Black women Natural hair vs Relaxed hair rant (girl, head, braids)
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It may not make sense to you personally but the choice to achieve a straight look without relaxers can be done without damage. It is simply a personal choice and a matter of one's individual hair care practices (use of heat protectants, deep conditioning the hair regularly, maintaining the protein and moisture balance, etc). And maybe your friends happen to not care (or know) about healthy hair care practices.
Personally, I found the chemicals in relaxers had a damaging effect on the skin of my scalp. And while I believe that it is possible to have healthy relaxed hair, my hair was not as healthy when it was relaxed. So my answer was to go back to my natural hair texture. Healthy hair is much more important to me than obtaining a bone straight look on a daily basis.
I have yet to get a answer to the question of how you can consider your hair "natural" when you're not wearing it in its "natural" state? When your hair is straighten, it looks like you have a relaxer and straight hair is not your natural texture so how can you claim natural when your hair doesn't reflect the look of its natural texture? The use of a relaxer or not is irrevelant if you're still achieving the same look.
I have yet to get a answer to the question of how you can consider your hair "natural" when you're not wearing it in its "natural" state? When your hair is straighten, it looks like you have a relaxer and straight hair is not your natural texture so how can you claim natural when your hair doesn't reflect the look of its natural texture? The use of a relaxer or not is irrevelant if you're still achieving the same look.
What? That makes no sense. How my hair looks does not dictate if my hair is natural or not. Natural means lack of chemicals used to alter the texture. Natural means this is the hair texture growing out of my head. Me flat ironing it straight is temporary compared to relaxing it. Why, because since my hair is natural it reverts back to the original texture that I was born with.
What? That makes no sense. How my hair looks does not dictate if my hair is natural or not. Natural means lack of chemicals used to alter the texture. Natural means this is the hair texture growing out of my head. Me flat ironing it straight is temporary compared to relaxing it. Why, because since my hair is natural it reverts back to the original texture that I was born with.
Exactly! Straight hair doesn't grow out your head. If someone curls their hair, that doesn't make them have natural curly hair. They just used the appropriate tools to achieve a curly hair but once they wash their hair, their hair will no longer be curly and it'll be straight until they curl it again. Their natural texture would be straight hair not curly hair because curly hair doesn't grow out their head. However if I was to see them with their curls, I would think either they had natural curly hair or they had a curly perm because that is the texture they're using to reflect as their own. Its sounds hypocritical to tell someone your hair is "natural" when you're not wearing it in its natural state. Most of the naturals who actually wear their hair in its natural state, don't consider those naturals who straighten their hair as naturals because their hair does not reflect what it looks like in its natural state.
I understand the point those naturals make because if you're wearing your hair straight, you're not reflecting what the whole "natural movement" is about. No longer using relaxers doesn't pose a issue when you know you can still wear the straight look without using them. However if you didn't have that option to still be able to wear a relaxed look, would you still not use relaxers and actually wear your hair in its "natural" state?
Last edited by Shysister; 03-04-2011 at 04:38 PM..
Exactly! Straight hair doesn't grow out your head. If someone curls their hair, that doesn't make them have natural curly hair. They just used the appropriate tools to achieve a curly hair but once they wash their hair, their hair will no longer be curly and it'll be straight until they curl it again. Their natural texture would be straight hair not curly hair because curly hair doesn't grow out their head. However if I was to see them with their curls, I would think either they had natural curly hair or they had a curly perm because that is the texture they're using to reflect as their own. Its sounds hypocritical to tell someone your hair is "natural" when you're not wearing it in its natural state. Most of the naturals who actually wear their hair in its natural state, don't consider those naturals who straighten their hair as naturals because their hair does not reflect what it looks like in its natural state.
I understand the point those naturals make because if you're wearing your hair straight, you're not reflecting what the whole "natural movement" is about. No longer using relaxers doesn't pose a issue when you know you can still wear the straight look without using them. However if you didn't have that option to still be able to wear a relaxed look, would you still not use relaxers and actually wear your hair in its "natural" state?
