by
Portia
by Portia of huneybflyy.com
Heat-free Hair Founder Ngozi Opara
It’s no secret that the natural hair community is probably the largest it has ever been right now. Social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are overflowing with natural sistas and their manes. Inspirational hair photos are everywhere. There are women who are pulling in thousands of followers on social media sites because of their hair. Natural hair amongst black women has really become a movement that could possibly end up in history books someday.
However, natural hair alone isn’t the only phenomenon that seems to have everyone’s attention. The “natural hair weave” is leaving a pretty big impression on the natural hair community as well. The debate on hair weaves has been around for as long as hair weaves have been around. Some women hate them, some women love them. Some use hair weaves as a means of protective styling. While others simply like to change up their look without having to manipulate their own precious strands. On the other hand, natural hair weaves are different. These weaves look like the natural hair that’s growing out of your scalp before you relax, flat iron, curl etc.
We’ve all seen curly weaves but sometimes, the hair that’s used doesn’t blend well with African American hair. You have to do so much manipulation to your leave out hair that you end up damaging it in the process. The hair that’s used for natural looking hair weaves is like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
There have probably been times when you’ve been scrolling through social media admiring someone’s hair, not knowing that they’re actually wearing a half wig or weave that looks like it’s 100% theirs. Women who are looking for natural hair inspiration also can’t tell the difference between the natural looking hair weave and real natural hair. There was even a comment under a photograph that read “Her hair is beautiful, but who knows if it’s real with all these natural weaves these days.”
So here’s the big question: Should natural hair gurus, on social media sites, tell their followers that they are wearing a weave or wig?
Founder, Ngozi Opara, of the popular natural hair extension brand Heat Free Hair has been in the hair care business for 11 years. She started her company in 2012 after she was tired of having her clients come to her studio with heat damaged hair because they were trying to blend their own hair with their weaves or wigs. Opara wanted transitioning women to have an option that allowed them to wear a protective style without having to compromise the health of their hair. Women needed hair that looked like their own.
Heat Free Hair comes in a variety of beautiful hair textures. Textures range from 3B-4C in wefted hair, closures, clip-ins and wigs. Their “For Kurls” Collection is their most requested texture and it ranges from 3c-4a. The different textures alone are great for women who are transitioning, need a protective style, or just want to change up their hair but still have it blend with their own. Heat Free Hair acts just as your natural hair does. You can set it with curlers, bantu knots, twists, braids and rods. You can even blow it out. Finally, a hair extension line that caters to black women and has their best interest at heart.
As for the big question, Opara does not feel that it’s necessary for women to declare that they’re wearing extensions.
“I think it’s important to look at the intent behind the person,” said Opara.
“I don’t think anyone should be obligated to disclose what they do with their hair. One of the great things about the natural hair community is the willingness to share this type of information to encourage and inspire others, but sharing is optional and not an obligation. I think a lot of times people put a lot of emphasis on someone else’s journey that they don’t focus enough on their own. If something is beautiful let it be beautiful, but to belittle it because it “could be fake” makes no sense to me. Now, if someone is lying and saying its real when it’s not then that’s different because their intent is to mislead.”
Most will probably agree with Opara. Weaves, wigs and extensions are fun, versatile, and protective. No one should ever have to share anything about their hair if they don’t desire, because it really is no one’s concern. But what happens when women wear the “natural looking” extensions, purposefully deceive others into believing that it’s their hair and gain notoriety for their natural hair even though it isn’t their own?
Opara believes that you have every right not to mention that you are wearing a weave or wig.
“If people ask, then it is my hope that you would tell the truth, but there is no unspoken hair obligation for you to disclose whenever you are wearing a weave,” she said.
What are your thoughts on this movement? Should women who intentionally deceive their audience confess? Or is it really no one’s business?
Portia is a wife and mother who enjoys making things and people look pretty! As a graduate of Rowan University, Portia has an insatiable craving for natural hair, beauty, and fashion, but she also enjoys traveling and home decor. If you’d like to know more about her, visit her blog at huneybflyy.com
160 Responses
I agree that it’s okay not to be offended either way. But if another person asks about my daughter’s naturally long hair , I give her permission to answer smartly just like the other ladies, but in her case she can say, ” Yes, it’s mine. I got it from my ancestors.”
Her man will be the only one who knows, if he ever gets the chance to put his hands through her hair, something all men love to do regularly, whether they tell you or not.
As a person who constantly gets bombarded in public about my hair looking so much like a wig and questions if it is and getting snide comments and hands reaching for my hair, I get the frustration. When people see these inspiration pics and learn the person is indeed wearing a wig but wants to pretend it isn’t, it’s slightly annoying. There’s a popular on tumblr and instagram (I won’t say no names) who became popular because of her “hair” and come to find out it’s not her hair and indeed a crochet wig she’s been wearing for years it makes you raise your eyebrows. She refuses to make any content related to hair because she knows that fame built partially from her “hair” wouldn’t be the same anymore. So here’s the problem outside of protective styling and versatility, why are people going to the extent of lying about hair?
First off–why did this article read like a thinly-veiled ad for the “Heat-Free Hair” line, though? Just sayin’…
Secondly, it’s one thing if someone wears a longer protective style just to change up their look every now & then. But sistas, many of us are waaay too dependent on braids, weaves, etc. to the point that we no longer feel comfortable just wearing our own hair & it winds up severely damaged after a while. THAT is a problem that goes way beyond the “do what you want” mantra.
Keeping it 100, what I see a lot even in the natural community is this fixation on length & texture. Look at all the articles & videos about “how to grow hair long,” “length checks,” “how to get curl definition,” etc. So even though we’re “natural” we’re still trying to get that long, “good” hair–we’re still influenced by centuries of brainwashing, and that’s where overuse of fake hair/add-ons often comes into play.
My Dear Sista CozyVon, you are so right!!! It just makes no sense. I get stopped all the time “is it ALL your hair or how did you get your hair to grow so long and my answer is simply, I accept and love my hair unconditionally with tender loving care…no matter what the time spent on doing it. Sorry Sista Lady, I have no picture to post just yet!!
It’s no one’s business what a Woman has in her head…PERIOD. Unless, of course, she’s trying to present herself as something she truly is not to a Man who is looking for a real relationship. If she is presenting herself in costume to a mature, responsible, honest, God-fearing Man, he won’t take her seriously. I wouldn’t expect an actress on T.V. in character to act the same in real life. I don’t expect a Woman in costume in the name of VAINNESS to be the same when she takes all that phony stuff off since she isn’t presenting “herself”, but a caricature of herself. I am all me, naturally. No fake muscles, fake big hands, fake mustache, fake big feet, fake big penis, or fake confident personality. I want the same in any Woman I involve myself with. Stop with the fakery. No one is being tricked. If you present yourself as a fantasy Woman, boys are going to lust after your fake beaity. Men won’t be impressed, for a MAN won’t deal with liars.
So, again, do whatever you want to with your head. Just know that what you do has an effect on the type of male that would be in a relationship with you. So, do you want a Man, or a boy? Are you happy with what God gave you, or are you trying to create someone else. Would Jesus date (if he was a dater) you if you came to him in all of your fake gear, or do you believe the Bible when it says he reads the heart? Do you believe the Bible when it says beauty is in vain but that inner beauty is the key? Some of these Women need to put down Hype Hair and all these vain magazines and pick up a Bible.
So, you’re right, do you. Who I am to tell you what to do?
I take a dim view of any man that would reject a woman because HE thinks she’s being fake for wearing wigs & weaves when SHE is wearing them because of CONVENIENCE (1) Our hair is the most fragile type & she wants to give her hair a rest from styling,especially if a style she likes won’t work with her hair texture or would damage it (2) She likes playing with different styles on different days & has no time to go to a salon (3) Her hair may be thinning due to illness, age, or some other reason (4) Throwing on a wig or weave gives her more time for more important things like her job, going back to school, spending more time with aging parents, mentoring disadvantaged kids, CHURCH ACTIVITIES, & other HOME & community based duties (4) She doesn’t want to spend a lot of time & MONEY going to hair salons when she wants a new hairdo. WEARING A WIG OR WEAVE DOES NOT MEAN A WOMAN IS ASHAMED OF HER OWN HAIR OR IS TRYING TO TRICK SOMEONE. Lots of women at my church…including my late mother…. wear them and for the reasons listed above. Their husbands,fathers , boyfriends ,etc are mature enough to understand this.
