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01-05-08, 02:38 PM
Uhm...the whole sebum theory is kind of silly to me. If it was really the case of sebum being able to flow down the shaft of the hair, thereby making it more moisturized, then the hair on top of your head, regardless of hair texture or "race", would always be dry and brittle. This sebum argument seems to be yet another "scientific" endeavor to inferiorize the traits of African people, and Africans are buying it (yet again).
The sebaceous glands are what secrete sebum, but sebum is just how the body naturally oils the skin. These glands are most often connected to hair follicles, but that only makes sense given it is an opening to moisturize the outer layer of skin. You will also find sebaceous glands on places where there is little to no hair such as the male and female genitalia, lips, and all around the body including the eyelids. The oil or sebum produced has been linked to the clogged pores resulting in acne and other dermitological problems.
If you have very active sebaceous glands, then I don't doubt that it would help naturally moisturize the hair near the scalp. However, to insist that our hair texture inhibits the flow of sebum down the hair shaft just simply isn't well thought out in justifying an argument that Afro-textured hair is "more dry" in my estimation.
A Luta Continua—Lasima Tushinde Mbilishaka
Last edited by Shemsi en Tehuti; 01-05-08 at 02:51 PM.
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