Ladies: Free your follicles free your mind!!
You know some ladies, always fussing and fighting with our hair – for those of us that change the colour and style regularly not only is it a form of creative expression but also the perfect way to chase away a blue moment. But the good news is that NATURAL is back.
Cape Townian sista Janine tells us why she’s happy being nappy and just letting her hair go au natural!
In other words…
, ‘sista’s, lose that wig and weave – just celebrate being your hairy curly self! MARKETERS – pay attention!’.
Six months ago I generally got gatvol of blow-drying my hair. It wasn’t some sort of spiritual conversion or an Oprah ‘aha!’ moment, just pragmatism. Who in their right minds blasts their follicles with 1400 watt power for one hour in a Cape Town summer? Actually, I know hundreds of women who do. I am no longer amongst their number.
I have stopped fighting nature and accepted my nappy-haired state. I will never be a Pantene model, I will never be a flaxen-haired Barbie look-alike, and I refuse to fry my scalp in an attempt to be one.
So here I am, curly haired and absolutely loving it! My mother hates it, but she’s from a generation where the kink in your hair (or lack thereof) determined your status in society. I’m from a this generation where the reverse is true – failing the pencil test seems to up one’s street cred & and let’s not forget – black is the new black!
It’s not just about the greater acceptance I get at hip-hop shows and reggae nights; natural hair takes special care, but it’s a lot healthier than trying to beat the nappy into submission! Now, at the ripe young age of 21 I’ve had to learn to really take care of my hair, my real hair and not the pseudo-straight mess it was.
And I’ve also learnt what an absolute hustle it is to find products that suit it – can the marketing people please come up with curl/:moisture stuff that LOOKS and SMELLS good? And that doesn’t make me look like a throwback to Lionel Richie’s Jerry Curl?
I mean, there are shelves and shelves of everything from putty, wax, and gel for straight hair in Click’s, while less than half the space is designated for the euphemistically named “ethnic” hair – and about 3/4 of this is reserved for home straightening kits.
I’m no marketing guru and I don’t have stats to back my argument up, but I’ve got eyes in my head and I can see more young women are opting for the natural look and these women have money, so will the product developers please follow?
My afro (it’s at that stage now) makes me happy, but it’s not all Gladys Knight and the Pips. I do miss brushing it every day, running my fingers through it, you know, the soap opera-Softsheen Carson dream. And I’m sick of being asked by ignorant people if I can sell them some ganja – I don’t smoke dope and I’m not a rasta!
And it’s not a fashion statement or a trend, anymore than being a blonde or a brunette are … it’s just my hair, a statement of who I am and not the newest accessory!
To be honest, though, I do get a feeling of superiority from this greater enlightenment I’ve achieved and not to mention the time I’ve saved – now I roll out of bed and shake my hair, and then I’m good to go.
I wish more sistas would drop the weave, be proud of who you are, free your mind and free your follicles!
Thqnks to JASON SHO GREEN for the pic!
