AngelicusIt's here to stay, like braids, wigs, and weaves. Even though I am relaxed, I love natural hair and the fact that people are being informed about their hair!
For me, in this moment, in this lifetime the natural me is here to stay. I cannot speak for others...I wasn't even aware this was a "trend" or "fad". For me it just IS. After rocking a relaxer for almost 30 yrs it suddenly dawned on me that Ididn't have to HAVE one...didn't NEED one. 5 yrs into my nappturality I am very comfortable with mySELF, myHAIR & it's ability to change and adapt without chemicals.
southerncitygirl said:its a trend....not for me but i think it is for most. i stopped relaxing before this hair board and the yt explosion of natural ladies. most natural ladies i know are not even trying to use natural products or be health conscious and are quite overweight or obese. many women are going natural cause even though they are 4b they think their hair texture will spontaneously turn type 2-3c. i want to think more positively about this natural movement but my assessments are based on what i see and hear on a day to day basis and it saddens me.
I'm confused. Why do you have to be health conscious to have natural hair but not so if you have a relaxer. Also why is there always this hair hierarchy like 2-3c hair is the pinnacle of hair worthiness???? That type of thinking saddens me.
Btw I've been natural for years, I think all healthy hair is beautiful regardless of type and I think there are way more overweight women with relaxers etc than the small minority of overweight naturals. I'm just saying...
C'mon! When white girls are "going natural" you know it's a fad. My Allure magazine had an article a few months back geared to white women telling them to embrace their natural curls or waves. The title of this article? Go Natural!
lovegymnasts said:Let's be real now.
In the black community, 2-3c hair is the pinnacle of hair worthiness ergo
-the term good hair
- the negativity many (the majority?) of women encounter from family, friends, and/or spouses when going natural
- the term transitioning your mind not just your hair
- the reason many if not most healthy long haired women are told they must have that good hair or Indian in their family
Anyhoo, I don't get this connection between wearing your hair the way it grows out of your head and being health conscious and/or using natural products. One has nothing to do with the other.
I think we black women put more emphasis on this ridiculous hair hierarchy because most people in general really don't care that much about our hair at all. In fact most white people think all of our hair is the same. Just saying.....
I think women might begin to turn to heat more.
Now I feel the same way about my pedicures. I wish I could do them myself!!!!
To be quite honest I'm all natural haired out. People are just going way too hard for my liking which is making it feel like a fad.
I don't understand this comment? There's a lot more to successfully managing a healthy head of natural hair than there is to slapping on a relaxer and settling for NL or SL hair - so few naturals are alike with regards to type/texture etc that overcoming a particular problem is often down to time, trial and error, setbacks and more time. We have to learn our hair, learn what suits it's particular idiosyncracies, learn what it likes and doesn't... It's not as simple as "making sure to use regular protein" like it is with relaxers. If I've read you wrong or misinterpreted you please feel free to set the record straight.
LOL!
For ME its here to stay
Unlike the 70s, we have so many more styling options and good hair products. For most of us, there really is no need for relaxers. You want straight hair? Just grab a flatiron. Got tired of the straight hair? Dump a bucket of water on your head
The hair you're born with can't be a trend unless we evolve into growing something else out of our scalps or having no hair at all and that takes time. The natural styles and care methods that are popular now will go out of style eventually but natural hair itself doesn't go out of style.
lovegymnasts said:Nobody is talking about what white people think or do not think.
BTW: most white people think black women have straight hair. Also, I can not think of one non-black person I know who was not fascinated by my natural hair. Shoot, all the black people I know were fascinated too.
Most people do not know what type 1 to type 4 hair means. Hair boards consist of a small number of people. It is not the general population.
Most black people, men and women, do care about what "grade" of hair grows out of their heads and those around them. I wish they did not but they do.
Shoot,, they care on hair boards and youtube. Hence, the eternal search on how to "pop" ones curls and hang time.
Other examples:
[*]relaxing your child's hair when they are toddlers despite the dangers
[*]expression: "I would rather look like a slave than think like one"
[*]Most adult women do not know what the hair that grows from their scalp actually looks like; their only clear memory is having relaxed hair
[*]the prevalent use of weaves, extensions, lace fronts, wigs, and half-wigs that do not match "our" hair to the detriment of hairlines and scalps
[*]the overwhelming use of children with type 2-3c hair in print ads, commercials, and on television
[*]the opinion that kinky hair needs a relaxer or texturizer
[*]the uproar over Malia Obama when she wore twists in Rome; people saying she was unfit to represent America for stepping out unstraightened
[*]the recent uproar about Gabby's hair
I'm sorry but I wish people would not try to kumbaya reality. There is no hope for change without facing reality and discussing it honestly.
But yes, natural hair is here to stay, as evidenced by the relaxer kit boxes sitting at the back of the BSS collecting dust while the ever expanding natural sections take over as everyone- both consumers AND manufacturers- jump on the "bandwagon".