Viola Davis ditched her wig for the Academy Awards and walked the red carpet sporting a short, copper, curly natural. Solange Knowles replaced her extensions with a big ‘fro. Rihanna has rocked extensions, cropped hair and flowing styles.
Natural. Relaxed. Curly. Straight. ‘Fro. Weave. Braids. Locks. They’re all good. I would never be so presumptuous as to tell a young lady of color how to wear her hair. Depending on what mood she’s in, it could be any of the above styles. It’s a girl’s prerogative to change hairstyles. And do so often
I’m not one to proclaim that wearing straight hair means you’re obsessed with the white standard of beauty. Nor do I feel that when I wear twists that I’m sending a message to my daughter and nieces that this style is better than straight hair.
It’s just hair. There’s no political or social statement in any of the styles or colors I choose. Hair, like a beautifully written poem, is an expression of creativity. As India.Arie proclaimed in her ode to black hair, “I am not my hair…I am a soul that lives within.”
What worries me is that there’s a generation of girls who’ve been wearing braids and weaves for so long that they don’t know how their real hair looks and feels. I’ve seen braids and extensions on 3-year-olds. Their hair appeared to weigh more than they did.
My daughter didn’t have hair until she was almost 3, but it never occurred to me that I should buy some. I knew it would grow in time, and it did. Some mothers may have ruined the chances of growing a healthy head of hair by slapping braids on their toddlers.
For girls who have always worn braids or weaves, there may come a time when the damage is so great that you won’t be able to wear those styles. Are you traumatized by the thought of appearing in public with your real hair? Don’t be scared.
Get ready before that day comes (and it will come) by going braid/weave-free for a while. The summer months are a good time to get acquainted with your real hair. You’ll be surprised at how liberating this experience is, and you’ll come up with all kinds of cute styles. Plus, you’ll be part the natural hair movement. My daughter, who wears natural hair, said about half the girls in her sorority have stopped relaxing their hair.
She even had the nerve to say that she could’ve been wearing her natural hair all along had I taken the time to work with it instead of taking her to the hair salon for a relaxer in fourth grade. Puh-leeze. Obviously, she forgot those nights when we both cried as I tried to detangle her hair with an array of kid-friendly products. Sorry, I digressed.
Consult your stylist for tips on weaning your hair from chemicals. She’ll also be able to tell you what products to buy for treatment at home. There are also websites (blackwomennaturalhairstyles.com, nappturality.com and going-natural.com) for natural hair devotees. Just about every black fashion/hair magazine has styles and tips for natural hair.
If you don’t like it, you can always go back to your old style. Friends have said once you go natural, you don’t go back. I’m not so sure. As I said before, it’s naturally a girl’s prerogative to change her look.
Photo: J’Adore Hair Studio
Also avoid putting any unnecessary stress on your hair. Wild hair styles that require your wild hair to be pulled back again into a pony tail or braid all day can put lots of strain about the wild hair follicles causing more losses. This ties in with the wild hair items, but excessive drying or straightening can also trigger problems. Applying lots of heat towards the scalp can cause the skin to dry out, which is not something you would like when your wild hair is already thinning.