the hair again.  (Woman with the pink scarf, wrapped her hair before going to bed).  The traditional African wraps have been passed along today, but represents a different reason for the African-American women of today.  These scarves can be purchased at any local beauty supply shop in order to suit this need.