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Very true, perms have been apart of most of our lives since we were little. I was around 15 years old when I got my first perm.........I truly regret it and wish that I would have been thinking the way I do now. Like you said nobody in the family was natural so had no one that I could talk to about it. I definitely have to check out the Chris Rock documentary about good hair........I know it is comical!
Once you decide to go natural and find a loctician in your city to go to from there it should be pretty easy......very similar to going to a normal salon and having your hair done. Sisterlocks also gives classes and teaches women how to re-tighten their own locks.....I plan on taking the class soon. Another benefit that I have noticed about having natural hair is the experience of working with a loctician.........when the loctician makes an appointment to do my hair......that appointment time is for me and me only..........I never have to worry about arriving and waiting for her to finish someone elses hair. She reserves a 3 hour time slot to do my hair and it is just me and her there. Unlike going to a regular hair salon......always have to waste time waiting for them to finish other peoples hair and they never respect peoples appointment time.
I don't think the documentary is comical, actually. I have yet to see it. I might try to find it on Netflix.
My girlfriend is having REAL issues with the woman who does her hair. The woman a lot of times is HOURS late and sometimes leaves to go do certain things or promises my girlfriend a certain time and then calls back to reschedule for a time that is 2 or 3 hours away from the original time.
I told her she needs to find someone who will respect her time because the things she has put up with is just ridiculous. It makes me mad just thinking about it. My beautician isn't all that bad, she just talks a lot with other people that come in the salon that she knows, which doesn't really bother me. I'm a pretty quiet person so...it's fine. She doesn't charge much which is great. A cousin of mine pays 50 for a perm and I pay 35.
I don't think the documentary is comical, actually. I have yet to see it. I might try to find it on Netflix.
My girlfriend is having REAL issues with the woman who does her hair. The woman a lot of times is HOURS late and sometimes leaves to go do certain things or promises my girlfriend a certain time and then calls back to reschedule for a time that is 2 or 3 hours away from the original time.
I told her she needs to find someone who will respect her time because the things she has put up with is just ridiculous. It makes me mad just thinking about it. My beautician isn't all that bad, she just talks a lot with other people that come in the salon that she knows, which doesn't really bother me. I'm a pretty quiet person so...it's fine. She doesn't charge much which is great. A cousin of mine pays 50 for a perm and I pay 35.
Uh oh.....it is one of those serious documentaries.....when you locate where it can be purchased please drop me a message on here in my inbox so I can check it out. My family and friends and I have been discussing that same thing for years. The salons have no respect for people's time.........if I have an appointment for 10:00 am I expect that when I walk in to the salon on time I should be able to sit down in the stylist chair at my appointment time. This was shocking to me when I saw how different we are treated when we are natural and go to a loctician. She actually gave me a pamphlet with instructions on caring for my hair and also explained to me that when she reserves a time slot for me........it is just for me because she does not double book..........therefore we have an understanding that if for some reason I can not make it for the appointment I will have the courtesy to give her a call the day before. The problem is that many stylists just want the dollars.......they don't care about the person.
Believe me I do not miss the drama of spending half my Saturday in somebodys salon waiting for my turn in the chair. I go to my loctician once every 5-6 weeks (depending on how fast my hair grows) she does my hair and I am in and out of the chair within a reasonable amount of time....no crowd of people and no wait in line for her services. Now that I have had my locs for a while........I will be taking the classes that are offered to teach me how to re-tighten my own locks every 5-6 weeks. That is the great thing about being natural.....I can choose to do my own hair if I have the desire to do it. You are right your friend should look for someone else that is going to respect the fact that she is spending her money in their salon.
I just noticed this discussion, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. I've went natural 4 years ago after a pretty bad perm. As a kid I wore my hair braided, and for most of high school my mom pressed it. I participated in a lot of outdoor sports, and I thought it would be a great idea to get a perm. I lost a lot of my hair after the first perm. When I tried it again in college, I ended up with the same result, and I pretty much realized that perms do not work for my hair.
