Products: Mayonnaise with olive oil as a conditioner, table olive oil, Kinky Curly when I want a defined twist set. I don’t shampoo my hair very much. Just condition.
Styles: Twists with half up and the back out. I have found that this style fits my face really well. I am not the best at styling. I have a nine year old daughter who has hair to her behind so I am mostly styling her hair. Once it is time for me to do my own I am tired.
Where are you from and what do you do?
C: I am from Laurinburg, North Carolina which is a small community bordering South Carolina. The demographics of my hometown include Whites, Blacks, and American Indians as well as Hispanics. Growing up here there was not much deviation from the norm. You saw your jheri curls in the 80’s, freeze curls in the 90’s, and quick weaves in the new millennium. Only the old skoolers rocked the natural really.
I am a Food Stamp Caseworker. And though the job may sound like a trite, run of the mill county job it isn’t. Never in my life have I witnessed so much mayhem interspersed with mounds of paper and staplers….
When did you go natural?
C: I went natural July 4, 2007. I went natural for a couple of reasons: At the foremost was political reasons. I was a senior in College at the time and I had taken a class on the Civil War. I had been reading period accounts of reactions to slave women. Many referenced the “wool cap” on their heads. It was indeed a source of ridicule by the author’s describing them. So I decided that I would proudly don the “wool cap” on my head. Another reason was that I was tired of people saying “You got pretty hair” – I mean thanks for saying my hair is pretty but what about me? And then I would hear “Don’t you cut yo hair girl” in the most cautionary tone from old skoolers. So I decided that I would cut it all off and face the world flaws and all with my napps.
Do you prefer natural to relaxed?
C: My apologies, but now is the time for my vanity to show- I get waaaaaaay more attention from the fellas with my hair this way. Oh my God.. it was ridiculous. When my hair was relaxed I was like this awkward chick.
Now that my hair is natural, men of all nationalities approach me and with lots of respect. Strangely enough I am dating a very nice Turkish man right now…But I still got mad love for my brothers…
It is so fascinating. Seems the older men like the natural quite a lot. I guess it takes them back to the prime of their life (the 70’s) And I know its some people right now saying, “Natural hair is not about men”, well hun that is true, but when your confidence was low and now it is up because of letting natural beauty show I cannot help but allude to the difference in situation. Aside from the “shallow benefits” it also shows people that natural hair can be beautiful. I see my permed sistas look at my hair and they think it looks nice. Of course I get the usual “Girl it looks good on you but I aint got time for all that combin” but it is still good for natural “p.r.”
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