A lot of black women still go through all of the things you describe. I know lots of women who put rollers in their hair nightly (to cut down on heat damage) and I have occasionally gotten a wet-set at the stylists or done one at home with lots of rollers under the hair dryer to keep a curly yet not my natural curly-frizzy-kink of my own hair. It was funny when I moved last year and one of my male friends was DUMB-FOUNDED when he picked up my hooded hair dryer; he had no clue about what it was and didn't realize such things exists. I do pin curls and warm rollers still most days, and just got more hair cut off for a trim than I liked as a result of using the warm curlers every week day for a month b/c I was too lazy to pin it up the night before, but it would have been worse with a curling iron. A lot (probably the majority) of black women also still get "permanents" but instead of perms to curl our hair we get perms or relaxers to straighten our hair, and then have to turn around and use the curlers, etc, to give body. Many also, wear nightcaps and special scarves to "wrap" our hair to make it straight, something I don't do well, so I usually skip it. Although it is changing and more black women are going back to wearing hairstyles that don't require chemicals, some with variations on an afro (bigger ones, medium ones, small ones called teeny weeny afro's), some women go with twists, braids or locs (often referred to as dreadlocs, which many find offensive now adays) but except for the afro, the other hairstyles require lots of time, maintenance and money at the hair dressers, and of course the afro requires some special care too.

I know that for me growing up, even when my white female friends were getting curly perms and doing lots of teasing and back combing (Jersey in the 80's) I still envied them for not being subjected to the relaxers and rolling- hair up and all the other things we black women do b/c our stuff takes longer and plenty of them could still just wash and go or be at the pool and not get funny looks after their hair got wet, something I could never do (well not without many comments and questions). I remember being at a school band trip to an amusement park and getting on an amusement ride and getting my hair wet and having it curl up and frizz out and having a friend stare at me wide-eyed and say "dude, what happened to your hair?" THe things we women go through to fit in and for acceptance.

I embraced my pin-straight hair in the 90′s. So thankful things have changed! (Though I’m still envious of the natural-curl girls…)