My biggest pet peeve with this is when black women say “natural hair isn’t for everybody” because what?? Natural hair maintenance or preference may not be for everybody, but the hair that grows out of your scalp is most definitely “for you.”
Antiblackness is worldwide. Natural hair wouldn't be so hard if people weren't trying to make their hair do things it doesn't want to do. I hope more people learn to love all their afrocentric features.
Sadly, this is true even in Africa itself. Many women in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc. have their hair done in European styles. You would think that they would be the Keepers Of The Flame...convincing African women in North America, Europe & the Caribbean that there's nothing wrong with natural hair. That they had been keeping their hair natural for thousands of years with no problem.
@user-Mimi_622I think it depends on where you live. Where I live I often see black women wearing their own hair. there wouldn’t be as many hair care lines popping up if people didn’t wear it .
A white woman literally complimented my 4BC hair yesterday, was calling it beautiful and saying she could never look that way in a mini frohawk. Korean pple on the other side of the world are doing a perm method to achieve Afro textured hair. After slavery, the problem was always us.
@user-Mimi_622First, there’s nothing wrong with a wig or weave. We need to stop judging others, while complaining about being judged. We’re a CREATIVE bunch. Why are we trying to limit ourselves with one thing. Jeez.
In my opinion self hatred is refusing to know exactly the state of all three bonds of your hair and where you are in the hair growth cycle / skin cell turnover rate
This I love my natural hair it keeps the dusties away it’s protective to me since I have the dreaded 4C that our counterpart don’t like so it has been freeing….
The woman who said to not wear your natural to her event- I bet her natural hair looks way better than the wig she is wearing. I’m not trying to be mean or insulting but I just don’t think that wig looks good on her nor does it seem like a quality wig.
People fail to realize half of podcasts and online content is CRAFTED to go viral/ create outrage for engagement. The clip has gotten more and more play from reactions than it ever would have if we just ignored her. She was clearly talking out her neck.
Rihanna had a huge forehead and she's gorgeous so do so many Sudanese models. Hang their pictures so you look at them and see yourself as being just as pretty @@barbaramay9288
Crazy thing is that some bw will get mad at u for saying their natural hair is beautiful then the wigs as if we are supposed to hate it along with them
I honestly feel like once you let go of unrealistic expectations of your hair (and your looks in general) you will begin to have peace of mind. But this means you have to get to know your hair and spend time experimenting with it and caring for it so you know what it’s capable of and what it loves.
I stopped watching natural hair videos during my natural hair journey because every few years, one of them admits their hair has been damaged for years, yet they were product-pushing and influencing the whole time.
Agreed. I had to unfollow people because they backed themselves into a corner of “woe is my hair” content. Ironically, having a hair channel caused more anxiety given that the products were not giving people the same curls on the box.
I have yet to experience this. I’ve seen a few influencers who got “tired” of the routines and methods that made their hair thrive, began to slack off, and their hair visibly suffered for it. Others have spent years working to retain length, then cut their hair short for no apparent reason. But some people enjoy the process of going from long to short and back again. But none of the natural hair influencers that I follow or followed went back to relaxers or became “straight naturals”.
@@hereforit2347 I don't think relaxers are making a comeback. Maybe our feeds are different so don't watch the same people. All of the women I used to follow have cut their hair due to damage. My hair thrived when I listened to the professionals.
@@aliyahharmon9045: I never said relaxers are making a comeback. A *lot* of TH-camrs are saying it, but not me. Like I said, none of the TH-camrs I followed and who helped me learn how to treat my hair and make it thrive have since started relaxing or have returned to relaxers. However, many in the “relaxed community” would have us believe otherwise.
I have about 4 hairstyles that i cycle through ; round afro, braids, twists, and ive blown my hair out a handful of times in 15 years. I only consider my hair "not done" when i pull it back out of the shower bc thats me being lazy. Otherwise its done. Wedding guest- fro, interviews fro, dates fro. Its my signature hairstyle bc it takes the least amount of effort and I find it beautiful. only use water and grease and never attempt to define curls bc my hair just doesn't want to do that
For about a year now I’ve been rocking nothing but my natural hair, for important events and just hanging out. And it’s really helped with my self image. This was great discussion 😄
Yay, I’m happy for you! I definitely want to wear my hair out more in 2024. I rarely ever wear my hair out. It’s usually just in braids so I don’t have to think about it. Thank you for watching!
And yet there is a simple technique our African ancestors know that easily manages our hair using products from the earth. The only problem is the end result won’t be considered acceptable in these parts of the world. Because we were subliminally brainwashed to be afraid of it.
Can you explain? I’m new to the natural journey (4c big chopped in April). It’s taking some time to get used to. But I’m developing a regimen. I finger coil my hair on wash day, every Sunday. I also use rosemary herb oil mixture everyday. And light spray with a herbal tea a couple days a week. I know my hair is short right now. But I don’t think I will switch up my regimen anytime soon. It’s becoming part of regular personal maintenance,
@@forthb44 Congratulations on making the switch 😊. It’s great that you found a good routine that works for you early in your journey. Everyone’s experience is different. Many women struggle with going natural while others transition with no problems.
I had a white person at work ask me if wearing my natural hair was a political statement 😮. I honestly think more of us need to wear our natural hair so that "others" can get used to our hair. Heck, even the black community needs to get used to our hair. It's too late in the game for how our hair grows to still be a shock and polarizing conversation topic.
THISSSSS!!!!!!!!! And honestly it's sad!!!!!! I worked I a hospital setting and my co worker *older black woman (48-50 range( was asking me questions about my hair and was shocked when I went from curls to an afro the next day ... Like???? You're an brown skin woman! I'm a brown skin woman!!!!!!!! Who is older than me! Im 25!!!!!!!! What's going on???? LOL
TBH the natural hair movement never properly addressed the initial issue…..loving your hair the way it grows from your scalp, because 4c BW were effectively pushed out of the space. We are not honest about the texturism and featurism that plague non-ambiguous BW and the “love your self” rhetoric doesn’t fix the bigger issue. Self love is important but rebutting a black woman’s discomfort with her natural hair with love yourself is a keen to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. I’ve been saying for years that, until the removal of systemic and institutional racism is addressed, we will continue to have issues with our natural hair.
Very well said! I also realized a lot of the natural hair content a I consumed focused on manipulating the hair texture to make it closer to looser textures. And that kind of messed with my mind for a while. I didn’t even realize that’s what was happening.
I started off with my natural hair journey with books so wasn't "influenced" by anyone in the natural hair movement to go natural. I just wanted easier, cheaper, healthier hair. over 10 years later that is still the objective....but add healthier scalp. I grew up in the Caribbean with only the freedom that affords you to be the majority in your own country. There is racism but it's more nuanced and secretive. We all loved nothing more but to jump in the sea regardless of hairstyle and then deal with the tragedy after. Lol! Best hairstyle for swimming..how it grows out of your scalp...natural. chemicals do not like chlorine or salt water. All the freshly relaxed girls stayed away from the water. Everyone also knows chlorine turns blond dye green and red and brunette dye orange. lol! Next is braided hair. Or you could go bald or buzz cut, which works excellent for daily swimming. Lol! I follow a lot of cosmetologists on TH-cam and then between my white salon visits, black trichologist visits and blood tests, I figured out my hair. Now I live in London and every time I wear any hairstyles reminiscent of ancient African Queens I get the most compliments from all races. I wear straight and curly wigs in the winter and then braids and my natural texture with or without added hair for the rest of the seasons. I have zero issues with my natural hair. if I'm the only black woman with natural hair at a meeting or an event, I do not care and if anyone was so foolish to act racist around me, they will be quickly shown the door.
Lots of women were doing it because black men said they like natural hair not all those wigs and weaves .. but the kicker is most black man that they chasing do not like natural hair especially 4C .. they realized they should decenter black men because they double minded and the same look they say they don’t like that’s the exact look they trying to talk to outside .. I leave my hair natural in a puff I might do a weave once or twice a year and those same black men that say they hate weave and nails which is what I needed to be in a weeding party those same men were trying to talk to me ..Black men not going to be loyal no matter if your natural or relaxed do what’s best for your hair not what men think
@@helena3631 I'm so glad my life doesn't revovle around grown ass men regardless of race. Today I read a message from a white woman crying over a white man who isn't even her boyfriend or her husband or her baby daddy. All they did was swap sexual fluids and I'm not girl he is not your responsibility so why you crying? I wear my hair how the hell I want and if a dude don't like it, he can close his eyes. Lol! Or as my Silent Generation grandmother used to say let the door hit him on the way out. if he falls down the stairs out that's extra entertainment for me. Zero F's given.
I think us with 4 type hair allowed them to easily take over . If there is more representation and women with 3c wearing their hair out more, of course they will be the face of the natural hair movement. Black women with 3 type hair wear their hair out more than those with 4 type hair and that’s really our fault. We talk down on our hair on social media and say things like “my 4 type or 4c could never “. I don’t see those with 3 type doing that. We can blame them so much but we also play a part, many hate their hair and blame others for it
6:47 - 7:26 -- I am a high maintenance to be a low maintenance girly. I have never worn wigs or weaves. I go to Michelin star restaurants with my afro hair. Makeup consists of lipstick, eyeliner and cheek blush. ❤ My makeup is minimal because I spend a lot in skincare and facials. I think black girls have to focus on clean, moisturized hair. ❤ Accept your hair in its natural state. When you accept your hair and love your natural hair, it seriously will not be stressful.
Those are not the societal pressures I’m facing. I’m facing having to commute to work early, work late and get up early. Having natural stylists cost $600 just for me to get a simple natural style. Having zero days available to style my hair. But expected to be in the world. I’ve been natural my whole life, but when i was younger I was a “straight natural” getting hot combed by my mother. My hair on my own is completely overwhelming. I hate having to style it. i’m not a girly beauty guru girl. i want a bun and call it a day. I feel like there’s no space to say that. For career women or moms we just cannot keep up with life and doing what my hair expects me to do. it’s like having a kid lmao. so demanding.
