if you weren't a hair board member...

[me-T]

Would you still be stuck on all those stereotypes? i dont mean still doin the bad hair practices.

I'm talkin bout that "bad-nappy-hair-cant-grow-and-needs-a-perm-on-it, only-light-skinned-and-mixed-girls-have-long-hair, goin-natural-means-you-gittin-your-'black-power'-on" mentality

drjo91's thread got me a lil mad. i mean seriously, folk are still on that bull these days?

if i weren't a member, probably not. i've never believed my hair wouldnt grow, i just thought it would be easier if you had that "good, light skin people" hair cause it "grew faster". omg when will folk open up their eyes and minds???

 

[sexyeyes3616]

..................

 

[Auburn]

I would think my natural hair would be a dry nappy mess.

With that being said, thank you Jesus!

 

[Forever in Bloom]

Most likely I held many inane beliefs up until a year ago. Thank God for a collective group of beautiful, smart black women who want to spread the intellect around.

 

[Neith]

I don't think I would believe in those stereotypes. I don't think that most people here would either.

It was a conscious decision for me to come research my kinky hair and how to take care of it. If there weren't any hair boards, there are other ways to get the information I (desperately) needed.

Not many of us just "fell" into lhcf. We are women on a mission

 

[fluffylocks]

Yep. (without the books also)

 

[Thann]

I would be stuck on nearly everyone of them. Before hair boards, I didnt understand why anyone would be natural if they didn't have a certain hair texture. (dont stone me...lol)

I never really fell into the whole good hair/bad hair having to do with skin color or racial makeup though. I fell into the whole, if your hair is nappy then you NEED a perm. I've come to see different because of hair boards, but I don't really see where I would have learned otherwise without them.

 

[Traycee]

Hair boards have changed my life.......Not in a million years would I have ever thought I could have waist length hair......Never...

I am so happy I found LHCF and the ladies here...I learned so much from you guys now I am helping others

God Bless all of you.....hahahahaha

 

[sexyeyes3616]

Hair boards have changed my life.......Not in a million years would I have ever thought I could have waist length hair......Never...

I am so happy I found LHCF and the ladies here...I learned so much from you guys now I am helping others

God Bless all of you.....hahahahaha

And traycee you and your hair are an inspiration to me.

 

[Akemi]

Yes. I think I would have the same wrong beliefs. Oh, where would I be without my beloved LHCF???

 

[locabouthair]

hmm, I dont think so.

Before the board I saw many dark skinned or non mixed black women with long hair. I had a friend in college who was 4a/4b and her hair was a very healthy APL, so I knew it had to be more than hair type.

But LHCF made me appreciate my hair more. I always though my hair was this ugly things. If it wasnt for this forum, I wouldnt have even considered wearing my hair natural.

 

[Evolving78]

i embraced my nappy hair before the hair boards. i was considering locking it around 2001. i was given some bad info on how to loc so i just decided to relax it again. i learned from [email protected] about certain products to use and not use in 2002. my hair was very healthy and growing well when i came to LHCF. my stylist turned my hair around as well. she starting me on quality hair products that i would bring into the shop every week. i love Tish. i wish she catered more to natural hair. nappturality gave me the push to go natural.

 

[mariofmagdal]

Would you still be stuck on all those stereotypes? i dont mean still doin the bad hair practices.

I'm talkin bout that "bad-nappy-hair-cant-grow-and-needs-a-perm-on-it, only-light-skinned-and-mixed-girls-have-long-hair, goin-natural-means-you-gittin-your-'black-power'-on" mentality

drjo91's thread got me a lil mad. i mean seriously, folk are still on that bull these days?

if i weren't a member, probably not. i've never believed my hair wouldnt grow, i just thought it would be easier if you had that "good, light skin people" hair cause it "grew faster". omg when will folk open up their eyes and minds???

