now more than ever I notice the difference in the quality of hair care products. There are several over-the-counter products that work well for natural hair, and for me it was worth the savings and convenience. However, I have not used many professional products specifically designed for natural hair. I'd love to try them. Most of the "professional" products are designed for use with chemically treated hair or they claim to be "recommended for all types" of hair. These products usually include some amount of alcohol or other ingredients that dry or make my natural hair coarse. Herbal formula products are far gentler and smell wonderful.
Do you think you will ever go back to a relaxer?
No. I wear my hair sleek and straight sometimes, and I love the versatility of being a quick-change artist with natural hair. One day I wear it silky straight, then a couple days later it's a textured 'fro; two days later, two-stranded twists. The possibilities are endless.
Do you feel sexier with a natural style?
Yes, I find it sexy that I can change my hairstyle, particularly the texture, to fit my mood with little damage and minimum effort.
Does it minimize our versatility?
The possibilities are endless, particularly when the weather is dry. During humid or rainy seasons I go with the flow of the weather and wear my hair in textured styles instead of sporting smooth straight hairstyles.
What is the difference mentally?
Mentally, I am confident, free and in control. I feel absolutely beautiful in all my chosen hairstyles. I feel like I have mastered the hair dilemma and found a place of comfort with myself since, in essence, I can totally surrender my hair to the environmental elements and still wear hairstyles that complement any style.
Which one is the easiest to take care of?
Both require proper maintenance. Relaxed hair requires more regular visits to a professional hair salon for touchups, trimming, conditioning and styling. To maintain my natural hair I visit a professional stylist every six to eight weeks for regular trimming and conditioning. Since my natural hair is not exposed to constant heat appliances, it is stronger, healthier and easier to manage with a home care beauty regime.
Which is the most expensive?
Relaxed hair is more expensive to maintain with the regular salon visits. I averaged about $45 to $65 per regular salon visit for regular maintenance of relaxed hair every two to three weeks. This is omitting the touchup, kut, color and other extras, which can raise the price to $85 and higher, particularly if you have long hair. The average price for maintaining my natural hair per salon visit every six to eight weeks is $35 to $45, without major extras like color.
Would you ever relax your daughter's hair?
Probably not, since I know how to nourish and style natural hair. I think most mothers relax their daughter's hair for a more manageable texture for themselves and their daughters who may want to start styling and maintaining their hair. However, if taught at an early age how to manage and style their natural hair and include proper products, more mothers may start to pass on relaxers.
How does pressing work for you?
I don't use a pressing comb. I use a hot curling iron to straighten and curl the hair when it is textured. It works well.
What do white folks think about relaxed hair versus natural?
Most white folks like and understand straight hair since it looks straight and similar to their hair. They are fascinated with the versatility of our hair in general. They seem to like and prefer what is comfortable for them: viewing black people with straight hair. Natural hairstyles will certainly separate the curious and despondent from those who sincerely appreciate and respect the diversity of African hair and culture. Corporate culture certainly has been reluctant to openly accept natural hairstyles - braids, twists - as a styling option for African Americans, and we are part to blame. When I worked for a top public relations firm, many of my black co-workers were more vocal about their discomfort with my "militant hairstyle" and issued words of caution at our appearing too black in the workplace. Surprisingly, my white colleagues overall were accepting and complimentary and quite frankly fascinated by the diversity of our hair. As we continue to change and create what is acceptable for ourselves, others will eventually follow our lead and accept us, too.
Could you grow your hair out using a relaxer?
I did not kut off my relaxed hair when I decided to let my natural hair grow. I followed a careful hair care regime with my hairstylist to minimize breakage and stress to the different textures. I did not apply any type of relaxer or light texturizer chemical treatment once I decided to go natural.
What kind of problems are you having now?
I would like to find more stylists who professionally care for natural hair from the initial growing-out stages to continued maintenance in hairstyling, hairkutting, and a variety of textures.
Chapter 4
What’s Hair Got To Do With It?
By Donna Britt – Columnist, Washington, DC
What hair means to us.
Even when I was a little girl, one fact seemed obvious: Even if nothing else was working - if my clothes were wrinkled or my sneakers scuffed - if my hair looked good, I looked good, too.
Most sisters would agree. When your hair falls just right - when, through some miracle, you or your stylist manages to get each curl or wave to align just so with every other - you FEEL better too. And no woman on the planet needs the uplift that comes from having great- looking hair than a black woman.
That's because any sister who has beautiful hair and knows it has arrived at a hallowed place, indeed. For generations, black women were taught to hate the hair God gave them. Decade after decade, we learned to see the springy stuff on our heads as being "too" something or other - too knotty, too kinky, too thick, too hard to control, just too damn much. In a culture that often devalues black women's wider noses, fuller lips, lush behinds and myriad skin shades, having "troublesome" hair feels like the last straw.
I mean, really. How can a woman feel beautiful if she's convinced her hair is an irredeemable mess? How can she relax and celebrate all that she is - her intelligence, her sensuality, her tenderness - if she's convinced that one vital part of her is ugly? No wonder so many black women treat their hair the way they would treat any "problem" - by fighting it with all their might.
We have fought our hair with arsenals of harsh, ineptly applied chemicals. We've attacked it with smoking combs overheated in open flames, and with blazing hot curling rods. We've tried to tame it by smearing our scalps with every imaginable oil, cream and pomade.
The battle scars of our never-ending hair wars are impossible to miss: breakage, excessive dryness, inadequate growth, even balding. So when a sister somehow makes peace with her hair, when, through proper care and nutrition, she allows her crowning glory to become a glorious crown, indeed - she feels as great as she looks.
Most black women see that as a goal worth chasing. That's why no women spend more time, effort or a larger proportion of their income on their hair than black women. We know that no day feels worse than a really bad hair day.