@@noirefit5954yeah, I just do mini twists and call it a day. I’m a working college/nursing student. I have type four hair as well. Protective styles are great for busy people.
Comparing our hair to having a kid is great! That’s the perfect way to explain it. It’s like I feel guilty for not taking better care of it but I’m also exhausted by it lol. But I can definitely relate. Working and having to take care of my hair honestly has been so stressing for me. It’s like you just want to use your free time for yourself but you can’t, You have another responsibility to take care of.
I am a mom of two, an Assistant Lecturer (I live in Nigeria), and no nanny and I'm studying for my Doctorate. I adopted the policy of not listening to people's opinions regarding my appearance which includes my hair a long time ago. These are the things I did and still doing to make life easy for me; 1. I created my hair calendar which I curated all my hairstyles/products and days to wash/style ahead of time. 2. I make my hair myself so, I always brace myself up towards it but since I'm in LOVE with my hair, I see my wash days as Spa Day😊 3. I make hairstyles that suit my climate, density, and texture and I buy products keeping this in mind as well. You don't need ages to make your hair and I wish a lot of people knew this.❤️
Loved your thoughts on this! Imho, i think a lot of people went back to relaxers and straighteners not as much for the convenience but bc they realized that they didn’t actually like their natural hair as it grows out their scalp. A lot of ppl love voluminous hair, but thick natural hair requires parting and patience. A lot of people love long hair, but long natural hair requires consistent maintenance and again, patience! Loving your natural hair as it is (without high manipulation) allows you do be gentle and kind and work with your hair, not against it. A lot of people just want hair that bends to their will w no pushback, they don’t really wanna learn to love and respect the baseline of their hair. What i’ve realized abt being natural for the last 10 years is that it took me half of that time to actually learn my hair fr, then more time to love it. Before, i wanted fast wash days, fast detangling, fast styling, more heat to lay it straighter, more products, etc. Now, i’ve watched my hair become more manageable, defined, and healthy by sticking to a simple routine, going slow and gentle, and leaving it alone. Final note: having straight or relaxed hair requires just as much upkeep as being natural, so there’s that part, too
Also, from the perspective of love, you make time for the things you love. You don’t argue so much w the things you love. You accept them for what they are and meet them where they’re at. You work with them and in their favor to help them grow. And you learn what they need, like/dislike, etc.
Yeah I was like this where I wanted a looser curl pattern but I'm starting to embrace it more the easier it gets to do my hair. I'm finding what works for me and my hair but now I just want to get it to be soft and stay soft but other than that I'm starting to love it however its still hard to wear my natural hair out because you have these envious karens always worried about our hair especially in the work place. I also don't think there is anything wrong with a nice wig. I don't glue mine down so it doesn't hurt my edges.
I totally relate to the 10-year journey: half of the time just getting to know your hair, then more time to truly love it. I’ve never worn wigs, weaves, not even braids. And I feel that not relying on added/“fake” hair really helped me become effective at nourishing, styling, and maintaining my hair as it became longer and longer. Folks don’t understand that our hair keeps changing- as we get older, and as it gets longer - and products change (formulas change, lines are discontinued) as well as techniques and best practices are always in flux. When your working only with the hair that grows outta your head, u become really good at adapting and keeping the growth and strength of your hair in good form. I worry about the younger folks who just wear “fake hair” all the time: It’s surely damaging, and they’re not familiar with the practice of maintaining healthy hair. Do they wanna commit to a lifetime of wigs & weaves? I doubt that. At some point young naturals need to start working with their own hair - to keep their beautiful strands in tact and flourishing!
Nobody can build confidence for anyone; you have to be confident in yourself. I take all the praises and snide remarks as regards my natural hair but I don't allow it to affect me because I am more than just my hair. Ps. I live in a different culture from Americans.
This narrative is so negative and just another trend. I feel like the social media "natural hair backlash" conversation is super insular and does not reflect how a lot of BW IRL feel about their hair. I'm still seeing natural hair all day every day everywhere I go and the girls are thriving. Online you'd think it was a whole other world.
I’m white but I tried hard to embrace my curly hair. The point of looking and feeling “put together” really resonated with me. It’s so ingrained that textured hair isn’t as presentable as sleek and straight. All hair is good hair, but that deep seated feeling is hard to shake. I gave up and went black to the flat iron because it’s easy. I still support black hair care brands like Mielle for the health of my hair, and a lot of us white women owe our hair care knowledge to black women. Nobody taught us how to care for curly hair growing up, just how to straighten it.
OMG, I just commented above before reading your comment regarding white women and their naturally curly hair. I grew up in the late 70s knowing that all races of women with curly hair wanted it straight to some degree. To the point of literally ironing it on the ironing board like clothes!
I have a few white friends with naturally curly hair, none of them embraced it because they just didn't know how to and were told its frizzy or unkempt. Then here's me with my big 3c hair out and proud 😂 but I think people should just do what's comfortable and easier for them.
Thank you for sharing! I feel like Issa Rae is the only black woman celebrity that represents 4c natural hair and rocks it with beauty and elegance. She does have a stylist which makes it easier but I look to her for “grown” and stylish hairstyles to embrace what I have instead of relying on wigs and braids.
I swear all of this is so tiring. I just decided to braid my hair. No extensions. Just grease and water. Works best for my scalp and my hair no longer feels weird.
I completely agree. It got to a point where I literally wore my hair in box braids for two years. I literally wouldn’t wear my hair out for more than a week at a time. It was just too overwhelming. But I guess the positive to that is that it grew a lot. Now I’m trying to learn how to wear my hair out more.
My hair thrived doing this too, (natural hair braids, water and pomades/grease) but that was COVID and I could put a hat on, my hair is low density and fine so the braids give me SCALP and frizz within a week. I'm trying to see what else I can do and still have my mini braids.
When I was relaxed I went to the hair salon every two weeks for wash and treatment and relaxed every 8 weeks. They would always finish under a hooded dryer or blow dryer. Now I’m natural I do the same. I wash at home every two weeks and do treatments. To style I blow dry or go under the hooded dryer so my hair is set. Then I wear a bun after it starts getting dirty. I feel like the no heat police just made things difficult my hair is done quickly and I don’t have heat damage. All this prepoo, overnight deep conditioning and air drying is unnecessary. Also the products too I can use generic products to wash and deep condition just black stylers like mousse, gel or a twisting butter. I just own shampoo, deep conditioner, oil, heat protectant, mousse and gel. That is it. Not difficult. People need to relax and get a grip. Also I don’t care about shrinkage I’m black that’s like caring about looking dark brown.
I’ve also learned that we don’t need all the products on the market. We’re told that so the companies can make more money. If we were able to take care of our hair with less product in the past then it should be the same now.
Bought a Rev Air and it changed the game. Can now silk press, length check, prep for braids, and wash frequently without dread or salon expense. It took years commitment and determination to love my natural hair. Finding ethnic haircare lines by black women for black women took it to the next level. I’m still in the journey but I’m never straightening my hair chemically again. Looks dead to me.
Natural hair is only hard if you fight how it naturally looks BUT wear it however u want like why does our community shame the girlies who wanna keep their hair straight ?
It’s simple. If your hair curls have it curly. If you find that your hair haves curls but more Afro like then your hair will look better in Afro styles. Don’t force a wash and go on Afro textured hair. Rock your Afro girl because not everyone can do an Afro. Just shape it into a piece of art 😊
Natural hair is hard to maintain when you don't know how or are too lazy to maintain it. It's really not hard at all. Good things like healthy hair take work to maintain. If you're not willing to put in the effort then it'll show in your hair. I think some black women struggle so much because we try to force our hair to do things it wasn't meant to do. We want our curls to appear looser or force the front of our hair to lay down. When our hair doesn’t adhere to our unreasonable requests, we blame our hair, calling it difficult when we should be trying something different.
@@jessicaribeiro8928exactly. Humidity and rain. As someone who lives in the UK I can only pray daily when I leave the house. Even if I were to embrace my shrunken hair, I still have the weather to contend with. Also some of us have scalp conditions sebhorric dermatitis, psoriasis or really dry scalp. What then? There are just too many factors at play. Granted maybe the people dealing with this are in the minority but it still is a factor. Most black women around me wear their hair in braids or twists and such. Long term styles. So they put it away for that length of time.
@@tia9293 you're absolutely right. Density and length are huge factors for how long it can take to do hair, more hair = more time. People gotta work, go to school, care for children/family some may be disabled. There are so many things that compete with the time we have to take care of ourselves let alone just hair. I feel sad that due to working 3 jobs I may have to cut my hair short. I simply don't have the time and energy. It's not always self hate
10:20 This! Why does the black woman character always have type 3 curls. I've noticed this a lot with animation. Especially animation for children/family. Wish doesn't count because she has box braids so we don't actually know what hair type she has. But for example Princess Tiana. Why does she have loose curly hair. It was kind of sad watching people do the princess tiana challenge on TikTok and being made to feel less than because their hair doesn't do that. Then you see latinas and mixed black women (sure they're black but it's not the same) with loose curly hair doing the challenge and being told they're the best and the embodiment of princess Tiana smdh.
Exactly! It's very disheartening. It's obvious that theirs a bias towards looser textures in the media. It seems like that wont change either. Black women are going to have to be the ones to create the media that highlights us in a more diverse light if its ever going to happen on a more consistent basis.
I assumed Tiana had a press n curl, which would have been historically accurate for the time. Natural hair styles as we know them today were not as much a thing during that era (circa world war 2ish).
I have natural 4C4/b hair. I still wear braids, twists, crochet hair ponytails..Basicly whatever I want! I’ve never felt limited by natural hair. Also, anytime I wear extensions I keep the texture like my own! It’s cheaper too! Me being a licensed cosmetologist all my life may have some to do with my take on creative styling. Ladies do what the heck you want with your hair! But please don’t neglect your real hair. I wear my real hair when I feel like it and it’s as simple as that. 😊
Relaxing my hair ,tore my scalp up,now the I am natural and keep it moisturize and greased ,with Blue Magic hair grease or Softee Bergamot hair grease, I am just fine
Been natural since the 2000s after wearing it chemically straightened for 6 years as a teen. I rarely wear wigs and extensions. Just head wraps, turbans, natural braids, stylings and braid outs and the occsional twist outs.