I noticed that every reason you listed for a Woman wearing weaves or wigs had absolutely NOTHING to do with those “mature enough” husbands of theirs. Seems kind of selfish, doesn’t it? Seems as if these “Women” MAKE time for everything else EXCEPT accepting who they really are as beautiful, imperfect, aging, greying adults and taking care of what they are blessed with. But, hey, be vain. I wouldn’t ever be tricked into my “wife” not having time for me but having time for everyone and everything else and wearing some hair piece so that they appear to be “pretty” while they are at it. Wow, narcissism at it’seems finest!!!
Oh, and most Black Women hairlines AND hair are fragile from years of processing and then weaving dead hair into it or not allowing it to breathe by sticking some hair cap called a wig on top of it all day because they are trying to be cute. Before a Black person with NAPPY hair does any processing or “enhancing”, you can barely pass a comb through it. Weak, how?
aaaamen my brother…the trickery is so ovah!!
Notice how “long, beautiful” are practically used as one word in many of the comments. And I find it interesting that even among natural hair ladies buying weaves with HeatFree hair, the 3c type weave is the most popular. Hmm. I do not presume to speak for every buyer, but I have to wonder if there really are that many ladies out there “struggling” to grow out 3c hair. Were I to use youtube reviews as a gauge, I’d say there’s nothing natural about that texture for many of the sisters – most of whom are 4s- wearing it. Fine, but that’s not a natural ‘do, and shouldn’t be called one. Back to length. Not saying it can’t happen, but it’s the unique corkscrew pattern and flatter profile of the type 4 hair strand that makes it more difficult to grow super long, on average. Can we perhaps accept that our maker knew what she was doing and stop relegating shorter kinky hair to “Video Number One in My Natural Hair Journey” for once? Also please notice how the long haired sista commenting below felt nice and comfy calling black women “lazy.” The words “busy,” “not interested in spending hours primping,” nor “unpretentious,” ever came to her mind. Interesting. Seems kinky hair has not eliminated the mental effects of white supremacist thinking by people who benefit not one jot from it. Methinks a lot of this conversation about “weaves” is really about those matters-and it seems we have yet to find a healthy, protective style in that regard.
Oh, and if you ask me, I can usually spot a natural hair weave thanks to the horribly gelled down “because straight-edges are good edges” temples so many women just GOTTA have – to prove what?
If you’re just wearing it for your personal use, then do whatever the hell you want; it shouldn’t affect others anyway. However, if you’re making money off of your hair- via hair tutorials, hair products, etc, then I believe you should disclose that information. Otherwise, you’re misrepresenting your own brand- it’s basically false advertising.
agreed
When I was relaxed with waist length hair, I got questioned all the time about it being my real hair because black women can’t grow long hair. If I didn’t get questioned, I’d hear sistas talking about my hair…..it’s gotta be weave, there’s no way….They would say.
I went natural and had a small period where I escaped the weave questions and comments and now they are back again. Is that your hair….but it can’t be, black women just can’t grow hair that beautiful. I think from now on I’ll say yeah….black women can’t grow hair long or beautiful…. They have to wear weaves and I’m not fully black. I think that should solve a few things. Especially since black women prove they can’t grow hair, natural or relaxed. All those bald edges from weaves and braids tell us a lot!
so this comment was just about you bragging on about how long your hair is and how other people have no edges and are jealous of you. you failure at sarcasm is monumental.
Nope not at all. If you missed my point then that makes me sad. Look at the dynamic here….black women have become so dependant on weave, they’ve convinced themselves that black hair is incapable of growing or being beautiful and that you have to be mixed to have gorgeous hair.
that might be part of the argument, but there are more sides to women than just one angle. yes there is a dependency on weave, where does it come from?The desire for women to have long hair. So what now its not just long hair that looks European, its long hair that looks like afro textured hair.(the weaves that is) Your argument offered as a counter to the women who wear weaves is part of that culture, you state that long hair is possible ( like we didn’t know that). Who cares if long is possible, should we be able to accept long, short, mid length. That my friend is the point. we do not accept each others growing out hair, the 4c, 5a, none wavy,short twa’s, shoulder length hair with the same claim to beauty as we do Long hair. you are as much part of the problem or your aesthetic is , as those who cannot live without weave.
Do not project your own insecurities of natural hair, on to me. I’m not part of the problem, I’m part of the solution. I embraced natural hair a long time ago. I’m not here defending weave. Weave has become a dependency to black women and it masks their self hatred and laziness and they go on to defend it to the ends of the earth. With the information available about natural hair, as well as the products, there is no reason black women shouldn’t be embracing or caring for their natural hair. If it’s not self hatred then it’s the other end of the extreme which is laziness. I’ve heard it from black women’s mouth…..”I can’t deal with all that natural stuff, I’ll go put in a natural weave”. I’ll be the first one to say, natural hair takes time but I’ll be damned if I’m putting someone else’s hair on my head who sacrificed it during some religious ceremony.
You are projecting a lot in your statement. Your emphasis is on long hair and though I mentioned long hair, that’s not where my emphasis was. My emphasis was on healthy and growing hair. You were the one who honed in on the word “long” in my original post, completely missing the point. It is this issue here which makes black women forfeit learning about and caring for their OWN hair in favor of weaves. So much so, many are robbing stores for weave.
Totally agree for me personally im at the stage where im on the go so the only extension i would use are twists or braids which i personally find attractive but easy to manage and ya i use to be one of those people who wasted hundreds on indian hair not no more lol i am free at last
And this is why people still don’t believe blk women can grow long hair. Even the ones who are free of a relaxer and most times have done so to grow long hair still get caught up. I am all for a great wig or weave but all if this weave wearing on both sides (natural or relaxed) of the blk hair spectrum Is the very reason why ppl including “us” question “Is it really hers?” Sure its fun, allows a style change, protect what you have underneath or is more convenient but at the end of the day, it still makes others believe we can’t grow long hair. “oh that’s gotta to be a weave” and a lot of the times sadly to say…it is.
Do you by all means but all I’m saying is we can’t get mad if ppl question “is it really yours” when so many blk women on a GRAND scale rock hair and even get excited (some of these utubers kill me with their giddiness over expensive hair) to wear hair that’s not their own. What are others supposed to think? I’m just saying.
I really thought that was HER hair. Why call it Heat Free? It had me thinking she achieved the hairstyle without using any heat. Smh!
Girl preach! I didn’t even know there was natural weaves until people started asking me if my natural hair was real. I’m like…..wtf….yeah it’s mine! Then one day there on YouTube I stumbled upon a video of a sister showing how she sews in her natural weave. My heart sank.I thought here we go again. Just cannot detach ourselves from this crap. It’s like a drug addiction and I’ve come to believe black women need therapy. This is getting ridiculous! Are we that damn lazy to where we do not want to deal with our hair??? What happened to putting in the time and effort? I did it and so can others.
So when the myth sticks that you must be mixed with something in order to have long hair or that long hair must be a weave, we have nobody to blame but ourselves because of the overall laziness that prevents us from doing our OWN hair because that’s all it is….pure laziness. It’s pathetic!
Just so you know, people of ALL races wear weave. They want hair that is longer than their own. Get over yourself.
That’s true sis but who spends millions of dollars on weaves? India, China, Korea ain’t sending their hair to other Asian countries…..they sending here to America for black women! I’d say get over the fake hair and embrace Your own hair!
Who gives a crap about other people? Just wear what you want.
Whats worse than wearing weave is letting others run your life.
I do prefer to see black women with real natural hair to
dispel the belief that we cannot grow long, beautiful, and healthy hair. However, I also believe we have the freedom
to choose any hairstyle that what we want to wear. That said, I do not think natural
hair vloggers should be deceptive. They
should disclose whether or not they are wearing a wig, weave, extensions,
etc. I might want to know where they
got their hair so I can get some too 😉
I can agree with Opara and her views. Personally i think its awesome that if you see a girl in the street rocking a natural big/long hairdo, your not sure if its her hair or not, dispelling the traditional notion that natural curly hair can’t grow that big or long! That is already an indication that our mindsets about natural hair are changing. 🙂
I don’t believe that wearing wigs or weaves are symptoms of self esteem issues. In that case, makeup nail polish and shape wear are signs of low self confidence as well, and that’s just silly. People do the same things for entirely different reasons, and to say that a person wears a wig because they are unhappy with themselves may be quite an inaccurate judgement.
