by
Black Girl With Long Hair
Lately there’s been quite a bit of discussion in the comment box about what being natural is and is not. We decided to parse out the five main points of contention to see if they are reasonable. Check it out.
Many women feel that coloring your hair simply disqualifies you as natural. There is a point to that — Hair dye is technically a chemical that weakens the hair and in some cases, alters the texture. But “going natural” most commonly refers to embracing texture, not color, although that’s part of the process too. Some argue that choosing a light color is an attempt to distance one’s self from a black/afro aesthetic, but what about creativity? What about experimenting and trying new things? Ladies, what’s your take?
It’s true that the natural hair movement began with, and is firmly rooted in black culture. And that is not likely to change. But it’s also true that accepting hair texture is something that women of other ethnicities struggle with too (as Algerian style icon Sa Rah shared) — albeit to a lesser extent. The consequences that black women can face for being natural — romantically, professionally and socially — are far more grave than women of other ethnicities. STILL, any kinky or curly haired woman can benefit from the inspiration, instruction and advice shared within the natural community. So, what do you think? Can any curly or kinky-haired woman be called ‘natural’, or is it a label that should remain unique to black women?
Many naturals were deeply upset when they discovered that Titi Branch, one half of the duo behind natural haircare line Miss Jessie’s, uses a texturizer to elongate her curls. Many saw this as a betrayal and antithetical to the natural ideal of embracing your texture ‘as is’. Texturizers are a chemical treatment that loosen kinks and curls but don’t fully straighten the hair. Without proper upkeep they can weaken the hair, and lead to breakage. Some feel that, because texturizers don’t fully eliminate kinks and curls, they should still count as natural. Ladies, what do you think?
Black hair comes in a wide variety of textures, from kinky/cottony to bone straight. What about black women with naturally wavy and straight hair? Some feel that, because their texture is already socially acceptable, they don’t “need” the natural community and shouldn’t be a part of it. Some of this thinking came into play here on BGLH when we posted an article by Brittany, a wavy haired natural. What do you think ladies? Should being black and having wavy or straight hair disqualify you from being natural?
Our 2011 interview with Angela Simmons, who has a massive afro under a shiny head of weave, sparked major debate. Some felt that Ms Simmons, who didn’t know much about managing her natural hair (outside of seeing a stylist) was not qualified to be featured on a natural hair blog. But an increasing number of women are transitioning from relaxers via weaves, while keeping their natural kinks and curls hidden underneath. Some don’t yet have the courage to rock their natural hair out in public, and others find that weaves — which can withstand significantly more manipulation and heat styling than natural hair — are more convenient. Does this mean these women are not natural?
What does being natural mean to you?
250 Responses
Calm yourself. Not sure why stating an article stating a fact could trigger you lmfao. It is rooted in black culture. Doesn’t mean other ethnicity can’t join the movement, but it also does not remove this fact. Get over it.
No one is considered natural if you’re going to judge by those standards. Damn near everyone is guilty of one or more of those “disqualifiers.”
Returning to being natural means different things to different people…the natual underneath was me. I.really didn’t.know.what to do with my hair, I liked the look and feel of the weave, and Iead a busy lifestyle and the weave “seemed” easier. The texturizer, from what a stylist TOLD me, is nothing more than a shorten relaxer. The struggle is real for.any woman when.she embaces her natural hair but WE ARE ridiculed THE MOST…even by each other. We are all in.different stages in.our hair journey…
a better question would be “does it matter?”. i feel like people are putting way too much energy making it into an exclusive club rather than an encouraging movement
The only thing that’s not natural is a texturizer
Being natural when it goes for hair just mean that your hair texture is natural. Why a girl who wears weaves can’t be considered as natural? In that case any girl with hair done loke twists braids etc are not natural either. We are not born with braids on our head either. If we can’t dye our hair and be called natural so those who put gel on their can’t be called natural either. It’s an absurd point of view? Yes it is, just like saying that weaves girls are not natural, wavy girls are not natural , being non black or hair-colored girls are not natural.
I have trouble with natural women who are always straightening their hair. If the natural hair movement is about acceptance of our natural selves, then why always straighten your hair bone straight like having a perm? If this was the healthy hair movement, by all means. Or wome. who are curl crazy and only wear there hair straight out of permrods. I want to see people wear their hair as it grows out of their heads. But i have a nice curl pattern, so maybe I am speaking from a place of privlege…
That may be what your prefer, but just because someone wears their hair in a way that isn’t how it grows out of their heads naturally doesn’t mean they’re not natural. So HRH you don’t want to see people wear braids, locks, bantu knots and other natural styles because that doesn’t grow out of a person’s head naturally either.
Not all the time, no. Just like I don’t really want to see people wearing their hair only after it has been shaped by perm rods. Something like locks is obviously a semi permanent situation, and I’m not sure I have as much a problem because it still showcases the nature of natural hair. I understand utilizing a combination of these style frequently, the problem comes when it is rare that you ever show your hair as God has it grow out of your head. That it is always manipulated in some way, and especially in ways that resemble European standards of beauty.
Being natural to me means a couple of things. Regarding the physical hair itself, it means not using any process,(chemical or not) to maintain a long term texture that is different than what grows out of your scalp. Psychologically it means loving the hair that grows out of your scalp (tight kinks to bone straight) and having no shame in displaying your unaltered hair. ALL women at some time have, “issues” with their hair, so I don’t think it’s fair to criticize people from calling themselves “natural”
Covering your hair with synthetic hair or someone else’s hair that did not grow out if your own head is not “natural” and it doesn’t make sense to call it that. That’s like getting press-on nails and still calling them “natural” because you have nails underneath. No, honey. No.
There is nothing erong with having a little fun with natural hair by adding some other hair some time.
Eh. Something not being ‘natural’ doesn’t make it wrong. I think Tyler’s comment still stands as fact.
…true…not saying it’s wrong just be truthful if asked or to the audience.
I nearly lost it at “it’s true that the natural hair movement began with, and is firmly rooted in black culture.” For crying out loud, who cares?! People are so consumed in this natural hair crap and what “disqualifies you.” This is how my hair grows and this what my God has given me. It’s that simple. If I choose to cut, dye, weave, and style MY HAIR, it shouldn’t be anyone else’s problem. I’ve embraced my natural hair, but I refuse to be a part of the “natural hair community” because of some of the simple-minded people within it. #teamnatural #naturalista etc…. a bunch of brainwashing branding.
Since dying your hair and having a looser texture is considered “unnatural,” how natural are you if you have tattoos and piercings? Lol, I digress.
The only two I have a problem with, and my opinion doesn’t really matter in the long run, are getting a texturizer, which is clearly a chemical and the antithesis of being natural and being natural under a weave, because you are not really embracing it or putting your nappy hair on the line like so many others. And yes, weave can be a protective style, although it can also be damaging to the hair when done incorrectly. But there are protective styles that can be done with your own hair. Am I petty? Whatever. But before anyone attacks me or any other commentor, remember BGLH asked us what we think. Just wanted to put that out there.
so hair isn’t natural if its naturally straight and you’re black? lol our race is finished.
I’m 11, 12 in March. I’ve had a texturizer, 2 as a matter of fact, and I feel that some people are not making what they’re saying clear enough. What if you had a texturizer and stopped. I consider myself natural, because my curl pattern is the same it was before, and I’m not going to get another texturizer. I embrace myself for who I am, and I feel that once you do that, you’re natural.
**BTW, none of you are going to tell me ANYTHING about the fact that I’m “too young” and that I “don’t know anything”, because a good few of y’all commenting are VERY, VERY ignorant.
0 0i like to stay with my natural color which is black or dye it brown i dont get crazy with it honey bnolde is cool with me red and blue and purple and omg pink is not cute and its to much mostly on people over the age of 12
I put a dark auburn color in my hair after I big chopped. I still consider myself natural. Naturalness is a state of mind as well as a physical description. I stopped eating pork and red meat and using deodorant with ammonia. I also drink more water, excercise more frequently, and eat more fruits and vegetables. Doesn’t that also qualify as “natural”? My mindset is to stop pointing at other people and focus more on me and my overall health.
BTW, My co-worker/friend came to work last week with a beautiful weave, flowing down her back, light brown with streaks of blonde. I told her that it was gorgeous (it was).
My motto: Concentate on you, not me!
The “Natural” community consists of black and mixed black women of all hair types. Only from Africa do we see the texture of hair targeted specifically by relaxer companies, so only people with african blood count.
Color-treated hair, in my opinion is still natural because you can treat your hair with an array of natural products from lemons to cinnamon to henna dye.
A texturizer is a relaxer. Period.
And as for weaves and wigs hiding natural hair: Some girls and women are not confident enough in their hair and in themselves to break away just yet, but it will come. Others opt for the low (not no) maintenance of them. So long as underneath they are natural, then that’s that.
Knowledge, logic and understanding.
Lets be real OUR HAIR on average is NOT STRAIGHT OR WAVY! i have never seen an UNMIXED BLACK PERSON with natural STRAIGHT WET AND WAVY HAIR!
Im not saying it’s not possible to have im just saying U would be hard pressed to find it on FULL UNMIXED BLACK PERONe
TO ME if it’s no kinky then u are disqualified.
Ethiopians are black, yet they have a loose curl pattern.
Ethiopians are AFRICAN not black
Black refers to color or race not ethnicity.
Bottom line is if you apply a chemical to your hair you aren’t natural in a superficial sense. However if you have a color or texturizer please know that as a participant on a hair blog or forum you need to state that truthfully. You should not give advice or ask for help without stating the obvious. Its not the chemical process that bothers me but the acting like your hair hasn’t changed. Color makes the hair drier, and for a few alters the natural texture. A textuizer is the same as a relaxer also having the potential to cause dryness and breakage. There is risk associated with both.The advice you give and the help you ask for can be null and void if you don’t say that your hair is chemically treated. It doesn’t make you less of a person if you want to wear weave, relax, texlax or color. It may be just what you need to spruce up your style or maintain your hair. The problem seems to be that everyone wants to join this movement because of the comradery and since of community, but everyone wants to bend the “rules” so that they don’t feel left out.Heaven forbid you tell them they can’t come play lol. Then you get called a murderer (NAZI) apparently exterminating peoples dreams of what it means to be natural. The initial purpose was to be happy with what you got. Where you fall into that is ultimately up to you.
When I color my hair it does not change my texture. Even with color i’m still consider myself natural. All heads are not alike.
Texturizers are a definite no no, I didn’t feel I was a true natural until I stopped texturizing my hair, I found it became more of a hassle then it was worth. As far as color goes, I love seeing how color expresses itself on natural hair, I feel it highlights the beauty and texure of natural hair. I don’t consider myself a hair nazi, my decision to go natural was based strictly on my desire to not perm my hair ever again, I just didn’t like how my hair was thinning and the whole 6-8 week ritual of reapplying chemicals to my hair, not to mention the cost.
I am not natural but I’ve been natural before so I’ve seen both sides of things. The one thing I have an issue with is when natural nazi’s (and yes I said natural nazi’s which are people who put the issue of being natural or make judgement on those who are not)talk about pride in their hair or that being natural is not difficult yet they have it hidden up under weaves and wigs.
In that case you’re natural but it defeats the point that some claim that they are trying to make. How can one chastise someone for not being natural but then project the same look but in a different way?
That’s why this whole natural or relaxed thing is just too much for me! Just wear your hair the way you want to wear it and let the next chick wear hers the way she wants to. The way the social system works in America anyway, it doesn’t matter what we do to our hair, it’s going to come with some consequences. Just do you, live with or rise above those consequences and generate some sisterhood in between. After all, it’s bad enough that everyone else has something to say about us. Do we really need to be against ourselves too? Just sayin’.
end rant 😉
Please stop referring to people as Nazis. That is offensive. What those people did is no comparison of someone judging you on something as stupid as hair care/ style practices.The judgey tone of these people can be bitchy. I would rather be called a Bitch than a Nazi. Please stop.
People should be allowed to have their hair any way they want without being judged, labeled or excluded. As long as their actions don’t stink of cultural appropriation than I’m fine with it.
I don’t really care about color. Masai warriors use red ochre from clay to color their hair red. Would those guys not qualify as natural either? =p Or does it only matter if it’s a chemical from a box?
The one thing I will say, is that people with more socially acceptable hair types with looser waves and curls should understand that the journey they are on may be different from someone with 4b/4c hair. It’s important to recognize that fact and not stomp all over it. =p
First of all, I am natural , but I use a henna dye to cover gray. This does NOT disqualify me as a natural, because the henna dye DOES not have ammonia or any other chemicals in it!!!!!
Also having a texturizer does not qualify one as being natural because even though a texturizer allows you to keep some curl, it is still a chemical, like a relaxer. Read the label!!
Also for women who are naturally straight or curly/wavy, YES they are part of the natural community, because they are NATURAL!!!!! Do NOT make this a Good hair bad hair thing!!! Time to evolve people!!! Let us embrace all of our textures and keep it moving!!!!!
I’m not here to disqualify anyone I’m just SO SO TIRED of the “texturizer” discussion. A texturizer is a relaxer!!!! Looks like one, smells like one, burn/tingles like one and straightens like one. They are the same thing, I’m tired of the misinformation and girls saying they’re cutting all their relaxed hair off to “texlax” in hopes of achieving curls that may or may not appear. This process does straighten hair because it is a relaxer not a jherri curl lol…that is all.
Any type of relaxer makes my hair straight…”texlaxing,” all that.
Ehhh I do not think color disqualifies you because there are several chemical free dyes. Experimenting with colors is fun not self loathing. Dying your dreads purple in no way says you are running from your ethnicity.
Yes I feel the natural movement to remain black. Can we have SOMETHING?!?! Geez
Texturizing is cheating. You are disqualified and not natural. That’s not embracing the kink it’s altering it.
Constant weaving is not embracing the kink, that’s hiding it. While I know first hand that transition is haaaard. I looked ceily many a night I survived and found some cute braids. Constant weaving is the equivalent in being a closet homosexual. You’re not proud and free yet.
Actually… all dyes are chemicals because all things are made of chemicals. Water is a chemical. A more correct statement is to say “natural dyes” or dyes from natural sources vs artificial dyes.
I believe a person has to accept who they are naturally as a spirit. Then and only then can they embrace their natural, God-given features. It’s all about being true to you. There is a song that is all about that.
Peace, ladies!
Why the segregation? All of these sections and hair types.
The only reason to have them is to help people (if does at all), not to separate and judge them.