I only want to blow dry my hair because I need to trim my ends. I've been natural most o most of my life. It was difficult to hear other people sing the just for me song when I walked by or say I looked like a slave as middle and high schooler. Or even have a teacher stop their class and ask if I would ever do something to my natural hair. You want to be loved respected and make friends like everyone else. It's heart breaking looking back.
@@Serenityblu23omg I’m so sorry you went through that. I’ve definitely had similar experiences. Nobody deserves to be treated that way. Hopefully things have gotten better for you!
period I still firmly believe there are hundreds of thousands of us very much still happy natural with no intentions of going back. people are hopping on the "natural hair movement failed" commentary for views and clicks.
@@jasminerosewater3891 absolutely! plus the more time you spend with your hair out, the easier it becomes to manage. natural is a lot less work than straight hair ever was for me personally.
I think a lot of natural hair women also envy others with a different texture than their own hair. I get so many questions from people about my hair and how I get my hair to look like that.
Natural hair is not a trend. Women who relax etc were going to do that anyway and treated going natural like a detour. Natural hair isn't that hard people just do extensive unnecessary manipulation because they dont like how their hair looks otherwise.
It doesn't require a video, we (as a people) don't like our hair. That's it. That's the video. If a woman is willing to risk uterine cancer for chemically damaged straight hair, she doesn't like her hair. If a woman is willing to spend 5K on waste found in the sewages of India, and spend hours crafting it into a weave, and even more hours press ironing it and caring for it, as her hair dries up and falls out of scalp because of all the traction alopecia and neglect, again, she doesn't like or value her own hair. As someone who grew up with my normal hair my whole life, most black women are not in love with their hair they often tolerate it. Even most naturals don't even have fond things to say for their hair. There's a mentality of seeing their hair as a burden they're socially pressured to love for the Cause, but when special occations, weddings, and important life events come up, they don't show up as themselves. They mask their hair with heat or weaves. When you actually love it, you want to show it off all the time, variety is different hairstyles to essentuate its look. You work hard with maintaining it so people can see the fruits of your labor when you go out, not to cover it in a "protective style" underneath a Asian woman's sewer waste. You barely even want hair extentions, because you feel no one will actually see your real hair. Blk women who are actually in love with their own hair get it.
I agree with what you said for the most part, but a person who loves their hair can still dabble in wearing weaves, wigs, etc. Some people like to change it up in different ways.
@@claudiaj7605 No they cannot. I'm sorry but Black women are literally the only peope who "dabble" with weaves that cover their texture. Not even black men do this. No other race wears other texture for "variety". You seek these weaves and wigs out because you want a "break" from the so-called "natural look". Its your dessert after soildiering thru your actual hair. That's why little black girls look forward to Easter and Christmas so they can get press irons and look _"extra_ pretty". Same mentality.
@@claudiaj7605 If you want variety there are literally hundreds of style options for African hair. Literally. Some of these styles have not even hit the mainstream in the West, like hair threading. Why is variety and "spicing things up" always changing or masking your texture? Exactly.
@@laela6289 yeah I’m not denying those options, but you have to realize that you can do natural or dramatic changes with both. It’s up to the user and their intentions behind what they use. There is nuance to everything.
'My hair is not heat damaged' *not even a minute later* 'Is my texture compromised? Yes.' Sounds like heat damage to me 😂. Just wear your hair straight and go but don't lie. Heat will always damage your hair over time, no matter how much heat protectant, deep conditioner, and hair masks you use. Those things can minimize the damage but not prevent it altogether.
The natural hair movement was about trying to get type 3 hair, not accepting your type 4, it started out that way, but it became all abour defining your curls or make it look curly. Not shocked everyone gave up and went back to wigs, weaves , relaxers etc. We have to accept is type 4 people are the ones keeping texturism alive. Look under any type 3/mixed person video or post, "cant 4c my hair doing this". The power is in our hands.
& laid edges I literally have to tell ppl my edges will not stay laid so I don’t even bother doing it .. for some reason it’s so hard for ppl to believe that but it is the truth lol
I’m just sick of the discussion. Can we all just let it be. Hair is hair. Everyone has their own story as to why they’re styling it how they’d like. Why do we keep staying in this discussion loop as a community.
@@Chloeeezyyyblack should care because we have to live with it. People should be confident and love their hair. If you have to wear someone else’s hair to feel beautiful when you have your own that grows out of your scalp then there needs to be a discussion as to why.
We say that we want to wear our hair NATURAL but then we spend 1/2 of a day or more, MANIPULATING it (adding this product to it and then another product to it, jumping in and out of the shower washing and rinsing it, adding more products to it, brushing it, twisting it, coiling it, drying it under a heated dryer etc etc etc), ALTERING it from its true ‘natural’ state. So I have to ask do we truly desire to wear our hair in its natural state? This is definitely something for us to think about. Why jump through so many hoops to MAKE our natural hair look different from its natural form? This topic has made me think about how did the folks in the 1960s and 1970s care for their natural hair when everyone was rocking large Afros? - Afrosheen grease, a couple of large plaits at night and a huge Afro pick come to mind. And we know that the 60s and 70s was an era when our people were PROUD to be Black and they wore their hair UN-SHAMELESSLY in its true natural state. I have been binge watching natural hair TH-cam videos lately, trying to figure out what products to purchase to maintain my natural kinky hair as I grow it out and I can’t believe all of the steps that hair influencers are going through to transform their hair and the long list of products that they are using. Life is far too short to spend so much of my time and money on trying to alter my hair from its true natural state. So I have decided today that I am going to simply embrace my hair just as it is. I am going to focus on keeping it clean and moisturized and getting it cut in a classy style - and yes, I intend to rock a big Afro inspired style. Writing this post was freeing - another step in my self love journey.😉
The main thing I learned from the natural hair movement was the LOC method. No matter what products you choose just liquid, oil and cream. With products it’s just finding what your hair likes.
I don't understand this argument exactly. What you are referring to is "styling" which literally everybody does to their hair at some time or other regardless of texture. I wash my hair once a week and style it for the week. When I wake up, I just spritz it with water to refresh the look until I wash it again. I think this community makes this topic and process more complicated than it needs to be honestly.
Are we leaving dreads out of the equation? I combed mine out but I'll probably get them back. They made my hair grow SO FAST and they were so low maintenance. They give you the "length" that so many of us want... idk why more black women aren't doing it honestly! Great points being made❤
Saying black women no longer want natural hair is unhealthy propaganda.. I maintain my natural hair under wigs and between braid installs and when I do wear it out. I place 2 tracks of clip ins for fullness. And I love how long and luxurious my hair is. Our hair doesn't like manipulation, so protective styles are a must. I currently have 20 inches when blown out and it's very pretty and I love it 💕
There no such thing as a protective style. Hair doesn't need protecting, if it did God would have provided it. Actually hair is meant to protect the scalp. I never wear fake hair and mine is healthy down my back. Just admit it, you are wearing the wig because you hate your hair. That's OK!!!!!
One thing that I find “annoying “ is that people with 4c hair (especially the ones who say they are “4z”) act like they own type 4 hair groups, etc…. I am type 4, but not 4c. I joined several natural type 4 hair groups on line because I needed guidance when I first big chopped. The people in those groups literally attacked me and several based their attacks on my skin tone. I even had a hair stylist stop me at the shop’s door and say I couldn’t get my hair done there. I had a hat on. She couldn’t even see my hair but she said “I can just look at your face (complexion, nose, whatever…) and tell.” So, people cry about being discriminated against for being “natural 4c” , but then turn around and do the same thing to others. (Not “all” people of course, but I personally have experienced a lot.)😢
I am 4C I have gotten all my jokes with my hair natural or in braids I stoped caring in my 20’s now I am in my 30’s … people would call me for an interview and I would go to the salon and get my hair flat ironed now whatever style I have as long as it’s not frizzy I just go to the interview
It’s not hard. All you have to do is wash, condition, moisturize. The people who say that it’s hard just don’t like the look of their natural hair texture.
Hard will always be subjective. Perhaps all YOU have to do is wash, condition and moisturize and be fine. Others do the same and have a different experience . Why is it so hard to understand that not everyone has the same outcomes?
wash, condition and moisturise is too vague a process for my hair. It all came together when my trichologists gave me specific instructions to follow and specific products to use. It's hard for my hair to grow mainly because of my genetics as a thalassemia carrier and neurodivergent stress. It breaks very easily. I have to do protein treatments, scalp treatments and Olaplex to stop it from breaking. I also swim. Moisturizing with glycerin in the winter cold dry air will dry out my hair. You also need the right tools. I detangle my hair with a seamless comb or a tangle teezer in 20 sections. If I don't detangle and trim my hair I will have loc'ed and matted hair....not a fan of freeform locs
@@mendingwall3823because it’s not, I had 4b/4c I’m not a stylist and I literally do my own hair, my brother’s, my mother’s, my man’s hair. We all have different types of type 4 hair and even though it responds differently to different products the basics are the same and it’s not hard to do. We need to stop viewing our hair as difficult it’s racist af.
@@Appleboo222 It isnt hard for YOU. I am not you. It must be shocking to learn that not everyone shares your experience. Being a stylist and doing your hair along with your mother's and man, doesnt make you the expert on every black person in the world. It certainly doesnt make you the expert on my hair. The basics isn't the same because we are not all the same. Not everyone will struggle, and not everyone will have an easy time, since humans are different and all. By the way, hard doesn't mean inferior and something isn't racist simply because you disagree. This is no different than saying math is easy for me. Everyone in my family gets straight As in math, therefore it must be easy for everyone.
Women used to live in communities.... other women would do each others hair. It was social. Even white women would have the most elaborate hairstyles. Black women had various forms of braids...some black women had short hair. It seems white women adapted by doing more simple hairstyles as women began to work full time and not have as much time at home to look a certain way. Many black women want something quick and simple too ESPECIALLY when they work full time. Something quick that won't constantly change shape every moment of the day. For others, braids are too expensive. Just live and let live. The hair nazis sealed it for me, plus my hair grew quicker stretched.
