In celebration of Juneteenth, Yummy Hair Extensions pays homage to the innovation in hair styling that those who came before us boldly ventured into, allowing us to express ourselves through our hairstyles today.
Abraham Lincoln declared the enslaved African American population free on January 1st 1863. However, the last enslaved African Americans in Texas were not freed until June 19th 1865. Thus, Juneteenth, also known as “Emancipation Day” or “Day of Freedom,” was born. Yummy Hair Extensions celebrates by acknowledging and honoring the resilient history of black hair trends in the United States. We look to the past to see what those before us endured, and in this article, we honor the innovative initiatives by the black community to express freedom in hair styling throughout history. 6000 years ago: The Afro Pick was invented over 6,000 years ago in Egypt and remains an essential tool in 2022. 1600’s: Enslaved Africans used hairstyles to relay messages, such as road maps or signals of wanting to escape bondage. 1700’s: The Tignon Law in Louisiana attempted to censor the style and dress of African American women, forcing them to cover their hair with fabric. Yet, creativity prevailed, leading to beautiful head wraps of all patterns and colors—a fashion influence still seen today. Early 1900’s: Annie Turnbo Malone created her own line of hair-safe tools and products for African American hair care, selling door-to-door and becoming one of the first African American female millionaires. Early 1900’s: Madam CJ Walker popularized the sleek, relaxed look for afro-textured hair with her product line, offering variety and assimilation during a time of collectivism. 1940-1950’s: Relaxers were highly popular and revolutionized; icons like Chuck Berry and Little Richard sported sleek hairstyles while charming the nation. 1970’s-1980’s: The afro became a bold symbol of self-love and activism, appearing everywhere from the big screen to political meetings and hip-hop culture. 1990’s: Du-rags, pixie cuts, finger waves, and colored hair were all the rage, leaving a lasting impact on pop culture that continues today.2003-2005 – The Natural hair movement begins to make a comeback. The reduced use of texturizers and perms can be attributed to the growth and advancement in protective styles like lace fronts.
2010 – CURLFEST was founded – Curlfest started off as a simple meet-up between natural haired curl-friends and has grown into a mega-festival that currently host 75,000 attendees to celebrate all expressions of African American hair care. 2013- Yummy Hair Extensions was born! We are committed to providing luxurious hair extensions and posh buying experiences to all Yummy Girls! 2019- The Crown Act was created and passed in 2019 by Dove and the CROWN Coalition to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools. 2021- Juneteenth becomes a Federal Holiday! The legacy of the past allows us the freedom to choose almost any form of self-expression we see fit for our hair in today’s day and age. Just like with the advance of modern technology, hair extensions have improved by leaps and bounds in the last 30 years. High quality hair extensions and lace items are the industry standard in 2022. The hair extensions industry also accounts for 6 billion in revenue for the global economy and is projected to double within the next 10 years. Yummy Hair Extensions is committed to acknowledging and honoring the legacy of African American Hair-story just as much as we are committed to continuing to be one of the leading forces in luxury extension hair products for all people and communities. We celebrate this fact with the following qoute by the late Maya Angelou. “You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you have been” – Maya Angelou Happy Juneteenth everyone!