I’m going to go non-PC and state the obvious. Natural Hair as a concept was never meant to be inclusive to the following:
Non-Black Women-hair texture be damned
Mixed Women with wavy or curly hair
Black Women with wavy or curly hair
Natural hair is targeted at black/mixed women with kinky hair. Tips, techniques, product and service information, and reconciling the social stigmas of KINKY hair is the platform. Understanding and noticing not just the differences but the advantages someone with straighter hair has isn’t something women with KINKY hair should be made to feel guilty of. Mixed and black women with curly and wavy hair didn’t have a problem enjoying their differences but as soon as their biggest fans, the kinky girls, started noticed they were pretty cool too they want to re-position themselves at the top of this hierarchy. But that isn’t going to happen and leveling the word “jealous” at people who don’t agree with the all inclusive version of “Natural” hair is so juvenile.
“Natural Hair” = Hair in its NATURAL state. Period.
That filters out the “wavy-straight”/”non-black” arguments. Even the “weave” argument to a major degree because your hair is still “natural” underneath.
Now pass the mayonnaise.
I say, anyone who has the time to go around debating, accusing, or wasting time on the above disqualifiers is DISQUALIFIED! This is the dumbest crap ever. Do what you do with your hair, and pray for the Natural Hair Police…they need it.
Sirens wailing…………
I’ll right away grasp your rss as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you have any? Please permit me realize in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
We all have choice and all these opinions are just that points of views
In a person is comfortable in their skin that is all which matters. As a black person there have seen many exclusions so how can I now exclude someone because one parent is of a different race.
Once the hair is kep clean and well groomed who cares some people use natural as an excuse not to come their hair.
I have Braided, worn afro, extensions no extension
Relaxer no relaxer. For me I now relax because its convenient( if you are concerned about health it may not be a smart thing, natural dyes are available but most salons do not use this. it choice .There are so many more cruicial issues at hand that this is the bottom of my concern
Natural mean without chemically straightening your hair PERMANENTLY!
Non-blacks are NATURAL but some straighten as that is the pressure they are under by the media and peers or themseves.
In the black community people don’t evn know what their hair LOOKS like without the weaves and relaxers and for the FIRST time are seeing and discovering thei God-given beauty! ‘__’
That is why it is soooo emotional, imagine not having looked at your reflection before? It will take a while to get used to it so we yearn to share our experiences and name it going !Natural!. 🙂
I think we should distinguish, abandoning the relaxers and embracing your hair texture as it isn’t the same thing. That way, everyone is happy and it isn;t to do with race or texture.
All women love to bond on similar thgings so loving our hair is something all communities can UNITE on.
+1
I really hate that this is even an issue, life is to short and black women as a whole have came to far to let hair issues like this tear them apart. It’s all about what makes you feel beautiful and what you feel is best for you. People have to do what they have to do to get where they are trying to go, I mean it is what it is. If you feel you want to die your hair, relax it, texturize it, put on extensions, put on a wig… in other words whatever works for you!
I feel that the natural hair blogs and youtube can help all women (and men) in so many ways, beit they are natural or not. I have learned how to mix lotions for my skin, natural remedies for different symptoms, wonderful hair spritzers that would work on any hair types just all sorts of stuff and I am learning more everyday. I am so thankful for this information and just like I would hate to be denied or feel unwanted on the sites just because of my hair type, I would hate for anybody to be denied this information for any reason because it opens the door for a healthier way of living.
Another reason to rejoice is that black women are really propering because of the natural hair movement and I think that’s wonderful!! for the first time in to many years, black people are banding together and investing in eachother. I am so glad we are no longer relying on other races to prosper off of us, especially when most of them don’t even trust or respect us!!
So lets please stop the negative comments and just let anyone who can reap the benefits of this wonderful wealth of information!!
People seriously need to chill and realize that others don’t need their permission to be “natural” according to their own definition. At this point in time, when natural hair is becoming more socially acceptable, it actually this kind of elitist attitude that turns off some woman who might otherwise choose to make a different choice for their hair. This list and some of the comments remind me of some stupidity I read on another post where the commentator actually supposed that some people wear locks, especially sisterlocks, in an attempt to look, not ethnic, but Caucasian because, you know, the only “real” way to be natural is with an afro.
Sometimes secretly defying, sometimes publicly confronting, my peers, my coworkers, my leadership, society at large…I rocked an afro BEFORE it was cool, when there wasn’t another afro in sight, before the “natural hair police” was even in existence and I’ll be damned if I let some natural hair whipper snapper who “has arrrived” on her “natural hair journey” try to tell me that I’m somehow not authentic enough for this new “political and spiritual movement.” While they were “going natural,” I had BEEN natural, for nigh over a decade and I’m STILL natural!
Keep the pass and the DQ! Back when I chopped it all off, they didn’t have a natural hair club, there wasn’t a “community” and it wasn’t an extracurricular activity either. Where was the natural hair police back in the day when a little girl got tired of arguing with her mother about the perm she submitted her to and then got a buzz cut, not EVEN a TWA! Then again, maybe I should have pointed out the hair color on my head and tried to convince the people telling me to “go back to Africa” that I wasn’t “actually” natural.
With all the intra- and inter-racial prejudice I survived, not only comments and groping but threats to my education and my career, all for the sake of some dead cells on my head, while the Natural Hair Police was in it’s infancy…so what if I want to slap a wig on one day, throw some weave in the next, braid it, twist it, curl it, gel it, press it, add a bit of color or blow my fro out on weekends!?! So what if I decide to cut it all off again and begin locking!?! So what if my hair care regimen differs from yours in terms of banding, sealing, moisturizing, whatever!?! So what if I prefer to use over the counter products instead of oils, juices and berries!?! My reasons for doing any of the aforementioned and the frequency with which I do so are irrelevant. Was I supposed to submit my styling choices and the ingredients list to somebody so I could maintain my “membership?”
Considering the trials a natural woman, no, just a black woman, faces in the world, is it no wonder that some people choose to mitigate this in their workplace? I even had people knocking on my door in the middle of the night, attempting to “catch” me in my natural hair so that they could kick me out of NCO school. At one point in time, while serving in the military, I NEVER wore my natural hair out while on duty as someone would surely say that it was out of regulations, despite the fact that it wasn’t. Hmm, I guess I wasn’t natural then, though? I guess my biracial coworkers who got flack from the military and the rest of society for hair that was the same texture as the curly headed white girl wasn’t natural either, huh? You think the fashion industry or any other field dominated by white people isn’t the same? If Tyra and Angela wear wigs & weaves for their profession (just like all the White women doing the same) and only let their hair out for special occasions, who are we to judge? Then knock them for their attempts to show people their natural hair? But people want to tell them that they ain’t black enough? they ain’t “natural” enough? Where was the natural hair police while these women were making inroads of ANY kind for women of color?
Natural hair is Natural regardless of the race or ethnicity of the person wearing it. I think people that feel other wise think of natural hair as a way to describe the curly/kinky state of ‘black’ hair. I only hate when people tell me that they’re natural because they only let the relaxer sit on their hair for a little while or just had it put in one section. Boo the second those chemicals touched your hair you were DISQUALIFIED!! Oh and a texturizers will earn you a DQ as well.
oh yeah, and a texturizer? That’s another chemical process
Black comes in very many shades and types so I really don’t think anyone should face exclusion for not being black enough. A hair type like 3b-c or even 3a can be very difficult to manage especially when you don’t have the proper tools or knowledge. That is what we the natural community should be concerned with, arming ourselves with knowledge in order to care for ourselves and those around us. When someone colors their hair, with the exception of henna, they are not considered natural, not because their has color, but because they have used a chemical which is harmful to their hair, because at the end of the day natural hair care is an approach to hair care which promotes healthier hair. I would even go so far as to say that if you skipped the peroxide step when coloring your hair, you are still natural, why? You havent done anything to compromise the health of your hair through a chemical process. I believe that natural hair is unprocessed hair and that unprocessed hair is hair whose health has not been compromised through chemical or heat processing. As for the weave? Well they are natural because their hair is unprocessed but they don’t have information to share with the natural community besides how to properly care for a weave in most cases, why?
Because the weave serves as an excuse to avoid and cover their hair unless they take the time to wear their hair out. There is a very large difference between a natural who occasionally wears a weave as a protective style and a natural who always wears a weave. One has leaned to care for their hair and has learned how their hair behaves, what it likes and doesn’t like while the other has not learned this information, because it was never really necessary to the. I personally will not wear a weave because for years I was wearing braids and I did just that, I ignored my hair because I could, because I was too “busy” for my hair. It is only when I stopped wearing braids entirely, that I slowly started learning to care for my hair. So to me natural, though it does have racial underpinnings, is mostly a way to describe a method of hair care. So we should not use it to exclude bi-racial, mixed, mulatto, or blacks with looser hair textures because they are “mixed”. First of all that is absurd, we are all mixed. Second of all it is even more absurd because blacks in Africa have many different hair types.
Being a natural, I feel mean embracing who you are as a person. For some reason, with women (Especially Black women), their hair is an issue. I went to school with Jewish girls, Bi-racial girls, and girls whose ethnicity I wasn’t sure of, that had hair kinkier and curlier than mine. One of the Jewish girls used to get a relaxer!
Going natural for Black women, I think is a bigger deal, because of being taught not just by society, but even by our own families and friends that our hair is unacceptable in its natural state. So to me it makes sense that Bi-racial females and females of various enthnicities are made to feel low self esteem because their hair is like that of a Black person. So if these females of various ethnicites or Bi-racial females come here and see all these Black females saying “Hey, we love our hair the way it is, and we want to encourage and support each other” then feel empowered to “go natural” or feel inspired by Black females to accept their natural hair texture, then that person is a natural. Whether there are those that want to agree or not, the thing is, I’m sure having kinky/curly hair that has been associated with negetive connotations can be difficult to any with this hair that has this hair type.
I think we should be supporting each other no matter our race. I feel this is a site that gives informatino on how to have healthy hair. And most importantly how to take care of my 4a/4b/4c hair… things i was NEVER EVER taught as a child, this is what’s most important to me. Personally I don’t have the time to worry about any racial divides people want to bring to wearing natural hair. Its petty and small minded thinking.
If you don’t believe me? Go to style Icon Sa Rah’s page… comments have been disabled… which is a shame, because she does share a hair type that is common with many black women. I just don’t think we, as Black females, need to treat peole they we’ve been treated. We can be and are for the most part a loving, caring and nuturing crowd. I feel that’s the way we should be no matter what.
Hair coloring is just ridiculous… simply put either you’re covering gray or you just like color, the curl pattern isn’t being altered… not a big deal
weaves and braids done the right way i consider protective styling… some women are in shock after the big chop ot are nervous about the big chop so they transition by wearing weaves and braids, while usually researching how to take care of hair that they may not even remember ever seeing… imagine that… some women not even knowing what they will meet when they do BC or transition this way.
Texturizing i feel is chemically treated hair… it is a way to chemicall alter the natural curl pattern.
how long does it take to grow out natural hair ?!
Bang Bang Bang! Its the natural hair police!!!…………….
oh sorry for all the mistakes:P
*do we have to be
**true story
***..oil castor is..
**** with oilS..the braids (LOL)
My two cents:
1st disqualifyer: Irrelevant.
The hair has just chged color(whatever the newcolor may it blond or black)
2nd: Irrelevant.
Natural means the hair that grows on your head. So lol have we to be 1000% sth to have this(plus even japanese can have NATURAL fros xD true stiry)
3rd: Don’t know (what a texturizer is ..Actually I see more or less what that is though)
Natural is not using ways to modify the hair in a permanent way (in my opinion)..Using chemical products..Moisturizer is chemical right, even commercialized castor oil.So..
4th: IRRELEVANT
The texture of hair change!!!!!!!!!!! Any natural should know this LOL
with, the oil, the managing of hair, it can become tender, the breads pull on hair too..It can become less kinky.. And the texture is not the same everywhere on one’s head..So^^
Conclusion: Chill out. Just do your hair, and only adore God, not your hair.
Most things on that list should get a pass. A white/bi-racial girls with naturally kinky hair? OK. Whatever. But a sister with a texturizer? Um, no. That’s a chemical relaxer! Doesn’t “natural” in the context of this web community refer only to hair texture?
I think there is more education to be done on BLACK BEAUTY and indeed what “Natural” hair means. A black girl with straight hair is as natural as a black girl with kinky hair, although the societal pressure both face might be different. I think us blacks, particularly African American have a long way to go on accepting ourselves the way God created us
curiouskinks.blogspot.com
i agree that angela simmons shouldnt have been featured.
she is natural not by choice but by default. her hair stylist told her she didnt need to relax bc she wears wigs and weaves. angela doesnt pre poo or oil saturate or seal her ends or anything. she has the money to not have to worry.
The politics and history of hair and its resulting issues do not enter into my definition of natural. I see the politics of hair as something totally distinct from the definition of natural as I define it, and the way I define natural applies to too many other things for me to just limit it to the politics of hair. I define natural to mean “as it originally is/was; without artifice; without artificial alteration or intervention; as God causes it to naturally happen or be”. According to this and other relevant definitions that can be found in dictionaries and thesauri, I view the five disqualifiers as follows:
Putting a color in your hair – To me, it depends on the color. If it is plant-based (henna, hibiscus, cassia, walnut, indigo, ginger, chamomile, etc.), and an intentional relaxing or other texture-altering process was not used, then I lean toward considering the hair as still being natural, or at least being more natural than if the color was a permanent color that was artificially derived. I give demi-permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary colors a pass only because they are non-permanent. Regarding henna, it fades out of some people’s hair over time if multiple applications haven’t been used, and even in my case, where multiple applications were done over the course of several years (April ’07-October ’11), it has faded a lot since the last time I applied it. Regarding to the effect of color on texture, I have never had the relaxing of curl pattern with henna that other people have. I have never used a bleach or permanent box color in my hair, and I have only experimented a few times with non-permanent box colors. My hair got dry, but my texture was not affected by it at all. I still consider myself to have natural hair.
Being non-black – And?!
The rules here only change if I’m referring to an afro as a natural, as was done in the ’70’s. Straight hair cannot be styled into a natural unless somebody uses a boat-load of hair fixative—you MAY be able, with a boat-load of back-combing, to get one out of wavy hair—because it is too flowy otherwise and will not stand up on its own. However, I almost never refer to an afro as a natural, even while I also won’t knock anyone who does. That aside, as long as the hair growing out of the scalp has not been chemically and irreversibly altered with a relaxer, texturizer, or other texture-altering chemical, that hair is natural. Next!
Getting a texturizer – I’m going to take a moment here to make a tangential statement here: The last time I read boxes, texturizers and relaxers, while potentially causing the same effect to the hair, that is, straightening it, were NOT the same chemical! Every time I hear/read the statement that a texturizer is “just a weak relaxer”, I wonder if I am the only one who has ever read the boxes, or remembers the oft-repeated warning to not put one of these processes on top of the other. Last I checked, they are not made of the same chemicals. A texturizer has more in common with a Jheri curl than a relaxer. It would therefore be more accurate to call a texturizer a weak Jheri curl.