Many black women never liked natural hair. They might have played in it and joined discussions because it was trendy. I love my natural hair and I love seeing other black women wearing theirs. However, for may black women natural hair just did not fit their aesthetic, they want baby hairs, finger waves and sleek styles. Do you, but look inside yourself to understand why you don't like your natural hair.
I personally find videos like this are problematic especially the title. We need to stop broadcasting negative stuff this about our selves. I mean this respectfully but we get it. How do you expect people to stop seeing as a color and associating us with hating out self if your don’t switch the narrative . I’m tired of opening social media and seeing things like .. black women hate them selves, black men hate black women etc Sighhhh i hate social media, i hate it here. We are part of the problem
I agree. All of this discourse surrounding self-hate and division within the black community is exhaaausting. We're focusing too much on the issue and not enough on a solution. I understand the importance of bringing these issues to light; however, all of this has been the case for ages. We already get slack from some nonblk people about our hair, so if a blk individual also has something negative to say about the hair that grows out of THEIR scalp.....I tune them out. Negativity can be so contagious. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so he is." Proverbs 23:7 The mind is more powerful than people think.
Exactly, also hate the generalization.. like don’t speak for ALL black women or all black people, its a bit annoying. We are not monolithic. NO we don’t All no longer want natural hair, I love my natural hair. Super frustrating… and then imagine going out in the world and now people are looking at you like you hate your self, your hair etc.. when you actually dont. This is why we can just be.
Ive been a natural girl since 17 and im now 30. Never wanted to go back and i will wear braids, afro, twist out, two strand, etc whenever tf i feel like it. Bw really need to stop trying to appease everyone else. I find also that yt folks are generally not even bothered, its other blk folks that are
My experience has been "you're DAMNED if you do or DAMNED If you don't. Why do you wear hair like that? When wearing a natural afro, locs, or hot comb, do you ever relax your hair, or is it not professional? When I wear a wig, you don't need a wig. Are you ashamed of yourself? Oh, don't let me wear make-up and a wig--why are you wearing make-up--you feel ugly without it? Everybody feels entitled to dictate what a BW should and needs to do. The black beauty oppression is overwhelming and dehumanizing. It's all about controlling how we think, so others can benefit from our insecurity. I wear what the F I want; the system be damned.
I made peace with my natural hair when I grew long, thin dreadlocs that I could style in waves by braiding when wet then unbraiding a day later. I had hair as long as I wanted it, cutting off about 6 inches every year to keep it from getting past my lower rib cage, or sometimes cutting it all the way back to my armpits. I loved how it moved and the styles I could pile it up or twist it into, though I hated how I could never find a hat that fit. I was popular with non-black men with that hair and also created, ran then retired from a successful business with that hair. I made my own terms. But I got tired of it. I like being able to play with my hair now. I like being able to go from a twistout one day to a blowout the next to a silk press the next, and so on. My hair isn't as easy to take care of by a mile, but I like the versatility. Enjoy your hair, sis! All women fashion there hair in various ways. They comb it, perm it (curl it), flat iron it (to get rid of their curls/waves), braid it (big French braids) and so on. Why can't we do the same? We have even more versatility than they do!
This is long. The title needs to say, ‘Some Black Women’. Being that I am 52 I think the biggest problem is that most of the girls and women born in the early 90’s didn’t even know what their natural hair looked liked when the “Natural Hair Movement" began. It was foreign to them. I got on my sister for slapping a perm in her 3 year or 4 year old daughter’s hair(she’ll be 25 this year). My niece’s hair was medium length dry, thick, and would be considered 4c. My sister didn’t want to take the time to deal with it and took what is considered, in my opinion, the easy and lazy way out. She had two other daughters but didn’t put a perm in either of their hair. But her oldest that had the perm at an early age does have issues with taking care of her hair. She hides it under a knit cap all the time. Being that I grew up with natural hair, along with all the other Black girls and women around me, I know that we can take care of our natural hair just fine with very little effort. Yes, I had a Jheri Curl in 1984(I was 13) and perms after that until 2013 or 2014. Honestly, it took me a minute after watching TH-cam videos to realize that they were and some still are doing too much. My mom washed, conditioned, greased, and either straightened or styled her four daughter's hair in its natural state. I went to school with girls who had various hair textures and various lengths. What I didn’t see from the 80’s- early 2000 we’re Black women and girls losing their hairline. I blame the wigs and braiding your hair with weave. Get with older women 40 and above who should remember how our hair was taken care of. We also didn’t have the issues that y’all are having with these stylists these days. Good grief. Yes, some are frustrated and ignorant of Black women's hair texture because they have never dealt with it in its natural state, to include their own. But like I said, our stylists dealt with mostly natural hair and they had natural hair. Perms weren’t a big thing until the late 80’s in my area.
Simple answer people r very lazy now because natural requires effort. I love the versatility of black hair with some many different textures. If u love yourself and r secure in who u r ur hair is easy but if ur insecure and lack self esteem others can make u feel negatively about ur hair. It’s not so much a black as it is a female thing, I have friends from India that hate that their hair won’t curl and because it’s so thick if they don’t blow dry it it takes 3 days to dry completely . So it’s all a matter of perspective. Embrace what god gave and look beyond yourself, fulfillment will come🙏🏽
Like you said, everyone is allowed to wear what they feel comfortable with, but there is something to be said for taking ownership of the hair that comes out of your head and finding styles that do it justice, outside of other peoples beauty standards. If you want to find hairstyles that deviate from 2 dimensional beauty standards one place you could look is the continent. There are some beautiful styles that showcase our hair and its history, outside of how we are now told to wear it.
A lot depends on how you wear your hair. i think natural hair made my morning routine simpler. I pineapple at night. Take it down in the morning, spritz, fluff, done. When I was relaxed I had to plug up hot rollers and give enough time to heat up. Install, have time to let them be in my hair. My hair is fine and looks limp lifeless when completely straight. If I didn’t add volume it didn’t look good. Relaxers kill volume in fine hair. If I grew my hair long it looked awful too unless I got it layered.
I feel like one of the reasons why so many black women don't like wearing their natural type 4 hair is due to textursim which is something thatbis very much a issue in the black community black people still look at 4C hair as being nappy and not being "good hair" we have to learn to love and embrace our hair just the way it is.
Black women can wear their hair however they please, I’m not judging them for making a choice they wanted. Yes we had and still have a natural hair community but still it does not make me want to actually be involved in it. I can still love my natural hair without it.
Not to mention, there's texturism in the natural hair community, which is why everyone is so obsessed with braid and twist outs to get that biracial curly look. Also, the obsession with edges, but they wanna come for people with relaxers, wigs, and weaves.
Girl, I am tired 😂 Been natural for over 10 year’s and my arms are tired. Tired of high prices to get your natural hair done. Plus no one really knows how to do natural hair. The extra charge for 4 C hair is ridiculous as well. I am about to do my relaxer soon. Then once it grows out I will think about doing my locs idk… Just tired girl 😂 my arms and back can’t take it no more!! 😂
This is me. Plus, I just do not have the time to put in to natural hair. I could go to a salon, but I do not have time for that. Braids and wigs for me, and that's it.
I've been natural since 2016 and my hair has only grown a little over 5 inches. I'm putting my hair away, constant manipulation is breaking it off and no amount of oils and creams is retaining the length like putting it away will. #teamkinkytwists
Natural hair is not hard, no type of hair is hard if you know what you are doing. As a hairstylist I feel like the natural hair community has played themselves. Effectiveness is the key. Trying to do backflips with 10 million products (literally I know of so many natural hair women who have more products in their bathroom than I have in my salon, and I have a lot of products in my salon because I work with every hair type). The natural hair community has voted, they value consumerism and disjointed illogical complaining more than they value learning how to effectively achieve their desired outcome. As a professional I use, recommend and retail professional products, I don't hate consumer products, I'm just not bothered with them because I require professional results. Unlike some of these naturals I don't have all weekend to dedicate to a single clients wash and style. Something I notice that only my natural hair clients will do is after asking for product and care recommendations they will turn around and ask me for "natural" hair product recommendations instead ??????? All of a sudden I start to wonder when and how did I enter the twilight zone. At this point I think naturals just like collecting hair products, they don't need to work, they don't need to be natural, they don't need to have any redeeming qualities at all, they just need to have the latest trigger marketing terms and ingredients on the label (the ingredient does't even need to be in the product) or be trending on social media. Unfortunate
I really hate that natural has to mean afro or locs. I mean I get veering from Eurocentricity but I think emphasis in any protective styling (wigs/weaves) helps people feel less pressure. I've been free of relaxers almost 10 years now and last time I wore a straight textured wig I couldn't stand it. Styling I get exhausted after a few hours sometimes but I do love the beginning of wash day and seeing my hair health and loving my coils. I wear weaves and lots of braids and twists because I like lots of variety but getting older settling into permanent locs soon.
I think people should wear their hair the way they want!!! I just have issues with people who talk about people natural hair but they are afraid to wear theirs…. I went natural in 2015. I cut my perm off because my hair would not grow… my hair has been growing like weeds since I’ve stop wearing perms. I have had twa to a big fro.. I had a whole loc journey.. and now I’m back to my twa now.. I’ve had my days like why am I wearing my natural hair.. but honey I can proudly say I’m good I’m gone rock my natural hair.. I want to stand out and I can encourage someone else who may be afraid to wear their natural hair.. people gone talk and once you know that God loves you no matter how you look that’s settles it lol ❤❤. It was not easy and we live in a world where natural hair is frowned upon on… but honey I’m free I’m saving money.. I be seeing these stylist charging $ 500.00 for braids yall crazy… I can go shopping and buy seafood with that money!!! I’m sticking to my blue magic and my hair regimen is simple!!! When I first went natural I bought a few different products I was like let go back to blue magic honey my hair loves blue magic… I got grease, oil, and gel for a wash and go… other then that I’m good..