After the college perm, I basically chopped off all of my hair, and had my mom's friend teach my how to twist it. I wore it that way up until last month. My hair is pretty long now, and twisting does not seem to work anymore. Now I wear what's called a braid-out.
Anyway, I am really glad I went natural. I have noticed that a lot of other women seem to be doing the same. I believe my hair is much healthier without the chemicals, and I don't see myself getting a perm or weave in the future.
Uh oh.....it is one of those serious documentaries.....when you locate where it can be purchased please drop me a message on here in my inbox so I can check it out. My family and friends and I have been discussing that same thing for years. The salons have no respect for people's time.........if I have an appointment for 10:00 am I expect that when I walk in to the salon on time I should be able to sit down in the stylist chair at my appointment time. This was shocking to me when I saw how different we are treated when we are natural and go to a loctician. She actually gave me a pamphlet with instructions on caring for my hair and also explained to me that when she reserves a time slot for me........it is just for me because she does not double book..........therefore we have an understanding that if for some reason I can not make it for the appointment I will have the courtesy to give her a call the day before. The problem is that many stylists just want the dollars.......they don't care about the person.
Believe me I do not miss the drama of spending half my Saturday in somebodys salon waiting for my turn in the chair. I go to my loctician once every 5-6 weeks (depending on how fast my hair grows) she does my hair and I am in and out of the chair within a reasonable amount of time....no crowd of people and no wait in line for her services. Now that I have had my locs for a while........I will be taking the classes that are offered to teach me how to re-tighten my own locks every 5-6 weeks. That is the great thing about being natural.....I can choose to do my own hair if I have the desire to do it. You are right your friend should look for someone else that is going to respect the fact that she is spending her money in their salon.
I checked on Amazon to see if it was on sale...didn't see it. Who knows when it will come out on DVD?
Yeah, my friend goes once a week and I would think the beautician would be a lot more respectful of someone who is a GOOD customer. I wish my girlfriend knew how to do her own hair because she could save TONS of money by not going to her every single week. I've offered to show her a few things but she doesn't want my help. My hair is somewhat low maintenance because I keep some of it short and I plan on getting it cut shorter this month so I'll have less to deal with.
I just started a new job so I don't think now is the best time to try to go natural and experiment with my hair. Some the "higher ups" are a bit on the conservative side so...eh. No natural hair for now.
Good luck with your classes. I know knowing how to do your own hair will be a blessing.
I checked on Amazon to see if it was on sale...didn't see it. Who knows when it will come out on DVD?
Yeah, my friend goes once a week and I would think the beautician would be a lot more respectful of someone who is a GOOD customer. I wish my girlfriend knew how to do her own hair because she could save TONS of money by not going to her every single week. I've offered to show her a few things but she doesn't want my help. My hair is somewhat low maintenance because I keep some of it short and I plan on getting it cut shorter this month so I'll have less to deal with.
I just started a new job so I don't think now is the best time to try to go natural and experiment with my hair. Some the "higher ups" are a bit on the conservative side so...eh. No natural hair for now.
Good luck with your classes. I know knowing how to do your own hair will be a blessing.
Thanks for the link to the Chris Rock documentary and congratulations on the new job.....many blessings.
I guess my point would be that many of us as Black women are ashamed of our hair.
I am not saying this to be "preachy" but many of us are afraid to let ANY of the real texture show. I think that our motivation for what we do with our hair should not be from a place of fear that the kinky will show but one of options.
I have a great friend who has a very educated and holds a very high position within her company. This woman is so afraid to let any of her true texture show that she has ruined her hairline with too tight weaves. Her hairline around the front/sides of her face are at least 1 1/2 - 2 inches receded. Instead of allowing her hair to rest and rejuvenate from the damage, she chooses to continue on a path that could possibly lead to permanent hair loss in those areas.
I am not anti weave, anti extensions, or anti relaxers but I think that we can not be a slave to these things.
