In the 1900s, natural hair wearers started to straighten their natural tresses for many reasons, whether it was the belief that straighter hair was more manageable, or economic/mobility reasons (i.e. get into better schools and/or obtain better jobs, or simply to look ‘hip’).  During this time, the ‘conk’ made with potatoes, eggs, and lye became a popular method for men to straighten their hair. The women wore press-n-curl type styles such as curls combed into waves or pageboys.

In the mid 1900s, black entertainers began to wear short un-straightened styles such as Muhammad Ali formerly Cassius Clay, and Isaac Hayes who sported the bald look. Also, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam began teaching that whites had taught blacks to hate themselves by convincing them that all things African, kinky hair included, were bad.

These teachings along with the rise of nationalists, integrationists and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and early 1970s, gave birth to The Black Power Movement, which emphasized racial pride. Through this movement, the creation of black political and cultural institutions began to flourish focusing on promoting and advancing black collective interests, values and culture. For many during this era, wearing an Afro, represented freedom from white oppression.

The movement primarily responsible for the Afro’s popularity is the "Black is Beautiful" movement. The "Black is Beautiful" movement encouraged blacks to feel good about how they looked, and attempted to undue the notion that their natural traits were ugly. It encouraged black women and men to embrace their natural features, by stop straightening their hair, and attempting to lighten or bleach their skin.

Although along with wearing the Afro, this new generation of natural hair wearers also wore cornrows, braids and headwraps called gelees, many still wore straight styles and the chemical straightener businesses was still in stride. By the early 70s, the Black Power movement began to lose momentum, and the Afro was no longer a political statement, but became just a hairstyle; it could be seen everywhere on whites and blacks alike.

A half century later, natural hair again is on the rise. Although many suggest it’s just a passing phase like the Afro worn in the mid-60s and early 70s, wearing ones hair natural has been synonymous with Vegetarianism and Going Green. Unlike the 1900s, today’s natural hair wearers range from Super models, college professors and CEOs. And likewise, they wear their hair natural for various reasons, they could be political, a resurgence of embracing ones natural beauty, consciousness of the dangers of chemical straighteners, overall health, or just as a style.

But for whatever reason, locs, twists, TWAs (teenie-weenie-afros), bantu knots, freeform and curly fros, and cornrowed styles can be spotted everywhere from the clubs to corporate settings. True-life horror stories of chemical burns and permanent hair loss, as well as scientific studies on the dangers of chemical straighteners have enlightened many who have pledged to wear their hair in it’s natural state, both black and whites alike.

Today’s natural hair wearers have many more resources available as well such as more natural based styling aids, how-to books and videos, and hundreds of styles to choose from to help them maintain their natural hair. For these reasons, unlike the passing phase of the Afro – today’s natural hairstyles instead of fading are here to stay.

Source:  Hair Story : Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America Ayana Byrd and Lori L. Tharps