 |
As a Black hair blogger, I try to be active in the virtual Black hair (relaxed and afro-textured) community. I would even read comments left by other readers and also leave my opinion when necessary. From these comments, I find that we as a people still have a LONG way to go when it comes to understanding Black hair. The reason is because I often read comments and questions that makes me question the intelligence level and self-esteem of the individual. Although I recognize the struggles which many face with their hair, I find that some of these problems shouldn't be a problem at all. So below, I have listed 5 problems which I just don't understand.
Problem 1: Obsession with length
Proposed solutions in the Natural Hair Community (NHC) - taking pills to speed up the process
- changing one's diet and physical activity level
- standing upside down at night for 5minutes
- nightly scalp massage
- applying tons of products on the hair and scalp
My thoughts: While some of these solutions are great, they are completely unnecessary! You hair will grow regardless of what you do to your body inside or outside. With proper care, you should be able to see results in the overall health of your hair within weeks.
Problem 2: Dissatisfaction with one's own hair texture and the comparison to others
Proposed Solutions:
- Trying all sorts of curling cream in the market so as to achieve girl B's curl
- Putting your hair through all sorts of abuse all so that you can achieve a wash n go and other styles your hair doesn't like to be put in
My thoughts: If you weren't born with girl B's genes, you WILL NOT achieve the same "out" style she achieves with certain products and techniques, although you might be able to achieve similar styles. Rather than wasting your time, effort and money trying a WnG, you can instead opt for "predictable" styles which will turn out well. I often achieve a "frizz out" instead of a twist out on most days, but I don't take this failure on my hair styling skills or a particular product since I already know my hair is very unique and will only do what it wants to do.
Problem 3: Obsession with laid edges
Proposed solutions
- relaxing the edges so that a cornrow or weave will look neater
- using a hard gel to lay it down
My thoughts: I find this is a very popular problem with Americans as I don't come across this issue too often on non-American websites. My edges don't coil up much and so I don't have much to say. But one thing you need to realize is that your hair is no longer relaxed, it is now COILY and it wants to remain that way. Instead of forcing your hair to do what it doesn't want to do, I say stop obsessing over how they look 5min after styling and rock your hair loud and proud!
 |
| *Source* |
Problem 4. Anti-Frizz
Proposed solutions- use of anti frizz products or eliminating certain products totally
My thoughts: Again, I find this issue is mostly talked about by Americans. As i've mentioned above, your hair is no longer straight, it is now COILY and will be more prone to frizz. It's easy to battle with frizz when your hair is straight, but a bit more challenging when it's curly/coily. Coily hair will not always be smooth like straight hair and is more susceptible to environmental changes. So instead of fighting frizz which is out of your control, EMBRACE IT. And if you have OCD and can't do this, then keep your hair in braids, a great anti-frizz hairstyle.
Problem 5. Belief that products grow hair
Proposed solutions- Buy every product on the market and keep applying them daily.
My Thoughts: products DO NOT grow hair, they only enhance the look and feel of your hair and could even make it stronger and less prone to breakage. I'm happy to announce that i've passed the product junkiness (PJ) stage and i'm currently working on downsizing to just a few products which my hair likes. While it's ok to try out a highly rated product, it shouldn't be for the sole purpose of achieving long hair.
What are some Natural hair problems you often come across that you don't see as a problem? I'll be happy to read your thoughts in the comment box below
Very insightful article. I am definitely obsessed with length although I fear that's a hangover from my relaxed days.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the natural community, particularly the "Type 4" cross-section has a long way to go in terms of fully accepting what it means to be natural.
Very nice post. I cannot believe how ridiculous some of the solutions are though... Standing upside down at night...LOL. I totally agree with your thoughts.
ReplyDeletewww.stylefash25.blogspot.com
lol, i was surprised to when I first read about it. I still plan to try it one of these days just to prove the theory wrong. lol
DeleteReally good piece
ReplyDeleteI read about the standing upside down thing a few weeks ago and I was just weak. LOL.
I think people obsessed with length just need to know that hair is growing, so they should focus their energies on length retention practices. I'm not aware of any product claiming to help anyone do this and this is really the hard part!
there are several products in the market that promises long hair. The truth is, if you don't take care of the hair that's growing out of your head, you won't have long hair, regardless of the product(s) used.
DeleteLove this article, this is so true!! I'm more than two years into my journey, and the biggest thing that helped me is leaving my hair alone. I do the min. and do not fuss about it, and it's doing fine. I'm 4b/c.
ReplyDeletetotally agree! I guess it all boils down to personal preference. I do A LOT of things to my hair in comparison to many others outside the NHC but I also do the bare minimum in comparison to others in the NHC. As long as you are seeing length over a period of time and your growth isn't stagnant, then you're on your way to having long hair.
DeleteHmm. Insightful I agree tho;
ReplyDeleteHttp://itsebunite.wordpress.com
Nice post, makes loads of sense!
ReplyDeleteOne "problem" I have is nappy hair. A lot of naturals want natural hair but not nappy hair, hence the curl creams and heat abuse.
ReplyDeleteAnd I couldn't agree with you more on number 5. I think we forget that what's inside your body affects your hair much more than a product or pill.
Obsession with natural oils. Yes I decided to do my BC I applied coconut oil and olive oil as if they were the new holy grail for my hair. No more petroleum products for my tresses! As it turns out, my hair (and scalp by extension) HATE natural oils! Both my hair and scalp prefer petroleum jelly, and no, I don't have breakage or an itchy scalp unless my hair needs washing which it did once a week when I used the natural oils.
ReplyDeleteI had to sadly learn to use ONLY what my hair was comfortable with not what someone else says it should be comfortable with.
wow, that's very interesting, considering petroleum oil has a lot of synthetic chemicals and other additives. Perhaps your scalp was allergic to the specific oils you used? it's normal for the body to react negatively to new regimen and products. Still very interesting! I think you're one of the first that i'm hearing such from. Thanks for sharing
Delete