I don’t wear wigs or weaves, but I do not judge those who do! I can’t really afford wigs, weaves or relaxers. Everyone has their own reasons and many are valid. I just stay in my own lane, doing my own thing, not imposing my personal comforts on others.
I agree. We spend too much time in each others business .If it’s on my head it’s mine,bought or grown. But why is is that we have to try to tear each other down all the time. I wear my hair like i do BECAUSE I CAN
Well said 🙂
What someone wants to do with their hair isn’t my business and vice versa. That it is a weave or wig etc doesn’t need to be volunteered but it doesn’t need to be hidden either. It’s not shameful, it’s common, can be protective and looks good. But if someone full on says “this is my hair” knowing it isn’t, well I simply wonder about their self esteem and motives, especially if it was someone in the natural hair spotlight.
I understand everyone’s point; but the reason I decided to get off the creamy crack when it wasn’t popular about 10 years ago was for my overall hair health. I just recently combed out my waist length locs and I really love my natural hair. It’s shiny and healthy. However, I do live in NY and the winters can be brutal. I think this wig line is a great option for a protective style. I also want to try some ombre color; but, I am never going to color my natural hair. Never!!! I would definitely color my wig… So excited. Maybe I’ll try a slightly softer texture too… get those loose curls I dreamed of as a little girl : )
the issue isn’t the wig, it’s the honesty. If you are giving a tutorial on how to do a particular style and don’t disclose that you’re using a wig then it’s fraud. Young girls are believing you to be authentic and hoping their hair grows and does the same things. I’d prefer women didn’t relax their hair for the health implications for both them and their stylists, but whether it’s braids/weaves/Bantus/twistouts educate honestly. Doing a tutorial? Tell the truth. Someone comes up to you on the street and asks outright? It’s your decision to disclose that info.
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Exactly! Don’t blog or You Tube and not tell us that’s a weave/wig. The fact that you have one…not my business…but don’t go advertising it like it’s you natural hair.
Who cares if they wanna advertise it as their real hair. Nobody cares , they can lie all they want. It doesn’t affect you
I think is decieving. I love watching youtube videos on natural hair and will unscribe to anyone if i find out it’s a wig or weave. I come to them to get guidance on how to take care of my hair. A wig is decieving becauseit’s not your hair.
But I do have to say one thing.
The prices that some of these “natural hair weave” companies charge are atrocious. I honestly can’t afford to buy 3+ packs of hair at $150+ a bundle…not many people can!
I wish I could support these sista-run companies, but it’s just out of the question for me.
But this is where even in the natural hair community, retailers & manufacturers are pimping customers due to demand. That’s always going to be a thing.
I’m going to be one of those unpopular ones. I don’t like weaves or wigs. I don’t like perms. I don’t like to see other people wearing them.
It’s got nothing to do with my own feelings about myself — it’s not like I don’t have good self esteem. I’m just tired of seeing people be unhappy with themselves. If your hair is thin/unruly/a color you don’t like, love it anyway. That’s how God made you. Embracing fake hair, no matter the kind, promotes the idea that you are NOT GOOD ENOUGH. And that isn’t true.
What’s worse — you miss out on the opportunity to learn about your own hair, and possibly make it better!
My only exceptions are for folks who can’t grow hair at all — like cancer patients, or those who have been scarred badly (burn victims). And hopefully, even they will be surrounded by enough people who support them that they can be themselves without having to hide what they’ve been through.
What’s on the inside matters most. But what you do with the outside says a lot about what’s on the inside.
I’ve never been lucky with wearing wigs of any kind. I just can’t seem to make them look realistic no matter how hard I try. They look great on others and I totally support the movement. Hair should be fun…I think we sometimes over analyze it and put too much emphasis on this or that trend.
I may rock some kinky twists from time to time, but in terms of wigs–meh. I tried them & as much time it took to blend my own hair in w/ a leave-out, it was much easier & freer to rock my own hair. Long hair is often way overrated, lol!
I think people have every right to wear their how they want! Especially, since they have to pay for it and wear it! I’m natural and I’m currently wearing sengelease twist as a protective style and I could care less what others think. This is what’s wrong with this world everybody’s concerned with what other people are doing. If it’s not harming others or affecting you personallyit’s none of your business! I have encountered many NATURAL HAIR SNOBS during my journey and it’s not a good luck! “DO YOU” is the best advice I’ve received and has been given!
This was a great post. I think it’s only a problem when you lie, especially as a natural hair blogger/vlogger. I agree with Opara’s statement below:
“If people ask, then it is my hope that you would tell the truth, but there is no unspoken hair obligation for you to disclose whenever you are wearing a weave.”
Well said!
You don’t have to tell them because it’s none of their business whether it’s yours or not – in fact you can tell them yes it’s yours because you are wearing it on your head aren’t you? But I think that when you post things on sites like Pinterest you should let people know that it’s not 100% yours – it may be crochet braids, wig, weave, whatever. YOU DON’T know how many times I’ve been on pinterest, oohing and aahing over someone’s hair then realize it’s a wig, or crochet braids being portrayed as growing naturally from their head. I really do get disgusted. I think in some cases though people love the pics and rush off with the idea that it belongs to the person being portrayed – then someone else comes across the pics and they then do the same thing. It can be good in a way to wear those things, but then when it becomes a crutch – there’s the problem.
I would love to where my natural hair, but I have limitations because I am in the military, the new regulations only allows so much. I use to where my hair in cute cornrow styles but now you have to cornrow straight back so that is a no go. When we are going training we need protective styles so we only have several options weaves, micro braids or where you natural hair in a pony tail. If you have TWA you can wear that out but thats it. We can’t even where box braids because with or without hair unless each braid is all the some size. When I tried to wear my hair in twist styles I had to change the styles because of rules. Currently the regulation is under review because I feel it targets the females with certain textures of hair.
I am active duty as well and have no issues with teh regs. They do not target our hair, black girls just don’t want to follow the rules. I know German girls and mixed girls with thick, waist length hair and guess what? They must also follow the same rules. I know white girls who’s hair is so thin they have to get extensions in order to stay within regs, are they targeted too? The military just wants you to look professional, not ratchet. No matter the race. Stop spreading that nonsense and get with the program. You have options.
“I don’t think anyone should be obligated to disclose what they do with their hair.”
That’s the stupidest thing i have herd in my life! If your a hair guru then yes, you should be required to disclose what you do with you hair. Whether or not the information you give out is true they’re still all lies if you don’t tell people that its not actually your hair and it defeats the purpose of being natural. That’s like being a fitness guru and not telling everyone you took steroids.
This will probably not be a popular opinion, but I’m going to say it anyway. Frankly, I don’t care what you do with your hair. To paraphrase Dr. King, I have a dream that Black women will one day live in a world where they will not be judged by the texture of their hair, but by the content of their character.
Let it start with me. If you relax your hair, weave it, hot comb it, wear a TWA, flat iron it, wear wigs, braid it – it doesn’t matter to me. I’ve done it all. Wigs, braids, weaves, TWA. I haven’t perm my hair in 18 years. My natural hair is past the middle of my back. I wear a weave right now. I don’t care what you do with your hair. We as women are being women when we change it up. That’s what we do, clothes, hair makeup- always being creative, always changing. We place far too much emphasis on hair. Yes, I understand that some may want to make a cultural statement or even a political statement. Fine. But if you have a tight wash and go, but your heart is ugly, who cares? If you look down on a sista who picked up some Dark and Lovely relaxer at Walgreens and give her the side eye, who are you to judge her?
We need to embrace choice. And celebrate the beauty that is the Black woman – in all her hues, hair textures and hair styles. My mom and grandma said that the natural hair movement is nothing new. They were all wearing fros in the 70s. But they went back to the hot combs and relaxers eventually. The natural hair movement is important because it gives sistas another option to have in their hair beauty repertoire. That’s it. That’s all it should be. Let’s not judge others for making different choices. Lord knows the world judges us enough. Let’s not use shame based behavior against our own. Let’s be women of character, no matter what we do with our hair.
Great point. This is a place I hope we will be at with at least the next generation. Judge each other by our character. Thanks for stating your opinion. We WILL get there, some of just need to love what comes out naturally in order to truly appreciate our ability to diversify our looks.
