The Surgeon General Talks Natural Hair

     U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin says that too many Black women are forgoing exercise because they're worried it will ruin their relaxed hair. She stopped by a trade show in Atlanta to spread her message. 

    Surgeon Generals often weigh in on issues  like tobacco or disease prevention. But Dr. Regina M. Benjamin says this topic is just as important because passing on exercising to preserve their styles means passing on better health.

    “Oftentimes you get women saying, ‘I can’t exercise today because I don’t want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet,’ ” she said in an interview. “  When you’re starting to exercise, you look for reasons not to, and sometimes the hair is one of those reasons.” Read the New York Times coverage of the article here. 

   Meanwhile, A new study  in the Archives of Dermatology found that two out of five African-American women avoid exercising because they're worried about their hair. Researchers point out that the amount of time and money some African-American women invest in salon visits may deter them from sweating out their styles. Check out more about the study here.