At any rate, it’s chemical and irreversible, so that hair is not natural. You’ll have to grow it out or chop it off.
Being black and having wavy/straight hair (and you might as well go ahead and talk about the whole type 3/type 4 thing here, as well) –
So?! Why does it matter that her hair is naturally straight or wavy if she’s black?! The gene pool being what it is in this country, especially among black people, it was bound to happen sometime; why treat it as a surprise or remarkable? If it’s hers the way the Good Lord caused it to grow from her scalp, then it is natural! Embrace it as another facet in the beauty that is us and keep it moving!
Being natural under a weave—or kanekalon, toyokalon, yaki, the sincerely-offered sacrifices of 1,000,000 Indian devotees, the same kind of stuff from which I knit the last afghan I made, etc. – So obviously it matters not a bit to me the substance you sew, glue, twist/braid into, wrap around, or wear like a hat on top of your hair. It matters not why you choose to do it. It matters not how skilled you are at styling it or what’s under it. As long as there is no permanent chemical alteration made to what is growing out of your scalp, then that hair is natural.
Acknowledgement and acceptance of all natural hair irrespective of whose it is versus Natural Hair Community politics – To whom it may concern: If the rest of the Natural Hair Community will not accept you, come find me. I will accept you.
I cannot tell you the number of testimonies I’ve read, the number of photojournals I’ve seen, and at the end of them looked at the hair and thought/exclaimed, “WHAT?! Who thought THAT hair needed to be relaxed?!” But it had been, and thus its owner needed to transition or BC to grow her hair back natural. And what about the people who transition/BC, not to grow out chemicals, but to grow out mechanical damage, which while harmful is most certainly NOT chemical! Meaning, to me anyway, that their hair was already natural.
But in her mind, she still needed to go on the journey, and she still needed/wanted the support of other Naturals. Well, then, why not give it to her? Because you’re damaged from hurt done to you? Or because you’re too busy dis-interring hurt to internalize from generations-past misdeeds that, while undeniably terrible in their scope and in their price, were done in large part before you got here and to somebody that was not you? Please! She’s your sister!
Internalizing hurt, whether your own or hurt that somebody else felt, and visiting it upon her, helps NO ONE: Neither our mothers nor us! Some of us don’t get that the difference does exist between reviewing history in order to learn from it and reliving history, and it is huge. From one, we are able, with wisdom, to move forward and do better. From the other, all we do is perpetuate with each other the same bitter treatment that was used against us, not even stopping long enough to realize that thereby we make ourselves every bit as guilty toward each other as were the ones who did it to us and our preceding generations. No forward momentum from that, except closer to our own disintegration as cultures and as peoples. That is not helpful!
I believe strongly in the natural hair movement; in fact, I personally believe that God in heaven ordained it. Consider: Don’t you think that He who created humankind as the apex of creation and called us “very good” must get even a little bit heartsick at the way we fail to see ourselves as even acceptable because we listen so hard to the negativity coming from each other within our own ethnicity and from others outside it that we can’t even hear His voice telling us that He made us beautiful? Have you not heard the other voices echoing each other about how much better is their hair, their health, their lifestyle, because they brought their hair and the understanding and treatment of it more into line with the way they treated everything else? Or how they were set on a journey of transitioning into those changes from the transitioning of their hair? Granted, not everyone had the grand epiphany, but many have! Some have been delivered from sores, scabs, increasing baldness, and other skin and health issues because they got delivered from thinking their beauty had to come at such a painful price. Others have saved their hair and thereby saved time, money, and other costs, whether tangible or otherwise, of sitting in that chair for half a day every 6-8 weeks. Some have found a new look from the neck down to go with the new look from the neck up. So many have found something of value in this, irrespective of reason or viewpoint!
And we can’t appreciate each others’ stories enough, and/or are so wrapped up in our own lingering insecurities about ourselves, that we can’t let it be enough for each person to discover and be her own version of natural? Must we crucify her because we are so lost in our own person hells that we don’t think she’s suffered enough from the demons out of hers? Or do we really think that just because it didn’t happen that way for us that it shouldn’t have happened that way for her on the one hand, or that it happened not at all on the other? Please tell me this is not the real NHC; otherwise, if they gave cards, and I had one, they wouldn’t have to revoke mine, I’d burn it, and the postal carrier better not deliver me another one!
Please tell me that the real NHC is more noble than what I’m being led to believe from some of the comments in response to this article! That the justifiable protectiveness and promotion of our own beauty and worth IS balanced by an equal generosity of spirit and confidence in self and the God who made us that the community can also accept and welcome others who have stories and experiences as valid as they are individual, and that we can interact and exchange information and insights into beauty that is as engaging as it is different. If in fact we can and will do this, we will find ourselves the richer, stronger, and more respected for it. For four centuries of white peoples’ existence on this continent many of them tried to tell isolate us and tell us we were nothing, and they were wrong! But not all of them were our enemies, not even then, nor are all of them now. And now, African-descendent women everywhere are gaining the attention of the world through our own God-ordained self-acceptance. Before the natural hair movement turns itself into a monolithic island where, by trying to exclude “others”, we cause our own eventual destruction—and believe me, that is what would happen—why not continue growing by being the vibrant support system it started out to be, but increasingly better, where mixtresses still find room to become successful entrepreneurs, the individual experiences that are shared add to the joint store of knowledge of all, information gets refined to become more credible, reliable, applicable, and useful, and stories continue to be shared to let others know, “You are not alone!”
I keep seeing references to the “natural hair police” yet nothing on the inclusion police who feel the need to include any and everyone under the sun under our umbrella.
“Being non black” Really ***BLACK GIRL*** long hair, really? The other issues, I can see both sides but this one? No, no way in hell can a non black woman who doesn’t color or flat iron her hair remotely the same culturally as a black woman who does not relax, not by a long shot.
YES!
Agree 100%
Seriously? I am considering coloring my hair just because I’m getting a few too many grays in the front and I’m only 39. How does that disqualify me as being natural? I shouldn’t have to go around looking like my grandmother just to be considered ‘natural’.
i think its childish and ignorant to say she s not natural because she wears a weave or she dyed her hair. but i think the worst is because her hair isn’t as kinky naturally. this is stupid. its just hair. we NEED to b worried about what our government is doing behind our backs. this natural hair thing is just another distraction. wake up! stop being so judgemental and hateful because someone is different from u. ppl just want to belong DANG!!! and ya’ll grown women?
Being natural is always being YOU. Hair, race, whatever, simply an extension of who you are. You’re a SOUL. You have a BODY.
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/9.jpg[/img]
Preach!
I don’t think putting a color in your hair makes you less natural. I want to put a color in my hair because my hair has darkened up over the years from a red to an extremely dark brown. Does wanting to go back to my original hair color make me less natural if I have to do it be a chemical means? What if I do it with a natural dye is okay then because it grew in the ground? I haven’t put a color in because I don’t want the chemicals on my hair and in my scalp. I wear weaves and wigs because I want to experiment with different colors and styles that would be damaging if I did it on my own hair. I thought the point was to have healthy hair and support people in their journey to getting there. The way people are going on about race hair color and texture and what it means to be natural then it’s my opinion no one is natural. If you ever put a comb a brush a finger to you head then you have altered the natural state in which your hair has grown. If you washed hair with ANY shampoo or conditioner that wasn’t made with all natural ingredients then you have put a chemical in your hair. So if you never done any of this then you are truly natural I guess.
I believe that being “natural” as far as hair goes means sporting your hair in its natural state with no chemicals in it. I don’t care if you’re Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern; if you don’t have chemicals in your hair, IT’S NATURAL.
I would not consider a texturizer to be natural solely because it uses chemicals. Everything else on the list I would consider natural.
But honestly, I don’t care if someone has a relaxer, a texturizer or a weave. Someone else’s hair really is not that big a deal to me.
I’m black with 4c hair and live in California among a diverse group of people rocking their hair any way they see fit. All I have to add is live and let live. Seriously, I come here for tips on how to comb my hair, not bash others. Or make judgements on them about their hair choices. One Love.
God bless.
I am generally ant-Natural Nazi regime. If you are wearing your hair the way in which it grows from your scalp, you are naturaL regardless of hair texture. If you are not CHEMICALLY altering the texture of your own hair, you are natural.
Flat Ironing- is natural because although it alters the hair texture, it is meant to be temporary and you hair reverts. I consider these people to be staright-haired naturals. I do not flat iron because looser textures have greater chances not losing their natural curl pattern and I am afraid to lose my kinks.
Texturizers- same chemicals as a perm, but doesn’t completely straighten hair, you are NOT natural.
Hair Texture – as a 4b, I don’t feel that texture matters if you are wearing your hair the way that it grows from your scalp without CHIMICAL altering. All textures are not the same. Some are looser and some are tighter. If prefer natural textured wigs and do not wear sew-ins, but the texture of the fake hair deosn’t matter either as long as YOUR hair hasn’t been chemically altered.
Weaves/Wigs- If YOUR hair underneath is not being chemically altered, you are a natural. You are just a natural who varies protective styling practices.
Color – I personally do not flat iron or dye my hair (not because I am against it, but because I don’t have the courage to manipulate my fine, fragile 4b hair). Those who have the courage to color their hair gets kudos from me. Although box dyes are not natural, I rarely see it drastically change a 4b’s hair texture and I don’t feel that those who dye lighter are trying to break away from afro aesthetic. I think these women are being creative and expressing individuality.
Henna – As a Henna user, I have not noticed a change in my 4b texture or color, for that matter, but have noticed stronger hair, which is what I strive for. henna is a NATURAL product which also serves as a hair color. If you use Henna and it changes your hair texture, you are still a natural. You are using a natural product as a means of conditioning or coloring and change in texture is probably just a side effect.
I find these dis -qualifactions to be so exclusive it crazy ! To me “natural ” means chemical free. Bottom line I feel that something that was to make women feel beautiful has become hateful. I have thick wavy hair and I used to relax it to make it eeasier for me because I’m “tender headed” tight braids, heavy products don’t appeal to me, so embracing my wavy hair was my way of emmbracing my true self. I never did a big chop so that would disqualify me as well according to the “natural hair Goddesses”. People let’s stop being so exclusive and embrace everyone no atter if they fall into these 5 catergories or any others that may come up next week.
I’ll preface my comment/question by saying that I’m aware I may offend some people but that’s truly not my intention.
I guess it’s obvious that I’m going to address the non-black issue. If person A was describing a woman to person B and one of the descriptives is she’s natural or going natural, I’m pretty sure that person B would be picturing a Black woman. That’s where it started and what’s wrong with that? I always thought “natural” was used because it’s something unique to us. It’s never been out of the ordinary to see a White, Asian, Hispanic, or any other race of woman with hair that isn’t chemically altered. For us, it is. Be natural despite what the masses say about you. It’s you, naturally.
This isn’t just about hair, though. We call it a Natural Hair JOURNEY for a reason. I thought it was about us as Black women being proud to present ourselves as Black women without all the alterations to “fit in”. Why can’t we have this? We have insults and disrespect thrown at us from every direction everyday so what’s so wrong with having something exclusive to us that helps us learn how beautiful we really are without fitting any of the usual standards of beauty. I never considered myself as racist but if feeling like I want to discuss and share subjects with other women that look like me makes me racist then…
I actually came to this site and got cozy with it because it’s called Black Girl with Long Hair. I took Black girl to mean Black girl and thought “This is great. Maybe there will be some women here that can help me free my brain from believing that Black women NEED relaxers and our hair CAN grow.” I honestly don’t know of or ever heard of women of other races having to deal with the regular burning sensation to their scalp from relaxers or being called a nappy-headed [insert whatever name here] when they decide to embrace their kinks.
Bottom line I don’t see why it’s a problem for us to have something. Just about everything else that used to be us (ample behinds, curves, plump lips, etc.) are now celebrated only if a non-black woman has it. I thought surely our hair is OUR hair but now it looks like we’re losing that too.
I’m honestly sorry, if I’m being offensive but that’s how I feel. We gotta support each other because it seems that’s all we’ll have for a while.
See, the problem with wanting to have “your own”, as you put it, is that we are NOT alone on this planet. You cannot copyright a body part! lol This is the kind of thinking that breeds elitism because it really isn’t based on anything substantial. Even in this little “natural” haired community, you are going to have folks, for example, disagreeing about the word “nappy”, whether or not it is acceptable or appropriate. Some ppl embrace it and some ppl are vilified by it. Ample behinds, curves, plump lips and nappy hair etc, ad nauseum, are not the sole property of black folks. Just like black folks are not the only ppl being disrespected or having insults hurled at them.
Natural hair does not belong to black ppl, and as such, it’s not something we can lose to the masses. If we really want to make stand and own a piece of something that no one can take from us, how about more of us staying in school and going to college. No one can EVER take away your education, no matter how hard they try.
Because, at the end of day, this hair issue is a non-issue. Anyway, you are entitled to your opinion(as we all are) and no offense taken, my sister. Be well.
Thank you so much. It’s like UNCF giving out scholarships to white kids; from the arguments here, I can see some going “why not?’ SMH
Interesting point. So, should the children of Clarence Thomas or Will Smith be considered “disadvantaged” as all Black Americans where when UNCF was started?
I’ve noticed that a lot of Universiies have programmes for “disadvantaged” students, where the only qualifier for being disadvantaged is being Black or Latino – which leads to a lot of selective application where admission is given to “underprivileged” persons that support the same system that perpetuates the very system of inequality.
My point being, a lot of concepts of “race” that we perpetuate today are antiquated and only held in place by perpetuation of these perimeters on all sides.
I feel that qualifier number 4 has it backwards. I have type 3 curls (for those familiar with that system) and I have natural co-workers who are type 4 and many times their attitude toward me is “I’m not not black enough” or ” you’ve got good hair, what are you complaining about?” I whole-heatedly feel like I am part of the natural community; however it doesn’t always embrace me.
This is just one more thing for black women and women in general to pit themselves against! The only thing on here that made any sense as far as being “natural” goes is getting a texturizer. YOu leave that mess long enough it will straighten your hair. It’s nothing but a weak relaxer.
The point of the “natural” hair movement was to take the shame out of wearing your own god given tresses, NOT to vilify others for the choices they make. Must everything be a competition?
I think SOME PPL have used this so-called movement as a way to be vindictive for how they feel they may have been misaligned due to the texture of their own hair. I say get over it! The world does not have to love you and your hair. Love your self and your own hair. Once you understand self-acceptance is the only thing that matters in this big ol’ mean world, you might start to notice that not many ppl are actually paying attention to your hair (but then you get mad cuz nobody notices you–and YOU know who YOU are!).