I do wonder why those who participated in the natural hair movement before us went back to straightening. Was it even considered a natural hair movement? Black people’s social status has changed for the better since the 60’s & 70’s. I wasn’t around then but I feel this time around is different. The only style being rocked predominantly were afros. We have so many options now. We wear our textured dos to corporate offices. It’s more accepted. The U.S. is becoming more diverse every day so at least half the nation is accepting that everyone hair does not grow straight, wavy or loosely curled. And thank God for it!
Would you agree that part of our character is defined in the definition of the word:
the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.
synonyms features
I have no problem with wigs/ weaves etc. I just fine it disturbing when a person looses their qualities distinctive to an individual (themselves). Many here or no doubt very balanced, however, there are many who or not. Therefore, sadly, their character is being judge by a facade. The weaves and wigs become their reality. Many or trying to break free of this fake reality.
I agree 100%. I especially cringe when it’s black men creating the divide between sistas, because of a hair style choice.
I wore Heatfree’s Forkinks hair for 3 full months and it was the most awesome weave experience. The hair looked and felt just like mine. I enjoyed having a natural looking protective style that could achieve the voluminous affect my own fine hair cannot. I got complemented on it every single day I stepped out of my house, no joke, but I was always honest when people would ask how I did my hair etc. Hiding the fact it was a weave felt silly to me but you should’ve seen the reactions! Lol, some people seemed almost offended because they were momentarily fooled by their own assumptions but it was all love. I felt like this was just another option for a protective style that was more true to what I was already working with. The length and everything was the same, but the weave was fuller.
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i think a lot of females are starting to wear naturally textured weaves/wigs because let’s face….curly hair is “in”. they don’t want to go thru the process of putting the TLC into their hair. they want instant results. it’s a compliment to us naturals if you think about it
Sadly, the ones who want quick fixes are in for a rude awakening because curly kinky weaves are not as easy to take care of. You have to literally treat it like your own hair – like constant moisture, detangling, doing twist outs, twisting before bed, more moisture… You get the point. It will betray you if you don’t care for it properly and you will end up wasting hundreds of dollars.
hi violet, i was unaware that the units had to be treated as such. thank you for the information. you’re a beautiful woman and the unit you’re wearing in the picture flatters you. i would never had thought that wasn’t you.
I think that if you’re giving tutorials or advice on how to style or care for natural hair, you should absolutely state that your hair is a weave, wig, extensions.
Yeah. I kinda feel that is the simple, basic, common sense response. If you are doing tutorial about how to style your natural hair and your hair is a wig/weave you gotta disclose that. Anything else? Do whatever the heck you want.
Two things that make fake hair on black women cool with me:
1) The hair still represents team black/natural. No imitation other hair on our heads
2) Most important! Black women are making the money.
…My real hair is locked. But my wig is a fro. And I’m lovin it.
Yes yes and yes.
Agreed. Its time for us to make the money making hair that looks naturally like our own.
The way I see it is, most of us big chop or transition and what has helped us do that is because we’ve been lusting over gurus that have already been natural for 5 years. The moment you realise that you have to wait FIVE years to get that desired thickness & length/height (dependant in texture) and your still there with your 9 month twa. Yes you do need to werk that short hair BUT if your lusting after that big hair… I don’t see the need to wait half a decade for a hairstyle. Get yourself a weave for a bit. Enjoy playing in it and trying the different styles that you’ve watched obsessively for the last few months. As long as you are happy with your own hair, I don’t see a problem. Plus…. If you have a length check obsession (not necessarily with tape but always pulling hair down your face), this will help it. I’ve had braids and worn kinky/curly extensions but not a straight weave because I just have no interest in straight hair anymore.. Does that make me less natural or am I lying to myself? No. 5 years is a loooong time lol. And I don’t spend a lot of money on them. I bought a kinky wig for £25 and it lasted me 4 months, people thought it was my own hair. I had no qualms in saying it was extensions. No need to deceive.
Btw when I wear a kinky wig, I take all the clips and stuff out, I might pin it down but thats it, no risk of breakage at all.
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I think you make some good points. Yes 5 years is a long time so this is a great way for you to enjoy what you are looking forward to.
I would just caution to make it realistic to what your hair might possibly grow to look like. I just don’t want to see us fall into the thick, big, hair and when it’s time to sport your own natural hair it’s not a voluminous as the wig / weave you have been wearing. Thus falling into the weave addition trap. Then again for the ladies that like weaves/wigs not interested in sporting their natural hair I much prefer the natural look. It’s all good if you know what you are getting into.
I must add I do disagree with those who sport voluminous afro hair claiming to be a natural hair guru when it’s fake, in an effort to deceive others.
Yh I see what you mean, that’s why I said as long “as your happy with your own hair”. I have an idea of how my hair will look in that time because I have extremely high density, kinky hair so I try to do extensions that mimic my hair. The kinkier, the better. 🙂 Within 2 weeks I’ve gone back to my own fro because I love it so much. If someone doesn’t like their own hair then that could be a problem I guess.
Tayfaye, you are speaking some REAL truth! When I was a kid a had big luscious hair and when I decided to go natural again I didn’t realize how long it would take to achieve that look again. When straightened my hair is shoulder length but in its natural state it’s only slightly bigger than a TWA.
I LOOOOOOVE your 3rd look. What kind of hair do you buy? What is your care regimen for the hair? How long does it usually last?
I know these are a lot of questions but I want to try something different and I think this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I appreciate any advice or tips you can give…thanks a bunch!
You make it seem like if you lust after a particular guru’s hair and you wait long enough you will get hair like them but you can’t because everyones hair is different. the fact of the matter is that there is a lot of diversity in the natural hair community and wearing a weave will never help you learn how to deal with the stuff that grows out of your hair, no matter what texture it is.
It depends. If you are just a regular lovely black lady posting pictures, I don’t think you need to disclose. But if you are seen as a natural hair icon, hair care specialist, blogger, or a natural hair product manufacturer like me, you should disclose, cos there’s a 99% chance that they’ll think it is your real hair, because of your perceived position.
these are a nice option for the naturals that actually wear weaves but the many others that don’t, we’ll have to be bombarded with the question “is that your real hair”? because of other womens choice to wear weave. or people will just decide for you that you’re wearing a weave and say “where did you get your hair from?”
Or they won’t even ask, and they’ll try to discreetly weave check you by going in for a hug, then pulling at the back of your hair. Had an aunt do that recently :
I must be the only one that is offended when someone asks if my hair is real (btw: I don’t wear extensions/weave). Imo asking that question reeks of the lack of home training. What gives you the audacity to ask a complete stranger a personal question about something on their body even if it’s real or fake. I got this question my entire life and it’s still annoying just like the first time. It’s not flattering or a compliment. Just say my hair looks nice and keep it moving.
Don’t worry you aren’t the only one. I thought I had escaped that question since becoming natural but now that black women are doing weaves with natural hair, I get that question weekly. It’s annoying as hell and black women continuously reinforce that we cannot grow long hair or healthy looking hair because black women hide their hair from the world. This gives the appearance that something is wrong with our hair.
I’d go as far to say 80% of black women are wearing weaves and I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. Then they have the nerve to hate on you for having healthy hair. Well if you took the time to care for it, LEARN what it needs, stop being lazy and do it and NOT hide it and let it breathe, you too can have gorgeous hair!
Depends on the topic of your blog or you tube channel. If it is a hair channel or blog, then yes, absolutely. People need to know when things are unrealistic or not normal for our hair. People start thinking that all naturals should have thick voluminous hair and that something is wrong with them because they don’t.
I guess is rather see women wearing an arms length of fake hair that looks like their own rather than straight European hair down to their butts. But what I would really love to see is black women embrace themselves. At all stages. Exhibit patience. That hair in a bag grows out of your own head in time. But that’s just personal preference. I would also like to see people stop polluting the environment and employers to pay a living wage, but people are going to do what they want.
Nowadays wigs and weaves can never be differentiated from a perfect natural hair that has the same look and feel. Probably these styles can even add to the beauty of women who find their natural hair to be thin and scarce or even bald.
All this foolishness… I cannot. People get mad when black girls wear straight weaves, people get mad black girls wear kinky textured weaves !! You’ve got to understand that this extension business is not going anywhere. So we should all be glad and happy that women have the option of buying hair that looks like their own !! I don’t know why weaves got such a bad rep in the natural hair community… I mean if it wasn’t for weaves and extensions, I would have already gone crazy having to take care of my hair 24/7 because believe me 4c hair is a lot of work !