Those threads don't make me mad, but I am shocked that anyone would ever believe that nonsense. I guess since I am of a mixed heritage and was never allowed to make such a comparison in my house between me and my sisters, but truth be told, me being one of the lighter skinned, good haired girls of my mother, I secretly envied my darker skinned nappy headed sisters who had the pocahontas hair! I am not saying my hair was/is not long, but theirs was certainly much longer! Trust me, the descriptions herein are for board purpose only, my mother would have a stroke if I ever made such comments

 

[glamazon386]

Nope................

 

[ajacks]

I think I would definitely still believe those stereotypes. Before LHCF I thought that APL was the longest that a black woman could expect her hair to grow and that the only option for going natural was having dreadlocks. I am so thankful to have found the hairboards, it really has changed my perspective on the hair issue.

 

[vestaluv1]

Yes, I probably would have had the same beliefs about long hair and genetics. My cousin has soft, waistlength hair, and my auntie (her mother) has mid-back length. My mothers hair has more or less stayed around neck length and according to her, it was all because of genetics, because her mother had soft, long hair and her sister got those genes.
Who knows there may be SOME truth to it.
So, I always believed that my hair would stay at shoulder length, and the only way I could have long hair was to stick a piece in it .

However, as I got older, I started to realise that there had to be more to it.
My boyfriend had coarse hair and dreads and his hair seemed to grow really well, while my hair stayed the same length.
In my own mind, I started to wonder if it was more about the amount of stress and manipulation I was putting on my hair, not my genetics.
I wanted to know how I could take better care of my hair... coz boy was it damaged, and that led me to Macherieamours vids on u tube where I took her advice on creating a hair diary.

Eventually, I found LHCF... THANK GOD!

 

[Nola Darling]

My hair would be a HOT MESS if I didnt have the hair boards. Seriously. I used to have hair balls falling out of my hair EVERY DAY and I thought that was normal

I was really feeling myself yesterday and I took this pic. I'd NEVER have this hair w/o LHCF and I still have a long way to go.

 

[delray712000]

I WOULD STILL BE SEARCHING FOR THE ANSWER TO GROW MY HAIR. IT WAS SO OBVIOUS TO ME THAT MY HAIR GREW DAILY, MONTHLY, AND YEARLY. WHAT WAS NOT SO OBVIOUS IT WHERE WAS THE HAIR? THEN I THOUGHT, MAYBE HAIR THAT WAS LESS COILY(1-3C) IS THE ONLY HAIR THAT RETAIN LENGTH. WOW THAT IS NOT TRUE. THANKS LHCF

 

[Amerie123]

I actually would not believe those stereotypes, because i already knew that black ppl can grow hair thick and long. i see it, and more often nowadays. and the natural heads are always nice if maintained properly (never felt that they MUST GET A PERM).
But i think it's sad to see that these stereotypes still exist. I mean, i already knew that my hair can grow long healthy, i just needed to learn how to care for it, (i.e. find a way to combat my split ends). Ppl just need to know that its all about how you care for your hair. Now, as far as the mixed ppl, their hair, to me, tends to be longer because their hair has a texture that is stronger, allowing them to retain length, and most blacks use chemicals (such as relaxers), and don't know how to care for their chemically treated hair, which is delicate and prone to breakage. why u think ppl with locs tend to have long hair. they barely have breakage. it's all about retaining the length.

 

[Keedah]

I wanted to go natural and my hairstylist at the time told me I didnt have the "right" hair to do it and thats when I went searching on the internet and found Napturality and LHCF. I knew I could grow my hair long cause my mom grew hers to BSL and mine was almost APL and thick but I just went through this cycle of growing it long, it breaking off then trying to grow it back again. I learned so much on these boards.

 

[loulou82]

I never held the belief that BW couldn't grow hair. I had examples in everyday life. But it baffled me how the heck they did it but my hair only grew a little longer than SL. I didn't abuse my hair with heat and manipulation but I did get relaxed bone straight every 6 weeks and didn't moisturize with the PROPER product.

 

[me-T]

Hair boards have changed my life.......Not in a million years would I have ever thought I could have waist length hair......Never...

