3/4a's-have you been dismissed as a natural by other naturals?

[Netta1]

Some people are just "ignit".

Nappy is nappy and

black is black to EVERYbody else in the world....

but us.

 

[SweetNic_JA]

Some people are just "ignit".

Nappy is nappy and

black is black to EVERYbody else in the world....

but us.

To EVERYBODY else but WE are the ones that are important. I do agree that hair differences are unimportant in the big picture. However there are cultural, spiritual, personal, etc differences that makes us very interesting individuals.That's why I come to this board...You can't allow yourself to be defined by what you believe the White, Asian etc perception is. Define YOU.


btw: cute pic in your siggy.

 

[DDTexlaxed]

Off topic, I know...
I was one of those people for 18 yrs Whiled relaxed, my new growth was unmanageable because I really didn't have a clue how to properly care for it. Now, my natural hair is manageable only because I clearly understand how to care for it ((although I live through hair struggles/tangling issues))...

...like u said, u live & u learn...

Peachtree, u hit the nail on the head. I always thought my natural hair was unmanageable because my mom and my cousin always had a hard time caring for it when I was a child. I always had long, thick hair that broke combs and brushes. That stuck with me for along time- the thought my hair was the type of hair that had to be relaxed to take care of it properly. Now I can see that I can care for and maintain my hair and the trauma of needing a perm is not a desire anymore. If I decide to relax in the future, it will prob be light texturizing, but that is a far ways off. If I hadn't found this site, I'd prob still be relaxed.Proper education is the key to success.

 

[Brownie]

I've always wished that I had curly hair...not realizing that curly hair was underneath my relaxed hair. My mom would braid and then rap the braids around rollers, so that I can have curly hair.
-tru

I was guilty of that too. When I was natural before, I'd have my hair pressed really straight, and then, I would use a curling iron, or rollers to make it curly. Now, if that didn't make sense; I was straightening my naturally curly hair to make it curly again.

 

[Peachtree]

Peachtree, u hit the nail on the head. I always thought my natural hair was unmanageable because my mom and my cousin always had a hard time caring for it when I was a child. I always had long, thick hair that broke combs and brushes. That stuck with me for along time- the thought my hair was the type of hair that had to be relaxed to take care of it properly. Now I can see that I can care for and maintain my hair and the trauma of needing a perm is not a desire anymore. If I decide to relax in the future, it will prob be light texturizing, but that is a far ways off. If I hadn't found this site, I'd prob still be relaxed.Proper education is the key to success.

EXACTLY!!!

 

[GodMadeMePretty]

You all have really shared some truly enlightening things. I would never have dreamed that someone would say anybody is not nappy enough. I consider both my and my daughter's hair to be 4 but plenty of people have said that I have the hair to be natural and they don't. I don't understand it.

I will wash and go as well as my daughter if you call washing it and putting it in a ponypuff a wash and go. And when I do that, I get the "Oh, your hair is so THICK." People love it.

As for not 4s not being able to grow long hair - I beg to differ. My hair has always been long. I never had a problem retaining length. My daughter's hair when stretched is very near her waist and she's 49 inches tall. But it shrinks to her nape. So does mine but my hair isn't that long. I think mine is shoulder length but I haven't straightened it since I cut off the relaxed ends so I really don't know. It has been over two years since I had my relaxer so it is not really short.

 

[balisi]

I think that if you don't have a chemical in your hair you are natural. But I agree with Sweetnic and maybe this is where some of the animosity comes from. I'm sorry, but it's really condescending if someone who has naturally curly hair is saying come on you should be natural, blah-blah-blah when that person knows my hair isn't like theirs. Sure, I can go natural, but my battle will be different. People don't usu. tell people with curly hair they should relax or "do something" with their hair. People with a curly hair texture can usually transition longer because the difference in their relaxed hair versus their natural hair is not that different. Where as I may have to cut my hair boy short and grow it out from that. Etc. Etc. Etc.

I say all that to say, I wouldn't negate someone as being natural just because they have curly hair and I think moreso people are just trying to say "your blues ain't like mine".

I hadn't thought of it this way, but I'm really feeling you on that. Thanks for that perspective.

 

[deeshortesthair]

EXACTLY!!!

DITTO thank you for this site. I would have still thought the only way I could care for my hair is in a TWA which I wore for a long long time.