I don’t think that a woman should disclose that she’s wearing a weave if she’s not comfortable with doing so, especially if the person asking is a backbiter who will go and tell everyone near and dear that it’s not her real hair. I’m comfortable with telling that it’s not my real hair although i rarely wear weaves. So if she’s comfortable with saying so, she can. Although, it would be nice to tell someone you can trust if they ask especially if they are following your regimen and natural hair journey so that they won’t get misled.
I really don’t understand. I’m not trying to come across as rude or as someone who is against fake hair, but why do black women wear it so much? I don’t think there is any other group of women that wear fake hair to the extent that women of color do. Curly, straight, wavy, kinky it doesn’t matter. They wear it all ,and for different reasons. Pretty much anywhere you find black people you find weaves, wigs, extensions. Not just here in the U.S. Why is fake hair SUCH a big part of our culture and how did it get this way? I’m curious.
Ok Joey I will give you my answer. It’s only an opinion based on what I have seen over many years among my personal friends.
Some of my friends desired long, thick hair. All of us had perms and did not realize it was damaging and thinning out the our hair. So it started with let’s add a few tracts in the back (2-3 rows). Anyone remember that? Lol. Let’s added a little length beyond yours. For some of my friends this was a big transformation. They begin to get comments on our lovely their hair looked. Some you did not even notice they had hair added and they were not telling. Esp. Not telling a man showing interests. Lol.
They went 2-3 months with that fake hair in, and then had to remove it! Omg they were in shock! So they put it back in again. Again again and again. They lost themselves in the weave.
It became an Addiction.
Now factor in damage, bald spots, receding hairlines that resemble a kleion from a Start Trek movie, missing temples, nape completely gone. A Husband who don’t even remember you without it, and a boyfriend who don’t know you got it because he can’t touch it.
Well that’s my answer. Hope it helps.
Ps. Some take those weaves and wigs off and now look like the thing from Tales of the crypt. True experience. I went int shock. I wanted to cry that someone would abuse themselves this way.
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I understand totally what you mean. I’ve always had long hair, but I was mistreating it so I got some extensions added to it to give it some thickness, although it was slightly longer than my own hair. It looked really good, believe me. I did this for like 3/4 months never noticing that it was actually destroying my own hair underneath when I would redo it. One day I decided to take it out to redo it- I was shocked and I had really mixed feeling. you know it. – the question was then should I put the fake hair back in and keep those compliments coming or what. I know what many women would do and is still doing. The would put the hair in because it’s them and it affects their self esteem. I took those things out and cut my hair clean off. I love the way I am I don’t depend on others compliments to make me feel good about myself. When you rely on hair or other’s compliments to give you self esteem, it does a whole lot of damage to another level.
Joey that’s not true. White women have been wearing fake hair just as much and just as long as black women. They’re just not as open about it.
Centuries of ridicule, shaming, legal restrictions from public spaces and education and careers if our hair didn’t conform (yes, it’s real), leading to a forced conformity of pressing and perms and extensions and wigs until we burned, ripped out and rubbed raw the hair naturally growing from our heads – is why STRAIGHT, phony-pony, animal hair, stolen Indian temple hair and doll plastic has been the billion-dollar humiliating monkey on our backs.
Other than that, Black women in kinky wigs dates back a long time and White woman in film and print and at Walmart have always worn lace-fronts and weaves – difference is they tried to look beautiful AND authentic. They also had anonymity and quality product at local Black/White wig shops instead of the trash-fest at the modern BSS and some wig retailers where you become a junkie because you have to spend 100x as much continually replacing poor, disposable product.
Downvoted you when I meant to upvote you….I agree 100%!
Actually this is a misconception. Considering I live in a mostly white town I’m aware from first hand experience and go to a mostly white university I can tell you that women of all backgrounds do. White women are just better at disclosing it, it’s not a huge spectacle to them. Black women are just under a bigger microscope. We’re so cautious of eachother. But white women and Asian women do wear weaves. You’ll be supposed.
Surprised *
As Elle mentioned, we have the unique distinction of being the only race of women for whom wearing your hair in its natural state is societally deemed per se unacceptable. So while many black women view wigs and weaves as an option, others may see it as the only option.
Exactly…even if white women are wearing weaves and wigs, they’re not doing it anywhere NEAR the same extent as black women are and they never have been.
I said the same thing about weaves and wigs that I said about relaxers: When I start seeing these products advertised in so-called “mainstream” media (magazines, fashion sites, and the like) that target the AVERAGE young white woman (as opposed to the average elderly white woman, the average chemo patient, etc.) in the same proportions as I see in those publications and sites that target the AVERAGE young black womea, THEN maybe I’ll believe that they’re being used equally.
But until then…actually there is no “until then” because I really, truly DON’T CARE what white women do or don’t do with their hair…
Here’s what I care about: Black women learning to truly accept themselves without shame or apology and to stop measuring themselves against others’ limited beauty standards. 150 years ago we weren’t even considered HUMAN. What has to happen for us to find our way back to pride?
The more weave and wig I see out here the more motivated I am to wear MY OWN HAIR. It ain’t the biggest or the thickest or the curliest or the longest but dammit…it’s MINE.
I think it’s become an illness. Blacks are in denial about it as evident when they bring up white women wearing weaves. Truth is, White women are not wearing weaves at the rate black women are. I think it boils down to laziness….. plain and simple. I’ve met many black women who say they just can’t deal with it and this makes me sad. My natural hair is no walk in the park, especially on wash day but you better believe, somebody outside of myself is gonna see my crown and glory because I treat it as such!
White women do wear weaves but it looks like their natural hair black women wear the same weaves but it doesn’t look like their natural hair and that is a shame, God made you a certain way and you can’t see the beauty that you have, instead you put something on your head that resembles what you think is more beautiful than what God gave you. What next? skin bleaching, blue contact lenses all the fake crap. Everybody is beautiful, you just have to believe it.
I think you should be able to wear whatever you want, but as someone whose hair used to resemble the girl’s in the second picture when it was blown out (I’ve since cut it), I can’t help but side-eye the growing prevalence of these wigs/weaves…let me explain why.
A black woman at my job randomly stopped me after I cut 6-7″ off (i’m now rocking a tapered bob) and twisted my own hair and goes “oh, you took out the big hair” in this knowing tone and I was like no, I cut it??? It’s frustrating that a) a white girl just gets a haircut but everyone automatically assumes that a black girl’s thick long hair isn’t hers and b) because so many of us are length obsessed it is almost inconceivable that we would *voluntarily* cut our long locks.
So yeah, in a sense I selfishly feel like I had “earned” my hair with the hours of dc’s, twisting at night, etc, while someone who didn’t “earn” it can just slap it on and get the same effect with not nearly as much upkeep. IDK I’m torn because I’m GLAD that the dumb silky fake-looking weaves are losing prevalence but mildly annoyed that now girls who “work hard” for their hair don’t get the credit? It’s stupid and petty I know but that’s just how I feel lol.
My goodness! We can’t be satisfied at all, can we? “Stop wearing that yaki, yo hair don’t grow like that!” “Why are you wearing that curly, kinky, afro, blow out wig/weave? Self hater!” Can’t we just be glad that more black women are wearing pieces that resemble OUR texture? If you are a YT guru, I think you should be honest. But if it’s me I’m going to tell you “yes, it’s mine I bought it and paid for it. Problem?”
Okay. This is the problem with the natural hair community. Since when did rocking a weave because you wanted to rock a weave become protective styling?? What are you ashamed of if someone asks you if you’re wearing a weave AND you have hair underneath it? Wouldn’t you be PROUD because YOU thought it looked nice when you put it on? ESPECIALLY if it blends with your hair and the company you bought it from is Black owned? Why would you be ashamed to say, “Yes! This IS a weave that I got from *inserts Black own business*! I love it because it blends so nicely with Afro textured hair! You should support them as well!” Like I’m confused to why people would feel offended if someone asked you about your weave but to each its own.
