The hot comb is a piece of societal culture because it was first introduced to French woman, but made the largest impact on African-American women. Once women of every race noticed the impact the hot comb was taking, they too decided to use the product. The hot comb can also be a piece of reflective culture because it was essential to African-American women during the time of slavery. During the difficult time of slavery, women shared the same characteristics of not knowing how to comb their hair. Because African-American women tend to have thick, curly, coarse hair that breaks easily, some believed it was best to use the hot comb so they can easily comb it different ways, while others believed the hot comb took culture away from the African-American women because they should instead embrace their beautiful curly hair. Lastly, the hot comb is also a piece of expressive culture because women were able to feel better about themselves, as they found a new way to take care of their hair and they felt better about themselves, and expressing their culture in a new way.