"Your hair is so pretty and long," "Is that all yours?" Sisters nowadays are replying, "Why yes, it is!"
Black women's hair plays an integral role in our daily lives. It determines how pretty we feel, and even how society accepts us. Whether your hair is long and straight, or short and curly; the plethora of styles black women experiment with unveils our inner beauty and ability to rock just about any look.
Crack is wack. Hair crack that is. After Chris Rock's documentary about black women's hair, several issues came about. Perms have been proven to damage black women's hair in a way that causes permanent damage, however, many still resort to
this type of chemical processing to maintain a "nice" looking grade of hair.
But in 2010, many women say to hell with that and going natural is the thing to do! At first, I thought this was just a decision based on the type of hair you have, but many women are learning that it doesn't matter what type of hair you may have, perms are deadly to the dome.
Going natural takes time and it can be challenging for a sister who is used to crack every month or so. But, it can be done. Here are some helpful tips on maintaining the natural do:
1. Keep your ends clipped and a good conditioner. This will prevent breakage and will also expedite outgrowing the perm.
2. Wrap your hair at night and try to use less heat. Heat causes damage and thinning, so put that Chi down and wrap your hair at night.
3. Going natural doesn't have to be every one's business. Sew it up! Sew ins actually expedite the growth process because you are letting your hair rest. Be sure to wash it and leave it in for about a month or so. Let your scalp breathe in between sew ins and keep those ends clipped!
4. Claim your liberation!
Black women are often lulled into believing "Anything like white is right." But that's not so, let us embrace our short do, or our big, wild hair!
So whether you press it, wrap it, sew it, or perm it; know that Black Hair is apart of our culture and KNOW that Black is Beautiful.