It brings up another question though- when are we going to renounce the term “protective styling”? Like for real… what are we protecting our hair from? Proper care? lol like are we now going to protective style our skin so we don’t have to take a bath? lol I don’t understand. Especially for someone like me who lives in sunny South Florida where it’s basically summer all year long so how is a weave “protecting” my hair? lol I believe in low manipulation styling (i.e. a bun or a simple style you wear for a week or so) or just ROCKING a weave. If you were “protecting” your hair, wouldn’t the braids underneath be protective enough? The only protective style I see is a hat lmaoo but I’m sleep tho…
I have been only natural since 2009. I had thoughts that an article like this would come along some day. Their have been a few natural hair videos that I believed were in fact weaves. Especially when they start big choping for the 2nd, 3rd, time. Hmm. Lol.
When I first started my journey I would add fake hair to my kinky twist. Not for a protective style. Truth be told i wanted the length. Twists to be longer. If someone ask I told them it’s rasta hair added. Even when they did not ask, and would comment , ” your hair is really long” lol I would say “I have hair added for length. Guess what? I’m still alive. Lighting did not strike me dead or them for asking.
The better question here would be, what natural hair guru do you believe is wearing a weave? Lol now that should start some sparks, and lighting bolts across the cyber world. Lol haha.
You misunderstand what protective styling is. It’s a style that reduces breakage caused my manipulation. So yes, the braids alone do protect your hair but do you really want to walk around looking like Cleo from Set it Off all the time? Especially if you work in a corporation or professional seeing. Why can’t you wear a nice natural looking style while you’re braided up underneath? And not everyone lives in South Florida. I get weave every winter to protect my hair against the cold and for a little extra heat on my head!
I know what protective styling means obviously I just think it’s a silly excuse if you want to wear a weave or want added length. If you want to try a new style or change up your look then wear a weave or throw in some braids! You don’t need the excuse of “protective styling” to wear something you like. My point is that you can always protective style with your own hair but let’s be real- any added hair is just for added ascetics an there is nothing wrong with that IMO
I complete agree with you. The cornrows I have are the protective style. The wig or weave I wear isn’t protective. Box braids are different because it has the person’s own hair incorporated into the protective style
I don’t fully agree. One can cornrow or rock single braids with their own hair. Most of us who wear braided extensions wear them because either A we’re uncomfortable with our own length in that style or B we like the fullness extensions provide. And in all honesty, if your hair isn’t thick, this can be the ultimate UNprotective style as it can cause excessive shedding and/or breakage (I can testify to that).
I’d never heard of ‘protective styling’ until 2011 when I started visiting online hair sites. It seems to range from extensions, to simple buns for some women. To be fair, I also see it widely used on White forums. But I don’t use the term, it just seems irrelevant.
Me neither and I agree; it’s a misnomer. The term “low manipulation” or “no manipulation” styling make more sense. But then again it’s not the only natural hair term that makes no sense- “Natural Hair Nazi” is my favorite natural hair misnomer -___-
Protecting it from constant manipulation I mean come on wake up now! I know women in the entertainment industry who do it to protect their hair from all that constant styling (and beauty standards but we’ll deal with one thing at a time). You can laugh at the term but at LEAST know what it means
Lol idk why you just assumed that I didn’t know what protective styling meant and not everyone is in the entertainment industry so let’s keep it real and talk about our everyday Black woman. The point I was trying to make is that you don’t need to hide behind the term “protective styling” to excuse yourself from wearing a weave or an intricate hairstyle. Before the natural hair movement we wore weaves and braids because we wanted to! We didn’t need the excuse that we were “protecting” our hair to exercise our creativity because in all honesty we could “protect” our hair without weave (that’s where the joke of wearing a hat is protective styling came from). Similarly, when it comes to makeup we don’t need the excuse that we’re “protecting” our face lol either we’re enhancing our natural beauty or we wanna beat some face! We can “protect” our face without makeup lol
I feel like many people on YouTube are very upfront about wearing natural weaves or wigs. They usually tell their followers that they are and why they are, and I know a lot of ladies on YT that include natural extensions to help with a hairstyle tutorial or use wigs to give their hair a break from styling.
At the end of the day it’s up to the woman, but I also think that this really isn’t as much of an issue as this article is makes it out to be….because it’s happening already.
I guess as long as you’re not lying and trying to pass off what’s not naturally yours as yours, there’s no shame in the weaves/wigs/extensions.
Listen, I am happy that weave which resembles natural kinky hair is being sold by a BLACK people. The Asians can have their “Brazilian” hair – it’s theirs!! But this is OURS and from an economic and social point of view, this is great to see.
To me, choosing to wear weave which resembles your own hair is like wearing make up – enhancing what is already there. It’s the same as wearing box braids or Havana twists IMO. But some reason, I do not view straight weaves the same (for my personal use anyway. For ME it’s like a facade).
Nothing wrong with wigs; strangers don’t owe us anything, there is no “deception.” The deception only concerns those who are in the natural blogging sphere.
The kinky, “natural” hair weaves are “theirs” as well. This hair is not being sourced in Africa. It is still coming from Asia, Brazil, etc.
IMO, these “natural” weave still perpetuate the same problem – black women are not happy with their OWN hair.
sigh……”black women are not happy with their OWN hair”.i have always rocked natural hair but during middle school due to pressure from kids i straightened it.later due to the natural hair movement i now regret doing so but that was years and i cant cut my hair agian coz its already shot from splitting.i felt like these european textured weaves arent for me and was actually happy that there exists because i always wanted long of my kind hair,which girl doesnt?how do we not love ourselve,like the texture matches our hair atleast it doesnt look fake…how do i not love myself for purchasing a wig.my hair is damaged and wont grow fast,yes i love it but it will take long to grow back.seriously we bw can never do anything right
amen, I completely agree with you. It’s great to see us profiting from what is ours.
The natural hair weaves are not made from African American hair.
I’m kinda torn.on one hand it nobody’s business what you do your hair to get it looking as nice as it does. BUT on the other hand if you’re going to promote yourself as a natural hairstyle spokesperson, model or inspiration then yeah you should disclose! Especially if you’re getting financial compensation or special considerations for your perceived naturally textured& styled hair! It matters bc true naturals who have similar textures to the weave wearer are struggling to achieve possibly unrealistic results! It doesnt matter if you work hard to make your weave look fab. if you don’t experience the real trials& tribulations of living with & working with that texture & length then it’s a big olé lie& you should have a seat. People are actually trying to copy your style and yours comes out of a plastic package! where’s the integrity?disclosure is part of integriTy if you’re going to become a public figure. if you rockin weaves as an average Joe then that’s your business.just don’t get on YT, Twitter, instagram, FB, etc and all these blogs pretending to be something that you’re not,giving advice, creating a fan base, possibly being compensated & no one realizes you are not 100% authentic
The money people pay for weaves is crazy! *that’s all I got*
I m not agrée at all
I m one of thé natural brand the most selling in France
And i love to have some inspiration on Instagram, but if i fantasm on weaves and wigs because nobody Telling That is not true, what my customers and me Will be said we Hope to have something we never do??
I surprise myself one month ago in Telling me That i dont have enough hair in my head Because on my Instagram i see so Much beautiful natural girls … And the picture of oparah is one of my Instagram
If a professionnal like me begin to have this position imagine for a natural who begin ? We have to tell what is true or not for the appréciation of our selves and dont dreams about lies!
okay you know what I Hate! The judgment from almost everyone when it comes to weaves and natural hair. I have 4c hair. I big chopped in 2007 April. From then to now I have never seen the kind of growth and/or thickness that I see on these hair sites. I have come to the point where I have given up and I believe that long hair, thick hair is not for me. It will never happen.
I have tried everything and some and my hair looks like it did 5 years ago.
So all the lovely articles and style icons and advice this site gives does not apply to me.
I have tried it all! So don’t you dare stand there on your soap box and tell me Jay that I am lazy and I don’t want to deal with my hair. i have given 7 @#×@! years and it is still not growing. What next do you want me to give? Blood.
Would people have some EMPATHY. You don’t walk in my shoes so you do not Understand!
I feel you. I get tired of hearing that hair grows 1/2″ each month and if it doesn’t you are doing something wrong. People really want to overlook the part genetics plays in hair growth. A lot of “gurus” and You Tubers had long hair as children and when their hair was relaxed. Why would or should their growth change just because now they are natural? My mother’s hair was down her back as a child. She, and none of the people caring for it did anything special to it. It just grew that way. They were sharecroppers in the south and were hauling water to cook and to bathe. Hair was not a priority. Out of 4 sisters, she was the only one with long hair. Were they doing something wrong? She also had green eyes, very very light skin and resembled ancestors who were of mixed heritage. I am sure genetics played a role in the length of her hair. When we were young, she used grease and whatever else and it did not interfere with the growth of her hair. Everybody’s hair isn’t going to grow like that. I don’t care what you do. Genetics plays a part in most things about us, eyes, hair, skin color, etc. As I age, my hair grows slower and slower. It has always grown faster when it was braided or weaved.
