African American Women & The Natural Hair Movement (girl, salons, head)

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by BlueWillowPlate

I (white) grew up in the 70's and went to a mostly black high school.
Back then, natural was the norm. Everyone had a 'fro, even a lot of white kids with curly hair like my brother. Then later, cornrows became more popular.
Back in high school, I read about Malcolm X's first conk.

I have curly hair myself, and have embraced my curls, mostly because I simply cannot be bothered with high maintenance.

But I understand why some ladies might enjoy the different things they can do with their hair.

PS I thought Michael Jackson had vitiligo (scroll down.)

Yup back in the 60's and 70's the afro and natural hair were the norm. Also have to look at what was happening in the black community's across america during the 60's and 70's that caused black people to wear those hairstyles and rebel against the mainstream. The civil rights movement was taking place like the black panthers for example. As far as "Malcom X's first conk"..........notice that when he gained wisdom, enlightenment and figured out who he was created to be he stopped with the conk!! Some people spend their entire life and never figure out who they really are.

This is not about having fun with hair styling, coloring or perms.......this is about African American women who are already natural or considering going natural and whether they are seeing a return to wearing our natural hair picking up momentum in the future.

Now I will fall off topic again for a moment. As far as Michael Jackson.......great entertainer, loved his music..........do I think that he is a good role model and example for my children or other black children to follow? No

In fact Michael Jackson was a living breathing example of what happens when a man gains the love of the world and loses his soul in the process.

He had a lot of problems.........Vitiligo was not one of them! That was a PR spin that he put out there in the media to explain away his obvious self hatred problems. Looks really bad when a black person (especially a black person who is in the public eye) is bleaching their skin and getting nose jobs......definitely not a record sales booster. So he had to come up with a lie about having a medical condition to try and explain away the controversy. Notice the last 10 - 15 years of his career his record sales were not that great.......probably because during that time his appearance continued to become more and more caucasian and it raised a lot of eyebrows in the black community!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDW1TVH78BU

I suppose the many nose jobs and lying about biologically fathering white children can be explained away because of Vitiligo too!

[Little Mizz Pittsburgh]

This is one 'sista' that won't be joining that movement. I tried to grow my relaxer out before and I just didn't have the time and patience to deal with all of that. I'm in love the the 'creamy crack'.....my hair is much more easier to maintain with a relaxer.

[gaelgirl]

I went natural 6 years ago. I don't regret it.

As far as the "Movement," I do feel like I see more people going natural. It's more the norm.

But I have had people lift their fist in the air when I wear an afro or call me Foxy Brown, etc.

It's not common enough not to stand out at the work place if have medium length natural hair that is not in dreds or twists. (That's where my hair is now)

If I wear it out in a fro, at the current length, it would likely be inappropriate for work.

Black hair can be so politically charged. I can't think of too many other styles of hair that are so...maybe the mohawk. ; )

[ParkerP]

Its happening but very slowly, lol. Just go to youtube, type in natural hair care, and you will see a ton of videos from naturals, transitioners, and those contemplating it. You'll get tips from styles to even how to comb your hair properly. The problem is when a lot of women go natural, they treat their natural hair the same way they did their relaxed hair, so of course its going to be harder. Natural hair care requires an entirely different technique right down to what kind of comb to use to comb it. It also requires an entirely different mindset. Imagine trying to go natural and you got your momma, sister, boyfriend, etc in your ear telling you how bad you need to "perm that nappy ish" "you'll never get a job" "you'll never get a man" blah blah. Going natural is more than a notion for some. Some women have no support at all.