I’ve been wearing my hair natural for a year. All I do is shampoo and condition, put in a leave in conditioner and hair gel and put it into space buns. Or I will just let it be an Afro. That part it’s not difficult. What makes it difficult is people want it to be anything but an Afro. It’s difficult because people want to manipulate their hair into anything but its natural state. Which is an Afro.
Also, what are y’all doing to make wash they take so freaking long? All I do is shampoo and condition take my detangler brush to it and then use a wide tooth comb to put it into little puffs. It may be adds 5 to 10 minutes to my shower. How the heck is it taking people several hours to do their hair every time they wash it if you don’t have a relaxer or something?
@@Itsme-zi7zjMaybe you have low or normal density hair and/or strands that is less prone to tangling. I have very thick and coarse hair, plus arthritis. Ain't no way I'll be done in less than a hour even if I didn't have joint pain. I wish we could be a bit more open minded to different experiences and difficulties we may have with hair maintenance. I have figured out what works best for my hair but the fact is, it's gonna take at least 2.5hrs and that's without styling on a good day lol. Thick hair is nice to look at but not fun with maintenance especially when you got other stuff going on in life.
@@Itsme-zi7zjexactly. I have high density type four hair, and it takes 45min. (Which includes washing, conditioning, detangling, my actual shower, and then styling). Don't understand why people say it takes dayyys.
Why is everybody else’s natural hair acceptable and/or beautiful, but ours is not. I rebuke that woman that said I can’t wear my NATURAL hair to her event. I say goodbye to anybody who thinks my NATURAL hair isn’t professional or NORMAL. I have no f**k left for women the same skin tone as me or women whose MOTHERS have the same hair texture as mine and try to bring us down based solely on our hair!! Do you know how ridiculous you sound?! Stand down and grow up! Thank you for your video, very empowering and I felt a lot of what you said. In heart and experience. I hope for a better future for our children.
The natural hair movement was supposed to be easier. It wasn’t supposed to need that much manipulation, because it was natural. But there were so many products $$$. So much time spent on wash DAYS! Sorry, but it wasn’t supposed to be that hard, expensive, or time consuming. We need to acknowledge the reasons we pick the styles that we do. 1. Will I look good? 2. How much will it cost? 3. How long will it take? 4. How hard to maintain? 5. How long will it last? Nowhere in there was any self-hate. No militancy. No attempt to upset office Karen. We need to let other black women off the hook when styling their hair. There is no one way to do this. In the end, it’s just hair.
Yes I have struggled. But for the last 6 months I have stopped wearing wigs and weaves and worn my own hair out. I have gotten so many compliments from every race and every one loves my hair! But most importantly I love it! I take care of it and that’s all that matters ❤
The comment that makes me laugh is when black women say "you have a nice head shape to wear your hair natural " Since when does head shape determine if you rock natural hair or fake hair 😂
I think people need to start doing what they need to do for themselves and stop trying to attain some sort of aspiration that's inappropriate for them. I think if people spent more time just living with their natural hair just trying to attain and maintain healthy hair, they would be a lot happier with how their hair turns out. I have a hair texture that people often look at and decide is easier and more attractive. But the reality of the situation is that I struggle just as much as anybody else with my hair because of my hair texture. When I stopped worrying about whether my hair was frizzy, when I stopped worrying about the shrinkage and when I started focusing on the health of my hair, my hair started to do and look much better. At this point I'm in a regimen where hydration is the goal. My hair never looked or felt better and I never felt more at peace with my hair
I had relaxers my whole life but went natural in 2021. Then in February 2024 I got a perm again and now I regret it. Both natural and relaxed hair takes effort!!
This was AWESOME thank you for this subject matter, I truly believe we as black women number one need to stop worrying about what anybody thinks of our hair no matter how we wear it. WE ARE GROWN!!!!! mmmkay Next love yourself love your hair love your skin love your butt love your lips love your nose LOVE IT ALL, LOVE HOW GOD CREATED YOU!!! OUR HAIR IS SUPER IT LITERALLY DEFIES GRAVITY!!!! and lastly take care of your hair do what needs to be done for your texture so that it is its best self so it looks and feels like its supposed to how ever it grows out of your scalp. natural hair is alot of work but that is part of its beauty, and yes my arms get tired in the mirror and sometimes i dont have the money to buy certain hair or products so i make do and put on a head wrap. LADIES WE ARE NOT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE and that is BOMB!!💣💣💣💣
*sigh* Representation, representation, REPRESENTATION. This is a concept that's beginning to confound me...This mentality of "unless everyone else is doing it, I won't do it" is soooooo exhausting! Look, I get it...Humans are "communal beings". It's almost genetically dictated that we will generally follow the crowd if doing so means we won't get kicked out of the community. It's a leftover from evolution. Blah, blah, blah...Uuuugh! U need someone to tell u your hair is ok for u to feel it's ok?!? Some famous person has to freely rock their hair in its natural texture for black women to feel its acceptable to do so??? 😧 Whaaaat?! No one has mental autonomy enough to say, "I like my hair in its natural state and I don't give a damn whether Beyoncé or Zendaya or Coco Jones or Cardi B or whomever tf is wearing their hair that way or not! I'm ME, and they're THEM and I don't need 'permission' from society to do this!" 🤨 This goes back to the insidious concept (among many other things) of "desirability politics". Our worthiness as women is still veeeery heavily dictated by our looks...and this isn't even exclusive to BLACK women. This includes all women across the board, but the sistas have always had an extraordinarily tumultuous relationship with the concept of desirability being as how we're ALLEGEDLY at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to attractiveness. *eye-roll* The male gaze, being pretty enough to be marriage material...Ya'll know all the things that have dogged us for centuries. Because hey, if u can't attract a mate, what good are u? 🙄 Hey, maybe u should do a vid on that? Because I think we've really internalized so much of this bs. It just makes me sad to think that instead of FIRST looking to our OWN feelings about our hair, looks, etc., we look to the outside world for that confirmation and validation and if we don't get it we're ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater. "Welp, nobody's cat-calling or flirting with me! Must be my TWA!"..."Ope, didn't get that job! Must be my locs! This won't do! Guess I'll cover 'em up with a convincing lace-front!" 😕 What other race of women have to do this s~~t?! Have we, as Black women, decided that "being pretty" is what's most important above all things? 🧐
This is just micro-managing blk women and our hair. Womwn in genereal do a lot to their hair to make it look better or more manageable. But why is it any issue when blk women do it? Theres a deeper issue in the blk commhnity but at the same time it seems like we're just not letting women do what they want with their hair. There's nothing we can do about texture bias so just do ehat you want with your hair.
I love my natural hair. And i have experienced the joy I have been able to spread to other black women who were once too scared to wear their natural hair at work who started embracing it once they saw me strut down the hallway with my fro or even my headwrap. And there is definitely something wrong with actively trying to damage your hair texture and call it “trained”.
I’ve been natural for 10yrs. After years of using gels, my hair was damaged and thin. I struggled for a while on what to do. I finally decided to flat iron my hair. Going natural has really been a journey-finding the right products etc. Personally although I wear my hair straight I refuse to wear wigs and weaves.
Still a lot of unlearning to be done when it comes to such problematic sentiments towards natural hair. There's been progress, through education and a slight increase in representation (albeit there's an obvious bias as to what's deemed acceptable), but we there's still some way to go
For the natural girlies, give locs or sister locs a try. There’s also Freeform locs for the wild spirits lol and micro locs for the girls who don’t have sister loc money lol
Loc'd my hair 16 months ago best decision EVER! I had been hesitant for years but I'm loving it..I have 4c hair and all the manipulation and chemicals ..(i did kertains a few times ) Seemed like a lot ..once I started to pay attention to all the chronic hair loss in the community and could see the correlation to alopecia from styling practices that was the final push for me
Locs are not for me because I understand my hair, my scalp, my personality. My scalp needs shampoo every week. I do not want to sit for long periods in a salon for the re-tightening and retwist. I have a type of alopecia from being a thalassemia carrier and having a neurodivergent brain. When my hair falls out it's easier to hide in my afro than in thinning locs. All my friends who had locs in our twenties had to cut them off in their 30s and 40s due to hormonal changes, stress and post partum. Locs are beautiful but not for me.
Ive been natural for over 10 years. I have very coily hair. I recently decided to heat train my hair (mainly blowouts) because im tired of guessing. My hair would never completely be dry if i air dried it. Best decision ever.
I’ve also been thinking about using blowouts as a means to keep my hair moisturized. I’ve noticed that when I just rock it in it’s natural state, it gets dry so quickly no matter what I put on it. But whenever I moisturize it, put Shea butter on it, and blow dry it it just stays more moisturize longer. Also, thanks for watching!
@Ari_Says_Stuff that's another reason why I changed up my routine. I had the exact same issue as well. I used the garnier mega sleek leave-in conditioner and a heat protectant serum just in case i wanna throw in some wand curls . I'm on the no natural oils or butters thing. My only exception is I use shea butter for braids as a gel replacement for smoothing my hair
@@Ari_Says_Stuff girl when my hair was virgin natural, it could soak up the whole Atlantic ocean and dry out within five minutes. I would sleep with overnight conditioner in my hair and it would be dry within a day.
Moisture is stored in the cortex of the hair shaft. The best way to moisturize the hair is to drink water and stay away from inflammatory foods. You can lose and get moisture from the environment easily if the cuticles of your hair are naturally open (high porosity). So using a butter to seal the cuticl after you blowdry is fine. But if you have low porosity hair( the cuticle is naturally sealed shut) there is very little need to put anything on the hair after blowdrying. You can’t even get moisture into the cortex without breaking your hydrogen bond all over again, so it’s pointless to try to moisturize externally after a blowdry. Maybe a very light serum or oil like almond oil, squalane, or grapeseed. Obviously these oils don’t apply if you’re about to flat iron. Lastly, leave in conditioner is your heat protectant for the blowdryer, so be sure to use it as the instructions will clearly say it’s a heat protectant.