If you said your hair grows better with weaves and braids then it is obvious your hair is growing from your scalp, but these protective styles are allowing you to retain your length. So why act like your hair isn’t growing?
I don’t think it’s lazy that you wear a weave. If you liked the weave and you wanted to switch up your style, then I say go for it! But at the end of the day I believe Jay was referring to the women who are dissatisfied with their hair and use weave as a crutch. You’re right though; we are not in your shoes and we don’t know the struggles you went through with your hair. BUT imho, if you’ve been doing all the right things in the past 5,6, 7 years, maybe you should take into account genetics and accept your hair the way it is. Hopes this helps 🙂
I also am recovering from relaxers and have been loc’ed since 2000. You do whatever you need to do to feel beautiful. Nobody should judge you so long as you’re doing it in a healthy way. Ornamenting and beautifying ourselves is part of showing gratitude for our beauty. At least a natural texture is an improvement.
I also agree that once a person is asked, they should say whether it’s theirs or not. When I wear afro kinky twists with extensions it blends so well that most people think it’s mine. If asked, I let them know, if not why worry.
But the problem is that people feel the need to ask with every compliment its almost like its normal to ask if someone’s hair is real soon it won’t even come with the compliment. If you like someone’s handbag would you ask if it is real? if a woman has a nice shape/body would you ask her if it is real? Whether I have extentions or am wearing my real hair out straight or curly it is annoying and boarderline invasive. I’m just a private person anyway.
…now if someone asks me what I do to my hair or what products I use I may tell them if I am wearing extentions. Bt I will also tell them about differet methods or products I use to acheive sraight and curly styles on my natura hair. I feel like it’s all trial and error anyway. I learned to style and care for my hair from trial and error even with tips and advice from people, blogs, youtube ect. you just find what works for you and appreciate not idolize other people’s gorgeous natural hair.
I believe the consensus is your duty to disclose depends on the audience. If you encounter some random person, you have no obligation to tell that person anything you don’t want to. If you’re a hair guru providing hair advice, it is very likely that your audience is observing the state of your hair as proof of what can happen for their hair if they follow your advice. Under those circumstance, you should let your audience know that the hair they are seeing is not a product of following your advice.
I concur!
I think as long as you are wearing it for positive reasons and not because you dislike your hair or yourself then it should stay your business.I think they look pretty cool and I’m not even into fake hair!
I believe that it’s no one’s business if you’re just a random person on the streets. But if you’re a natural hair guru on YouTube and wear wigs like XODVF and act like it’s your own, you should just be honest about it and stop pretending.
* in the streets
Am i the only one that see’s this annoying black women will do antthing to no deal with their real hair while these weaves are natural textures some are not the actual texture some girls have for exaole 4c women wearing 3c wigs .i don’t understand the need to be so lazy you depend on wigs smh…..i’ve been natural 4 years. Its work but its hair. Its kind of sad that black women are known to be dependent on weaves its their daily “dress up” ..i find it childish.
I feel like this issue a black woman issue when it comes to wigs and weaves. Everyone wears them. I personally haven’t heard of anyone wearing a 3c wig while they’re natural hair is 4c but I do believe it happens. Just like YouTuber Shameless Maya creating a wig. That’s what I think is going to happen here. Looser curled and straight hair consumers will be purchasing kinky hair wigs and weave because the look is HOT right now. A shift is in motion. Some will go to their Yaki silky..idk..lol..but this is cool. I like it and see this being just as popular as Remy..(there we go) Remy Yaki..lol, that’s what I was trying to say.
I meant to say it isn’t a black woman’s issue.
You are preaching to the choir on this one. Many a black women will defend weaves like you cursed out they mama. I don’t understand the dependency as well. These weaves and wigs cost A LOT!!! There is so much drama in wearing a wig and weave versus just doing your hair. I want to see how far this phenomenon goes, cause as someone mentioned above there are consequences to wearing wigs and weaves. The glowing success stories I see online are not realities in real life. I know several people who sport wigs and weaves with proper care and their real hair is still not fairing well. The fact that so many “gurus” promote them as protective styles is setting a lot of bad expectations.
Can anyone imagine the opposite? People with any type of hair choosing to switch up their styles anytime they feel? Straight haired women wearing kinky haired styles they’d never get to achieve and kinky curly curly haired women going straight or whatever way they want be the options are now available. Every curl pattern and hair type being embraced by all people. Nothing being considered superior to the other. That’s what wigs and weaves are supposed to be for. To have fun with and enjoy. They’ve been around for decades or longer. What I like is we finally have something to match our texture without having to manipulate to match something else. I don’t see why someone wearing a weave could conjure up so much negativity. I don’t even wear them but I can see a change coming which can be a result of the natural hair movement. We are finally embracing our kinky hair, wearing it proudly and then, like clockwork, we are being imitated. Black women wearing their natural hair is here to say and we are definitely going to see others trying to rock the style as well. It’s just a matter of time.
Did I say something wrong????
People of other races are not going to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to wear kinky hair, or any hair that is not their own, at least not in mass like black women do. The time, money, and hassle involved in getting a weave or wearing a wig is too much. There are psychological factors driving this industry. Most people of other races (as well as many black women) simply learn to care for their own hair. It’s less money and less hassle to practice self-acceptance.
I get what you were saying, though…
Thanks for responding. It’s nice to know someone else point of view as to the reason you’re being thumbs down. I completely agree with the psychological factors involving descendants of slaves and the psychology played to keep our minds in bondage. I’m so grateful for this generation’s natural hair movement, b/c I know people say it has been done in the past but people also went back to straight hair and getting relaxers. This time seems to be different to me. I think the fact more of us are aware of our health, putting a chemical on your hair to alter your hair texture and will eventually turn your skull green/blue is not worth it.
I had a major hair set back 18 months ago. I wore half wigs and I had my own hair dyed to match the 4F/33 hair color for about 6 months. I felt my hairstyle looked good, and with friends I quickly said what I had done. However, I did not give any hint, nor did I bite at theirs when these people who I would say are . . haters hinted.
My question is how can someone so proudly flaunt someone else’s hair on their head?
I did a paper for school once about the weave industry. Much of the hair comes from women’s prisons and asylums. Are all the weave wearers okay with someone else loosing their hair so they can vainly flaunt it? Many times the hair is forcibly obtained, or though methods of deceit or manipulation. Do you really want to finance that type of operation?
In my opinion wearing human hair weaves it is the height of disillusion and vanity.
That is crazy! They also steal and sell the hair that women cut off for religious reasons..it’s some kind of black market stuff.Scary!
wow! that sounds disturbing. Thankfully i wear my own hair.
I have occasionally work weaves in the past; however, when I found out that hair was being sacrificed, stolen, or taken from dead bodies, I stopped wearing any type of human hair extensions. It’s so funny that many women were inspired to stop relaxing their hair by Chris Rock’s movie good hair, but they grazed over the part about hair weaves.
Wearing someone else’s DNA on my head gives me the creeps now, but I think synthetic extensions for braids and twists, etc. are okay…
I understand where you are coming from, but I can also easily say you walk around flaunting your gold/diamond earring which people lost their lives for. Or the lotion/soap you use in which animals have died for and the clothes/shoes/etc that come from sweat shops and forced labor all over the world from sri lanka, latin america, the philipian, south africa, etc. Unless you can 100% verify that what you choose to wear or eat doesn’t negatively affect the live of innocent people, you are just like women who wear weave…please explain how that’s different?