I think it’s great we live a time when black women and all women can choose to rock their hair however they want. Now, when we get to the point where we can respect each other for that choice we will have come a long way….baby!
*Standing ovation!*
“The world does not have to love you and your hair.” ….This needs to be said again, and again, and again.
I’ve been perm-free since 1995. I’ve had locks, color, a horrible spat with a texturizer early on, kinky twists, wigs, tracks, you name it, I’ve tried it. Part of the beauty of our hair is the variety of what we can do with it. One of my biggest struggles has been growing out my hair. I have crazy shrinkage so that literally the longer it gets, the shorter it gets. Doesn’t help that it’s not very thick. Also, I’ve had hairline issues and nothing has helped (no suggestions please because more than likely, outside of a hair transplant and transdermal tattooing, I’ve tried). I’m now just going to say screw what everyone thinks and am going to protective style for a year or so by keeping my hair underwraps or under wigs, rather. Nobody can define for me what my natural is and I think that those of us new to the natural hair journey get too caught up with other’s opinions and feel as if they are not natural enough if they aren’t 100% organic with their styles, products, etc. We need to relax and be more accepting and not be a natural hair extremist.
Thank you. I have been growing out my hair (transitioning) under a weave because last time I was natural I cut my hair down to NOTHING (less than an inch) and wanted to do it differently this time. I refuse to allow anyone to make me feel as if I am not whatever I say I am. Period.
Gracious. So many different opinions. I just had this discussion with a friend this weekend and not once thought that some hair types could/should be “disqualified” from being considered a “natural hair” diva. Everyone has their own perception.
How about this…..
If you dont have a weave, extensions, or a wig on, that is your natural hair growing out of your head. Therefore, it does not matter what race you are. Your hair is straight, wavy, curly, very curly or extremely curly. Most women around the world have some kind of curls to contend with.
The question here is one of process…. Hair with no proccessing up to hair which is chemically altered- totally unlike the stuff as it grows out the head, and will become the new growth….. Newsflash…… Happy people can be processed or unprocessed…. And miserable people can be processed or unprocessed. If you know what keeps your hair happy, then c’est la vie!!! Oh, wait…. WRONG!….. Make YOURSELF happy. How about that?
Smh I barely read comments cause I HATE(iknowstrongword) to see stuff like this. I feel lke it still keep us divided kinky vs wavy natural vs perm its just to much. I try and teach my son not to judge people based on hair,clothes or the color of someone’s skin. If what someone does to themselves do not directly affect you, why worry about it. NATURAL POLICE GET A LIFE
I don’t think natural hair is a trend?? There we go “segregation” again! I know many older natural haired sisters feel that they have been doing this for so long & now people wanna join the bandwagon -_- soooooooo what???! We should all be happy for each other & if it doesn’t wrk out for some then so be it! Becoming a natural haired sister is more than a trend, it does mean alot to us new ones! I originally wanted to grow my natural hair a few years bk bcos I was curious about my hair & I got tired of sores etc…from relaxing! I used to prolong my relaxers allot so regroth never bothered me so much and I never picked up a flat iron. I’m happy natural hair is becoming a “trend” as some say bcos we still go through the stages, we still embrace our hair & quite frankly I don’t intend to relax my hair ever again! I did my big chop 15/12/2010 & through the good & bad I wouldnt change a thing….I love my hair! All this crap shouldn’t matter! Of course u can give advise on what nt to do to natural hair but let people be! Be concerned about your own hair not if you feel one isn’t natural enough because of how they choose to style or dye their hair!?
I think that we should allow room in our vast diaspora for all types of styles and attitudes about style. So called naturals are not enlightened simply because they decide to sport a twa or a BAA. Its about embracing who you are so that you can also see the beauty in others. If a sister is still relaxing and she asks me questions, I will tell her how freeing it is. but I will also caution her that her decision should be based upon her own heart. Not a trend, not a cute style she wants to try. But, if she stays relaxed or weaved, I tell her that she is still beautiful regardless. For some naturals its just about the latest trend. Lets just be honest. For others, its about embracing a side of ourselves that we haven’t known since we got our first perms. I like the versatility of being either straight or curly, but I also don’t judge sisters who decide that they just cannot take that journey.
why is it such a big deal that some people may not consider others as naturals?
I think the big deal is not what they think, it’s more about what they say and how they behave towards others…
This is not me throwing shade or copping an attitude, Merry, I’m just answering your question. Understand, please, that I feel strongly about what I’m saying, and I’m saying it to everyone, not just you.
Any woman may consider anything she wants about whether or not others are natural, and as long as she respectfully keeps it within her own boundaries—doing her, and respecting others’ right and responsibility to do likewise—she has no problem out of me.
However, the minute she gets two-faced with it—getting up in arms over whatever she interprets as a slight or attack of her choices for herself, while simultaneously imposing her standards on others and dismissing, belittling, denying, and attacking the rights of others to practice the same rights of self-identification, self-determination, self-representation, and/or any other rights that she may claim for herself—then it will be better for her if her two faces aren’t in my face trying that with me. I’ll be nice about it, but I will back her off and stand her down.
A person may think whatever they want about me, that’s their prerogative, but anyone holding their breath until I meekly climb into any box of definitions they inscribed with my name had better take another inhale, lest they die, because I’m not climbing in. Among humankind, I, and I ALONE, determine whether or not I’m natural. I make that determination based on (1) my understanding of how my God has made me and what He thinks of me and plans for me and (2)my understanding of the definition of natural, by which I mean “as it originally is/was; without artifice; without artificial alteration or intervention; as God causes it to naturally happen or be”. I think this matches very closely with the dictionary definition also.
OMG, the link to the smackdown about Miss Jessie’s is hilar! I agree that natural to me is without chemically altering your curl pattern, i.e. no relaxers, texturizers, etc. But…who really cares!! It’s your hair and your life. Whatever floated your boat!
Exactly
Natural to me just means a person wears their hair how it grows out of their scalp; no permanent altering of the texture/curl pattern. In other words, no relaxers. Me, personally, I’m kinda leery of Henna. Although it’s not a chemical, it permanently alters/loosens a person’s curl pattern, BUT that’s just my own personal concern/opinion, though (I don’t force it on anyone). I think the problem with all the “natural technicalities” is people are taking their person convictions/opinions and applying it to every one else like it’s a “law”…The “fact” is natural means “no relaxer.” All the other fine print that everyone else is adding is just “opinion.” Good thing I know the difference between “fact” and “opinion.” :-)…The natural community should be an environment where we embrace each other for being bold enough to accept ourselves as we are. Not a place where we “fine comb” and inspect each other to determine if we’re really “natural enough.” Society already frowns upon the kinky/curly texture. Let’s not do it too…
Thank you for saying that. Not everyone has the time nor patience to manage their kinks and coils, therefore if using henna to loosen texture naturally is an option to each his/her own. It’s all about personal preference.
Dyes does not always mean chemical : …it’s possible to use natural dye, or sun bleach.
I heard Texturizers are relaxers but they are not left as long.
First off the word “natural” does not just belong to Black people! BUT if you want to look at the context of the word “natural” WITHIN the Black community it is definitely referring to ones natural texture of hair with most of the stress being placed on natural hair that is coarse, curly, and kinky <— such hair being historically shunned.
So when we get into this whole "who is natural" debate I think of those particular women and men who PUBLICLY wear their hair in a hair style that shows their ethnic identity (because hair is an ethnic trait) and has been historically discouraged.
"Dyes"– still natural to me because dying my hair color has never stopped anyone from frowning on my natural texture and harassing me.
"Texturizers"– kind of on the fence on this one because I have seen some people use a texturirizer and I never would have guessed they used one because their hair was still definitely kinky, curly, and coarse.
"Weaves"– When you put in a sew in fro, again no one is going to stop and say "oh it's a sew in so you get a pass from the harassment." When you put in a sew in silky straight weave, no– you aren't wearing your hair in my definition of "natural".
"Fat Ironing"- nope, not natural.
Obviously, my idea of "natural" is heavy on erasing the stigma of coarse, curly, kinky hair and not technical.
I believe Beyonce has an Asian back up dancer and I assume that the woman wears a wig or has some sort of weave because her hair is in an afro like the other dancers… to me that's "natural".
Some of you really need to calm down. Keep in mind that BGLH is not promoting or agreeing with any of these ideas, but just presenting them for discussion. They’re creating a forum, so I don’t understand why people are blowing up at them.
I was just about to write this same thing! “Disqualifiers” is in quotes, and the subtitle is “Are they legitimate?” The article is not divisive. The article is just pointing to something that is already happening within the natural hair community and wanted to facilitate a discussion.
I do wonder how women are saying that these qualifiers are a way of dividing black women. That doesn’t make any sense to me. When did being “natural” become the thing to be. If black women want to process their hair, that’s fine. You’re in the majority. You are part of the “processed hair movement” that has been the prevailing movement for centuries. There are qualifications for race and ethnicity designations. I believe that the natural hair community should be able to have its own designation without it being maligned for it.
Also, you all really need to cool with the metaphors. This is not the same as how Hitler separated the Jews, or how slave masters separated the slaves. Those are actual historical events with long-lasting, permanent damages to their respective communities, and to compare them to a little in-community “house war” is offensive. It’s never that serious.
I don’t care about the rest of the disqualifiers, but I will say that although I think being “natural” extends outside the black community, I don’t think it really extends to white people. Being natural may not come off as a political movement, and that’s fine. It’s really not to everyone. But it’s important to note that deciding to be natural is also deciding to ignore the external social factors that tell you that your hair is meant to be this way or that way, or is better with a perm or straightened. Even if you have other reasons for being natural (manageability, time, etc), you do have to fight those negative comments and images from the media/society and often from those around you.
I don’t think white people have ever really had that stigma to begin with, so I find it hard to view them as natural. And of course, not everyone with a perm is submitting to those stigmas either. There is a beauty standard in America that points to white, flowing hair (whether straight or wavy) that white women find easiest to achieve, and everyone else is trying to keep up with. So I feel that if you are a woman of color who is working with what she’s got, you’re natural. Working with what you have also means playing with it, so I don’t care about color or weaves or the rest of that. Do you, as far as I’m concerned.
I do know a white girl who relaxes her hair, in her opinion, her hair is BIG (something us black naturals covet)frizzy and out of control. She relaxes her hair bone straight so she won’t have to blow dry and flat iron EVERY single morning. She says that her husband (who is also white) encourages her to relax her hair because he likes it smooth and bone straight as well and when it gets big and frizzy he makes comments like: It’s time for your relaxer isn’t it? I’ve seen pics of her hair prior to relaxing it and I thought it looked better, it was full all the way to her elbows, very big hair…relaxed, it looks wispy, flat and lifeless..so I guess my opinion is, white girls as well, have a natural hair state, that some of then hate and chemically alter as well.
sorry about the typos, but you get my drift 🙂
Not to bust your bubble, Michelle, but most white women don’t believe the hype of about themselves. It’s an illusion. So when a curly haired white woman decides to embrace her natural curls despite pressure (white folks apply it to. Don’t believe me, work in retail and conversate with the customers about their looks!) she, too, going natural. Perhaps you’ve never heard of Lorraine Massey.
Michelle, I am a white woman and I have 3c/4 hair, four different curl patterns around my head, and capacity for a crazy poof. I love this blog because I do relate to so much of it and because I too feel pressure for the “white, flowy” hair that I can’t achieve without chemicals. It really seems to me that being “natural” should be about what kind of hair grows out of your scalp rather than the color of your skin… it’s just as impossible for me to get flowy, typically caucasian hair without chemicals as it is for you. Impossible is impossible 😉
The way i understand it ‘Natural’ means wearing your hair the way it grows out of your scalp. no chemical altering. it doesn’t matter if it’s bone straight or kinky, the skintone of the person dosn’t matter.
if you alter the hair as it grows out, you are no longer natural
I agree, in my opinion, natural hair is hair that has it’s original texture, the way it growns out of the scalp and the texture has not been permanently altered in any way. Temporarily altering your “look” does not mean you are altering your texture”(flat irons, weaves, etc) I think coloring doesn’t disqualify you either, show me a type 4 texture that colored their hair with box color and all of a sudden it’s a type 2 due to the color. exactly. not possible. If that is the case, then how is Henna considered natural when it obviously alters the curl pattern? Henna loosened my curls all the way to the point where I look like I’ve had a texturizer!!! I’m transitioning again, because of HENNA! my curls are gone!! And I was fully natural! (sorry, venting)So, I ask the “natural police out there, (not a shot at BGLH) Am I not considered natural anymore because I went from type tight coils to waves using HENNA????
Henna doesn’t permanently loosen everyone’s curl so please don’t bad mouth henna. If you are concerned about your curl pattern, add amla to your henna mix. It helps the curls spring back. I’ve been using henna for over 5 years and my 4ab hair is still 4ab-looking.
Agree 100%.. You are right in your opinion of Natural.. and for the record jus because you have a type 4 texture does not mean you struggle with your hair.
OMG- THANK YOU! I’ve had ‘type 4’ hair all my life and you know what? It’s curly, cute, perky and not that difficult to deal with. I’ve always had long hair, which is quite strong and resilient, and we’ve always taken good care of it. Transitioning is the most difficulty I’ve ever had with my hair, and it still isn’t anywhere near as bas as some of the stories I’ve heard.
Natural means being of African descent below the Sahara Desert and having type 4 hair also Aborigines from Australia. Only people of this group are encouraged to chemically alter their hair texture and are also derided for this hair type.
Adding colour is OK but no treatments that alter your hair type.
Anyone else is not in the natural gang, no 3 types, no non blacks with curly hair, etc, etc, make an exception for me, I believe being natural is not just about your hair but your ethnic descent.
This is my opinion, I’m not asking you to agree with it.
Huh! Was this written in a dictionary somewhere?
“Natural” does not define a specific group of people. It defines a choice about how you wear your hair. “Type 4’s are definitely not the only subset of curlieswho are pressured to chemically alter their hair, they are not the only people who are derided, teased, and talked about for their hair texture. They are certainly not the only ones who have had difficulties learning to manage their texture because of the lack of information available on how to care for anything other than straight hair. They are not the only ones who have had to overcome the negative feelings associated with a white American standard of beauty. These are issues we all have to deal with. Please do not be so short sighted as to minimalize someone else’s struggle just because you feel that your personal struggle is somehow a greater challenge. For you have no idea what another person goes through until you have walked in their shoes.
