What's with people oiling their hair and sticking the bangs to their forehead?

July 23, 2009 10:09 AM

There seems to be a trend among older women, at least in Baltimore (mainly African-American ladies, but I have seen Hispanic and Caucasian women do this as well), of matting down hair with some sort of oil. The goal seems to be to get as much hair as possible as close to the scalp as possible. The bangs are then stuck to the forehead, and it looks like this is purely oil based. As I haven't yet had the kahones to ask one of these lovely ladies what's up with the hair, I was hoping someone knew: A. What sort of product is being applied to get this "just out of the oil bath" look? B. Is this an every morning thing, or do you apply just once a week? Once a month?
posted by ichthuz to human relations (22 comments total)

The trend is apparently very popular in the Duggar family as well. They don't have additional info in their FAQ's, but perhaps you might try e-mailing them about their styling techniques?
posted by raztaj at 10:32 AM on July 23

Based on the hold the product keeps on the hair, I'd guess it's shiny gel, not oil. Assuming that's correct, at least for Caucasian hair (I've only ever worked on my own hair) the process would be a daily part of hairstyling.

It seems to be a stylized way of doing sideswept bangs. If the texture of one's hair is such that bangs would pouf out or otherwise not look like the desired style (or would end up in one's eyes too often), slicking the bangs down keeps them in place, looking sideswept.
posted by Meg_Murry at 10:40 AM on July 23

The short answer is "it's a hairstyle."

There are a variety of pomades and styling products specifically geared toward African-American hair, which is dryer and a different texture than Caucasian hair, and thus lends itself to different hairstyles. Plus, many black women get their hair relaxed (straightened) as well, which can also dry out the hair and scalp somewhat. So yes, many products contain oil or petroleum or other heavier conditioners. How much and which products are used depends largely on the person and their hairstyle, but you can assume that there is some sort of product applied daily.

I think you're trying to be super-careful to not be offensive about a hairstyle that you find kind of weird, but maybe stop to consider what might be weird about hairstyles that you would find normal? Like why would a woman with long hair put it back with a clip, but leave hunks of hair hanging into her face? Or why would a man cut his straight hair so short that it sticks straight up out of his head? I feathered my hair in the 80s. But if someone asked me "what's up with the hair?" and "what products might I have used to achieve the look of having wings sprouting on either side of my head," I'd feel like I was being mocked.
posted by desuetude at 10:45 AM on July 23 [5 favorites]

I really, really hope somebody comes along with something better than this conjecture, but.

Some boxers smear Vaseline on their faces so punches will slide off.

Some tough girls do this as well.

I have wondered if the greased hair thing on tough girls was not related -- if you're going to Vaseline up your face, it's bound to get in your hair. And what's cool with the tough crowd often ends up cool with the not-so-tough crowd, so...
posted by kmennie at 10:52 AM on July 23

Here is, in my opinion, a polite way to find out: "I like your hair. What kind of product do you recommend?"

Oh. I see you're a guy. Well, that would be kind of a creepy and weird question, then.
posted by desjardins at 10:53 AM on July 23

btw, I'm a white chick with short hair and I've used CHI Pliable Polish. Looking at the reviews, apparently some black women like it too.
posted by desjardins at 10:56 AM on July 23

Have you ever been to a beauty supply store that caters to black women? They are HUGE. There are countless products designed to make black women's hair "lay down," which it does not do naturally since, as someone upthread pointed out, it is not the type of texture that lays down.

Many black women relax their hair and by the time they get to be old, they've fried the hell out of it and don't have much left. Their style choices then consist of using one of those myriad products to sort of tame the strands that are left. I should note that I am bit biased about this because I haven't chemically straightened my kinky African hair in years and now wear it almost entirely shaved. I don't approve of the straightening thing. Just wanted to make full disclosure.

As for specific products used? Well, this one is popular because it continues to look shiny when dry but there are so many others it's ridiculous.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 11:11 AM on July 23 [3 favorites]

I have worn a similar hair style. Since my hair is naturally very curly I can only do this when my hair has been straightened. I would use a pomade or hair grease to keep it smooth but I would not plaster it to my face. If I tried this style with a gel my hair would end up at least wavy. Since I have stopped fighting with my hair this is not a style I would attempt any more.
posted by mokeydraws at 11:12 AM on July 23

Oh no notjustfoxybrown - you broke out the JAM! I forgot about that too.
posted by mokeydraws at 11:15 AM on July 23 [1 favorite]

If you do a google image search for Josephine Baker, I think you'll see examples of the style you discuss. I'll not include a direct link, since you're bound to get NSFW images.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:27 AM on July 23

My grandma does this. It's basically a combination of hair gel, water, and greasy hair. Her hair oils up pretty quick, so it helps keep that sheen in even after she washes.
posted by arishaun at 11:31 AM on July 23

There is a word to simply describe black peoples hair: Ulotrichi
posted by Confess, Fletch at 11:39 AM on July 23

ah! i found a good pic via search for josephine baker.

completely safe for work pic

i guess i can get the idea of it when you have short hair (black or otherwise) and don't want it poofing about all over the place.

but it's the girls with the long ponytails who have it pulled back so severely it looks like it hurts that make wonder why they do it. i guess a style is a style, tho. plenty of people stil have feathered do's and get bad perms.
posted by sio42 at 11:40 AM on July 23

mokeydraws and notjustfoxybrown: Don't forget AmPro! Since 1947, baby! Just comb through gobs of that thick brown-almost-black viscous gel into your hair, style, sit under a hair drying machine and emerge with a hard shellaced helmet of hair that'll last for days if you keep it wrapped up right. I've had my mixed hair relaxed and permed straight, but never got the super stylized mega hold hairdos until I needed to have an updo one day for some school function and the salon ladies dabbed a bit of that on my head. I'd only seen it in use, rather than used directly on me, and that style held all night long.