I have always been more influenced by family than celebrities and not everyone in my family has or in the past had chemically treated hair. Some who don’t, keep our hair straight, some of us never straighten and some go back and forth. I also have older women in my family with locs. Even as a child I remember seeing people cut their hair short to get rid of relaxed hair. My great aunt did it but we never called it big chop. I stopped straightening my hair years ago because I don’t like it as much on me. I never straighten and that includes for job interviews, formal events or anything else.
I feel like the policing of each others hair gotta stop fr but definitely if someone’s is spewing anti black rhetoric FOR SURE shut that down ✨ i used to police in high school but now there’s too much on my plate to be worrying about others. I learned to focus on my hair and mines alone & my children (whenever god allows it)
My only problem with the natural hair community is how they try to make it seem as though you are trying to be something other than black for wanting you hair straight. When, for as long as I can remember growing up in the late 70s, I saw all other races (including whyt) not liking their naturally curly hair and wanting it to be straight and easier/less time-consuming to manage. I still remember as a child seeing/knowimg whyt women literally put their hair on ironing boards and iron it with a clothes iron. Then, on the flipside...whyt women also would purposely get chemical "perms" to put curls and waves in their hair. So how curly hair became only a "blk thing" is strange to me.
It’s almost as if no two black women are the same. This controlling and judgemental natural hair “community” stems from insecurity. White women and others are free to dye, cut, highlight and perm their hair if they don’t like how it naturally grows. They are allowed to do what they feel expresses them the best and makes them feel confident. There are even cases where a white woman may be born with brown hair, but dye it blonde and absolutely rock it. In fact, it’s normalized. But it’s an issue if a black woman wants to alter her hair to fit her lifestyle, personality and personal preferences. This is so toxic and continues to keep us in a box. Just because something is naturally a part of you does not mean that it compliments you. Let’s take the chains off and just let eachother do what we want.
When I went to Brazil and seen what natural hair really is I absolutely went natural ! Nothing more beautiful than 3C or 4C hair that’s to your butt it’s the most beautiful thing ever ❤❤❤ also the most versatile
@@duckman2480 ummmm all hair is natural hair ?? Are you a kid or something you sound ignorant ! Did you mean to say that 3C isn’t black enough hair ? You sound bitter and like a self hater I just can’t 😂
haven't watched the video yet however I have noticed ALOT MORE black women starting to embrace their natural hair on TH-cam , social media, and in real life. Not sure if the title is just click bait-y or if this channel truly believes that statement but I would say more black women are getting tire of the wigs and weaves and are starting to wear their hair. Don't let celebrities and instagram "models" fool you real black women are loving on their REAL HAIR
Thank you! Like this is not like the 90s where press and curls, and relaxers were being marketed down our throat! More blk women are rocking their natural hair more than ever before that's why this video rubs me the wrong way.
I love my natural hair. It's only hard when you think you need to style it constantly instead of letting it rest in twists or whatever protective style you prefer. The most protective styles like chebe braids or African binding are very opposite of American beauty standards so our hair suffers. I've decided I'm going to just keep it binded as long as I can so it can retain moisture regardless. It's important that we become comfortable in our own look whether others find it attractive or not. But I understand that's hard in this current era of anti-blkness. ,
I’ve been natural for 10 years now. My hair is almost to my waist. I will not be relaxing my hair ever again. This is the strongest and healthiest and longest my hair has ever been.
Split ends occur naturally too. They also need to go. Body odor is also quite natural. Bad breath in the morning too. Why stress so much? Super over investment in “natural hair”
People can wear their hair natural or not. However, it is not “natural” to have bad oral hygiene (bad breath); it’s not natural to refuse to bathe daily or to neglect moisturizer and deodorant (body odor); split ends are not “natural”: When our hair becomes frayed at the tips, we should clip the ends and take care w the moisturizers and hair tools we use so as not to continue to cause damage to our strands. We all have to live & work in close proximity to others: What is “natural” is basic, properly maintained skin, teeth, and hair = clean, moisturized, fresh smelling, and protected. Good hygiene and proper self-care is “natural”. But people push “natural hair” because they’re promoting regularly cleaned & moisturized strands plus healthy scalp. If relaxers, weaves, wigs can still achieve that, then everything is good.
idky straightening our hair has become political. many women with curly hair straighten their hair, in every culture. it has nothing to do with "wanting to be white" or "seeing straight hair as more beautiful." its just a different way to wear my hair.
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My biggest pet peeve with this is when black women say “natural hair isn’t for everybody” because what?? Natural hair maintenance or preference may not be for everybody, but the hair that grows out of your scalp is most definitely “for you.”
I hear you !
fr
Exactly
this has nothing to do with anything you've said but if that's you in the profile pic you are STUNNING!
@@randomchicaontheinternet9971 I agree, she's beautiful.
Saying natural hair isn’t good for special occasions and classy events is crazy … meanwhile them wigs look plastic period. Recycle Recycle Recycle
Right whole lace showing on your forehead that looks a hot mezz
it looks so out of place compared to our features
@@chosenbyyah88 It makes us look borderline deranged and confused.
I love seeing women with bad wings tell other women that natural hair is bad
OKAY!!!! Some, if not most, Black Women simply do NOT want to take care of their natural hair. Lets face it!!!!
Wings?😂
@@thisblackgirloverhere9013I think she means as in eyeliner
@@serenatsukino5252 oh okay! 😂. That makes sense.
@@thisblackgirloverhere9013 actually, now that I'm re-reading it, I think that was actually a typo and she meant wigs lol.
Antiblackness is worldwide. Natural hair wouldn't be so hard if people weren't trying to make their hair do things it doesn't want to do. I hope more people learn to love all their afrocentric features.
Please say that again
Yes, this is it.
Sadly, this is true even in Africa itself. Many women in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc. have their hair done in European styles. You would think that they would be the Keepers Of The Flame...convincing African women in North America, Europe & the Caribbean that there's nothing wrong with natural hair. That they had been keeping their hair natural for thousands of years with no problem.
@@towringer And it's only going to get worse
The self hate in the 🖤 community needs to end. It's often 🖤 people (not only them), that have a negative reaction towards my short 4c hair.
@user-Mimi_622I think it depends on where you live. Where I live I often see black women wearing their own hair. there wouldn’t be as many hair care lines popping up if people didn’t wear it .
A white woman literally complimented my 4BC hair yesterday, was calling it beautiful and saying she could never look that way in a mini frohawk. Korean pple on the other side of the world are doing a perm method to achieve Afro textured hair. After slavery, the problem was always us.
@user-Mimi_622First, there’s nothing wrong with a wig or weave. We need to stop judging others, while complaining about being judged. We’re a CREATIVE bunch. Why are we trying to limit ourselves with one thing. Jeez.
In my opinion self hatred is refusing to know exactly the state of all three bonds of your hair and where you are in the hair growth cycle / skin cell turnover rate
This I love my natural hair it keeps the dusties away it’s protective to me since I have the dreaded 4C that our counterpart don’t like so it has been freeing….
The woman who said to not wear your natural to her event- I bet her natural hair looks way better than the wig she is wearing. I’m not trying to be mean or insulting but I just don’t think that wig looks good on her nor does it seem like a quality wig.
People fail to realize half of podcasts and online content is CRAFTED to go viral/ create outrage for engagement. The clip has gotten more and more play from reactions than it ever would have if we just ignored her. She was clearly talking out her neck.
I’d wear my natural hair but my forehead is so huge, I was just born like that. So I wear frontals. But I am getting tired of them to be honest
Rihanna had a huge forehead and she's gorgeous so do so many Sudanese models. Hang their pictures so you look at them and see yourself as being just as pretty @@barbaramay9288
@@barbaramay9288oh I felt this as someone else with a big forehead. I mainly stick to having hairstyles that cover it now that create bangs in a sense
Crazy thing is that some bw will get mad at u for saying their natural hair is beautiful then the wigs as if we are supposed to hate it along with them
I honestly feel like once you let go of unrealistic expectations of your hair (and your looks in general) you will begin to have peace of mind. But this means you have to get to know your hair and spend time experimenting with it and caring for it so you know what it’s capable of and what it loves.
I stopped watching natural hair videos during my natural hair journey because every few years, one of them admits their hair has been damaged for years, yet they were product-pushing and influencing the whole time.
Agreed. I had to unfollow people because they backed themselves into
a corner of “woe is my hair” content. Ironically, having a hair channel caused more anxiety given that the products were not giving people the same curls on the box.
This isn’t surprising at all 🤦🏾♀️
I have yet to experience this. I’ve seen a few influencers who got “tired” of the routines and methods that made their hair thrive, began to slack off, and their hair visibly suffered for it. Others have spent years working to retain length, then cut their hair short for no apparent reason. But some people enjoy the process of going from long to short and back again.
But none of the natural hair influencers that I follow or followed went back to relaxers or became “straight naturals”.
@@hereforit2347 I don't think relaxers are making a comeback. Maybe our feeds are different so don't watch the same people. All of the women I used to follow have cut their hair due to damage. My hair thrived when I listened to the professionals.
@@aliyahharmon9045: I never said relaxers are making a comeback. A *lot* of TH-camrs are saying it, but not me. Like I said, none of the TH-camrs I followed and who helped me learn how to treat my hair and make it thrive have since started relaxing or have returned to relaxers. However, many in the “relaxed community” would have us believe otherwise.
I have about 4 hairstyles that i cycle through ; round afro, braids, twists, and ive blown my hair out a handful of times in 15 years. I only consider my hair "not done" when i pull it back out of the shower bc thats me being lazy. Otherwise its done. Wedding guest- fro, interviews fro, dates fro. Its my signature hairstyle bc it takes the least amount of effort and I find it beautiful. only use water and grease and never attempt to define curls bc my hair just doesn't want to do that
Me to. Afro, box braids (I do myself) mini twists (with added afro hair for fullness ), and hair puff
Change your mindset and the difficulty will cease.
Exactly!
Right i look forward to washing my hair
Lol nah my arms been aching
Yes mindset is important. If decide to learn about our hair, have patience for it and see if as self-care time. We will it see it as difficult.