Co-sign. I agree 100 percent. Even type 3 curlies are derided for not wearing their hair straight, even while people may say they have “the good hair.” I think it’s just as silly for white women to perm their hair as it is for blacks to relax theirs. Why don’t we all just be happy with the hair God gave us? As for color, I just see it as either another way to “have fun” with your hair or another way to insist on not quite accepting fully what God gave you. Just my opinon. Seems no one runs to color their hair black unless their covering grays. But blonde, red, light brown, even neon Skittles colors get more play than black. We don’t seem to just trip on black skin, but black hair as well. Natural is natural. I never saw it as quite that complicated. It means not chemically altering the color or texture of your hair. I don’t buy that “but you wear a twist out so you are altering the texture of you hair” crap. Dang. No one said you couldn’t style your hair. Nor do I buy that, “But you wear deodorant, lipchap, et cetera, and that’s not natural” crap. Dang, no one said you couldn’t groom. Next, someone will be saying trimming your ends isn’t natural. A weave, okay, yeah, not natural. Its a weave. Really, though. I guess what seems obvious to some is not to others. Just my opinion. But again, we take a simple thing, being natural, and make it super complicated.A texturizer, yeah, not natural. But being brown, pink, or any other color and choosing to not chemically alter your hair, that’s natural. Simple to me. Dang, you are naturally human. You naturally inherited genes from your parents. And whether or not society sees something you have as not the ideal beauty, doesn’t make it any less natural. I have a definite curl pattern. I don’t buy into the sell out Andre Walker system, just confuses more than it helps, and I wish someone would say, “You have hair that can just do a wash and go. You’re not really natural.” WTwhat? The standard of beauty is also blue or lighter eyes over black. I don’t see someone going, “But people who have blue eyes are not stigmatized as much, so their not really in this natural thing we got when you don’t wear contacts. Only people with brown eyes who don’t wear contacts are part of the natural eye movement.” Do you see how ridiculous that sounds? Then some of the stuff above should sound just as ridiculous. In spite of my tone, I have fun debating and reading the comments. Thanks for posting this article BGLH. I did not see it “divisive” at all, but informative and presented very objectively.
Goths dye their hair black.
Just had to interject here: Aborigine’s typically have type 2 – 3 hair, so how are you willing to include them but not black americans/ biracial americans who have type 4 or 3c hair. I’m confused.
Exactly and their hair is blond usually too…
ARE YOU SERIOUS NANTALIE, YOUR POINT IS NOT OPINION, NATURAL DOES NOT REFERENCE ETHNICITY A WHITE WOMEN CAN HAVE NATURAL HAIR IF SHE DOESN’T ALTER IT, DO YOU KNOW WHAT NATURL MEANS, AN AFRO LATINO WITH WAVY HAIR CAN BE NATURAL AND THAT IS A FACT AND NOT OPINION, NATURAL MEANS UN ALTERD,NOT MESSED WITH,IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SKIN COLOR, RACE, ETHNICITY, NATIONALITY. GET A GRIP,YOU MUST BE ONE OF THOSE,SO NATURAL YOU JUST BREATH AIR, A BREATHATARIAN RIGHT. SMH YOU SOUND IGNORANT, GUYS I THINK WE FOUND THE NATURAL POLICE ….OH AND I AM CONFUSED YOU SAID YOU ARE AN EXCEPTION WHY, CAUSE YOU 3C,
Are you kidding? I’m mainly a 3c and had been feeling the need perm until I was 30 and I’m also of African descent so does that make me half natural??
Next, women are going to have to be jumped in, in order to be considered natural.
Thank god you’re not asking me to agree with this gobbledegook, because I would strongly have to disagree. It is apparent you have not been exposed to women on a global level because then you would find your words to be untrue. Most curly haired ppl in Western cultural have been “encouraged” to straighten their hair, chemically or otherwise. This practice is not unique to sub-Saharan blacks.
Lorraine Massey ring a bell? Ding dong. Ding dong!
LOL! Since when? That MUST BE A JOKE. Since when is there a natural gang?! No 3 types allowed? LMBO! I have 3, 4 and 5 (I made that one up) on my head what does that make me?
My ancestry is African, Native American and Welsh, but if you look at me, guess what? You think BLACK!!
And guess what? I am STILL GONNA CALL MYSELF NATURAL WHETHER YOU (or any of YOU) like it or not! Under my sometime weave, with my henna colored hair and with it flat ironed straight when I feel like that. NOW WHAT?
(While I sit here waiting for the NHP – Natural Hair Police, to bust down my door and take my virgin Indian 18 inch hair from me and cart me off to the YOU AIN’T NATURAL JAIL!) BAHAHAHAH!
Get a life.
That should be a skit!!! Honestly!!! Imma work on that!
YEEEESSSSS!!!! I will wear my un-permed hair-colored black- under a weave at times, curly or straight on other occasions – whenever I want too and STILL consider myself natural. What?!?! People need to get lives…there are too many other things to worry about then to dissect rather someone has ‘natural’ hair or not…..
I can’t wait for the day when the ‘natural’ police retire and find a new hobby…
I feel as long as you don’t have a perm in your hair, you should be considered natural. I naturally have a dirty brown hair color that I hate and use color (organic & vegan) to dye it black. Ask the natural police, that’s ok so long as it isn’t a lighter color. The truth is, any woman of color (Afro-American, Afro-Carribean, Afro-Latina) who grew up in an environment where they felt their hair looks better chemically straightened and decided to no longer feel the need to fit into that norm should be welcomed by the ‘natural’ community no matter what texture.
No one regardless of ‘hair type’ knows what the other person went through and shouldn’t consider their struggle to be less then that of their own. If people really want to nickel and dime it, locks don’t always naturally grow out of the head and women who use twist and braids outs are doing so based on manipulation so that isn’t all that natural either. Any person who constantly feels the need to regulate what is or isn’t natural should really reflect on what’s missing from their journey that they have to focus so intensely on someone else’s.
lol, I literally spat out my tea! Yes Jenn, the ‘natural’ police do need to retire already. How did they get employment in the first place when a vacancy was not advertised?
HAHAHAHA@ Jenn! I agree! This you are not natural enough thing is getting out out hand!
LOL @ employment & vacancy! Maybe it was on craigslist, who knows. From the looks of things they are now hiring for comment coordinators who pick apart everyone’s opinion.
What I also think is odd is when it’s ok to wear breads or sister locks, yet wearing a textured weave is a no-no. I just hope that one day all of the nit-picking is over and everyone can just be happy they are no longer dealing with scalp burns, etc.
I’ve read several articles and blog posts on this topic lately, and I have to say that I am truly dismayed by many of the comments. Honestly, I find it disheartening that this is even an issue.
First, let me preface this by saying that I am a biracial woman (white mother, black father) with 3b-c hair.
I agree that people who wear their hair in a chemically altered state (color or texturizers) aren’t exactly *natural*… I mean, your hair is no longer in it’s natural state so…
I also don’t really think that wearing natural hair under a weave is legitimately *natural*…
The thing is, I don’t really care about all of that. I think that if your hair is styled in a way that makes you feel good, them go for it. Some of the most beautiful natural heads of hair I’ve ever seen have some of these treatments done at some point in time, and they don’t lose their legitimacy.
Where I take issue with a lot of this is when I’m told that my hair doesn’t qualify as natural when it’s exactly the way it grows out of my head… Simply because my moms white.
I find it really hard not to get defensive about this, because really… What kind of sense does that make? You can dye and weave and texturize and whatever else, and still call yours natural, but I don’t make the cut because my hair is a little less Angie Davis?
I don’t really understand how *team natural* became some sort of elitist social savings club where only a few make the cut, but the ish needs to stop. When I read posts with comments like this, it’s just a reminder of more black girls telling me I’m still not black enough.
My hair is mine, exactly how God gave it to me… The fact that it may or may not look like yours doesn’t make me any less natural or any less beautiful.
Something I wish that the black community as a whole would understand… You don’t have to disinclude others in order to be special ~ accepting and embracing others does not diminish the special unique qualities that make you beautiful.
Lu…
Read the post ~ number two is *being non-black*… pretty sure that’s a color reference, not my insecurities as you implied.
You hit it with “not black enough” that’s really what this new wave of Natural Militance stems from. Sadly, this attitude perpetuates the racist and selfish ideology that it supposedly fights against: Light vs. Dark, Black-American vs African, Relaxed vs. Natural, Curly vs. Kinky. Apparently a ‘true black’ is someone darkened, African and Kinky. But oh wait, not all Africans look like that either LOL.
I give up :/ It seems that the only people that can identify with ‘the struggle’ are those that have it the “hardest” and thus your complaints and experiences are irrelevant.
the so-called black community has historically been more open to mixed others than whites and asians.
blacks (in the u.s.) have been legally forced to accepted people who are barely black into their communities.
Black cummunity as a whole?? No it’s not everyone of us who would treat anyone regardless of race like that! I’m a youtuber and I never degrade anyone or their hair texture!! I could care less really! My dad is mixed race I have allot of mixed/white family members and I love all their textures! Believe me when I say even some full black women with type 4c hair feel excluded too, as if their hair isn’t good enough as it is bcos all they see is lovely loose curls all the time & wish they had hair like mixed race People. I believe that if you are happy with you, minor & petty little things like this wouldnt bother you! I was teased at school just for being Nigerian?!? By fellow black people Lol of course it didn’t go down well with me when I was young but I learnt how to love myself! That’s the type of msg we should be spreading. Also all the black natural haired community on YouTube i see don’t spread negativity like the “natural hair police” do. Seriously don’t even worry about it! Like u said its just a waste of time really….segregating ourselves for no reason. Xo
Being told you are “not black enough” is not a minor little petty thing no matter how happy you are with yourself. So what if you were teased for being “Nigerian”. No one in the so-called “black community” is going to force you to the fringe for not being “black enough”. Unfortunately, there are certain ppl who have a certain disdain for “mixed” or looser hair considering it not part of the “natural movement” at all. There is more than youtube out there. Some of the natural hair forums are real serious about deeming themselves the “natural hair police”, and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it. StarryBrownEyes makes some legitimate points.
Its not a minor little petty thing but i was referring to these disqualifies that make her feel what she felt prob back in school etc…so what if i was teased for being nigerian?? i was teased and bullied for being who i am by fellow black people!! Making me want to get a perm then relaxer, so i too did struggle at school and it does matter!
what is this natural movement you’re on about??? as far as i’m concerned natural movement to me is stopping the relaxers or whatever etc.. to embrace what God gave you! and so far thats all i have seen from many others on youtube….its such a big topic because black people have realised what they have been doing to their hair for all these years!
A good natural hair police is someone who advises/alarms you about bad things for your hair, not someone who talks down to others because they themselves are classed as a “natural haired woman” and they beileve you are only a natural if your hair type is more kinky or corse.
I’m not saying she didn’t make some good points….but they’re are many natural haired woman with a looser curl type of hair who i have heard make comments towards others who may have a more corse/ thicker hair type. Heck when i travelled to new york last year i was a victim of that…two mixed girls laughing and making comments towards my hair that i should put a relaxer in!!! that i’m crazy for walking around with my natural hair. things like that don’t phase me anymore bcos i’m 25 now so i know better…So really and truly it goes both ways…
i think some people feel like its just the “kinky/coily/corse” haired women who are “classed as naturals” bcos now they aren’t afraid to wear their hair & because they are now coming out in big numbers so it seems like were taking over, when really were just happy to embrace and see more people realise that relaxers aren’t great….you have to remember regardless of your hair type most people with corse/kinky/coily hair do go through more bad hopeless stages because our texture can be more challenging at times! and sometimes we can struggle with it too.
youtube is like our main kind of support group because we are all able to learn how to do little things that can really make a BIG difference since our hair types have the most things to battle with!. I consider anyone regardless of race who has natural hair as a natural haired woman!
If you read my comment again u will realise i never said “not being black enough” to be a minor thing… I commented on hair types and that was my main focus regardless of race!!!! My grandma is white, i’ve faced many things being said to me because of that & my grandma having black grandchildren…my sister looks like she’s mixed race so when we are together we face silly questions about our backgrounds because we look alike but have different skin tones, if we have different dads etc…i’ve had people say things like “i never though you had soft hair before” ??
so its things like that, that are in fact petty and silly to me!!! I get that it might not be the case for starrybrowneyes “sorry in advance for that” but As we all know most are uneducated, and just plain old ignorant to the fact that mixed girls are natural too, or a full black girl can have “GOOD HAIR” as most put it! i mean wth is good hair?? these are the petty minor things i was referring to! Same way people who class starrybrowneyes hair as not being natural thats just stupid!!
Its not just mixed race people who face such things, other women of colour face things too! Check out HairCrush on youtube her hair is very long, beautiful, very full and loose, people always comment on her vids saying “oh she has to be mixed” or “she has to have indian in her family” just because of her hair???!! and shes actually full black! I respect you’re comment but its peoples little minds who use hair to twist it into that whole race thing when it shouldn’t be that way! But for the most part there are more natural haired black people who don’t think like this, who are about embracing there natural God given hair!
Actually, HairCrush’s hair isn’t loose at all. She achieves the texture you see in most of her videos with a twist out. She has type 4 hair.
Oh my word! I think people are bored and just need to chill out. Hair is hair,it’s not a “movement” for goodness sake,what you choose to do with it is your business. Please show me the “rule” book on being natural then we can talk. It seems to me that people are just looking for the next big thing,and thankfully I do me and not some statement drawn up by bored individuals. I belong to a few groups and pages on fb and still don’t understand why people take things soooo seriously instead of sharing ideas,styles,etc…
I dye my hair,put on weaves to grow it out and am so mixed it’s not even funny,but I’m still natural in my book.
I have been reading the comments on this site and this page for quite some time.
I think it is a bit concerning, this self-segregation that is occurring. I find this especially troubling with Americans.
If this site is Black Girl Long Hair… but short hair is shown because of whatever reason, that’s fine. When dictating what “natural hair’ is… it would really need to come down to “natural vs synthetic” or “natural state vs unnatural state” – this has nothing to do with racial classification, from what I see. As far as the site, I don’t see why a non-Black female could not be shown, as there are men shown in natural hair and Black females with short hair. So if you have a non-Black girl with long hair, why is that a problem? It’s just another representation chosen by the site owners.
I would personally think that any hair that has been altered from its natural state is not natural, as it has been altered. I have never heard of this being about a specific texture or racial classification. All hair is made of the same substances, just with various textures and shades/colours.
I felt the need to comment, because I find many of these ‘debates’ on this thread to just be ridiculous. Race is a serious classification in society because those who are not designated as “White” in most countries are relegated to second class status. That said, there is no genetic classification of race as used in this context. It is purely based on appearance. All of this bickering about “what is…” just serves to farther reduce any concept of unity within the Black community. Think about it, are the people out there like Zimmerman sitting around trying to figure out who has an acceptable haircut? Does anyone really believe White America is sitting around measuring curls like the Afrikaners did during Apartheid? The truth of the designation of “race” and “class” in society is that it is dictated by the dominants and they aren’t sitting around trying to figure out who is “too Black” or “White enough.” It’s an arbitrary decision based on arbitrary physical standards that dictate absolutely nothing else other than treatment.
