Personal Narrative: My Natural Hair Journey

hair styles to have different means. Shane White and Graham White authors of The Journal of

There has been a notable amount of conversation on the internet on the rebirth of the natural hair movement. Cherise Luter (2014) states that despite afros and the natural hair movement not being a new concept (i.e. the Black Power Movement), it has gone under what she calls a “refreshing change”. Furthermore, what used to be “I’m black and I’m proud”, has been replaced with “I’m me and I’m proud” (Luter 2016). So, what is the natural hair movement? It is defined as a movement where black women decide to not conform to the social norms of chemically altering their hair and wearing it in its natural, kinky, or curled state (Joignot 2015). The movement could also be considered as an outlet for black women to display their racial and cultural pride or to articulate their “political position (Brown 2014:297). However, simply the terminology “movement” is something that should be shocking to many. There is a great amount of historical context behind the continuous influence Eurocentric beauty ideals have had on black women for centuries. According to Nadia Brown (2014), Black natural hair throughout history has proven to be recognized as “either unintended or intended personal and political statements” (298). the beauty standard in Western society which praises European hair textures, has influenced many black women to be critical of other black women who choose to chemically straighten their hair, accusing them of being subservient to the dominant and pervasive racist

For years, African woman have been the prime consumers of chemical relaxers. We all have experienced similar outcome from the substance. The main result we love most about it is that our hair is so easy to manage and is straighter without our natural curl pattern appearing. Even though we lust to have straight and manageable hair, we neglect to actually think about what this substance is doing to our hair, better yet our bodies and children. So, by questing that, I would like to share the benefits and non-beneficial effects of the chemical relaxer, and introduce the other alternatives for straight hair because women need to completely stop using chemical relaxer and open her mind to a safer and natural

Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair, investigates the notion of what good hair is. Dominant society views good hair as straight or essentially caucasian hair. This is not only problematic to the self-esteem and confidence of black women, but it can also cause black women to appropriate Asian culture. Black women unfortunately take advantage of Asian culture in search of what society believes is good hair. Many black women wear weaves in order to align to what society believes is good hair. However, when they buy this hair, they do not realize what Asians go through. Likewise, Asians who give up their hair do not know where or who this hair will be going to. Thus, this desire for good hair further perpetuates the lack of understanding that black

Quarterly haircuts and at-home washes are a must. A very popular choice for many natural girl is the wash and go, co wash method and pineapple or twist out nightly. Everything can be done at home with products starting at four dollars. Regardless of hair texture haircuts are helpful with growth. As for the wash and go hair method it is simple. The hair needs to be washed with either shampoo and conditioner or just conditioner. Then you detangle in the shower with running water. The next step varies depending on the person. Option one is to just go about your day and then let your hair dry. The second, is to use a styling product like an oil, gel, styling cream, or even a styling custard then allowing you hair to dry. Either option can be done with a hair diffuser to show off curls or a simple air dry method. Hair diffusers are an extension of a blow dryer. They are large with small teeth spread out on a circular bottom with holes for air to go through. Previously we disgusted co-washing or conditioner only washing. Co-washing is a method created to shorten the time it takes to wash hair and also hydrate the hair with beautiful springy

I wanted to start of the event with this video. I made it a few weeks ago. When I started working on this project I really thought that this was a minority only problem and I wanted to focus on Hispanics because of my Colombian decent. I wanted to honor my roots while embracing my American life style. But it was Monday night, a slow day at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean city somersault bridge and I was polishing glass for my side work and chit chatting with my coworkers. I was specifically talking to a co work. American. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. About 40 years old. I was telling her about my Tuesday plan that was handing out exit surveys at a polling location. She was confused. I said yes the primaries are tomorrow (this was Monday

Hair modification is a century old tradition for all ethnicities. The focus of this research paper will be the benefits of natural hair versus relaxed hair within the African American hair community. My position on this issue is that the natural state of hair is inherently better than the processed relaxed state of hair, even though African American women continue to relax their hair the outcome may be extreme.

Natural hair is what embraces your natural beauty. The fact that one strand of hair is

So you want to go natural without doing the big chop? Transitioning your hair is a simple process of growing out your natural texture of hair. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you transition to your natural hair. Follow these steps and you will have thick, beautiful natural hair that is hydrated and easy to maintain.