@@femdivinemind7777like they just be saying stuff 😂😂 i’m not tryna re-wet and braid my hair every dang night
For about a year now I’ve been rocking nothing but my natural hair, for important events and just hanging out. And it’s really helped with my self image. This was great discussion 😄
Yay, I’m happy for you! I definitely want to wear my hair out more in 2024. I rarely ever wear my hair out. It’s usually just in braids so I don’t have to think about it. Thank you for watching!
Im more confident with my hair.
Proud of you!!!! And I bet it's absolutely beautiful and amazing!
Black women do like natural hair but don’t like all the work that goes into maintaining it
Or shrinkage
And yet there is a simple technique our African ancestors know that easily manages our hair using products from the earth. The only problem is the end result won’t be considered acceptable in these parts of the world. Because we were subliminally brainwashed to be afraid of it.
Most like 4a , 3c, 3b , 3a and below natural hair
Can you explain? I’m new to the natural journey (4c big chopped in April). It’s taking some time to get used to. But I’m developing a regimen. I finger coil my hair on wash day, every Sunday. I also use rosemary herb oil mixture everyday. And light spray with a herbal tea a couple days a week. I know my hair is short right now. But I don’t think I will switch up my regimen anytime soon. It’s becoming part of regular personal maintenance,
@@forthb44 Congratulations on making the switch 😊. It’s great that you found a good routine that works for you early in your journey. Everyone’s experience is different. Many women struggle with going natural while others transition with no problems.
I had a white person at work ask me if wearing my natural hair was a political statement 😮. I honestly think more of us need to wear our natural hair so that "others" can get used to our hair. Heck, even the black community needs to get used to our hair. It's too late in the game for how our hair grows to still be a shock and polarizing conversation topic.
THISSSSS!!!!!!!!! And honestly it's sad!!!!!! I worked I a hospital setting and my co worker *older black woman (48-50 range( was asking me questions about my hair and was shocked when I went from curls to an afro the next day ... Like???? You're an brown skin woman! I'm a brown skin woman!!!!!!!! Who is older than me! Im 25!!!!!!!! What's going on???? LOL
TBH the natural hair movement never properly addressed the initial issue…..loving your hair the way it grows from your scalp, because 4c BW were effectively pushed out of the space. We are not honest about the texturism and featurism that plague non-ambiguous BW and the “love your self” rhetoric doesn’t fix the bigger issue. Self love is important but rebutting a black woman’s discomfort with her natural hair with love yourself is a keen to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. I’ve been saying for years that, until the removal of systemic and institutional racism is addressed, we will continue to have issues with our natural hair.
Very well said! I also realized a lot of the natural hair content a I consumed focused on manipulating the hair texture to make it closer to looser textures. And that kind of messed with my mind for a while. I didn’t even realize that’s what was happening.
I started off with my natural hair journey with books so wasn't "influenced" by anyone in the natural hair movement to go natural. I just wanted easier, cheaper, healthier hair. over 10 years later that is still the objective....but add healthier scalp. I grew up in the Caribbean with only the freedom that affords you to be the majority in your own country. There is racism but it's more nuanced and secretive. We all loved nothing more but to jump in the sea regardless of hairstyle and then deal with the tragedy after. Lol! Best hairstyle for swimming..how it grows out of your scalp...natural. chemicals do not like chlorine or salt water. All the freshly relaxed girls stayed away from the water. Everyone also knows chlorine turns blond dye green and red and brunette dye orange. lol! Next is braided hair. Or you could go bald or buzz cut, which works excellent for daily swimming. Lol! I follow a lot of cosmetologists on TH-cam and then between my white salon visits, black trichologist visits and blood tests, I figured out my hair. Now I live in London and every time I wear any hairstyles reminiscent of ancient African Queens I get the most compliments from all races. I wear straight and curly wigs in the winter and then braids and my natural texture with or without added hair for the rest of the seasons. I have zero issues with my natural hair. if I'm the only black woman with natural hair at a meeting or an event, I do not care and if anyone was so foolish to act racist around me, they will be quickly shown the door.
Lots of women were doing it because black men said they like natural hair not all those wigs and weaves .. but the kicker is most black man that they chasing do not like natural hair especially 4C .. they realized they should decenter black men because they double minded and the same look they say they don’t like that’s the exact look they trying to talk to outside .. I leave my hair natural in a puff I might do a weave once or twice a year and those same black men that say they hate weave and nails which is what I needed to be in a weeding party those same men were trying to talk to me ..Black men not going to be loyal no matter if your natural or relaxed do what’s best for your hair not what men think
@@helena3631 I'm so glad my life doesn't revovle around grown ass men regardless of race. Today I read a message from a white woman crying over a white man who isn't even her boyfriend or her husband or her baby daddy. All they did was swap sexual fluids and I'm not girl he is not your responsibility so why you crying? I wear my hair how the hell I want and if a dude don't like it, he can close his eyes. Lol! Or as my Silent Generation grandmother used to say let the door hit him on the way out. if he falls down the stairs out that's extra entertainment for me. Zero F's given.
I think us with 4 type hair allowed them to easily take over . If there is more representation and women with 3c wearing their hair out more, of course they will be the face of the natural hair movement. Black women with 3 type hair wear their hair out more than those with 4 type hair and that’s really our fault. We talk down on our hair on social media and say things like “my 4 type or 4c could never “. I don’t see those with 3 type doing that. We can blame them so much but we also play a part, many hate their hair and blame others for it
6:47 - 7:26 -- I am a high maintenance to be a low maintenance girly.
I have never worn wigs or weaves. I go to Michelin star restaurants with my afro hair. Makeup consists of lipstick, eyeliner and cheek blush. ❤ My makeup is minimal because I spend a lot in skincare and facials.
I think black girls have to focus on clean, moisturized hair. ❤ Accept your hair in its natural state. When you accept your hair and love your natural hair, it seriously will not be stressful.
Those are not the societal pressures I’m facing. I’m facing having to commute to work early, work late and get up early. Having natural stylists cost $600 just for me to get a simple natural style. Having zero days available to style my hair. But expected to be in the world. I’ve been natural my whole life, but when i was younger I was a “straight natural” getting hot combed by my mother. My hair on my own is completely overwhelming. I hate having to style it. i’m not a girly beauty guru girl. i want a bun and call it a day. I feel like there’s no space to say that. For career women or moms we just cannot keep up with life and doing what my hair expects me to do. it’s like having a kid lmao. so demanding.
For busy naturals, embracing the actual texture instead of manipulating it is the way to go stress free.
@@noirefit5954yeah, I just do mini twists and call it a day. I’m a working college/nursing student. I have type four hair as well. Protective styles are great for busy people.
Comparing our hair to having a kid is great! That’s the perfect way to explain it. It’s like I feel guilty for not taking better care of it but I’m also exhausted by it lol. But I can definitely relate. Working and having to take care of my hair honestly has been so stressing for me. It’s like you just want to use your free time for yourself but you can’t, You have another responsibility to take care of.
I am a mom of two, an Assistant Lecturer (I live in Nigeria), and no nanny and I'm studying for my Doctorate.
I adopted the policy of not listening to people's opinions regarding my appearance which includes my hair a long time ago.
These are the things I did and still doing to make life easy for me;
1. I created my hair calendar which I curated all my hairstyles/products and days to wash/style ahead of time.
2. I make my hair myself so, I always brace myself up towards it but since I'm in LOVE with my hair, I see my wash days as Spa Day😊
3. I make hairstyles that suit my climate, density, and texture and I buy products keeping this in mind as well.
You don't need ages to make your hair and I wish a lot of people knew this.❤️
Perfectly put!
Loved your thoughts on this! Imho, i think a lot of people went back to relaxers and straighteners not as much for the convenience but bc they realized that they didn’t actually like their natural hair as it grows out their scalp. A lot of ppl love voluminous hair, but thick natural hair requires parting and patience. A lot of people love long hair, but long natural hair requires consistent maintenance and again, patience! Loving your natural hair as it is (without high manipulation) allows you do be gentle and kind and work with your hair, not against it. A lot of people just want hair that bends to their will w no pushback, they don’t really wanna learn to love and respect the baseline of their hair.
What i’ve realized abt being natural for the last 10 years is that it took me half of that time to actually learn my hair fr, then more time to love it. Before, i wanted fast wash days, fast detangling, fast styling, more heat to lay it straighter, more products, etc. Now, i’ve watched my hair become more manageable, defined, and healthy by sticking to a simple routine, going slow and gentle, and leaving it alone.
Final note: having straight or relaxed hair requires just as much upkeep as being natural, so there’s that part, too
Also, from the perspective of love, you make time for the things you love. You don’t argue so much w the things you love. You accept them for what they are and meet them where they’re at. You work with them and in their favor to help them grow. And you learn what they need, like/dislike, etc.
Yeah I was like this where I wanted a looser curl pattern but I'm starting to embrace it more the easier it gets to do my hair. I'm finding what works for me and my hair but now I just want to get it to be soft and stay soft but other than that I'm starting to love it however its still hard to wear my natural hair out because you have these envious karens always worried about our hair especially in the work place. I also don't think there is anything wrong with a nice wig. I don't glue mine down so it doesn't hurt my edges.
@@ellendec2121 I love your mind! 💗 This was a beautiful thing to read
I totally relate to the 10-year journey: half of the time just getting to know your hair, then more time to truly love it. I’ve never worn wigs, weaves, not even braids. And I feel that not relying on added/“fake” hair really helped me become effective at nourishing, styling, and maintaining my hair as it became longer and longer. Folks don’t understand that our hair keeps changing- as we get older, and as it gets longer - and products change (formulas change, lines are discontinued) as well as techniques and best practices are always in flux. When your working only with the hair that grows outta your head, u become really good at adapting and keeping the growth and strength of your hair in good form. I worry about the younger folks who just wear “fake hair” all the time: It’s surely damaging, and they’re not familiar with the practice of maintaining healthy hair. Do they wanna commit to a lifetime of wigs & weaves? I doubt that. At some point young naturals need to start working with their own hair - to keep their beautiful strands in tact and flourishing!
