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A Short History
of the African Comb or "Afro Pick"
The African Comb has been around for
hundreds of years. The earliest known African Combs date back to the 14th Century and before. They were usually
made of wood, bamboo, ivory or bone, or other natural material indigenous to a tribal area. (click here for more examples of early African Combs)
The African Comb was used as a tool to sculpt, curl, or straighten the hair but that's not the only role it played
in African culture and history. Originally, each part of the comb; the handle, the body, and the prongs (also known
as teeth or tines) had a cultural meaning. They were often carved with ornate designs and figures to indicate tribal
affiliation and history as well as personal status and wealth. It was also tradition to present a comb to someone
as a sign of love.
When Africans were brought to America (and other countries) as slaves the African Comb was one of the many cultural traditions that were lost,
forgotten, or forbidden. It took hundreds of years before the African Comb would develop into a traditional part
of life for African Americans. But sadly it has never taken on the same full traditional meaning it did centuries
ago. |
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The African Comb didn't truly spring
into popularity in America until the 1960s, during a time when African Americans began to rediscover their ancestry
and when the modern American Civil Rights Movement began. The African Comb became a part of the American Civil Rights Movement
because it was believed that wearing an Afro hair style was a way of showing you supported the Black Power movement. These special combs were the only hair tools that could create
and manage Afro hairstyles.
During the 60s the African Comb became known as the Afro Pick (or Afro Pic, or Afro Pik). The historic tradition
of tribal and cultural symbolism seen in ancient African Combs came
through in some of the modern designs of the 1960s Afro-Picks.
The handle of the Black Power Fist style pick, now one the most popular among
retro style Afro Picks, symbolized the Black Power movement. Black Power mostly referred to black unity & strength, self-reliance,
racial pride, and economic & political empowerment. The pick featured an all black body and handle with the
handle shaped like a upraised fist.
The Red, Green,
& Black (RGB) Folding
style Afro Pick symbolized the colors of the African-American flag. These colors were adopted from the many flags
of Africa. It is believed the colors for the Afro-American flag were chosen by civil rights leader Marcus
Garvey. The flag was
designed to symbolize and encourage African American's strength, unity, and rediscovery of their heritage. The
red is thought to symbolize bloodshed, the green symbolizes the earth, and black symbolizes the people.
The folding style Afro Pick was also popular because it could be placed in a jacket or pants pocket without tearing
the clothes and without stabbing yourself with the metal teeth.
The Black Folding style Afro Pick was created for those who
wanted the strength and stealth of the RGB folding pick but preferred the the solid black
color to reflect the Black Power movement.
The Fan style Afro Pick was fashioned more for practical
and traditional reasons than for political ones but still it held on to Black Power status by always being made
of black colored plastic. The rounded handle was also reminiscent of some ancient combs that were carved to resemble
the sun or the moon. The fan shape separates and untangles the hair well and is similar to ancient African combs
that were made of straw and bamboo. Fan picks were often favored by women in the 1960s.
The Rake style Afro Pick was not designed as fashionably as other afro picks but it
definitely had symbolism, purpose and function. The shear shape & size enabled the user to detangle even the
thickest head of hair and helped create some of the biggest afros ever seen. And during the sixties some felt the
bigger the afro the more you supported the Civil Rights movement and the Black Power movement. Also, in the sixties,
some radical youths viewed the rake style afro pick as a symbol of strength and power due to the large metal prongs
and cleaver shape. The handle was almost always made of black plastic or dark colored wood. |
Some whites who wanted to show solidarity
with blacks during the Civil Rights movement did so in one way by sporting their own version of the Afro hair style.
They quickly learned that the afro pick was the only comb that would let them achieve this.
The sixties was also a time when young people of all ethnic backgrounds began to take an interest in a more "natural"
way of life. The idea of not conforming and not following the rules set by the "establishment" carried
through to clothing and hair styles. It's this school of thought that brought the Afro Pick to the attention of
just about every curly headed teenage American - whether their hair was black, blonde, or red.
In the late 60s
and into the 70s, many teens and young adults of every race wore their hair as natural as
possible, letting their curls and locks hang loose and free. No blow dryers or brushes were used unless absolutely
necessary for the most radical of 60's youth. The Afro Pick was often the only way to keep these "natural"
hairstyles manageable when dry, but everyone soon learned a Metal Afro Pick
would also be the perfect tool for detangling wet hair no matter what style you were aiming for. |
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By the late 70s Afro Picks were being
used mostly by anyone who permed their hair. And there was a whole lot of perming going on in the seventies. It
was the era of the really bad poodle perm. Even middle-aged white men were getting their hair permed - ahh! By
this time wearing an Afro had little to do with supporting the Black Power Movement, Civil Rights, or personal
freedoms. The Afro had all but lost much of its political connotations. Little or no photos remain documenting
the need for Afro Picks to tame the perms of the 70s. And it's no wonder. Those tight, frizzy, dry perms were a
part of fashion history that is best left in the past.
| Adding insult to injury in the world
of hair fashion of the 70s and the history of the Afro Pick was the fact that most stores began to carry only weak
and flimsy plastic picks with fat, uneven surfaces that snagged and tugged on hair, causing breakage of the hair
and the pick. All plastic picks looked as if they came from the same mold. Picks with metal teeth (a.k.a. metal tines or prongs) were getting harder and harder to find as
rumors spread that they were being used as weapons. Schools banned them, stores stopped selling them. Afro Picks
were quickly on their way to being forced out of popular American culture due to fear, ignorance, and really bad
fashion sense. |
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By the 1980s and 1990s the horrible tight perms of the seventies had died out and it seemed so did
the use of Afro Picks. Those ugly poodle perms gave way to reshaping or retexturizing of the hair. Transforming
naturally frizzy or tightly curled hair into straight styles or large voluptuous bouncy curls and spirals became
the hottest styling process for blacks and whites.
With metal tine picks nearly impossible to find, and plastic picks
of little or no value, hair stylists were recommending using just your fingers to comb and style curly and permed
hair. By the end of the 90s it looked like natural African American hairstyles and the Afro Pick were gone for
good. |
Now, in the 21st Century, the popularity of the Metal Afro Pick is making a come back and thank goodness
not because frizzy perms are back.
The recent surge in popularity of the Afro Pick is partly because young African-Americans are once again rediscovering
the importance of their cultural history as well as taking pride in the natural beauty of traditional African hair
styles and the modern styles that have evolved from them.
But it's also due to a new wave of hip-hop and soul
coming from young black artists as well as a new era full of role models in the arts and in business who aren't
afraid to be themselves. Throw a little retro fan-fare in the mix and the Metal Afro Pick is once again in demand. |
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Modern forms of the African Comb (a.ka.
the Metal Afro Pick) are now used by people of all ethnic backgrounds and all ages to comb, style and detangle
naturally curly hair or permed hair, and to tease hair into appearing fuller and taller. More and more people are
discovering how easily a Metal
Afro Pick glides through
curly or kinky hair when it is wet or dry, with less damage to the hair than any other type of comb or brush.
It's also well known that Metal
Afro Picks are the
best tool for combing and styling wigs of all shapes and styles. This is especially useful to cancer victims who
often wear wigs due to hair loss from chemotherapy.
While the Metal Afro
Pick has once again
surged in popularity in American culture, unfortunately it has not yet fully taken on the same unique importance
in modern day African-American culture as it did in ancient African culture. Perhaps one day it will. |
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