I am so happy I found LHCF and the ladies here...I learned so much from you guys now I am helping others

God Bless all of you.....hahahahaha

doesn't it feel good to go from strugglin to grow your own, to teachin and helpin others?

i embraced my nappy hair before the hair boards. i was considering locking it around 2001. i was given some bad info on how to loc so i just decided to relax it again. i learned from [email protected] about certain products to use and not use in 2002. my hair was very healthy and growing well when i came to LHCF. my stylist turned my hair around as well. she starting me on quality hair products that i would bring into the shop every week. i love Tish. i wish she catered more to natural hair. nappturality gave me the push to go natural.

um...do i know you?

 

[*fabulosity*]

Well I never believed that light skin(ned..lol) people had great hair. My LS friends were always jealous of my long hair. I don't believe in hair stereotypes any more; not from LHCF but from life...

From LHCF... I wouldn't know that shampoo was bad and drying for your hair.. I would actually get an attitude if the stylist's assistant didn't wash me >2 times. I wouldn't know that it was imperative to go under the dryer with the conditioner. My stylist used to have to force me (I thought it was a way of letting somebody who came after me go before me..lol).. Now I get an attitude when they don't put me under the dryer.

 

[Hot Chocolate-LB]

I would think my natural hair would be a dry nappy mess.

With that being said, thank you Jesus!

I so agree!!! Right before I found the boards I was just thinking of locking my hair. Not because I love the style but because I felt that relaxing was no longer for me and I couldnt possbly have any other texture than that.

For me it was divine intervention. I've been taking care of my hair since I found KISS first then the LHCF and I Love,Love Love both the sisters and my ng. No creamy crack use since May/08 will decide in May/09 what the future holds for my hair.

 

[tenderheaded]

We never believed the stereotypes because mom, both grandmas and great grandmas had apl plus hair. My problems were with stylists - their poor use of chemicals and scissors. I went looking for help doing my own hair and found LHCF and I coundn't believe that there was a whole GROUP of women helping other women do their own hair

 

[*Muffin*]

I don't know. Part of me wants to believe I would still be all right, but I have learned a lot from this board and other boards. I began my hair journey by reading books and I wasn't apart of any forums, but eventually I joined some other "free" hair boards, then finally this one. Who knows, I'd probably still be brushing my hair with plastic bristle brushes, slapping on some luster's pink oil, and relaxing the entire length of my hair .

 

[chicacanella]

Well, I always new that I could have hair longer than APL...which is the longest I was during my high school years. I knew that it could grow longer because of how it was when I was child but my stylist would clip the end every month, not to mention relax it bone straight and I would have no water-based moisturizer whatsoever. All I used was Pink Oil moisturizer...yuck. Makes me sick to think about my ignorance but I think the only thing that even allowed me to get to APL back then was getting wraps instead of blow drying since wraps are direct heat. Other wise I probably would've jut been shoulder length.

So, I remember asking my stylist how long did she think my hair could grow to and she pointed to BSL I think. Ha, I am at that now...thank God. Oh, and I never believed in the good hair thing.

 

[BostonMaria]

I would say if it weren't for hair boards in general, I would not have transitioned successfully. I also realized that I need to go back to basics... oils, do my own hair, find alternatives to chemicals (relaxing and dying).

I already knew all those things before coming here, BUT being on LHCF gives me the motivation to keep growing my hair because the pictures of the members keeps me motivated.

 

[BostonMaria]

From LHCF... I wouldn't know that shampoo was bad and drying for your hair.. I would actually get an attitude if the stylist's assistant didn't wash me >2 times.

Same here! I would shampoo my hair like crazy and then wonder why it was so dry LOL

 

[Napp]

with out any kind of hair boards i would have eventually relaxed and thought that black hair dosent grow.Even if i saw black women with real long hair(i knew a mother and daughter who both had NATURAL TBL 4a/b hair(they eventually relaxed and still have the length)and every time i told my mom they are proof that black hair can grow long she would say NO they only have long hair because its in their genes. i would have eventually agreed and gave up with out hair boards.

even with books there wouldnt be much hope because good hair books are hard to come by. ive seen so many books that reinforce that black hair doesnt grow.