IG Natural Hair sensation, @Mz_Tammy, rocking a great blow-out |
I was enjoying a wonderful lunch at the Farmer's Market and I noticed a very cute couple. They were eating lunch as well. Sidenote: Yes, I was ear hustling, don't judge me. The young lady had a cute natural 'do. It was pinned up and kinda looked like a Janelle Monae style. I could tell her hair was quite healthy.
The guy, her boyfriend, commented her hair and asked what she'd do with it "since it's getting hot outside. He asked, earnestly and honestly, "Would you straighten it anytime soon. Like with a flat-iron?" Poor thing. He didn't even know he was dating a Natural Hair Nazi. Ol' girl went OFF!
"Listen, girls who say that they are NATURAL but they use heat to straighten their hair are NOT natural. I am not one of those people. You will NEVER see me use heat, color, or anything that takes away from the hair that grows out of my head." she trailed on and on. The boyfriend kinda looked glazed in the eyes. I was feeling . . . Some kinda way.
This color isn't 'natural' but it sure is NICE |
- If you wear a weave as a protective style - you not really natural.
- If you straighten your hair - you're not really natural (and you are subscribing to the white aesthetic- SIGH)
- If you color your hair - you're not really natural - unless you have locs then that's ok . . .
If you use shampoos, moisturizers, conditioners, and the like, that you didn't MAKE in your own kitchen, you are already stepping away from the natural line. And, if you don't have a 100% natural diet, straight from the ground, that you grew yourself, then you step a bit further from the natural line. So, technically, if you ONLY stop using relaxers, then you aren't as natural as your sister who is 100% organic in EVERYTHING she does (what she puts on her head and what she puts in her mouth).
My friend, Tonya, rocking her flat ironed hair. |
What I hear when someone starts talking about what's natural and what's not is someone who is trying to tell me what's BLACK and what's not. This is the ongoing convo with black women and our hair decisions. If you can't see the kink then I'm not that natural. If she has a lighter complexion, then you'll hair commentary about how her natural hair journey is 'easier' than our kinky sisters. The point of the matter is - IT'S JUST HAIR and it's a personal decision. The way I wear my hair doesn't define my BLACKNESS nor my association in the Natural Hair community.
So ladies, if you are the 98% natural wonder, don't turn your nose up at the lady with the blue hair, weave, or the straightened 'do. You can be there for her when she trying to up her natural hair percentage.