Be it Natural, relaxed, coarse, or curly, braided or locked, black hair requires a lot of time attention and care. From days of childhood black women have sat in the laps of maternal figures as our hair was parted, greased and braided. Only to find it unraveled by the end of the week to suffer the repercussions of a good wash and the brutality of the hot comb.
From the stages
of young girlhood and then teenage years, one would think that by womanhood we
would have mastered the delicate art of hair care and style of our own black
hair. Yet that idea is quite the contrary, black women continue to change,
redo, unbraid, go natural, stay relaxed, cut their hair and try millions of
styles within any given month. There are several reasons for the constant
changing of black women's hair, besides the indecisiveness and satisfaction
with just one style of coif; black women face a myriad of issues when it comes
to keeping their "du" intact. From issues of dry scalp, shrinkage and
dull hair, black women are constantly trying new products and strategies to
keep their hair healthy and intact.
Recently, there has been a great movement of many black women to make a shift from relaxed hair to natural. As a relaxed sister interested in the movement, I asked a natural sister, Mudwia Pettus, graduating senior, English major at Claflin University about her choice to go natural and she relates that
"I decided
to "go natural," because I noticed that my hair was thinning over the
years. Eventually, my hairline started disappearing, and the thinning became
noticeable. It was terrible! I discussed possible causes with various hair
stylists, and someone eventually suggested that I take a break from relaxing my
hair. Once I stopped relaxing my hair, my hair returned to its prior fullness,
and my hairline filled back in. Now, no one can tell that I ever had an issue.
Essentially, I decided to go natural, because I didn't want to eventually end
up bald."
She goes on to relate that while it is not a
proven fact that all relaxed women lose their hair, she finds the transition to
natural hair to be the best choice for her. Ms. Pettus has been natural for a
year and six months. She went on to relate the joy she now finds in doing her
own hair.
“One of the greatest things about natural hair is that it easier and cheaper to do your own hair than when you are relaxed. If I want to change my hair, I don't have to schedule an appointment with a stylist. I just pick a style that I want to try, go get the needed products from under my bathroom sink, and get to work. Doing your own hair as a natural-haired woman is often the fiscally responsible choice as well.”
It is true that black
women spend tons of money on our hair care from products and styling utensils
to going to a professional salon several times a month, the costs do add up.
There are so many products out there that one often spends extra money on
several different brands just to find a product that works for one’s specific
hair type. Recently the Clutch Magazine online featured an article on a new
social networking site designed specifically to carter to the needs of black
women’s hair.
MadamYou or @techturized is a social network for women of color that bridges the gap between natural and relaxed hair divisions to create a space for simply healthy black hair. Clutch magazine recently interviewed the founders of MadamYou, who are a group of techie's and scientists who have researched the best tips and products for women of color all available in one place. “Madame You is the only social network for hair and beauty that combines science and technology to provide recommendations for women to make better hair decisions.”
I also asked a black sister with relaxed hair about her regimen. Nicole Cramer, senior English major at Claflin University, had this to say about her short, curled coif.
“I have a
relaxer because it is just more manageable. My hairstylist, who has had years
of experience and research does my hair with differing styles. The texture, I
have thick coarse hair. Freshly curled all over. If the curls go flat, I take a
flat iron and try to bump it up for the body. I do my own hair, when I can't
make it to the salon. I go every other week.”
Black hair is among one of the most discussed issues in circles of black women and more recently among pop culture when it even comes to discussing the First Lady’s new style of bangs. Black women and more importantly our dress and hair is always up for debate and called into question. In a lecture given at Spelman College, on February 21, 2013, Melissa Harris Perry noted that “The Hair of African American Women is a problem and a mystery.” Whether our hair is natural or relaxed, braided or styled with a bang, our hair is a political statement and we are thus judged accordingly. The more we embrace our roots and keep testing the waters of products and styles, the more the world will have to get used to our ever changing styles.
References
Dionne, Evette. "Madam You: A Social Networking
Site for Black Women's Hair." The Clutch 15 April 2013: 1-2.
Harris-Perry, Melissa. “More Than a Vote: Women’s Struggle
for Full Citizenship”. Ida B Wells-Barnet
Distinguished Lecture Series. Cosby
Academic Center Auditorium, Spelman College, Atlanta 21 Feburary 2013. Lecture.
Kathleen Nicole Cramer, kcramer@claflin.edu,
Mudwia Pettus, mpettus@claflin.edu,
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