Yes. I still would not use a relaxer. I am perfectly happy with my natural hair texture. I would have zero problems if I never again straighten my type 4a/4b hair for the rest of my life.
I am not a "natural hair" Nazi. And I could care less what someone else does or does not do with their hair. I have no issues with anyone with natural hair who make the choice to heat straighten (press/flatiron/blowdry/Dominican blowout). I have no issues with anyone who choses to relax, texlax or BKT their hair. Its all a personal choice. What works for one does not work for another. Choices are a beautiful thing.
Oh ok that's where my confusion was coming from because of the whole "natural hair movement" most of the time I hear women who are naturals say they chose to be natural because of the self hate Black women have due to society brain washing them to believe "straight" hair is beautiful and you're not beautiful unless you have straight hair. So they stop using relaxers and start wearing their natural texture to break away from that stereotype. However I'm realizing not all Black women choose to stop using relaxers for that reason. One my friends had too because she has Eczema and she gets her hair straighten every week so she can wear the straight look but if she could use relaxers she would but her dermatologist told her to stop getting them. The other 2 friends who are natural that straighten, 1 only straightens in the winter months because its too cold for her to do her wash n gos she does in the summer. The other straighten her hair every 2 weeks just because she's able too wear the relaxed look without using a relaxer and you will never catch her showing her natural texture. I ask her why is that and she said she doesn't want to wear her texture and she stopped getting relaxers because its cheaper now that she doesn't get them yet she can still wear her hair like she has one.
One of my friends who straighten sent that video to one of my friends who wear her hair in its natural state and she sent it to me to prove that she thinks the friend who straighten is insecure about not being confident to wear her hair in its natural state but wants to tell everyone she's "natural" My friends who wear their hair in their natural state hate to hear the other naturals bragging about being natural when you can't look at them and see their real texture. So they always have a little competition going but it still stays friendly and I couldn't believe the outrage the lady in the video had, so I just had to ask do Black women really take this natural thing that seriously.
Reading the Black women natural hair movement thread and I see that a lot of women do take natural hair very seriously and I agreed with some of the points they made however not every Black woman is trying to make a statement by choosing to no longer use relaxers.
Oh ok that's where my confusion was coming from because of the whole "natural hair movement" most of the time I hear women who are naturals say they chose to be natural because of the self hate Black women have due to society brain washing them to believe "straight" hair is beautiful and you're not beautiful unless you have straight hair. So they stop using relaxers and start wearing their natural texture to break away from that stereotype. However I'm realizing not all Black women choose to stop using relaxers for that reason. One my friends had too because she has Eczema and she gets her hair straighten every week so she can wear the straight look but if she could use relaxers she would but her dermatologist told her to stop getting them. The other 2 friends who are natural that straighten, 1 only straightens in the winter months because its too cold for her to do her wash n gos she does in the summer. The other straighten her hair every 2 weeks just because she's able too wear the relaxed look without using a relaxer and you will never catch her showing her natural texture. I ask her why is that and she said she doesn't want to wear her texture and she stopped getting relaxers because its cheaper now that she doesn't get them yet she can still wear her hair like she has one.
One of my friends who straighten sent that video to one of my friends who wear her hair in its natural state and she sent it to me to prove that she thinks the friend who straighten is insecure about not being confident to wear her hair in its natural state but wants to tell everyone she's "natural" My friends who wear their hair in their natural state hate to hear the other naturals bragging about being natural when you can't look at them and see their real texture. So they always have a little competition going but it still stays friendly and I couldn't believe the outrage the lady in the video had, so I just had to ask do Black women really take this natural thing that seriously.
Reading the Black women natural hair movement thread and I see that a lot of women do take natural hair very seriously and I agreed with some of the points they made however not every Black woman is trying to make a statement by choosing to no longer use relaxers.
A great video of someone explaining their natural hair journey. No profanity. No them vs us hair ranting.
Shysister,
Thank you for posting the video. Needed a good laugh. Nice to know that there are still people out there that have wit and a sense of humor. Political correctness and self righteousness does not a personality make. It's hair people.
Wowwwww @ her mouth. How unladylike. I can't even focus on the video. Just wow.
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