Minor derail: I like how Jam smells and my hair feels nice, but even with the mega hold version, I feel like it just isn't strong enough. With my hair's cut real short recently I needed a gel to hold down the "kitchen" in the back in this hot and humid weather without the back of my head frizzing out into the look and feel of an artificial bearskin rug and Jam isn't doing it well enough. I might need to revisit AmPro.
posted by kkokkodalk at 11:52 AM on July 23 [2 favorites]

In the 1990s I knew a lot of women who wore kiss curls. Sometimes people would do this if they wanted all their hair to look sleek, but not have it all scraped back off their face. So they'd brush the little baby hairs around the hairline forward- which looks kind of cute and soft- but if the hair is kinky or curly, the baby hairs don't stay down unless you put an oil-based product on them, and maybe shape them into kiss curls. Salt N Pepa and Mary J Blige used to do this. It's just a hairstyle.

It's also better for the hairline- perming those little hairs straight or scraping them all back into a tight ponytail will make those hairs pull out, and eventually the hairline recedes (traction alopecia).

Keep in mind that many of the black women you see in the media have very expensive and frequent hair maintenance schedules or else wear wigs (this one even has a fake hairline, called a "lace-front") almost all the time. The average woman on the street doesn't have that time or money to spend, so she doesn't get her hair straightened all the time or wear a wig- that means her hairline gets puffy as her natural texture grows in, and heavy products help weigh it down and keep it looking neat.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 11:56 AM on July 23

I have wondered if the greased hair thing on tough girls was not related -- if you're going to Vaseline up your face, it's bound to get in your hair. And what's cool with the tough crowd often ends up cool with the not-so-tough crowd, so...

Ummmm. I don't think so. When you use a petroleum-based pomade, it often melts onto your face a little bit at the hairline, though.

/white girl who uses Murray's Super Light on her short hair.
posted by desuetude at 12:02 PM on July 23

Oh, also, combing the hair forward onto the face can help hide a receding hairline. If a woman develops traction alopecia from a lifetime of tight hairstyles, combing it forward onto the face can hide the patchy areas. So you comb it forward to visually lower the hairline, then you use heavy product to keep it neat and in place without having to perm it straight.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 12:03 PM on July 23

You know who else had oiled-looking hair?

That's right, the Fonz. He did his hair with pomade. Since you are a guy, and so more likely to be looking at male hair products, this is what you would look for. It's usually made with a wax and an oil. One old, famous brand is Brylcreem.

I think you apply it every time you style your hair. So, "once a month" couldn't be right.
posted by Houstonian at 2:21 PM on July 23

I don't really understand what exact "hairstyle" to which the OP is referring. Are you just talking side-swept bangs? Are you referring to people of color who need to use certain products to keep hair tame? Seems like every poster here is referring to a slightly different style and I'd like to know what the OP is picturing.

I don't think I've ever seen someone who had "As much hair as possible as close to the scalp as possible. The bangs are then stuck to the forehead, and it looks like this is purely oil based."

(I'm simply envisioning flat-ironed side-swept bangs, but the OP seemed slightly disgusted with this style, so it must be more dramatic that what I picture.)
posted by Lullen at 5:32 PM on July 23

Confess, Fletch: according to the definition you linked, the word "ulotrichi" is a plural noun for people who have tightly curled hair. The corresponding adjective to describe a person who has such hair would be "ulotrichous". The singular noun would be "ulotrichy" according to my OED--"the state or condition of being ulotrichous." I don't think this word refers to the hair itself, unless it can be used in the way that "blond" or "brunette" can describe the hair and, loosely, a person who has such hair.
posted by paulg at 5:49 PM on July 23

sio42: "ah! i found a good pic via search for josephine baker.
completely safe for work pic


This is the closest image i have seen yet to the hairstyly i am envisioning. the top of the head is right, The shiny, almost helmet like look is spot on, but rather than just one curl plastered to the forehead in front, picture all the bangs plastered to the forehead, about an inch down.
posted by ichthuz at 9:50 PM on July 23

My DD used to get that Josephine Baker look with a super strength hair gel that only looked oily but was a hard as a rock helmet when dry. She's thankfully given that up in favour of braids. I can't see anyone plastering bangs down with an oily product as it will make your skin break out sooner or later. I don't think of it as a style, unlike Josephine's, but more of a survival mechanism as DD's hair is delicate and it take work to style.
posted by x46 at 10:03 PM on July 23