In Chapter 7, Kenny's mom is shocked to discover that Byron has gotten his hair "conked". Though it went by many names (conk, process, butter and probably some others I've forgotten), getting your hair straightened was not an easy or enjoyable process.
The conk got its name from the hair product "congolene", a hair straightening product made from lye. Conk hairstyles were worn by many African American men from the 1920s to the 1960s. This hairstyle called for a man with "kinky" or natural hair to have it chemically straightened usiing a relaxer (sometimes the pure corrosive chemical lye), so that the newly straightened hair could be styled in specific ways. Often, the relaxer was made at home, by mixing lye, eggs, and potatoes, the applier having to wear gloves and the receiver's head having to be rinsed thoroughly after application to avoid chemical burns. Regardless of the styling, conks required a considerable amount of effort to maintain: a man often had to wear a do-rag of some sort at home, to prevent sweat or other agents from causing his hair to revert to its natural state prematurely. Also, the style required repeated application of relaxers; as new hair grew in, it too had to be chemically straightened.
source: wikipedia
Here are some examples of men with "conks"....
Duke Ellington, composer and musician
"Sugar" Ray Robinson, middleweight boxing champion
The Temptations, a popular Motown singing group
Byron's father ends up cutting off Byron's hair while whistling the Nat King Cole song "Straighten Up And Fly Right" Click in the picture below to hear the song.
When Dad and Byron come out of the bathroom, Dad presents him to Mom as "your long-lost son from Siam, His Royal Highness, Yul Watson". This is a reference to the bald actor, Yul Brynner, who played the King of Siam in the play and movie version of "The King and I". Here's a picture of him in costume.