I think every one should try it at least once though. If you want to go back to perms fine. But for those who have been permed since the age of 5 and never known what their natural hair texture even looks like, give it a shot. You just might like it. And the best part? You'll be able to scratch your head whenever you want and not have to run from the rain! LOL

[thriftylefty]

I (a Black Man) grew up in house with eight sisters and my oldest sister owned a Beauty shop. having said that, only two of my sisters wore their hair natural and of course they were the activist and black panther party members types, The oldest sister, I can say in my entire life I have never known what her natural hair color and texture is, (She is 17 years older than me ) Unfortunately natural hair on African Americans is considered more of a Political statement . It is very hard for a black woman who enjoys long hair to wear it naturally. Black women with fine hair have more choices as finner hair can be styled without a lot of processing. the short look that Eleanor Holmes Norton wears is about as Business and conservative as you can get with still being natural. I think natural hair on Black and White women will always be associated with social consciousness. A tip I will share with those who do wear their hair natural and long is "Aloe" 100% natural , works wonders to tame it and will give you a wet look that's not greasy , or help you pull it back in a ponytail and it washes out with mild shampoo unlike heavy grease, my older sister also taught me to use a quality hand lotion in my hair.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn

Yup back in the 60's and 70's the afro and natural hair were the norm. Also have to look at what was happening in the black community's across america during the 60's and 70's that caused black people to wear those hairstyles and rebel against the mainstream. The civil rights movement was taking place like the black panthers for example.

Yes, the movement was certainly going on at my high school, though I saw a lot more 'fros in the '70's than in the '60's.

Now I will fall off topic again for a moment. As far as Michael Jackson.......great entertainer, loved his music..........do I think that he is a good role model and example for my children or other black children to follow? No

In fact Michael Jackson was a living breathing example of what happens when a man gains the love of the world and loses his soul in the process.

probably because during that time his appearance continued to become more and more caucasian and it raised a lot of eyebrows in the black community!

MJ's skin and the origin of his children have turned into a he said/she said dispute,but even though the man definitely had issues, I tend to believe him about his skin condition.

I suppose I am not exactly the best person to have any opinion of what is right or correct when it comes to 'proper' AA hair, let alone skin.

And probably thriftylefty is correct about hairstyle equaling social consciousness.

Still, I always admired MLK's dream, that his kids will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
James Brown was another talented innovator who did okay with his processed hair, ya know what I mean?

I was surprised when natural AA hair went away in the first place, and I am glad it is coming back.

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by gaelgirl

I went natural 6 years ago. I don't regret it.

As far as the "Movement," I do feel like I see more people going natural. It's more the norm.

But I have had people lift their fist in the air when I wear an afro or call me Foxy Brown, etc.

It's not common enough not to stand out at the work place if have medium length natural hair that is not in dreds or twists. (That's where my hair is now)

If I wear it out in a fro, at the current length, it would likely be inappropriate for work.

Black hair can be so politically charged. I can't think of too many other styles of hair that are so...maybe the mohawk. ; )

This is the reason I have said that this is not simply about the choice of different hairstyles......there are still a lot of ignorant people in this world. But good for you, glad that you don't regret it .

For me the other factor that stopped me from the perming was the day I decided just out of curiosity to read the back of the perm box and see what the heck are in the chemicals. There are things in the perms that we can not even pronounce!! We already live in a world full of chemicals in the food, chemicals in the products we use on other parts of our body.........in my opinion the perming was one less chemical I could do without.......especially not knowing what the long term health affects will be years from now. Then we wonder why there is such a problem with cancer and other diseases in this society.

I am also noticing a lot more women starting to go natural.......I am also constantly stopped when I am out in public to ask about my hair. I believe that the more of us that wear our hair natural the more other women will see that and feel comfortable doing it.

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by BlueWillowPlate

Yes, the movement was certainly going on at my high school, though I saw a lot more 'fros in the '70's than in the '60's.


MJ's skin and the origin of his children have turned into a he said/she said dispute,but even though the man definitely had issues, I tend to believe him about his skin condition.

I suppose I am not exactly the best person to have any opinion of what is right or correct when it comes to 'proper' AA hair, let alone skin.

And probably thriftylefty is correct about hairstyle equaling social consciousness.

Still, I always admired MLK's dream, that his kids will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
James Brown was another talented innovator who did okay with his processed hair, ya know what I mean?

I was surprised when natural AA hair went away in the first place, and I am glad it is coming back.

I am going off topic here again. But.......if they really want to put an end to the he/she say dispute all they have to do is a dna test......the court placed the kids in his mothers care. Will be no surprise to most of us when it shows that they are not biologically his kids.

