The hot comb, also known as a straightening comb, is a hair styling tool that has been used for over a century by African American women to straighten their naturally curly or kinky hair. It is believed to have been invented in the late 1800s by Frenchman Marcel Grateau, who created a heated metal rod to curl women's hair. However, it was Sarah Breedlove, better known as Madam C.J. Walker, who is credited with popularizing and improving the hot comb for black women's hair.
Madam C.J. Walker was an African American entrepreneur and self-made millionaire who made her fortune by creating and selling hair care products specifically designed for Black women. In 1905, she invented a line of hair care products that included a special formula for straightening hair, and soon after, she began selling a metal hot comb that was heated on a stove and used to straighten hair.
Walker's hot comb was made with wider teeth than traditional combs to make it easier to comb through curly or kinky hair, and it was designed to be used with her hair care products to protect the hair from heat damage. Her hot comb became incredibly popular, and her hair care products and other beauty items helped make her one of the most successful and wealthy African American businesswomen of her time.
Madam C.J. Walker's marketing campaigns for her hot comb and hair care products were innovative and highly effective. She advertised in African American newspapers and magazines, hired sales agents to travel door-to-door, and organized hair shows and demonstrations to promote her products. She also developed a highly successful mail-order business, allowing women from all over the country to purchase her products and have them delivered directly to their homes. Through her marketing efforts, Madam C.J. Walker helped to establish the use of the hot comb as a common practice in African American hair care. Her hair care system, which included the hot comb, shampoo, and pomade, became immensely popular and helped to revolutionize the black hair care industry.
The hot comb continued to be an important hair styling tool for Black women throughout the 20th century, and it paved the way for other hair straightening tools, such as flat irons and chemical relaxers. Despite criticisms of the hot comb's potential to damage hair and its association with Eurocentric beauty standards, many Black women still use it today as a way to achieve a straighter, smoother hairstyle.