Good Hair: The Price Good Hair Addicts Pay

Good hair addicts continue to soar in the African American community at an alarming rate. In fact, much like alcohol, drugs, overeating or gambling, millions of African American women are falling prey to this modern day epidemic. This under-the-radar problem is causing many to go bankrupt, causing marriage and relationship issues and wasting countless hours of free time to maintain this addictive habit.

Before going any further let me define this growing problem. A good hair addict is a woman who obsesses with a desire to have and maintain long, flowing European-like hair at almost any cost. Often that cost is time, money and even relationships. Yes, this addictions is causing more marriage and relationship problems to the dismay of many marriage counselors. "Many women don't care that their obsession could be ruining their relationships with their husbands or boyfriends," says one confused counselor from Boston.

The cost alone is causing many women to go bankrupt. For example, the biggest profit center in the lucrative hair business, especially among African Americans is the "weaving sector". This is a process where human or synthetic hair is added to the clients natural hair. Market Focus, a New York research company estimates African American hair extensions alone generated over 500 million dollars last year. In fact, one of India's biggest exports to America is get this - human hair!

In fact, India exports over 13 billion dollars worth of human hair, and that figure continues to grow each year. Of course African American women are not the only women purchasing hair. Women from all over the world buy mountains of it,. especially in Europe and America. But African American women purchase the largest amount based on the percentage of their disposable income. Some addicts have been known to spend over 50% of their disposable income on this obsession.

Critics complain most of the billions of dollars generated from the weave extensions industry is not coming from millionaire celebrities, business women or socialites. No! Over 95 percent come from middle-class, lower-middle class, working-class and in many cases women on the poverty level. In fact, many women have been known to spend family food money to get a touch up . That's why this new phenomenon has been termed as good hair addicts.

Marriages and relationships have been known to break up over this problem. For example, many couples have fought not only over the cost and strain on the family budget, but on the lack of intimacy in the bedroom. "Rule number one! Never run your fingers through a Black woman's hair weave", says Don Turner, the self-proclaimed husband of an addict. Comedian Chris Rock saw this growing problem through an innocent comment made by his daughter. He then decided to produce a documentary movie coming out this month. It's simply titled "Good Hair". It explores this growing problem and the industry that benefits from it.

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