This site is truly a great site, because information on hair care for people of African diaspora are so limited on the internet. It is really sad that so many people truly believe there is some type of mysterious difference between “Black hair” and other hair… when the only differences are the texture and moisture. It’s all still cranial hair. This site serves a great function by allowing the dissemination and discussion of this information, just as sites dedicated to makeup, fashion, or even eczema treatments serve a purpose. But when it devolves into “Who is Black enough?” and “what hair texture and colour is natural” – it’s not different then the opposite discussions about “good hair” and relaxers and other such topics.
Well said and on point Adam. Thank you for that comment.
The purpose of the article wasn’t to create segregation of people. I don’t think the purpose of it was to meddle in other’s hair either. However I think it is important to discuss what is natural and what isn’t. Personally I believe it has much to do with one’s mindset. Where I am from, many young women have never worn their natural hair in the public. When asked why don’t they wear their own hair out, many will respond with negative comments about how nappy it is. These people obviously aren’t the same as those who occasionally wear weaves for transition purposes or convenience. Personally I believe that being natural is when an individual wears their hair as it grows from their scalp. However it isn’t always that simple as we can see through the discussion of color, hair type, and weaves. In the end, I hope that this discussion has show that you cannot tell whether someone is natural strictly by looking at them. Yet, through conversations such as these, we can begin to help women understand that you do not have to alter who you are to be beautiful, regardless of what society says. If a woman chooses to straighten her hair, color it, or even put a texturizer in we are here to support her as this is a free society. We’re here also to remind her that that if she chooses not to do these things she’s still beautiful and valued, especially in a system that constantly says her natural state is ugly. I don’t think this just applies to Black women. ALL women in this patriarchical world are told they must fit the very unattainable standards of beauty. Even white women face these issues. Let this community counter this unfair system. Then hopefully we won’t need perms, weaves, or flat irons, because we’d feel like the SHIT just the way we are.
Amen! That’s good Celiena.
Wow. This article and some of the comments really made me feel alienated by my own community. I’ve been told I have ‘good hair’ and I’ve come to HATE this term. I’m pretty sure no white person would ever see me as white, nor do I care to be seen as anything white. In fact, I’ve only heard this term ‘good hair’ used by other sisters and brothers—never from a white person. I LOVE being black and I started to wear my hair natural several years ago to embrace who I am. My curl pattern is loose and I’ve wished it was kinkier, but it just simply isn’t. It’s the way I was born and I can’t help that. Alas, conversations like this just make me feel further rejected by society as a whole. I’m black, but to be rejected by my own people…where do I fit when I am rejected by my own kind? I don’t know if anyone has experienced this kind of dismissal, but this really hurts.
Brokenhearted— I understand how you feel regarding what I see as a sad situation within the black community regarding hair types/textures, kinky vs.looser textured hair. It’s definitely not new. I’ve heard the whole, “oh you’ve got that good hair” or “you must be mixed” or my favorite “you must have indian in your blood”, LOL!!!!!! That one always gets me. The reality is these issues are not going to resolve themselves any time soon, so dear Brokenhearted don’t linger on your hurt feelings. Just realize that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made and inspite of people trying to make you feel bad or (less black)about something you had no control over,(your hair texture) it’s their problem not yours. Hopefully they will eventually see that by despising a loose curled curly girl as not being natural is no different than a non-black person despising a black person for their kinky texture. Love them inspite of it all and move on. Only God can change & heal hurting hearts. Deep rooted pain is the real issue here, not who’s natural and who’s not imho.
I think we need to be a little more clear about what we mean.
Natural hair = Natural hair is anything that grows out of your hair follicles.
Natural Texture = The texture of your hair w/o the use of texturizing/perms/heat
Natural Color = No dye, no highlights etc…
No one should be excluded from the “natural hair movement”, but from what I understand, the “natural hair movement” is about accepting your natural texture. It seems like the majority of people that need help accepting their hair texture are the people without naturally straight hair, so I would say that most straight-haired individuals don’t necessarily NEED to be apart of the “natural hair movement”. Overall, I think that anyone who is embracing their natural hair texture should definitely be a part of the “natural hair movement”.
Wigs, Weaves, Etc…:These things definitely don’t change the fact that your hair is natural, its natural color, and its natural texture. I wear wigs at times and still consider my hair natural/naturally textured. I wear straight wigs instead of straightening my real hair when to save it from heat damage.
We need to get off each other’s backs. Some people like to have variety with their hair (i.e. color, wigs, weaves, etc.)!
I meant to say “when I want it straight…” in my Wigs paragraph.
**whew!** I’m just so exhausted by all the rules and division. While I understand the importance of Black women finally accepting the strands that come out of their heads, it seems more and more that people are going to the left in the natural hair “community”. I’m a veteran, but it can be very discouraging for the newbie that needs guidance and instruction.
Who made the rules to this whole “natural” thing? Why do people have to define and put labels on everything? Stuff like this just separates our community even more. It pisses me off. Shut up and worry about you and your hair. I’ll be damned if someone came up and said “Oh, you’ve got purple and red in your hair? That’s a chemical, you’re not natural.” “Jet black itsn’t your NATURAL hair color? Mmm, you’re not natural.” And how are black people with wavy or straight hair NOT natural!?!?! It’s the hair that grows form THEIR scalp, just like my kinky/coily hair doe grows from MINE!!!!!! SO IT’S NATURAL. “Some feel that, because their texture is already socially acceptable, they don’t “need” the natural community and shouldn’t be a part of it.” Um, YES, they do, they get bs from some BLACKS who bicker and nag them about whether or not their hair is real or relaxed, whether or not their mixed or not. Stfu and worry about yourself for once. Why can’t black people just be happy with one another?
+100000000000000000000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I TOTALLY AGREE!!! People spend so much time and energy trying to dictate what everyone else is doing, when at the end of the day what they think don’t really mean a damn thing!! SMH…this post was just pointless!
The term “natural” has evolved over the years for me. It use to mean “say it loud, i’m black and i’m proud”. Then it became something I couldn’t be as an african american professional model. Now that I am older and wiser, I follow its original definition “being in accordance with or determined by nature”. That means embracing your skin color, hair color and texture and the genes that will eventually turn your hair gray and spread your hips. With this definition, the term natural is appropriate for women of all races fighting the barrage of messages that tell us we’re suppose to want to look like something other than ourselves.
Again why does it matter what someone else does with their hair?
What gives you the right to pass judgement?
Live your life the way you want and not based on other people’s code of conduct!
Wow..it just seems like the natural community is becoming so extreme…we are so suppose to be supportive of each other not divided..why are we so focused on someone else’s hair.. The important thing is to worry about ourselves and to be supportive not judgmental…
Why stop at 5 reasons to “disqualify” a person for wanting to wear their hair the way THEY want to. To pair the word “disqualifiers” and hair is just silly — IMO.
That’s like the AKC — they have strict standards as to what breed of dog can claim AKC credentials — if a dog is a mixed breed – well you can forget it! If a dog is not ‘up to’ standards of what is deemed a high quality breed – well you can just forget it. They are serious with this stuff. So, when I see all of these “disqualfiers”, it makes me think of the AKC… and how asinine their standards are. My pooch is beautiful and I don’t find any flaw in him — but the AKC would beg to differ. SO — if I COLOR my hair – then some natural police would disqualify me because of their “Standards”! THat’s what this seems like and I fear it may even become a durn reality. Silly — just silly.
I would like to know why so many feel that our hair is unacceptable in “the world”. If anything, our own mothers are the ones that made us feel “unacceptable”….”girl, come over here so I can fix that kitchen”…”you can’t go outside looking like that!”…”you need to get your hair done”, etc.
If anything, I have found more acceptance from the other races than our own. Stop! Meditate! Smile! Our hair is beautiful! So many people would love to have it and I’m so glad I do….
while good to discuss, this is sad. it’s also probably why i love the app “i love your hair” (zero affiliation)- there are no boundaries there, only hair appreciation and sharing across all colours and hair types. and so many hair ideas. that noted…
natural IS anything from straight to kinky with all stops in-between if it’s growing out of a person’s head with minimal alteration, no matter that person’s race.
now, as for colour and texturiser, they barely alter one’s curls to the point of straightness (unless one’s “hairdresser” doesn’t know how to apply said chemicals, thereby wrecking one’s hair), which seems to be the bigger issue. that point – colour in, curls and kinks remain – has been repeatedly proven on this site. if a looser curl is creating a furor, then shouldn’t ALL non-4 typers be excluded? i’m just saying…
this is not an easy journey, but it’s also not mandatory that everyone do the EXACT SAME THING with their hair (i.e. not put an ounce of chemicals or heat on or near their hair) to qualify as natural.
and, just for the record, when did the natural hair police squad get activated? i might want to be on the lookout for them…i don’t want to get taken down for natural hair heresy…! 😉
Nice post. I agree that the need to place criteria on who does and doesn’t qualify as natural is not indicative of a movement that is all about pride and inclusivity. I don’t think color should oust you from being natural. And I think anyone who has taken the plunge to move past the beauty standard of mainstream white media, has earned a natural badge. Despite hair type, all natural vs. mass produced products, locs or twist outs, bi-racial, Puerto Rican, or Black, let’s celebrate each other without judgement.
This is stupid. I have a 4 month old baby, and am natural underneath a sew-in. It works for me. I’m not “cheating.” I felt more guilt about spending 2 hours on twists when my baby needed my attention. Natural for me is about being comfortable in my own skin. I wear my fro loud and proud in between sew-ins, but I need something easier to fit my current lifestyle. I am no less natural, and I feel good about my journey, it’s so sad so many of you are so judgmental of the paths we choose to travel on our road to natural. I know who I am inside and underneath this 12 inches of weave 🙂 it’s hair!! Fry it, dye it, do with it what you please. My natural is about the long term payoff for me. Right now, convenience is king.
Congrats Fia on your bundle of joy!
If you have to question whether or not you’re a natural-haired person, then you aren’t natural.
If I ask you if you’re black and you need to think about it, then you aren’t black.
Before I run off into a tangent, I do want to make the argument that I think people who use texturizers are not natural. Texturizers have chemical properties of a weak perm, so by using that, it says that person is still only comfortable having their hair fit a certain mold. They were willing to move from the belief that their hair does not have to be bone straight, but then again, they do not want their hair too far into afro-texture. I do not think color takes away from being natural because dying ones hair isn’t meant to disrupt the curl pattern. Color can add that extra “umph” to make someone embrace their curl; it can bring that slight change to shake the urge to go straight. Color even adds that extra touch to someone’s look. I do not knock dying hair at all. All of the other points I find irrelevant to this debate:
Being non-Black – I have no problem with other races finding inspiration in OUR natural journeys, shopping based on our product reviews, and learning something new. However, this natural journey is unique to Black experiences and pressures. I do not doubt there are women of other races that have struggled with their hair and bought into the pressures of what is considered beautiful, but dammit some things are unique to those with brown skin.
Being Black and having wavy/straight hair – They are still natural, their texture is just as unique as those with whirls and curls.
Being natural underneath a weave – I wore a hat for the first 3 months of locking my hair. I do not find anything wrong with someone who uses weave as a protective style, something to cover their hair as they get comfortable with their texture, or as a styling option when they want a new look without the heat damage and stress on the natural tresses.
With all of that said, I think there are enough divides in the Black community. The natural hair community is still too new to start creating and feeding these divides. I think there is room to have at least one area in our community were we can be united. I do not think that is too much to ask. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and all are allowed to define themselves as they wish, so with that said, I think it is safe to say that “disqualifers” can go ignored.
I really think the word natural is being misused here. This is just another way to segregate people for nothing. Just like how the whites segregate the black in school, or how Hitler segregated the Jews from the blond hair and blue eyed Germans… etc.
To be honest, I wish we could DROP the term “natural” & simply refer to it as “our hair”. Those with relaxers should have to state that they hair “relaxed hair”. I guess it’s since “natural hair” is minority, and relaxers are so common that anything other than that would be considered abnormal… that’s my take on it.
I even saw a Caucasian comment on a youtube video declaring she is natural (straight hair), and someone argued that it does not count. YES, it too IS her natural hair, but I’d rather just say my hair. It just IS!
“To be honest, I wish we could DROP the term “natural” & simply refer to it as “our hair”. ”
I like that idea=)
This is my two cents.
The only way we can divide and conquer, is to put ourselves in boxes with a label.This is how the slave masters did it. And we just keep going.
What does it matter to us the way someone else looks, natural or not, kinky or not, black or not.
Stop the ridiculousness and lets embrace each other, enough is a enough.
The natural community has certainly become a breeding ground for this type of hypocrisy.
I don’t think the issue is really about the use of the word natural. It’s simply a word in the english language that noone owns a copyrite on.
Anyone can use the word to describe themselves if they so wish, even a bleached blond permhead can use the word if they define it as meaning that they don’t wear extensions.
The real issue is who the natural hair movement is for.
The movement was created for and by the community of black women with naturally coily kinky curly hair who have been taught by the eurocentric society we live in to reject their own african hairtype.
This ‘natural hair community’ has inspired a huge transformation in the attitudes and behaviour of black women towards their hair both in the U.S and increasingly worldwide.
This is the community that is creating success/fame for natural hair bloggers/personalities and generating and supporting an unprecedented wave of black female entrepreneurship.
This is the community that is increasingly bypassing the now rather stale and irrelevant media targetted at black women (originally black owned but nowadays completely owned by white corporations), and creating a new, dynamic, responsive black owned online media via blogs, forums, online magazines and youtube.
Of course once you’ve succeeded in building something of value for yourself, others will want to get in on the act. More and more non black women will probably be inspired by the natural hair movement to embrace their own authentic hair texture.
But this community wasn’t built for them or by them, and suddenly changing the definition of what WE consider to be ‘natural hair’ in the natural hair community to include everybody else is simply to my mind a sign that we do not value ourselves enough to keep what we’ve worked and struggled for just for ourselves and our daughters.
It’s saying in a way that what we have, anyone else can take and enjoy because we don’t deserve to keep anything really good for ourselves alone.
#TheHelp – whenever black women act like it’s their natural role to work to support other groups of people and to put their own needs and priorities as a group behind the wants and needs of those others.
i agree with how you defined the natural hair movement. that’s the point i was getting across in the first comment on here. it’s like, there wouldn’t ever have even been a natural hair movement if black women hadn’t been getting rejected/hated upon and made to feel less than for their kinky hair. that’s why i don’t extend it to the groups that i mentioned “disqualifying”.
but at the end of the day, i am of the opinion that it’s just hair and need not be a divisive thing. it’s just that if someone asked me what immediately came to my mind when someone says natural, the disqualifiers basically are the images i’d be least likely to see in my head.
