Silk the Shocker

 I’m old enough to remember a time before hair bonnets.

So what did we use way back then, you ask? Silk scarves.

If, for some reason, we had to step outside and our hair wasn’t presentable — maybe it was in a roller set, or halfway through an all-day braid session— we’d cover it with a colorful silk scarf. A very large one, folded, tied, and arranged in a manner that was pleasing and stylish.

I once read that in 1786, New Orleans enacted a law requiring Black women to cover their hair because their elaborate hairstyles were considered too beguiling to men. But this tactic backfired beautifully: women devised even more magnificent ways of tying fabrics and scarves, turning a restriction into a statement of creativity and elegance.

That tradition persisted through the generations.

As a child, I was taught to tie a scarf to protect my hair while I slept, or when doing housework or yard work. The silk kept my strands safe from dust, dirt, and the perils of a cotton pillowcase on natural hair. Buying a silk scarf was an event — they were expensive— and you took care of it for years. It was a personal, private statement piece, seen only by a select few… similar to lingerie.

Today, though, many women have traded this tradition for cheap, synthetic polyester sacks with elastic bands that wick moisture and ruin edges. Sigh.

Do yourself (and your hair) a favor, hon: get a silk scarf.