by
Black Girl With Long Hair
Are you a natural living outside of America? Submit your profile to bl***************@***il.com
Where are you from?
S: I was born and raised in a village in Rhineland-Palatinate but currently I’m living in Duisburg which is a big city in West Germany. My mom is German and my dad is from Antigua, so I’m mixed. Right now I’m going to school to become a state-qualified commercial assistant with languages
Duisburg is a big city on the Rhine close to Düsseldorf and Cologne. Duisburg has a big harbor where you can do a lot of things e.g. visit a museum or Legoland, drive a boat or just sit in a café. If you go to the center of the city you will see a lot of Turkish people and shops.
What is the natural hair scene like in your country?
S: In my opinion there is no natural scene here. Most Africans and mixed girls wear their hair in weave or relaxed. But lately I see some mixed girls at my age (19) with their natural hair. My natural hair is accepted by my family and friends. My parents even like my curls more than my relaxed hair before. They don’t want me to relax my hair ever again.
When did you go natural?
S: I had my last relaxer in January 2006 and I’m completely natural since March 2008.
I went natural because my hair was breaking off and I had too much hair loss because I was also dyeing my hair. Before my relaxer I had very long hair (waist length) and I want to go back to this again! I was transitioning for over one year and it was really hard for me because many times I wanted to relax my hair again so I kept my hair in protective styles. When I finally cut my hair in March 2008 I was very happy that I did it.
I get many compliments especially from white people! They always want to touch my hair and tell me that it’s gorgeous. I always wear my hair different even before my hair was natural. I wear it in braids, cornrows, weaves almost everything and everybody loves it!
What would you like to see in your country in terms of natural hair?
S: An important issue is that we don’t have enough shops where you can buy products for kinky hair. We only have afroshops in big cities! So if you live in a village like I used to before you have to drive far to the next big city or order your products online. I’m glad there’s an online shop now which sales natural hair products but I’d prefer to buy my natural products in a shop around the corner. Another point is that we don’t have any hair salons in Germany where you can cut your natural hair. And of course I’d like to see more naturals at any age.
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Scarlett is a member of the BGLH forum! Check it out HERE.
10 Responses
hey melissa
i thought i was the only one with that mix of nationalities too
haha. thats awesome
please contact me
af*******@**ve.de
I live in Germany too and I have found various online sites (in Germany, Holland and the UK) to get the products I need.
I also lucked up with finding a hairstylist to cut my hair.
It is difficult but not impossible to find someone to cut curly hair, the trick is to try to find a non-German (preferable from Canada, US or UK) that will have been exposed to curly hair.
KT
Hi Scarlett,
I was reading your post and thought I was reading a post from my sister. She lives in Germany and her mother is German and our father is from Antigua! She is also 19 years old. She lives in Maintal. I was amazed, and I thought ,as she probably thought she was the only one with that mix of nationalities in Germany. I know she has struggles with her hair being a different quality and not really knowing how to maintain it. Also I think it was pretty difficult for her with most ofher friends being white, naturally growing up she wanted her hair to look like theirs. I would love to communicate with you more, especially since you are also Antiguan! With Antigua being so small,I’m sure we are connected in some way and I would love for you and my sister Claire to meet it would be cool! I personally wear locks in my hair and love them, I’ve had them for four and a half years, but have had my hair natural for over 10 years. I wouldn’t have it any other way! Well hope to hear from you soon!
Enjoy your holiday!
Melissa
Hello Scarlett,
I think there are more kids and grown ups in Germany having natural hair, my son has Cornrows now, but if he doesn´t have Cornrows ( and he has it for the first time in his 14 years life )he always wear it natural.
And a lot of friends and family members wear it natural. The girls,too. But you are right that more girls wave or relax it.
I do not understand it. Natural way is what it is, the natural way, it fits the person and the hair can be healthy if it is not forced to go against nature.
I let my son grow up by knowing that his hair is nice and belongs to him, no reason to hide or to be ashamed of, and he wear his afro with proud.
More people should do this, cause it is not good to think that you have to do anything against you hair to be natural to belong to the others. Or not to be nerved by others.
It´s your own head, wear it like you want and do it with proud!
And the products, they really do not sell it, and barbers normally don´t know how to cut the hair, that´s right. Absolutely!
P.S. By the way it is a cheekiness to have the nerve to touch black peoples hair on the street. Incredible! And I know they do not do this to whites often 😉 or even they normally don´t do it at all.
The same to ask people they don´t know for a kids father and where he comes from or if the kids speak german. They will never do it if the kids just look like the mother.
Better to stop the hidden rasicm in Germany!
Nobody should raise to question that you are german only because of the coulour of your skin!
one of the mothers of a wonderfull black child in Germany,
Simi
Thanks for this thread, Scarlette.
All you are saying + the comments are so true!
Some things will never, or maybe hardly change in Germany. Since back in days when there were not “so many” blacks around, until now, we girls are still kind of fighting to get our hair done! I am not natural, but am looking for the best way to maintain hair the cheapest way, and the easiest way. It’s absolutely manageable.
As I read yesterday: “There is no bad hair, there is only bad hair maintenance”
Cheers,
Starlette
I love that 2nd pic, 2cute! and dessert looks great!
I used to live in Germany, and there was only one place in town that sold products for black hair, but it was ridiculously expensive. Luckily, I had been using a German brand that I had found at Big Lots in the States; so, I could just buy that at the dm, a drug store. Unfortunately, they discontinued it while I was there; so, I had to find a replacement. When I would go home to the US, I would bring stuff back with me or get my friends to bring me stuff when they visited. I think I would fare better now that I know how to make some concoctions on my own.
One time, on the bus, I sat next to a girl and we started talking. She was from Gambia, and I told her I was American. She actually said to me (in German), “But your hair… it looks like mine!” I had heard something similar before. Some people actually think that black Americans actually have straight hair like the actresses in Hollywood or the girls in the rap videos.
Go Germany!I too would like to see more naturals at all ages
I live in a small town in Germany (but I’m not from here) and if I couldn’t shop at the Commissary or PX (military) I’d be stuck! If I were to buy my hair products from the local economy I would go broke quickly. The one African braiding shop that we have here charges an arm and a leg for everything! Outside of the PX and Commissary I order my products online or have my family send stuff to me. Thank God I’ll be relocating to the USA this weekend!!!!!!!!
I know what Scarlett is going through in Germany trying to find products for natural hair. I live in Switzerland and it’s not easy to find the right products for our hair. And when I do find an African beauty shop they charge too much money for a product that I would find in New York 75% cheaper. This is why every time I go back to NYC (where I used to live before Switzerland) I stack up on products.
By the way, the dessert looks delicious 😉