Black Hair Is Beautiful

I think I did mine up that way a few times when I was little and had my hair short.

I figured it would be a good style for someone who wants to look sharp without needing to fuss with her hair constantly. Like many African hairstyles, bantu knots can be done once and left in place for a while. Knots seem to last a few days to a week, while some braids can last up to a month, depending on how well a given person's hair locks into place.

>>I stopped wearing relaxers nearly a decade ago...<<

Good for you!

>>because my hair was falling out. Literally.<<

0_o Alas, that's not rare. Relaxers, perms, and other harsh chemicals are really tough on hair. It's especially risky to use these products on small children -- which people do -- because they were never tested for that. Almost everything is late-phase tested on adult (usually white) men, occasionally on adult women. For African hair-care products hopefully they're getting test subjects with African hair, but you never know. So it's easy for something to slip through that would do very bad things to a developing body.

>> I was eighteen years old and knew nothing of the hair texture I had been born with. My mother is just learning about hers, at forty-five. It's more common than not among black women and it's really sad.<<

Only part of the problem is racism or internalized racism, where people hate their hair because it looks "too ethnic." Another really big part is the tremendous investment in hair-care products as an industry. Natural-style hair does not need nearly as much hair gunk. Companies do not want to see that money go away. So that plays into not just advertising, but what kind of hair black models and performers are allowed to have.

This is why I boosted the signal for that original article. Wearing natural hair is a small but important act of self-determination. Every high-profile person who does it, makes it that much easier for other people to get away with it too. Eventually the dam will break and people will be free to wear their hair as they wish without fear of getting kicked out of school or out of a job, or otherwise hassled.

>>Most little black girls get their first relaxer before the age of ten. I was eight. Lots of my friends with daughters are bucking that trend and absolutely will not allow their girls to use relaxers, and I plan to do the same when I have children. <<

I think it's a good idea to get to know your hair before you decide that you want to change it.

>>There is just as much of a market for products designed for natural hair, which is usually a lot more dry. You're right though about not needing as many products after figuring out what works best...but doesn't that apply to everyone? <<

Finding the right products is important for everyone, yes. Something that makes your hair nice and doesn't mangle your skin in the process. It's often possible to manage hair with just shampoo, conditioner, and maybe a hot oil treatment or detangling product. Compare to that plus relaxer or perm, gel, hair spray, dye, etc.

>>I despise racism, but internalized racism just makes me sad.<<

Agreed. Same with internalized sexism, which often plays into hair choices (or lack thereof). And Native Americans still get shit from people if they want to wear their hair long, too, as if it's anyone else's business in the first place.

I think the Internet has helped immensely by making it easier for people to share information and ideas about hair care and styles, along with photos. Nobody has to feel like they're the only person with nappy hair that doesn't look like the floating tresses of the ice skater on TV. Now folks can readily see the awesome things that dense, curly hair can do.

Have you ever tried the "happy curls" trick? It involves using a large amount of conditioner on wet hair, finger-twirling curls to get them to form up nicely, and letting it dry that way. It works both with tight nap, and with looser curls that tend to frizz when combed.

One set of instructions appears here:
http://www.tightlycurly.com/technique/tipsforlittleones/