I (white woman with cropped hair) have kind of an odd question. I don't really know how to phrase it but...
I see tons of black hair salons in London advertising all sorts of treatments, and big black wig shops with every style of fake hair imaginable. Most of the black women I have seen have done something to their hair, like straightening or braiding. Why do they do this? Why don't more black women have natural hair? I get that a massive Afro might be a bit too much to deal with, but I think chin to ear length black hair looks great. Also, is it the same in predominantly black countries, like African countries? Or is it a thing that has evolved in the West to make black hair look less, well, black?
There are many articles on this topic, and I'm sure that someone else can answer better than I (another white woman) can, but you should really check out the movie Good Hair. It's a documentary by Chris Rock and it spends an hour and a half answering your questions. It really is must watch.
Good Hair is a good place to start. But the short answer is to your bolded question is yes. Black kids get kicked out of private schools for wearing natural hair. Black people get fired from jobs for it. Much us this discriminatory attitude has been internalized by Black people themselves, especially older people. When I stopped flat ironing my hair, people kept telling me I need to "do" something. Your hair should be "done" in some way, as if the way we are made is inherently disgusting or inferiority. So sad. There are black women who don't even know the actual texture of their own hair, because it has been chemically straightened for so long.
Here's an article detailing several news articles about Black fired for not straightening their hair, including a woman discharged from the Navy because of brief guidelines that basically prohibited Black women from having many practical natural hair styles: http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2015/09/women-fired-for-their-hairstyles/
There is a big natural hair movement that's making big progress though! Things have changed, even since Good Hair came out. It would be unthinkable for someone in my position to wear natural hair to work even 10 years ago. Now, out of the few black women at my law firm, most of us have natural hair.
I agree with this.
The black hair care industry is making a ton of money. From stylists to products. But now that I'm older and trying to be more frugal, I vowed I would stop spending so much money on hair. Particularly salon visits to get it straightened because it is so costly.
Now do understand that there is the process of chemically straightening with a relaxer, like one of the other posters mentioned, and then there is the process of "temporarily" straightening natural hair (with a flat iron). When I was getting relaxers I always went to the salon because, well that's just how I was raised. I didn't have family that was comfortable applying relaxers to my hair themselves and generally speaking, I never was either. But for those that do relax, the cheaper alternative would be to do this as one of the other posters mentioned she does.
I am natural, but I like variety so sometimes I like to wear it straight so even though I'm not relaxed, if I want it temporarily straightened (meaning the use of a blow dryer and flat iron), I "usually" go to the salon. Runs about $80 just for that. Too expensive considering rain/heat/humidity/fog/sweating from the gym can take it from straight to kinky very quickly, especially since my hair has not been chemically straightened. Again, making it too costly. Part of the reason why I am investing in a few better tools (blow dryer, steamer, etc.) so I can start straightening it myself from time to time.
But alas, I still tire of the bun (boring) and the straightened look (only lasts a few days and have to keep putting heat on it) so I am looking for more permanent, stylish, low cost alternatives.