The natural hair movement has been taken place for the past two years. Everyone is losing the relaxer and moving on to embracing their natural beauty. Woman are using more and more protective styles such as crochet braids or box braids to grow out their natural hair! For years the norm for African American woman was wear relaxers and get different forms of extensions for them to feel good about themselves. We were put into the mindset that the hair we were born with is too “nappy” and we need to alter it in order to fit into society. Curly hair is acceptable if and only if the curls are loose. The coily curls that many African American woman have are considered unacceptable and a lot of people still claim that it is not tamed.
To start on the natural journey, you can either let your hair slowly revert back to its original form, or you can do the big chop which involves shaving the whole thing. “I did the big chop because I wanted to know what my real hair was like, I just wanted to start over,” says Shalaya Alexander. “For weeks I wore a scarf around my head because I was embarrassed but after some growth I got to see my real texture.” When Shalaya was younger she had long natural hair, but before she could explore it on her own her mom put a perm. “She said it was too much hair to handle, I really wish she never put a perm, then I would have been able to embrace my natural hair from an early age,” says Shalaya. She believes that going natural was the best decision she had ever made and encourages others to embrace their hair.
Even after going natural many family members and friends try to convince them to get a relaxer again. They prefer the permed look and do not understand the concept of the natural hair journey. Indi was on her way to an interview and her mom stopped to comment on her appearance. “My mom kept saying that I looked crazy and that I should put a relaxer to tame it,” says Indi Parisien. “When I explained to her that I was born this way and that I should not alter it, she did not say much, but I could tell that she preferred the permed look a lot more than the natural look.
Many employers believe that the natural hair look is very unprofessional and untamed. Before an interview many woman with natural hair will straighten or put extensions in their hair to look “presentable” for the position. No other race feels the need to do anything for their hair to be accepted yet African American woman constantly are pressured to “fit the norm.” Even though we were born with this type of hair it is not accepted, because our society taught us that our hair is unacceptable. Even in schools African American women struggle with coming to school with their hair in its natural state.
According to "High School Students Threatened with Suspension for Wearing Natural Hair", by TheGrip, at C.R. Walker Senior High School in the Bahama’s, a couple of the African American girls in the class decided to wear their hair out natural. They were then pulled out of class and told to put perm in their hair by the next school day or they would be suspended. The administrator claimed that her hair was unprofessional and untidy, which is not fit for school. One of the students, Tayjha Deleveaux, says “Deep down I didn’t let it get to me,” she said. “She made me feel ugly, she made me feel less than beautiful because of natural my hair. She wanted to embarrass me and make everyone feel like I was ugly, like my natural hair was ugly.”
This girl is one of the many African American students that are being punished and ridiculed for their natural hair. Natural hair is still not accepted and it does not make any sense why it isn’t. Yet many African American women struggle with embracing what grows on their head do to the constant disapproval of the people surrounding them.
“Relaxers eat away at your hair and takes away from your hair texture, which is why you should not continuously put perm; I have been natural my whole life, and I’m glad my mother taught me to love my hair the way it is,” says Makaila Williams. “Being natural helped me understand who I am a little bit more, and caused me to take pride in my appearance, through my mother’s encouragement, I did not feel the need to get a relaxer because I realized what I have is beautiful, and I do not need to alter that.” She explains how her friends put perm in their hair and watched them struggle with growth, and when she told them to go natural they complained that it would be too hard.
“You can’t say going natural is too hard if you have not even tried it,” says Zinara Iyawe. Zinara explains that African American hair is not difficult to take care of, it’s a learning process. “You should not rely on a chemical to make your hair manageable, you’re hurting your hair and yourself,” she goes on to say. She explains that the chemicals will continue to thin your hair down until all your hair is gone.
“You just need to see what works with your hair to make it go with you.” She goes on to explain the multiple protective styles such as crochet braids and box braids or even protective weaves to help you protect your hair. “There’s literally no excuse to not go natural because there are so many ways to properly care for your hair.”
There’s nothing wrong with weaves but you should not rely on them to feel pretty or accepted. Many people who go natural choose to wear weaves, braids, and even straighten their hair, but they don’t need those to feel pretty. Going natural is all about embracing what you were born with, and avoiding chemically altering it. Everyone likes a different style here and there which is why there’s nothing wrong with a little change here and there.