Here we go again. This is the same old lie told in a different package. When you wear someone else’s (or something else’s) hair and try to manipulate it into your own hair, you are deceiving people bottom line! This deception motive does not become any less passive if you are wearing the fake attachments or wig for “protective styling” which is the worst reason ever. My beautiful mother tried doing this several years ago she tried to doing the so-called protective wig styling method. Several months later the most horrific thing happened, all of her hair from her crown fell out due to alopecia due to the lack of oxygen that her pores were not receiving because of the wig. The same terrible thing happened with Naomi Campbell. For years she suffocated her hair with hundreds of different wigs and weaves and now her natural is uprooted and completely gone most likely forever. I just don’t understand why black women know the inevitable destruction that wigs, falls, clips and attachments will cause to their hair and still blame it on natural regimen. “Oh it’s just not for me.” Be patient and be creative with loving and growing out your own natural hair. Before you know it it will be waist length or tail bone length. When that happens flaunt it, swing it around and keep growing it! Never ever be ashamed of it and chop off 4 years of work because you are feeling envy and pressure from your peers. I hope this helps.
I think the option to have wig/weaves that look like our hair is wonderful. I have a wig with curls that are only slightly bigger in diameter than my own, and it’s great that if I gotta go somewhere last minute and don’t have time for a twist out, there is an option.
If you have dubbed yourself a “naturalista” while pretending a waist length weave is yours then that’s foul, particularly if that is your brand.
Otherwise, who really cares if your hair is real. You paid for it, it’s your hair. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.
YES people should ‘fess up if asked.
Even if you’re not a hair guru, you might be setting someone else who is thinking of going natural up for unrealistic expectations of how their hair should look. If their hair isn’t like that, that’s when people get frustrated and go back to relaxing their hair. So honesty is KEY on everyone’s part if you want to go that weave or wig route. I’m not into it (its akin to wearing a hat for me so no thanks), but for those that are into it, if you like it and are comfortable with it, then it shouldn’t be anything that bothers you to openly admit. If it bothers you, then you might want to make sure you’re not using the hair as a crutch rather than as a styling option.
Lol…a hair hat lol. That’s exactly what I’ve always called it too!
I don’t see the problem with telling someone that you’re wearing a weave or a wig. When I wear braid or twist extensions, I don’t refer to them as “my hair”, even. I say “the hair”. Anyway, It’s not like people will stop appreciating beautiful hair if they find out it’s fake. If I know someone has a weave, I’ll say “That’s a great weave, it’s beautiful!” (not to their face, of course; I know some people refer to their extensions as “their hair” because it technically is if they bought it).
I think a surge in “natural” weaves/extensions is only inevitable, given how the natural movement has taken hold. Sometimes I protective style my hair using hair pieces that’re such a close match to my texture, that sometimes even I can’t pinpoint exactly where my own hair is or isn’t. I receive many compliments, and I politely say thanks, but unless I’m specifically asked, I don’t feel the need to say it isn’t all mine.
I agree with AfricanSunshine–I absolutely despise wearing Indian/Brazilian pieces in my head. Even if I’m wearing “additional” hair, I’d prefer the look to have a high probability that it could characteristically be *mine*.
I definitely think that if you’re a natural hair “guru” and have a mass of followers on social media that you should be upfront and honest if you are wearing a natural hair weave or wig. If you’re just a “regular” person on the street and someone asks you about it, I think it’s up to you whether or not you want to tell that person that it’s a weave or wig. I think that ultimately though, you should always be honest and not deceive anyone, because like another person said, it sets unrealistic expectations for someone who may want to go natural and think that their hair will instantly look flawless. I don’t think that natural hair weaves and wigs are skewing perceptions, they may in fact be a source of motivation for other women who see them and want to go natural, but like I said, it’s important to teach these women that their hair will not instantly look like a weave or wig.
This article was very tastefully done, and articulates a topic I’ve been grappling with myself. I’m all for people expressing themselves, and I firmly believe you should be able to whatever the heck you want to do with your hair, weave it up, chop it, dye it, heck, perm it if you really want to. HOWEVER, I take issue with a lot of natural hair pages on social media that repost natural hair photos of ladies with these massively dense and long manes. I go to their individual accounts (to get info on products, tutorial tips, etc.) only to find their hair is drastically different from the pictures featured. I don’t feel entitled to an explanation, and no one owes me anything, but I get concerned that these featured images/highlight reels are being praised as the norm, and women who are transitioning or newly natural begin looking to them as benchmarks for their own hair goals, not realizing the aesthetic they aspire to is a wig or weave. That can be damaging.
lol omg I do the same thing too! Usually when I see a pic posted on a NATURAL hair page I expect it to be natural right? Come to find out that person is gaining popularity for a weave/wig and still rocks relaxers/straight European weaves ._. not to say that there’s anything wrong with straight weaves but I was misled to thinking she grew out her natural hair smh
I have a cousin that wears natural textured weave. She swears up and down that it’s her hair. Chile please!
Finally!!! weaves that resemble MY hair and My ancestors hair..now they are more than welcome. I hate Brazilian/European/Indian straight hair weaves as a protective style. I used to rock them but something happened to me I cant pin point what but its something that just makes me not prefer them, so An Afro-inspired weave can be my go to protective styling choice. Why not “look” natural when you are natural, why not give your hair a break yet still staying true to your ethnical look. Finally Africans can wear wigs that don’t have to be other people’s hair…..About disclosing if its a wig or not well its no one’s business unless they ask I will proudly tell. I have often been asked when I rock an Afro wig if its my hair I laugh and then pull out my own underneath and the beauty in it is even when I’m wearing my own hair they still think its a weave coz the textures match.
The majority of the hair for natural wigs/weaves, if its real hair, is coming from those same Brazilian/Indian/European woman. It’s just being processed differently. Women in African, Bahamas, Jamaica nor anywhere else are not cutting and selling their hair for wigs/weaves.
Extensions, weaves, sew-ins, wigs etc. are here to stay. So, having a brand that blends with my natural hair is great. Of course no one is obligated to reveal the authenticity of their tresses but if you’re a natural hair guru and your following is due to the fact you are displaying natural hairstyles, giving advice and recommending products then that’s when it’s an obligation to your audience. People I follow usually say, hey, this is such and such weave by so and so company. It’s simply deceptive to have people think otherwise.
On another note, I’m glad that this company is black owned. I feel some type of way when there are businesses in the black community that don’t employ our people or give back to our communities but have no issue taking our money.
In 2014 are black women still not telling people that they are wearing a wig or weave? That’s hilarious! Why not just say this is a wig or weave and provide a link or how to tutorial? If somebody’s reply is none of your business you pretty much just told me its not real any way. Who on earth still claims fake hair as there own? It sets unrealistic expectations on what natural hair is suppose to look like. Gonna have naturals out here thinking that thick density long hair is the norm and they are just doing something wrong. I’m not a fan of fake hair because of reasons like this. Plus it never looks quite real to me. All of those pics look like hair pieces. Most people’s hair is not that thick and devoid of some scalp showing. Plus the ubiquitous side part gives any illusion away. But if its your thang and you know how to work it well please share this with your audience.
Wow! I really don’t know much about weaves. I thought he models hairstyles looked realistic especially with the part, LoL! The pictures of the lady in the collage does appear to be fake because her edges are slicked and really doesn’t seem to be connected to her very long mane. But those other ladies would have me envying the density and everything! LOL! They would’ve fooled me on the street!
I think if you are a random woman in the street and someone asks you about your hair you are not obligated to give them an answer. I get asked this question even when I wear my natural hair and I think it’s insulting like it can’t possibly be mine and has an underlying assumption that all black women wear weave. It’s a different story if you are one of these hair gurus in the natural community on social media outlets. I feel like you are obligated to tell the truth because you’re advertising hair and there needs to be truth in advertising.
I usually take it as a compliment when someone mistakes my hair for a weave or wig. It use to happen to me alot back in the day when I had a relaxer and used the Mane & Tail shampoo and conditioner.
Sometimes I feel the same, sometimes I laugh, but I guess I started getting uncomfortable with it when more ppl started asking. It got kind of old to me I guess.
I understand where you coming from. If it coming from the same person over and over that would get old to me. I just had a cousin ask me , “are you wearing a wig?” I said, no as I ran my hand through it. This is a cousin I have not seen in a couple of years. I took it as a compliant, because today so many wear wigs and weaves to get their hair to look like mine.
I have not gotten tired of it yet. I said yet. Lol.
Agree. I think it’s USUALLY intended as a compliment, but questioning the authenticity of someone’s hair such an impolite (and bizarre) way to express your admiration. Recently a girl (in the process of “complimenting” my real hair) asked me if me if I had used marley hair to achieve my style. It’s really surprising that people don’t know any better…
People know better, they just feel they can say what they want to others.
Thank You!!! I was going to say the very same thing.