Wow! Very interesting perspective.
The natural hair movement which began in the late 1960s and 1970s wasn’t just for black women, it was for black people (men, women, children). They wore their natural hair styled in an afro (which ironically is not really African) to display their pride and beauty in African features.
That movement is our beginnings, but it is not our end, and I believe that the good we did should and can be given to other races. We live in a world where the mainstream deems straight hair as good and curly (regardless of texture or race) as bad. So if more women can see our movement and gain the confidence and pride to wear their hair naturally curly, then I’m all for it.
There are many values and movements that have been “stolen” over the years. The Civil Rights Movement would not have been what it was if it weren’t for Martin Luther King learning about Mohandas Gandhi’s commitment of non-violence. Natural is just a description, people create the division.
“…I believe that the good we did should and can be given to other races….”
#TheHelp
I’m confused. Why does she need help if she has found confidence to wear her hair and she is willing to share her confidence with others? Saying “I love my hair and you should too” doesn’t mean that I am any less confident or that I am putting someone else’s needs before my own.
She stated her opinion and some facts (Afros aren’t really Africa and Dr.King learned some things thanks to Gandhi). I don’t understand the point for a personal attack.
#TheHelp refers to the book and recent movie entitled ‘The Help’ about a black maid in the 60’s in the South, which to my mind illustrates the state that some would like black women to remain in, i.e the belief that we are here to always serve and HELP others before ourselves.
I vehemently disagree with this attitude, because as much as I feel empathy and compassion for others and wish all women the best in their journey for wellbeing, I believe in prioritising OUR needs FIRST.
It’s called black female self love and self respect, without which it’s impossible to earn the love and respect of others.
I agree with you Saf that the Natural Hair Movement was created to make black people feel beautiful in their own skin with any alterations or additions. But my comment, like everyone else’s here, cannot be the only indication of my character. I have never put anyone (except recently my daughter and husband) before myself. But if someone sees that I can shine without a relaxer or my hair straightened, then I will let them basks in my rays.
I definitely believe that some non-black races are trying to get in on the natural bandwagon now that it has been made cool, but I believe that black women will always gravitate towards people who look like them (from a beauty stand point anyways), which is why ladies look to naturals like Naptural85, Kimmaytube, and Whoissugar and not non-black curlies (I can’t even name any off the top of my head). But we also need to realize that there are many black women who don’t believe in natural hair, but still try to profit from it (Miss Jessie’s Titi not promoting that her hair is actually texlaxed is a good example and I have no idea why Miss Jessie’s or Carol’s Daughter is so expensive).
I will always support my fellow black curlies, I have experienced the hard times, lack of self-esteem, side-eyes, and joy from being natural. I know what they are going through and I will provide them with support and confidence, but if non-black curlies want to know how I keep my head high, I have no problem in sharing (all of these bidding that they want the support because we know that some don’t). I do not believe this detracts from my journey nor does it mean I am putting others before “the community.”
(I will agree with you that there are still some black women that have the mentality of the movie “The Help” which is why I will never buy into movies like that.)
Thank You@Saf and I totally agree…and I caught the reference#Help.
Exactly! Black women can do whatever they want with their hair. No one is judging that. But the natural hair movement is something specific. I think it’s OK to define it.
I don’t think we should look at the word natural as a way to divide women, specifically black women, but instead a word that describes hair just like blonde, short, straight, or curly. We can’t say relaxed hair is natural (remember when Andre Walker, Oprah’s stylist, tried to say you can be relaxed and natural at the same time, many naturals were, to say the least, mad), but we can say that neither nor should be judged upon.
In my personal opinion, natural is natural regardless of ethnicity. If your hair is altered in any means chemically, then it’s no longer in a natural state, it’s altered. And if it did not grow from your scalp, it’s not your natural hair.
I’m not hating on wigs/weaves. I like them and some people wear them well.
And if you like the way your hair looks with a texturizer (perm), then rock it.
However, it’s not how your hair naturally grows, it just how you naturally like to wear it. There is a difference.
I agree
I have been natural for a long time, or so I thought. I thought being natural was refraining from perm. I use to straighten my hair in the winter and leave it in a afro in the summer. Now I use protective styles for the winter such as king twists. I did relax my hair once and my curls were great, but I did feel like I betrayed my inner naturalista.
I embrace my afro, although I have coiled hair, I pick it out. Today many natural girls want loose curls, but that is defeating the purpose of being natural. But I think weave and wigs are great protective styles, although I have never worn either. Also died natural hair is still natural hair.
One the other hand…The world of natural black hair can be very stush and uptight when we create lists like this. We need to make it easier for girls to become natural, otherwise, the freedom of the afro will not be felt by many. Having natural hair is more than just about hair. Its an experience. It is a statement. It is a lifestyle. It is a level of freedom from social conformities. it is embraces our beautiful roots and accepting our natural selves.
This debate troubles me. It applies that there will need to be law enforcement to keep people out of the natural community if they do not meet a moving standard. Natural is having hair that is free of chemicals that permanently alter the texture with which one was born. That seems to exclude those who use texturizers because the there is an application of chemicals intended to loosen the original curl. And to maintain that loose look, a new chemical application would need to be added as the new growth exposes itself. My daughter naturally has a looser curl pattern than I do – her hair can be described as curly; sometimes wavy, depending on what she does to it (two strand twists, three strand twists, braids or wash-n-go) yet she has never ever had a relaxer. How can she be excluded from the natural hair community? And how might a white woman with hair just like mine also be excluded from the natural hair community simply on the basis of her race? And although I am not a fan of weaves and wigs, having the natural hair covered is just that . . . a covering, which does not negate the unaltered hair underneath. The hair has not been chemical treated . . . its just hidden.
Color: I think you are still natural. To me, natural (as black people know it) is all about the hair texture that we are born with. Being non-black or a black person with straight/wavy hair: Anyone can be natural. Even a some white-skinned people have 3a/3b hair. But when you are a white curly, I doubt it carries the same weight as it does when you are black. And when you are black with straight hair, well, I doubt they go through the things that 3’s and 4’s go through like accepting their texture, ignoring the negative comments about coily hair, etc. Texturizer: To me it does not count because it just isn’t natural. Your texture isn’t your original one. You are still a curly, but just not a natural one. Weave? Yeah, still natural. Of course the weave isn’t natural, but what is on your scalp is.
But in the end, no matter what everyone else thinks, the people who want to call themselves natural will, and that’s their business to do so.
wow..another way to divide and discriminate black women…natural is whatever it means to you
I cut my relaxer off in 2007. Since then I have colored, weaved, braided, twisted, shingled, and such. What is the big deal? If I use gel to lay down my edges am I not natural? There are too many rules and in the end it is only important that I am happy with my hair.
attention attention….. IT IS JUST HAIR no matter what remember that if you lost it all tomorrow it wouldn’t even matter the texture wouldn’t be a question and the color wouldn’t either. Yes it is good to have communities were we can see others that embrace the GOD given state of their hair but we can’t define anyone only ourselves. My kinky cotton is no less natural than my cousins wavey straight. Neither of us use chemicals to alter the state of our hair. I leave singing LOUDLY I AM NOT MY HAIR I AM NOT THIS SKIN I AM THE SOUL THAT LIVES WITHIN!!! we all are : )
I believe black women who say “it’s only hair” are deluding themselves. Our hair has never just been hair. It has been a source of shame and something that we tried to hide, didn’t understand, and damaged in a quest to be something else. We were told either explicitly or implicitly that we weren’t good enough as is. I was told that every day from age 3 when I started to get my hair pressed (burning my scalp was worth it to not show the world my curly, kinky hair) until the last time I got a perm. Owning yourself, feeling yourself, and being yourself is a huge step for black women to take with your hair. Don’t dismiss it.
Agreed. Unfortunately, it is not just hair. It is something that has been used to divide, control, tame…someday it will be just hair but for right now, it isn’t.
I thought that being natural was no relaxers or texturizers and no color that is from a box. I personally don’t like wigs or weaves but to each her own. I consider myself a natural… no relaxer, no texturizer, no wigs, no weaves and no fake nails. I think that when women make that change, it becomes a badge of courage. It is a difficult transition to come out with natural hair and natural styles. When others do not adopt the same stance, it just feels like they haven’t or are not making the same sacrifice.
Natural means you don’t NEED to add any chemicals in order to supposedly manage your hair. If your hair texture is already a Type 2-3A for example, yes, you are natural but in the same sense that a white person can be considered natural. Just my humble opinion.
Interesting post. I think the only disqualifier for me is #3: having a texturizer. I do believe, for me, being natural is embracing the texture of your hair as it grows out of your head. A texturizer is just a weak relaxer. There is nothing wrong with it, personal choice, do you, yadda, yadda. But, I wonder at the mindset of the person who texturizes and still claims to be natural. It seems like a little self deception.
The natural under weaves thing is tricky. Of course they are natural because their hair has no chemical but, again, I wonder at the mindset of someone who feels the only way to deal with their own hair is to keep it hidden ALL the time and wear someone elses. What are you protecting it for? What are you saving it for if you never, ever see it, feel it, work with it, or embrace it?
I totally agree with you. I think you hit the nail on the head with “self-deception.”
^This is where I stand. 100% agree Lu!
I don’t see what all the fuss about Brittany. I love her hair as much as I love mine, although our texture is different. Anything you put in or on your body is considered a chemical, including grease and moisturizers, if you want to get technical. Speaking in general terms, a person doesn’t have to fit in your perfect small box to be called a natural. It’s not necessary for me to wear extensions… but then again, MY CHOICE.
I usually don’t wear make-up, but sometimes I do. I feel beautiful with or without it. I’d long-straight hair, but decided to shave my head to growout hair that has never been permed. Sometimes I braid it and then sometimes I let it all hang out. The stares I get never seem to amaze me and Ooh Ahhs are fine. Either way, I’m comfortable with my hair/skin.
We’re all humans; not black, white, brown, yellow, pok-a-dat or stripped. Everyone of us has something in us that make us unique. Just remember, that whether you grew it from your roots or bought it, do whatever make you feel good.
To me, texturizer is only making a person’s hair more manageable. A weave with natural hair underneath, doesn’t always mean you are hiding something. No matter what, somebody always got a slick remark or a positive word of advise.
I think that if we allow ourselves to have these “disqualifiers”, we only create discrimination amongst our fellow sisters, which is not necessary to do at all. This kind of reminds me of the light vs dark skin debate, which is just kind of silly. In the end, let’s celebrate the fact that women are choosing to wear their hair curly and not feeling the urge to go out of their way to assimilate into mainstream society.
That being said, in the past, I did have some reservations about texturizers still being natural because THEY ARE a chemical, but I remember my niece. As a child, her hair was so thick, her mom felt the need to put one in her hair just to be able to comb through a little better. When I saw her again, I STILL could not tell that she had done anything to her natural hair, because it still looked and felt natural.
As for people like Angela Simmons: Yes, I think all women (famous or not) should know how to take care of their own hair. But, a good thing about wearing weaves is that you can practically have all the fun you want and have little worries of damaging your hair if you wear weaves properly.
In summary, let’s not use these “disqualifiers” to create division among us, because having curly/kinky/coily hair is a beautiful thing. An awesome thing.. We all can still play in the rain without crying “oh no! my hair!” right? smiles..
Good day loves,
Nigeria
Yes, Nigeria. I love your last paragraph. The bonus of being natural is that I don’t have to run when I see rain for fear of ruining my hair.
eh, idk. when i’ve just styled my hair in a stretched style and put in all that work to curlform or taken my hair fresh out of a braid/twist out…rain is the last thing i wanna see lol
but i’m with you though, in theory if not in practice!
Ha! Me too!
For me, putting a texturizer in my hair would go against what I feel I want to represent as a natural haired black woman. What I represent to myself, not to anyone else. If someone else feels like it doesn’t cross their natural line then who are we to opine on that?
Guess, im not natural. I do 2 out of the 5 (color hair and i wear wigs sometimes) Other people such not be able to define”your” experience. It just sounds like another way of hating on others. If you dont.pay my bills you can not, will not define me as an individual.
Someone please explain to me what ‘being natural’ is about. Cuz I thought it meant being true to the hair growing out of your head, your skin, yourself, as well as some other stuff. I also thought it boiled down to personal choice. I didn’t know kicking out women who don’t meet the ‘standards’ was part of the deal. If we let race be an issue, then we’re no better than those who judge us based on our genetics or colour of our skin. Maybe there should be a ‘natural hair community’ constitution put in place. *laughing*
This is really hard. I would like to say that people can profess to be whatever they want. I’m Buddhist and no one can tell me I’m not if I say it in my heart. However, I definitely do hold judgments about some women who call themselves natural and I tend to disagree. I don’t think color makes you unnatural. I colored my hair, but my hair is still as curly and kinky as ever (I love that I like the word “kinky” now!) I also include latinas, jewish people, white girls, etc. with curly hair who wear it naturally as naturals. I think they have similar pressures to straighten. I respect their decision to be themselves. I don’t think being natural is exclusive to being black, but I do think our journey is different and carries an emotional baggage that might not exist in other races. I felt like I was undoing centuries of self-hatred and oppression by loving my hair and thus myself and my blackness by wearing my hair as is. Having wavy hair also shouldn’t disqualify someone from being natural. Actually I would probably just pity them because curls are WAY more fun! Wearing your natural hair under a weave in my opinion makes you a “closet natural” UNLESS you’re wearing a curly wig/weave close to your hair as a protective style. I have considered getting a curly wig like Taren916 to give my hair a break. Also Erykah Badu and Jill Scott rock a wig from time to time. I don’t have a problem with that. But a straight weave, you’re a closet case.
The one I do have exception with and the reason I will NEVER use Miss Jessie’s products is because texturizer make you NOT natural. I’m pretty firm on this. My definition of natural is wearing your hair texture as it is. Using a texturizer is still saying 3C is better than 4B. Closer to straight is still better. 3C is lovely, but I have also seen beautiful 4B hair. I have 4A/4B mixed hair. Being natural is making my hair work as is.
This was a great article BTW!
Great response Candice and I completely agree!
Clarifying my agreement:
Even though I do not wear weave, I don’t have a problem w/ weave (straight or otherwise).
Ok I think I could get with 3 of the 5 listed, but 2 of them I do not agree with. Why is “being natural” a title only Black people can own? I am 100% black, but I have NATURALLY wavey hair and I can blow it bone straight without having any chemicals, so that is totally natural to me. I think being “natural” is relative to each person. If a woman uses rods to style her hair or braids for waves, does that make her less “natural”….not in my book. I think we should be able to define the term natural for ourselves and own it personally and not make others fit what our definition is. Just a thought 🙂
Being Natural means minding your own god damn hair and leaving others to do as they please. This is quite quite sad. Ladies, its time to focus on you and not what others are doing. #wtf?
