21 July 2010 ~ 62 Comments
This quote has been floating around Twitter for the past couple days. I think it originated with The Coil Review:
“Natural hair is a lifestyle, not a hairstyle.”
I would LOVE your thoughts on this one. Do you agree? Disagree? Why or why not?
For me, having natural hair is a lifestyle. Since I stopped relaxing my hair, I have changed the way that I look at myself and the world. I feel like I’ve become more of my authentic self and I stopped chasing an unattainable beauty goal and embraced what nature gave me.
For me natural hair is just a hair style. I was as happy with myself with relaxed hair as I am now with my natural super small coils. I love the versatility of my hair in its natural state. But my hair isn’t my life – or part of a lifestyle. I will say that my natural hair does require more time to style than my relaxed hair ironically. Going natural didn’t make me want to run out and get a bunch of wooden jewelry and cowrie beads – I just wanted to wear my hair without chemicals. I think it is interesting that there is a stigma that having a fro or locs makes you more in tune with your African heritage. Whether it be in a fro, weaved up, braided, pressed, or relaxed, hair is just hair and it is all beautiful as long as you feel confident in it.
I think it depends on the person. For myself, absolutely! Making the decision to go natural represents for me making the decision to be free. Free from relaxers, free from opinions of others, free from the need to be like others, free to be me, inside and out. To love who i am & where i come from.
I see a lot of comments saying that they are free!!! Free from what??? I spend more time on my hair in its natural state that I had to spend when it was relaxed. I have to twist it at night which takes 30 min-1 hr of my time. When I had relaxed hair…all I did was wrap it and go to bed. Free from opinions??? That is NOT ever going to happen. People are going to have opinions of you whether you are relaxed or natural. Just because a woman is relaxed doesn’t make her less black or mean that she is trying to be someone she isn’t. Being all natural doesn’t make you/me more black or that we are being our true selves either! Hair is not the ONLY aspect of you that defines you. Just like India Arie said, “I am not my hair, I a the soul that lives within”.
My personal testimony lol: Going natural has made me less self-conscious..Sort of like it flipped some sort of switch in my psyche and I began to morph. My outlook on life is completely different. It helped me to embrace my flaws because, once I cut my hair, I had nothing to hide behind which is what i was doing with my relaxed hair. My hair was always styled to where part of my face was covered. I’m much more accepting of myself and others and i’m much less nervous and much more peaceful. I use to battle violently with depression(was diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorder years ago-never took meds for it though). I no longer have this problem. I can tell that my new found confidence and inner peace is rubbing off on those close to me. Going natural was one of the best things i ever did for myself. Of course going to God with my burdens was the main turning point for me. It gave me the assurance that, no matter what, SOMEONE loves me for me. And HIS love is greater than any I have ever known.
I totally agree with Scarlett and Carole. I wasn’t happy with myself when I had relaxed hair. When I looked back, I spent most of my life trying to be like, look like someone else and my self-esteem and hair suffered. I had always wanted to be good enough, and that included trying to look like the ideal beautiful. Relaxers hurt more than my hair. Going natural is definitely a life style. I changed my thinking and how how feel and see myself. I define beauty differently now and I’m more focused on being myself and loving myself.
I totally agree!
As Auset says, “We just need to be who we are.”
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I recently relaxed my hair after wearing it natural for 15 years, and I have to say that natural black hair becomes a significant part of your identity, and sometimes not in a positive way. Unless you live in a major urban area it is almost impossible to find hair care experts who can meet your hair care needs, and many of the people who are making decisions that impact your life (employees, potential mates, businesses) will often have subconscious biased against natural black hair. I have a friend who lived on the East Coast who wore here hair in beautiful long locs and when she decided to cut them and eventually wear it straight, people she did business with (many of them black) openly told her that she looked more “polished and professional” (i.e., someone they wanted to do business with) with her hair straight.
While these situations may not be the reality for some people, they are a reality for many, so black women needs to understand that the choice to wear their hair natural may impact and change their lifestyles in more ways than they can image.
Yes! It is definitely a lifestyle! It’s a way some women choose to take care of their hair. We as human beings choose how we want to live, and being natural is a way of life.
It’s a lifestyle..I feel free! I’m finally able to scratch my hair without worring about a chemical burn. Sure people will always have something to say but a black woman being natural does get more negative feed back than one who’s permed. I wore my first braid out and my cousin said to me “Whatz wrong with your head?” I replied that I was was transitioning. and he said “Well aint you gonna flat iron it or something” Strangely enough he datez white women.aint nothing wrong with that but it does prove a point. To become natural you have to change your on mind set of what you’ve been taught beauty is. We have been taught that a european hair style is more polished or professional!..Says who?..the Creator?????? I think not!and he’s not juding on handing out his blessings. It is not a hair style a hair style is a french roll or some Box braids…You’re either natural or Permed..there aren’t many more choices to that.
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