“The revoloution will not be televised.” There’s a movement going on Glam-Aholics, thousands of African American women and women of African descent around the world have stopped relaxing their hair. They’ve gone GREEN (my word for going natural) and have done it proudly. All have their own different reasons for doing it- damage, scalp problems, illness, hair loss, finances, curiosity or maybe simply being tired of wasting all day Saturday waiting in a salon. Going natural is very scary, a lot of African american women are stuck in the mindset “if it ain’t straight it aint right.” We’ve so deeply embedded… that we rather have hair like Kim Kardashian rather than Sealy from The Color Purple. Hair is always a touchy subject for African American women especially the fear of “Nappy” hair is deeply rooted in our blood. The image of long straight hair is LABELED beauty in our community instead of afros.
The revolution going GREEN became very intriguing to me… I found myself googling “natural hair”… reading, looking at photos and watching video tutorials on YouTube. What I found was beautiful, so I had to share my new found love with my fellow Glam-Aholics who may be going through the same thing as many of these women who are transitioning into natural. But I still needed a personal story that I could share… so I went to the source.
Melanie Ennis, 21, native Detroiter, Columbia College Chicago graduated has recently made the switch to natural hair. I call her my “SOUL” sister, I’ve known Melanie for 10yrs and she has always been a person who marched to her own drum. Never been someone I thought who could ever be enslaved to the “creamy crack” but as she began to tell me her journey, I realized that her story was inspiring and that I had to share it with our Glam-Aholics.
One day I got sick and tired of feeling chained to my straight,boring ass wrap! I also got fed up with being at the mercy of hairstylists who take all day just to wipe creamy crack on your scalp to burn your hair straight! I was tired of being a slave to my hair. I have naturally long, THICK(lol) curly hair, but the relaxer had reduced my shining glory to a lifeless, chemical/heat damaged shoulder length wrap 🙁
The first benefit was actually re-learning and loving my hair texture! I learned sooo many cool techniques to care for my hair, like the benefits of using pure avocado oil to strengthen follicles, or the cool things vegetable glycerin does (its absorbs the moisture in the air,keeping your hair constantly moisturized!a huge plus in warm months). I love feeling more conscious of what I eat and the products used in my hair. I love watching my hair grow and change into its natural state. I like to say I baby my hair now.lol. I LOVE being able to have so much versatility!! I can be straight, curly, kinky, twisted the list goes on for days! Being natural is so freeing and exciting. When I had a perm, I used to lust after chicks who rocked their funky curls, or had messy curly buns, then had a blow out with awesome color then next day. I couldn’t do that because perm is so harsh, I was paranoid of my hair falling out(from the hair color). I have always been extremely expressive (through my personality and clothing) but my hair stayed the SAME. Soooo boring lol. So it is fucking awesome to have endless hair options 🙂
The key hairstyle that saved my life when transitioning? My rod-set!!! Omg!! Any girl going natural that isn’t a fan of weave or wigs and doesn’t want to big chop(cut off all your permed hair) a rod set is a wonderful option! The curly style camoflauges your 2 textures(new growth and permed hair) while being versatile and SUPER easy to manage!! I rocked it for the bulk of my transition(1year). Now that I’m natural, I rock 3 key styles…
- My beloved twist out( twist hair,wrap it into a little ball and bobby pin,repeat over entire head, cover with bonnet over night and bam! Soft, wavy curls!) Products: Aubrey organics shampoo,A phogee keratin conditioner, Miss jessies curly pudding&curling meringue, seal with coconut or jojoba oil) spritz in the morning with a moisturising leave in cond or veggie glycerin.
- Braid outs for a funky Afro-licious do. The techinque is the same as a twist out, just braid instead 🙂 Products: same as above
- My Wash and Go (more of an everyday look) I usually wash and rinse my hair with conditioner in the morning then apply leave-in on wet hair. Then I section my hair and apply eco-styler gel to lock in the curl to cut out frizz. (Works like a dream but doesn’t cause flakes,stiffness or buildup!) Then you’re done! Products: Aphogee keratin conditioner, Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave In conditioner (for moisture, very important!) And Eco-Styler maximum control gel. Seal lightly with coconut or jojoba.
*All these products can be purchased @target and your local beauty supply!! These are just a few styles, I also love buns, funky twists or braids in the front or retro styles. I’m learning as I go.Don’t let people trick you into believing natural hair is too much work, once you re-learn your texture and what your hair needs, the rest is cake! What’s hard is taking those first steps, but you won’t regret it 🙂
@arjaunjubri
This is so great! A cousin and I were just having this conversation a few days ago about “us” black women and going natural. We’ve both considered taking the plunge but were just to chicken to do so. Thanks for this post, it was right on time!
I truly appreciate this post as I have been natural since June 2006. I love being able to be so versatile in my natural state. I have nothing but love for my curls and I wish that more people would embrace the beauty that is given to our people. Whether you are curly, kinky, wavy or nappy…DO YOU. Ive never been one to sit in the shop(Ive been doing my own hair since high school, only went to my beautician for special events or special needs) so I have had the honor of working and understanding my hair for years. Once I discovered the potential of natural hair I was hooked. I take pride in learning new techniques/styles. I also take pride in being who I want to be…not in who society, trends or the “others” want me to be…Mia again I thank you for shining a light on ppl who are being “who they want to be”…that to me is the true definition of a GLAMAHOLIC!!! and as you say BE GLAM, BE FAB, BE YOU!!!
