Pros of Going Natural
Pros of Going Natural
Afros were once the only natural option for black women. Now, they are no longer seen as the only style possible. Suddenly, braids, twists, locks (also known as “dreadlocks”) and cornrows became popular. Once women began to see that they had options-many of themthey took full advantage. A lot of women hadn’t seen their hair in its natural state since childhood, when mothers considered hair-straightening almost as a rite of passage from girlhood to young womanhood. As a result, they weren’t quite sure how to treat their own hair. Some would try natural hair as a fad, then go “Na uh! It’s too much work!” back to relaxed hair, which they felt more comfortable with. Still, enough women “Girl you just haven’t seen my hair!” stuck with it. From the awkward grow-out phases, some mean-spirited comments “If you black without creamy crack...you from family and friends they dared to be just wack!” different. There are many reason why women For years, Black women have had may indulge in perms. Maintaining natural a misunderstanding of life without a perm. hair isn’t as hard as people make it seem. For starters, you won’t become Don King’s Healthy hair, natural or chemically contwin if you go natural. Sure a perm is trolled, requires proper care and products. more convienent and makes hair easier to With a variety of hair care items available, manage, but is it really the best choice? there’s some type of remedy for everyone. Is it more expensive to go natural? How It’s much cheaper to pay a $30-$45 do you take care of natural hair? With the dollar price for a routinely wash and press help of some sistas, we uncovered the than getting a perm. Some have claimed truth of NATURAL HAIR. to feel more coneected with themselves with natural hair. Who wouldn’t want a self-esteem booster? Jessica Moore stated “You become one with your roots, literraly.” Myself, I’ve been natural all mylife. Weather can affect your hair texture and styling ability, but it’s a choice I don’t re gret. Often, I consider getting a perm, but then I realize I wouldn’t change a thing about my hair.
by Tiffany Clayton
for Women of Color
L’ O R E A L
Bring out
the Queen
` in you.
4 Must Have Fas LONG, FLASHY EARRINGS
THRIFY ANIMAL PRINT HANDBAG
SCARVES Why not try something different?
Whether you use it as a headband or wear it around your neck, they can be used for any fashion statement.
shion Acessories for Your Hair Great for casual and dressy attire.
Stay warm and have fun decorating your beautiful hair!
BOLD HAIR COLOR
S
Nothing brings in the new year like new hair color..
Ebony’s Corner Reader’s share their experience on going natural. Dawn’s Hair Story I didn’t have the money to indulge in my every 2-week hair ritual. I complained all the time about the fact that I couldn’t get my hair done. Then, God stopped me one day and said, “Stop complaining about what you don’t have and embrace what you do have.” From that point, I decided that I would grow my hair out and see what my natural texture was.
Toshia’s Hair Story. I decided to go natural in 2000, after being dubbed the “Weave Queen!.” I’d had enough of spending literally thousands of dollars a year on this certain look. I was tired of trying to become beautiful, and I wanted to know if I was beautiful without the fillers and additions.
Bianca’s Hair Story
By summer of 2008 I was in Turkey and I learned the hard way, that salty water and heat can damage your hair to! So I finally did my big chop last year and went completely natural again for the second time.
Amina’s Hair Story I went natural on September 29th 2006. I wore my hair natural when I was in primary school in Burundi because a short cut was mandatory. Of course I did not know anything about maintenance: I never used a conditioner, I used a regular body soap to wash my hair daily and Vaseline.
Chrisette Michele: Her Hair Story
Blogger Necole was able to interview the R&B singer about her daring move to shave her hair. Necole: Thanks for speaking with me. I wanted to talk to you about those new photos of you that hit the internet. Chrisette: It was crazy! I never get weird pictures or anything like that on the internet. That’s not my claim to anything so my Dad hit me up and he tells me there is a picture of me on the internet with my head shaved and I’m like “Oh MY God! that’s not good”. Necole: You revealed your new hairstyle at a show at Albany State University right? Chrisette: I didn’t really plan to reveal it. I was at a show and I had a hat on so when I went backstage there was a bunch of kids with cameras. They saw the front of my head and since it was so light blond and close to my skin complexion they made headlines that I had shaved my head bald. I was a bit disappointed. I did cut my hair off. It’s a quarter inch. It’s not shaven but I was so over the hair damage and everything I was dealing with having the other hair style so I said that I was going to go Necole: When I posted your photos to my blog with the quote from you on why you decided to go natural, there were over 200 Comments. I didn’t expect that. I remember one comment in particular said that “Women who have natural hair look down on women who prefer to relax their hair because they secretly hate their own hair” and so forth. It was like a battle between those who prefer natural hair and those who prefer relaxed hair. Chrisette: It’s so interesting to me because my thing is I always want to bring unity. For me it’ll never be a battle between a natural sister and a relaxed sister. It’ll always be what’s best for you and what’s best for me is having the healthiest hair possible. I’m a girl who has always had healthy hair and getting into the music industry has ruined my hair care regimen because you have to be on 10 all the time. So the easiest way for me to be on 10 is to be on 10 naturally. Necole: Someone made the comment that shaving her hair off was the most liberating experience she has had as a woman. Do you feel the same way? Chrisette: It definitely was liberating because people told me that my style; who I am as a musician, who I am as a person, and who I am as a body type would never fly in this industry. 1) because I’m too thick 2) because my hair
was nappy 3) because I wasn’t singing about what everyone else was singing about. I am not interested in really selling sex, that’s not really my brand so I’ve faced a lot of challenges so far and wanting to go natural for 6-7 months now was a challenge. People that I asked (not from my label) was like “You can’t do that. That doesn’t match fashion. You can’t be high-fashion with nappy hair”. Necole: You actually had a natural hairstyle when you first signed to Def Jam. Did your music label encourage you to change your image? Chrisette: Well, the cool thing about my label is that they don’t do much at all. They are free-spirited with me and they’ve always been very gracious watching me change my hair all the time. Even when they signed me, it was kinky. They signed me with nappy hair. Necole: In the past few weeks, I feel as though a lot of artists have been stepping out and making statements in the name of “creative freedom” and expression. What was your initial reaction to Erykah Badu’s “Window Seat” video? Chrisette: The day the album was released I went to her album release party in Los Angeles. I have always been her biggest fan. Her video definitely inspired me to be comfortable being myself and to be honest with myself. She said “this is me, this is who I am, lets think outside the box” and that’s definitely what I am saying with everything I am now and everything that I am doing now. So I am so proud of her for being so brave and courageous. Necole: I saw her video and it actually made me sit back and evaluate everything in my life and everything I was doing. Like am I a part of this “group think”? I go through stages with my hair just like the next woman. Do I want to be straight..do i want to be big and wild..how will people react to this or that? Like I feel at times we use our hair as a security blanket. The longer my hair is or the “bigger” I wear it, the more I hide my insecurities. And then sometimes I just feel like India Arie “I am not my hair” Chrisette: But the truth of the matter is, everyone keep saying to me “I am not my hair”. I AM my hair. Whether I wear long tresses on my head or short naps, that’s me. And when you say something crazy about it or disrespect it, you hurt my feelings. Artists like to make believe that nothing effects them and that they love haters and haters make them stronger. That’s a load of bullcrap. I think that Haters are mean and that’s all that’s to it. So…I am my hair. For more information and pictures, please visit Necole’s website www.necolebitchie.com.
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