You make a startling but excellent point Calipoppy. It is so much deeper than that, this obsession with hair in the black community has it's roots in slavery. The problem is that in 2009 most of the fear is not really based on reality anymore but is so deep in our subconscious (brainwashed) that some of us really believe that hair can stop us......as you said to the point where we will continue to do things to our hair that have a negative effect on the health of our hair. I work in a conservative office here in the south (the worst place in America to try something different) which of course is known to be a place where they fought to keep black people in slavery. Over a year ago when I decided to grow the perm out of my hair I started by wearing small cornrows. My white co-workers, even my manager loved it, complimented me and stopped me in the office because they were intrigued at the beauty of the design and wanted to know more about it (this is a good thing), now they wait to see what interesting things I am going to do with my dreadlocks as they grow. There is no woman on earth that can do as many artistic things with their hair as black women can do with our hair. Maybe I am just stubborn but I refuse to allow corporate america to take my power (I am a trailblazer). As long as we show up to work everyday, on time, with a neat clean appearance and do our jobs to the best of our ability........no one has the right to discriminate against us because of something as silly as hair.......if they do then we all have the right to sue the company for discrimination.
No other women in this society are told that they must change their hair in order to fit in......why should black women be made to change the nature of our hair to fit
in
Black people were freed from the shackles of physical slavery but it is obvious that we are still not completely free.......it is time that we free ourselves from MENTAL SLAVERY!! It is just like what Malcom X called it "the slave mind".
Last edited by NewYorkBorn; 07-09-2009 at 01:40 PM..
What is black ppl hair though? I mean really Africans may braid you up but that is hair from the Korean beauty supply store....not a knock on you because I wear braids as well form time to time but I mean come on isnt that like saying Bently's are ugly but you drive a Chrystler 300(baby bently)?
Maybe I should have said black people hair-dos?
At least braids are culturally correct and express our heritage whereas Beyonce's weave does not. Permed slick hair does not.
Most black folks simply don't have that type of hair. Even if you're more mixture than most you probably have corkscrew curls and a loose afro.
So yeah, I have hair enhancement, but it's not delusional European hair enhancement.
I guess my point would be that many of us as Black women are ashamed of our hair.
I am not saying this to be "preachy" but many of us are afraid to let ANY of the real texture show. I think that our motivation for what we do with our hair should not be from a place of fear that the kinky will show but one of options.
I have a great friend who has a very educated and holds a very high position within her company. This woman is so afraid to let any of her true texture show that she has ruined her hairline with too tight weaves. Her hairline around the front/sides of her face are at least 1 1/2 - 2 inches receded. Instead of allowing her hair to rest and rejuvenate from the damage, she chooses to continue on a path that could possibly lead to permanent hair loss in those areas.
I am not anti weave, anti extensions, or anti relaxers but I think that we can not be a slave to these things.
This is exactly why black women should wear their hair in culturally affirming manner and not as an imitation of the dominant (white) beauty standard that pervails in this country. Once we affirm among ourselves that yes, we can be beautiful with our own hairstyles without it having to be oh- i'm a black militant or whatever - then things will change.
I know that it seems much healthier than doing relaxers every 6 weeks. But I have been relaxing since age 13, and I couldn't dare go out in the weather with natural hair. I would look like a cotton ball/Don King. I think I am stuck until doomsday realxing my hair.
but I think so many AA women look great with natural styles and can pull it off, I would look terrible! I'd love to give my hair a break by not using chemicals, but I'm at a point of no "return"!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewYorkBorn
There have always been those in the African American community that have worn natural hair, from dreadlocks to braids to afro puffs. However since going natural (Sisterlocks) myself 6 months ago I am now noticing a really strong movement of African American women becoming more interested in wearing their hair natural.
Do you think the natural hair movement is going to continue to be popular and attract more African American women to go natural?
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My hair is somewhat low maintenance because I keep some of it short and I plan on getting it cut shorter this month so I'll have less to deal with.
No natural hair for now.
