Good hair

Good hair is a colloquial phrase used within the African American community to generally describe African American hair (or the hair texture belonging to those of other ethnicities who fit the same description) that most closely resembles the hair of non-blacks (straight or curly), especially those images of hair popularly presented in hegemonic society.

Its usage has such a potent history within the African American community that Chris Rock created a documentary entitled Good Hair, which made a wider audience more aware of the importance of the term within the black community. Its circulation within the U.S. Black community has an unspecified origin, predating Rock's documentary. Depending on the context, good hair can connote and evoke both communal laughter and pain. Therefore, the phrase requires a more nuanced explanation for its complicated usages.