Thank you sooo much 🙂
Great post! I got my last relaxer this past September. I’ve had a relaxer for about 17 consecutive years and I’ve never felt constrained by it… I have very strong hair, so I was able to wear braid outs and rod sets even though my hair was chemically treated. I still wear my hair straight most of the time because that is what I like. With all the new products and styling tools available, now I don’t need a relaxer to keep my hair the way I like it. I must admit, I do feel liberated in a way. But in my opinion, hair is an accessory so whether it’s relaxed, natural, dyed, curly, cut, straight or weaved, hair is beautiful to me!
I love my choice to go natural. I been natural since last year and it is getting a better reception than I thought. I have went from braids to afro to curls and now Sisterlocks. I have always been outside the box anyway and now “freeing” my hair up has put the icing on the cake. Guys love it and it of course saves money for more important things like Glam-Aholic wears! Lol
I just started going natural. I am currently wearing braids. Im a little nervous about if I can stick it out. I hate this in between stage Im in right now. If anyone has any other tips I would appreciate it
Love seeing more women embrace their natural hair and going against the grain. I’ve been natural 4.5 years and grew out my hair only to cut it all off last fall (yeah I know what was I thinking? lol) but I been rocking this natural fade ever since and I love it. It’s definitely a daring style but I feel so liberated with no hair at all.
I love this post! I have been natural since October 2002. I believe there were many reasons I chose to become natural. I hated waiting for my beautician to do my hair; I had time and patience on my hands to do it myself; I couldn’t always afford to keep my hair relaxer; I wanted to experiment with colors and the list goes on. I, too, have contemplated getting a relaxer even until now. It’s truly not worth my money, though. I love the flexibility of wearing my own natural hair. I just recently begun to wear it in its natural state. Can you believe the whole 8/9 years I have been natural I never really played with my natural hair until May?! I have always hated my hair because I don’t know what to do with it. It is a decent length but I hate when it is straight. I have worn kinky twists, zillions and braids throughout undergrad but never did I play with twistouts and flat twists. I love it! Confession: every now and then I get a weave, too. I love the flexiblity of my hair. Youtube and hair forums have helped fuel my fire! Good luck and God bless you all on your natural hair journey. Don’t give in to the creamy crack movement, be you. Wear your own hair!
Thank you dolls for all the wonderful comments on the post. I just thought this topic was so insipring to all women and I had to share it with the glam-aholics! I’m glad you all liked it!
LOVE THIS POST! I too am natural and I LOVE IT!! After YEARS of mistreating my hair, going natural was the best thing I have ever done! This is the healthiest my hair has ever been in my life. I find it to being natural so versatile, and you can really be the “Same Girl Different Hair” LOL! I can rock a straight style in the colder months, and a twist out during the warmer months. Melanie, you are beautiful, and I LOVE your hair!
I absolutely love love love this post. I have been natural since March 2006 and I can honestly say that I fell in love with my hair that year. In high school and college everyone used to say how they loved my hair and so did I…until my Caucasian roommate asked how do I get it so straight. I lied…and told her “just with a flat iron”. I wished. The truth was…creamy crack. It wasn’t until I moved to Dallas, TX that my hairstylist turned friend refused to relax my hair. She told me, “Kris, come to me on a regular basis (every other week), give me a year, and if you don’t LOVE it, I’ll relax it.” I can remember around month 9 when she washed my hair and I took a “potty break” (don’t front…ya’ll take potty breaks at the shop too) and looked in the mirror (something she hated for me to do until the finished product). I went back and sat quietly under the dryer and while she styled my hair. While paying her I asked what kind of shampoo she used to make my hair spiral like that. After she got done laughing, she said, “Yeah, you had no clue you had curly hair did you?” I had absolutely NO CLUE!!! In fact, I thought I had nappy hair because it always felt so dry in the past. The next year I was completely off the creamy crack…and pregnant! So, even if I wanted to go back I couldn’t. My job didn’t pay me for maternity leave, so leading up to the birth of my daughter I had to save money. I cut out my frequent salon visits. Thankfully, I was able to do water and mousse in the 100 degree weather for a curly look or pink moisturizer for a wavy look. I even went back to kindergarten and did the single braid down the back. Needless to say…I love my natural hair! It doesn’t need to be trimmed as often, even though it grows faster and I can still wear it bone straight if I want (which I usually do) just by using my Remington flat iron. It is a very deceiving product. I straighten my hair on a Saturday, wrap it every night and use no more heat until I make it to the shop two weeks later. Yes, it literally blocks out moisture and humidity. My hair swells when I think about water, but my thoughts nor RAIN, YES, RAIN (but just a little) are no match for my Remington. You don’t have to revert to creamy crack for straight hair. Embrace your natural hair! Love your natural hair! And dammit, don’t clown me for this long post! 🙂
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