Agree!!
Preach!!!!
I can have an opinion and still only care about my hair.
To be honest, I think it’s a good thing that people found out the Ms. jessie founder is a fraud, this woman made a mint out of telling women that their hair could look like hers if they bought her products, only for it to be a lie.
Ain’t that something though. I just learned about the Miss Jessie’s thing (thanks to this article) and generally it’s none of my business, but when your business is hair, it’s in your best interest to be up-front from the get-go. They built their business saying they were natural and buying Curly Pudding will yield you similar results, but what they meant was I got a texturizer which is why my hair looks this way. It makes me glad I never bought anything from them.
Afrostyling is right….mind your god dam hair and your business and keep your opinions to yourself. As for Ms.Jessies…I dont think they were trying to defraud or mislead. They never said use their products and get the same results…they were always upfront about being biracial and they always advertised their silkeners or texturizers on their sight.Do not assume or put words in other peoples mouth…that is the same courtesy you would like from others-right?.
Do you and let others do them.
Miss Jessie’s is a business about natural hair though. If it was some random person on the street or my neighbor, that is one thing. But they are a brand that requires people’s money to profit. I have no problem if they are biracial (having mixed hair, despite what some believe, does not mean your hair is easier to take care of) or that they give a silkener aka a texturizer. But they go out of their way to hid that they have one (Titi specifically). I went to a event where they were there and one lady asked them if they had any treatment in their hair, they both sad no. That is misleading and fraudulent. It is like an athlete using steroids or a PhD student copyrighting a paper.
+1
You’re delusional if you think the day will ever come when you tell me what to do. Since you were too dim witted to notice, the article specifically asked us for our opinion and I will continue to give until “I” not you boo, chose no to.
I agree, and this made me LOL!!!
My take on “going natural” is abandoning anything that chemically alters natural hair irreversibly. Bleaching one’s hair blonde tends to do that. Otherwise I’m all for experimenting with anything natural – e.g. henna, ochre etc.
Henna permanently changes the color of hair, and even though it is natural, it does so via chemical reaction.
Natural to me is a black woman whose hair is free of chemicals like relaxers or texturizer. Wheather they have curly,straight or kinky hair. I think adding a little Color doesn’t make them less natural. We all need to find what makes us individuals. I’m not into the weave thing but if they don’t have a relaxed under the weave then its natural. I think a person has to decided for themselves how they interpret themselves
Agreed!!
this is sad indeed, what is with all the judgement?? saying one person is more natural than another is the same as people jugding others because they believe that natural hair not being nice/socially acceptable because its curly? natural hair is what grow out of your head, i your are not permanently changing your hair type you are natual… heat damages isnt included. The one thing i hate about black people is that they make themselves such victims, becuse other judge them or mae them feel like they are not good enough the way they are, but then they DO THE SAME THING WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES AND SAY THAT OTHER PEOPLE CANT HAVE INSIGHT INTO BEING JUDGED ALSO, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT BLACK… there doesnt have to be a hirachy in everything we are in life…why cant we just love the skin we are in and not judge others or doing what makes them happy, i mean its only hair, the world isnt going to end…
TOTALLY AGREE!!
I believe that all women of color need to find what being natural means for them and not so much worry about what other people are doing. Natural for me includes not using a chemical relaxer or texturizer to alter the texture of my hair. When I did my BC over two years ago I colored my hair but today I only use henna. Even when my hair was relaxed I didn’t feel comfortable with weaves or wigs. They made me feel weird. I felt more comfortable in my own skin. What has made this journey so wonderful for me is the acceptance of self and of others and everything I have learned. When I was a new natural I wanted to give advice to everyone and police what they did. That was wrong. One of many many natural hair mis-steps I have made. =) Every women who pursues natural hair will have a different journey. In my opinion it should not be our mission to police others on what is or isn’t acceptable in the natural community. We should be encouraging, inclusive and accepting of each other as women. If you don’t like color, don’t dye your hair. if you don’t like flat irons, don’t flat iron. And so on…
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Agree totally 🙂
Me too.
amen 🙂
I love being a colored and blowout natural. Many time’s. I was asked to be featured and after submitted answers was told I not a fit.. I don’t care long as a relaxer dont touch my head.
That is so sad.. and downright silly if you ask me! Many times, coloring your hair can bring out your facial features:) Color is so much FUN! You should have still been considered, if you still wear your hair in a curly state. Their loss:)
I don’t think its silly. If you are advertising a jean for tall, straight shaped women would you use short curvy models(eg targeting women like Nicole Kidman and then using Kim Kardashian as a model)
However sites like LHCF exists where every head of hair is welcome, as the target is for long hair care which is all inclusive.
i’m sorry but getting heated or worrying over stuff like this is a big sign it’s time to take a break from the natural hair community, just take care of your hair and realize that there are much, much, much more important things in life that can have your attention and time.
How can anyone sit around and dictate if someone call themselves natural or not. How does it change the situation on their hair? It’s just people wanting to put others in categories they feel they should be in. Over it.
Preach!
I agree wholeheartedly. I have a girlfriend transitioning who is still wearing her natural under a weave. When I went natural, I did the big chop and put a lot of emotional energy and time into learning to be ok with my hair as it grew out. When my girlfriend started, I felt like she should stop cheating and do the emotional work that I did learning to accept herself as she is. I finally realized that the whole point of this was to reclaim ownership of myself, head to toe–by dictating her process, I was doing to her what I’d felt had been done to me. I welcome anyone in this space who has something helpful/insightful/positive to say, labels not withstanding.
Michele, your friend is lucky to have such a reflective person in her life. Bravo to you for your perspective taking-it’s something that many can not and will not do.
TOTALLY Agree! +1,000,000. Last time I checked, there’s no right or wrong way to wear my hair! Makes it seem like “Big Brother” of Natural hair is always watching with judgmental eyes. Pulease… stay out of my hair!
Agreed, it is not that serious. I never understood this and I am surprised straight naturals “the ladies who use heat”isn’t on the list. At the end of the day it simply isn’t that serious to police someone else about their hair some folks have to much time on their hands
This is ridiculous! One more thing to divide women of all races and ethnicities! Natural hair? makes sense that it’s hair that is in it’s natural state whether that’s kinky, curly, coily, wavy or otherwise. Anyone of any race can be a natural if their hair is in it’s natural state. This is a petty argument and doesn’t serve any purpose!!
I know, this article was really trying to further polarize women of all shades. Should we really care WHAT others think is natural? Focus on your own scalp for once.
Come on people…
Nana,
Thanks for the feedback, but color isn’t mentioned anywhere in the piece — and that was deliberate.
Being Black and having wavy hair. Being non-Black. How is colour not mentioned????
I agree I don’t think this article is about diving by colour, but it’s baffling that you say colour isn’t mentioned!
Agree. Tired of the divide. But, I fear the divide will FOREVER plague our society and culture — each time someone feels they are being inclusive, there is always a hint of segregation that always manages to sneak in…no matter how eleoquent the presentation. It.is.what.it.is — no more…no less.
Color really isn’t mentioned, that is your own stuff that’s showing through. And if you look at Brittany (wavy haired natural) you will see a very pretty, very BROWN face looking back at you.
Lu, did you really not read number #2. How is color not mentioned. That is what number two is all about. For real? Let’s not presume to know the insecurities of others… We don’t need to further disrupt the sisterhood between women of color.
Sorry, but as the above commenter pointed out “Being Non-Black” is literally the definition of polarizing women of all shades by race. Wearing one’s hair in it’s un-altered state is NOT a cause unique to us as black women. I hate it when people assume that because you’re Asian or White you can’t have a curl to complain about. I have a Filipina friend with 3c hair and a Jewish mate with the kinkiest hair I’ve ever seen. We don’t own the world of natural hair and how others experience it. To say that only Blacks can have a natural hair movement is ignorant and perpetuating a racist ideology that this site often tries to dispel. I.E The darker you are the nappier your scalp is.
However, it is MORE symbolic for a woman of color… of the (BLACKER variety) to go natural when given the history of our textures (which tends to be kinkier than most) and the long withstanding need to appear Aryan.
AGREED!
“a Jewish mate with the kinkiest hair I’ve ever seen.”
Had to laugh, smile, and nod in agreement at this one, cuz I am certainly married to a Jewish man w/ type 4a/b hair! Several folks in his family have tight kinks and tight waves.
“We don’t own the world of natural hair and how others experience it. To say that only Blacks can have a natural hair movement is ignorant and perpetuating a racist ideology that this site often tries to dispel. I.E The darker you are the nappier your scalp is.
However, it is MORE symbolic for a woman of color… of the (BLACKER variety) to go natural when given the history of our textures (which tends to be kinkier than most) and the long withstanding need to appear Aryan.” Nana, I love it!
It is just that, being natural. It’s about not being shamed of the natural state of your hair. It’s about non chemical alterations. I think it’s simply embracing who you are.
I don’t think it’s fair to look at black women who have wavy, long, straight or any other type that super kinky hair, and think that they aren’t natural. The beauty of it all is that our hair varies. It’s not an all inclusive group.
I draw the line at any chemical alteration. Chemicals are tampering with the natural structure of the hair and I don’t think that’s natural at all.
But natural should be extended into other racial groups because even they struggle with their natural hair. They’ll use excessive heat to make it bone straight or some don’t know how to take care of hair that may have a curl pattern that some around them aren’t familiar with (like how I seen on a talk show). But natural is natural and everyone should embrace that.
I agree!!
To me, a person is natural if they are not altering their curl pattern in a permanent way (this includes those who heat straighten their hair on a regular basis). Thy can be a black curlie, a white curlie, Asian, hispanic, it doesn’t matter as long as they embrace their natural texture. I think it is rude of some women to assume that having a looser curl pattern means having an easier experience (in hair care and acceptance). Looks are deceiving and unless I am in their hair everyday, I can not make that assumption. I have a couple of friends with a looser curl pattern that take more time and effort caring for their curls than I do.
I am not a fan of weaves, but when I BC’d I hid under a hat for 3 months, so I won’t pass judgement. But I will say that if you are going to spend a lot of money and time in a salon, then you could be spending it learning about your own hair (and that was my main problem with the Angela Simmons interview).
i totally agree.
I agree. Being natural is embracing and working with what you have. Discriminating and segregating is wrong, sad and takes away from the core intent of being natural.
I totally agree, especially with the other ethnicities. I have friends who are completely 100% Asian, and are pressured to get their hair relaxed and straightened or they won’t get the job or a man, since Asian guys and work places want a girl with pin straight hair. So they have the same pressures as many Black people do. All races have stereotypes that they have to live with and overcome, for both males and females from the tops of their heads, down to their toes.
this is sad
Amen to that …
It’s unnecessary. Natural vs. “Unnatural” is yet another way for us women to shoot each other down. I’m 18, been natural since I was 16 and have big chopped 4 times. I’ve heard it all. At this, point I can care less. I tend to worry about my hair more when it’s natural…which is ANNOYING. I felt better with a relaxer in a way, because it was long and healthy, and an air dry and flat iron was all I needed. The whole idea was for it to be easier and if it got wet, to reduce the hassle. A damn lie. I have 4b texture. Beautiful indeed. BUT! If it gets wet, there goes 3 hours of co-washing, conditioning, twisting out etc. Every other damn night. Im in college for nursing, and Army ROTC. I dont have time to worry about a damn twist out, or be apart a a community who judges you based on “your level of natural.” I just want to be cute and comfortable. If a relaxer does it, so be it. I no longer feel a sister hood within the natural hair community. It has become to extreme…Like anything else. i.e. Skin tone…
Totally agree…this is sad.
I just don’t get the point what is suppose to be the purpose from this post?
my personal opinion, coming from a girl who identifies as “a girl with natural hair”….
pls don’t shout me down- these are just my thoughts even if i come across as contradictory or bigoted or what have you…
1. color- i dyed my hair blonde for the past 2 yrs. i’m now starting to grow it out- the last time i dyed it was jan. 9th. prior to settling on blonde, my hair had been auburn, burgundy, all shades of brown, dyed jet black…since i was in 8th grade. so i’ve def experimented with all colors natural and now i’m growing my hair out, not because i want to embrace my natural color (i mean, it’s not like i don’t know what it looks like lol) but because i now want to experiment (without adding insult to injury to my already bleached strands) with the more hi-tech colors like the pinks, greens, teals, blues, and purples, etc. if i’m disqualified, this is news to me. i consider hair coloring as natural since i think of natural hair as hair that has not been drastically, permanently altered in texture.
2. because i think of the phrase “natural” as really applying to black people, if you’re nonblack but embracing your curls…eh, i don’t consider you natural, even though it’s admirable and comendable that you do (because i’m quite aware that curly hair has also been opposed even among other racial groups). but typically speaking, you’d have gotten a pass socially anyway simply for not being black. who cares what your curl pattern was- you weren’t BLACK. so yeah, i think you’re kinda disqualified, simply because of the origins of the natural hair community coming about to help BLACK women gain acceptance and self esteem of their “nappy”, kinky, coily hair.
now for modern day purposes i guess that it CAN be extended to include other ethnicities but i’m sticking to the bare-boned fundamentals of the target group.
3. i think that texturizers get disqualified too, simply because they go against the whole natural thing means your texture is that which grows naturally outta your scalp. but it’s no indictment upon anyone who has a texturizer, it’s just that i personally don’t consider that natural hair. true a person who has one is adopting a natural “look” but given that so many people see natural as being something beyond the scope of mere styles and trends, and rather, an entire identity, this is why i can’t count texturizers. most women get texturizers for the same reasons women claim to get relaxers: manageability.
4. being black and having wavy straight hair i think gets disqualified as well, simply because again, repeating what i said earlier, the natural stance was geared to embrace women who’d been systematically/ societally rejected for their kinky, nappy, coily hair. if your hair is wavy or straight, more than likely (not in every case, but probly the majority- good hair, bad hair, anyone?) it had been embraced as being “better than” the hair that the “rest of us” have. so as pertains to the identity of natural hair- well, most straight/wavy haired folks never got the opportunity to internalize an identity crisis as regards natural hair because their hair, generally speaking, was always accepted as being beautiful.
5. i think that since your hair is naturally textured naturally, under the weave, this counts according to my definition/view of what natural is. i can see where others might disagree, but i see nothing wrong with it- plus it makes sense.
just my two cents.
The only point I disagree with is #5, part of being natural is wearing your kinks, and if you wear weaves the majority of the time, then I’d consider you chemical free, and not necessarily natual….of course I know plenty of people will disagree.