"James Brown was another talented innovator who did okay with his processed hair, ya know what I mean"? James Brown had a lot of issues too........although I believe he was talented, also do not think he is someone that should be a role model or example in the black community either. One thing I will say..........at least he stopped at perming his hair and did not go to the level Michael Jackson went to. Entertainers just like politicians are held to a higher standard by society........which of course adds to the stress of being famous! This is the reason it becomes such a controversy when those that our children look up to begin trying to permanently alter their race. As far as the Vitiligo.......we will just have to disagree on that one.......there is no way on earth that I believe that lie.

I admire what MLK and Malcom X both stood for too.........unfortunately we are not living in a society where people are only judged by their character.........this is the reason that in the year 2009 I am still hearing black women tell me that they are afraid of going natural because they may lose job opportunities!!

[gallowsCalibrator]

A coworker of mine just switched out for being all-natural. She went on a vacation with her daughter around California... and came back with a wig on. When I asked her about it (just curious), she said she got rid of all her damaged hair and was starting over without processing it anymore. A few months later, she came in with no wig... and she's got gorgeous hair that looks great on her.

[NewYorkBorn]

Originally Posted by thriftylefty

I (a Black Man) grew up in house with eight sisters and my oldest sister owned a Beauty shop. having said that, only two of my sisters wore their hair natural and of course they were the activist and black panther party members types, The oldest sister, I can say in my entire life I have never known what her natural hair color and texture is, (She is 17 years older than me ) Unfortunately natural hair on African Americans is considered more of a Political statement . It is very hard for a black woman who enjoys long hair to wear it naturally. Black women with fine hair have more choices as finner hair can be styled without a lot of processing. the short look that Eleanor Holmes Norton wears is about as Business and conservative as you can get with still being natural. I think natural hair on Black and White women will always be associated with social consciousness. A tip I will share with those who do wear their hair natural and long is "Aloe" 100% natural , works wonders to tame it and will give you a wet look that's not greasy , or help you pull it back in a ponytail and it washes out with mild shampoo unlike heavy grease, my older sister also taught me to use a quality hand lotion in my hair.

I guess you have not checked out the small beautiful locks that many of the AA women are wearing? They are small dreadlocks (Sisterlocks) and because they are small they are easily styled to any look that a woman wants to wear. Also black women can achieve long beautiful hair.........the reason so many black women have short hair is because of the chemicals. It is the "roller coaster" effect.........the hair grows well for a while, becomes long then all of a sudden for no reason the hair breaks (hair loss). This happens to black women more then we want to admit.......as you mentioned some of us are so good at covering our hair with weaves that no one not even our family members know what our real hair looks like...........sometimes the weaving is not done by us just to change our hairstyle........very often we wear weaves because our hair has broken off from the chemicals and we want to cover it up!! There are a whole lot of black women who are a hot mess up under those weaves!! I was sitting in a hair salon in Brooklyn, NY where I used to go and get my hair done.......one day these two women sat down in the chair..........everything was normal at first, then the stylist began taking the weaving track out of their heads (by the way the tracks were sewn onto a net because they did not have enough hair to sew the tracks on to)...........they both were almost completely bald underneath those weaves, perms had caused their hair to fall out.........I am sorry but they looked like 2 kew balls on a pool table!! Well needless to say after seeing what the perms did to these two ladies I was SCARED STRAIGHT!! No more perms for me.

However when the hair is in it's natural form.........the stresses of the chemicals are now gone so the hair will be healthy and free to reach it's potential length because there is nothing in the hair that is going to break it on it's journey to becoming long. The whole purpose of the perm is to chemically break down the hair shaft.........that process is very hard on hair.

Another reason we feel the need to perm and weave is because we see our black men almost in a state of arousal when they look at the women on the videos that are all weaved up. So in my opinion some of us feel that in order to please our men we must make ourselves look like the women in the videos.

Check out:
www.sisterlocks.com

These are Sisterlocks (dreadlocks). As you can see by this picture those that love to color their hair and play with different styles can still do it with natural hair. Like my loctician tells me all the time.........the proof of healthy hair shows itself over time. A lot of black women do not have patience and want instant gratification.........this is the reason many are walking around with short hair or weaves in order to achieve length.

This is the creator of Sisterlocks. These are small dreadlocks growing from her head.........not a weave!!