Rely on your professional stylist to educate and recommend to you what is needed for your hair to be healthy. Often I have to remind clients that there is a reason we (stylists) are licensed by the state, we practice our profession. There are things your stylist has been taught in cosmetology school, as well as, advanced classes and experience. Your professional should know more than you. As my mechanic knows more about cars than I. Although they sell tools a mechanic uses at local auto parts stores very few of us try it at home. I am often taken aback by the exchange between stylists and clients. Trust is necessary as well as sticking with one principal stylist. Often the condition of your tresses cannot be assessed by the untrained eye. As the seasons change, so does our hair.

Even though everyone is going crazy over natural hair, relaxed hair may work better for you. You can manage your hair so much easier. Relaxers relax the curl pattern and makes it easier to detangle and manageable. You can wash your hair and let it air dry without combing it out and still will not have a issue with combing through from root to tip. One of the best things about relaxers is if you can go out in the rain your hair will not get puffy because of the humidity or will it puff up. Your hair will still be completely straight, and flexible with hair styles in any type of climate. The humidity will never be an issue or will frizz ever be a part of your worries. I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy straight hair without the constant use of hair styling tool, unlike with natural hair. You’ll find yourself using styling tools like flat irons a lot

As history often always repeats itself, the natural hair movement has relaunched itself but this time it is no longer a trend but has become a lifestyle. This is resembling the rebirth of the Black Panther movement, radicalism, patriotism and loyalty to mother Africa. This is taking back our blackness by no longer subscribing to European like ideals of and beauty standards. This movement can be seen as a trend like in the late 60's where after some time many people returned to relaxing their hair but this movement is here to stay. The difference with natural hair this time around is it is not a rebellion as it was in the late 60's, this is an embracement of natural hair. The movement goes beyond simply allowing your hair to grow as is. This

Since colonialism, blacks have been subjected to white standards of beauty. For African Americans, gaining acceptance in society was once synonymous with whitening one’s appearance. Throughout African American history, black women have styled their hair in order to avoid shame and mortification and attempt to appear under American standards of beauty. For example, during slavery, slaves were required to change their hair to resemble white beauty standards. Changes in hairstyles varied between light-skinned and dark-skinned slaves due to their working positions. In the 1970s, during the Black Power movement, idealisms of black beauty changed and the afro was worn as an act of rebellion and a symbol of black power. Despite the movement, relaxers were still ubiquitous in black barber shops and salons. Not until recently has the use of relaxers dwindled and more African Americans are deciding to wear their hair natural. While the current natural hair movement may not be an act of rebellion, it does represent how African Americans ideas about black beauty have changed. Where at once point blacks chose to wear their hair in a certain manner for political reasons, or due to unconscious attempts to style themselves after white American beauty standards, modern day blacks are styling their hair for personal reasons. Today African Americans can find an innumerable amount of resources for natural hair now that the movement is flourishing. Naturalists can find support through online

As people look around the different cities of our fair country, one might notice that many people nowadays are coloring their hair to cover grey or just for the fun of it. One difference among the younger generation and the older generation is the colors that are chosen for their hair. The younger generation of this day and age seem to prefer wild colors such as Infra Red, Mystic Heather, Deadly Nightshade, Tiger Lily, etc, as self-expression compared to the older generation choosing natural shades to cover the signs of aging. This can be seen in the rising number of young people that are seen around with these types of wild colors. Not all young people choose the wild colors over natural shades because some choose the

My hair has always been curly. When I was a small baby, my hair was black, thin, and there was TONS of it. It was quite the mess for my mother to handle, so she often just brushed it after my bath or let my hair go crazy on its own. Now that I am 17, bad habits have been formed, and I am currently working on demolishing them. I am trying to nourish my curls back to good health; after all, they have been through a lot. They went through the classic, middle school phase which consists of frying my hair with an overheated straightener every day. My historically luscious curls also went through a seven-hour salon session of bleaching, and barely survived the phase of putting my hair in tight buns on the top of my head. Needless to say, my hair is damaged, broken, and hurting. Getting it back to healthy, beautiful, and happy hair is going to be the biggest challenge of my lifetime.