Nobody can build confidence for anyone; you have to be confident in yourself. I take all the praises and snide remarks as regards my natural hair but I don't allow it to affect me because I am more than just my hair.
Ps. I live in a different culture from Americans.
PERIOD
This narrative is so negative and just another trend. I feel like the social media "natural hair backlash" conversation is super insular and does not reflect how a lot of BW IRL feel about their hair. I'm still seeing natural hair all day every day everywhere I go and the girls are thriving. Online you'd think it was a whole other world.
I’m white but I tried hard to embrace my curly hair. The point of looking and feeling “put together” really resonated with me. It’s so ingrained that textured hair isn’t as presentable as sleek and straight. All hair is good hair, but that deep seated feeling is hard to shake. I gave up and went black to the flat iron because it’s easy. I still support black hair care brands like Mielle for the health of my hair, and a lot of us white women owe our hair care knowledge to black women. Nobody taught us how to care for curly hair growing up, just how to straighten it.
It definitely is difficult, but I hope that it gets easier for us!
💯
OMG, I just commented above before reading your comment regarding white women and their naturally curly hair. I grew up in the late 70s knowing that all races of women with curly hair wanted it straight to some degree. To the point of literally ironing it on the ironing board like clothes!
I have a few white friends with naturally curly hair, none of them embraced it because they just didn't know how to and were told its frizzy or unkempt. Then here's me with my big 3c hair out and proud 😂 but I think people should just do what's comfortable and easier for them.
Your hair isn't and can't be the same texture as an afro, it's not in your DNA like them, so you should thank God for that
Thank you for sharing! I feel like Issa Rae is the only black woman celebrity that represents 4c natural hair and rocks it with beauty and elegance. She does have a stylist which makes it easier but I look to her for “grown” and stylish hairstyles to embrace what I have instead of relying on wigs and braids.
When they become hairless, they'll end up choosing difficult over baldness.
LMBO. Say again for those in the BACK!🤣🤣
I swear all of this is so tiring. I just decided to braid my hair. No extensions. Just grease and water. Works best for my scalp and my hair no longer feels weird.
I completely agree. It got to a point where I literally wore my hair in box braids for two years. I literally wouldn’t wear my hair out for more than a week at a time. It was just too overwhelming. But I guess the positive to that is that it grew a lot. Now I’m trying to learn how to wear my hair out more.
I’m a twist girl, I wear a twist out a few days then go back in
@@Ari_Says_Stuffthat’s not healthy ! When is the last time you had a trim ? That’s mechanical breakage in theory.
@@joyceg7859You can get twists and regular trims
My hair thrived doing this too, (natural hair braids, water and pomades/grease) but that was COVID and I could put a hat on, my hair is low density and fine so the braids give me SCALP and frizz within a week. I'm trying to see what else I can do and still have my mini braids.
When I was relaxed I went to the hair salon every two weeks for wash and treatment and relaxed every 8 weeks. They would always finish under a hooded dryer or blow dryer. Now I’m natural I do the same. I wash at home every two weeks and do treatments. To style I blow dry or go under the hooded dryer so my hair is set. Then I wear a bun after it starts getting dirty. I feel like the no heat police just made things difficult my hair is done quickly and I don’t have heat damage. All this prepoo, overnight deep conditioning and air drying is unnecessary. Also the products too I can use generic products to wash and deep condition just black stylers like mousse, gel or a twisting butter. I just own shampoo, deep conditioner, oil, heat protectant, mousse and gel. That is it. Not difficult. People need to relax and get a grip. Also I don’t care about shrinkage I’m black that’s like caring about looking dark brown.
I’ve also learned that we don’t need all the products on the market. We’re told that so the companies can make more money. If we were able to take care of our hair with less product in the past then it should be the same now.
Bought a Rev Air and it changed the game. Can now silk press, length check, prep for braids, and wash frequently without dread or salon expense. It took years commitment and determination to love my natural hair. Finding ethnic haircare lines by black women for black women took it to the next level. I’m still in the journey but I’m never straightening my hair chemically again. Looks dead to me.
I want a rev air so bad but the price make me change my mind lol
What black hair products do you use ?
Natural hair is only hard if you fight how it naturally looks BUT wear it however u want like why does our community shame the girlies who wanna keep their hair straight ?
It’s simple. If your hair curls have it curly. If you find that your hair haves curls but more Afro like then your hair will look better in Afro styles. Don’t force a wash and go on Afro textured hair. Rock your Afro girl because not everyone can do an Afro. Just shape it into a piece of art 😊
Natural hair is hard to maintain when you don't know how or are too lazy to maintain it. It's really not hard at all. Good things like healthy hair take work to maintain. If you're not willing to put in the effort then it'll show in your hair. I think some black women struggle so much because we try to force our hair to do things it wasn't meant to do. We want our curls to appear looser or force the front of our hair to lay down. When our hair doesn’t adhere to our unreasonable requests, we blame our hair, calling it difficult when we should be trying something different.
Natural hair is easy only when you don’t live in a humid country.
@@jessicaribeiro8928nah. I live in the north of Europe.
@@jessicaribeiro8928exactly. Humidity and rain. As someone who lives in the UK I can only pray daily when I leave the house. Even if I were to embrace my shrunken hair, I still have the weather to contend with. Also some of us have scalp conditions sebhorric dermatitis, psoriasis or really dry scalp. What then? There are just too many factors at play.
Granted maybe the people dealing with this are in the minority but it still is a factor. Most black women around me wear their hair in braids or twists and such. Long term styles. So they put it away for that length of time.
@@tia9293 you're absolutely right. Density and length are huge factors for how long it can take to do hair, more hair = more time. People gotta work, go to school, care for children/family some may be disabled. There are so many things that compete with the time we have to take care of ourselves let alone just hair. I feel sad that due to working 3 jobs I may have to cut my hair short. I simply don't have the time and energy. It's not always self hate
@@jinx526wear low maintenance natural hair styles
10:20 This! Why does the black woman character always have type 3 curls. I've noticed this a lot with animation. Especially animation for children/family. Wish doesn't count because she has box braids so we don't actually know what hair type she has. But for example Princess Tiana. Why does she have loose curly hair. It was kind of sad watching people do the princess tiana challenge on TikTok and being made to feel less than because their hair doesn't do that. Then you see latinas and mixed black women (sure they're black but it's not the same) with loose curly hair doing the challenge and being told they're the best and the embodiment of princess Tiana smdh.
Exactly! It's very disheartening. It's obvious that theirs a bias towards looser textures in the media. It seems like that wont change either. Black women are going to have to be the ones to create the media that highlights us in a more diverse light if its ever going to happen on a more consistent basis.
I assumed Tiana had a press n curl, which would have been historically accurate for the time. Natural hair styles as we know them today were not as much a thing during that era (circa world war 2ish).
I have natural 4C4/b hair. I still wear braids, twists, crochet hair ponytails..Basicly whatever I want! I’ve never felt limited by natural hair. Also, anytime I wear extensions I keep the texture like my own! It’s cheaper too! Me being a licensed cosmetologist all my life may have some to do with my take on creative styling. Ladies do what the heck you want with your hair! But please don’t neglect your real hair. I wear my real hair when I feel like it and it’s as simple as that. 😊
Relaxing my hair ,tore my scalp up,now the I am natural and keep it moisturize and greased ,with Blue Magic hair grease or Softee Bergamot hair grease, I am just fine
Been natural since the 2000s after wearing it chemically straightened for 6 years as a teen. I rarely wear wigs and extensions. Just head wraps, turbans, natural braids, stylings and braid outs and the occsional twist outs.
Thats awesome! I’m happy you’ve found your groove when it comes to your hair 🙌🏾💜
@@Ari_Says_Stuff Thank you! And I love the diverse ways we all wear our hair. We are beautiful as God made us! 😄❤🌹
This is extremely tiring though. Every other day its black women this and black women that. Im exhausted Lord im just so tired.
Me too, honestly. It’s so tiring and discouraging to live freely.
And it comes from all sides, smh.
Totally agree. Like, just let us live 😂
It’s just pointing out issues in our community. It’s tiring cause there’s a lot. I’m tired of it to shit😭
I feel like people are pathologizing everything a black woman does. Find some reason problems to worry about.
Another reason is that they do not know how to actually take care of their hair nor do salons know how to do 4b & 4c hair.
I'm natural 11 years, only on my account not because it was what someone else was doing. I love the results. Straight hair is not a interest of mine.
Yay that's great!
I only want to blow dry my hair because I need to trim my ends. I've been natural most o most of my life. It was difficult to hear other people sing the just for me song when I walked by or say I looked like a slave as middle and high schooler. Or even have a teacher stop their class and ask if I would ever do something to my natural hair. You want to be loved respected and make friends like everyone else. It's heart breaking looking back.
@@Serenityblu23omg I’m so sorry you went through that. I’ve definitely had similar experiences. Nobody deserves to be treated that way. Hopefully things have gotten better for you!
period I still firmly believe there are hundreds of thousands of us very much still happy natural with no intentions of going back. people are hopping on the "natural hair movement failed" commentary for views and clicks.
@@jasminerosewater3891 absolutely! plus the more time you spend with your hair out, the easier it becomes to manage. natural is a lot less work than straight hair ever was for me personally.
I think a lot of natural hair women also envy others with a different texture than their own hair. I get so many questions from people about my hair and how I get my hair to look like that.
I completely agree!
This explains why baby hairs sleek down is included with braids and wigs
Natural hair is not a trend. Women who relax etc were going to do that anyway and treated going natural like a detour. Natural hair isn't that hard people just do extensive unnecessary manipulation because they dont like how their hair looks otherwise.
It doesn't require a video, we (as a people) don't like our hair. That's it. That's the video. If a woman is willing to risk uterine cancer for chemically damaged straight hair, she doesn't like her hair. If a woman is willing to spend 5K on waste found in the sewages of India, and spend hours crafting it into a weave, and even more hours press ironing it and caring for it, as her hair dries up and falls out of scalp because of all the traction alopecia and neglect, again, she doesn't like or value her own hair. As someone who grew up with my normal hair my whole life, most black women are not in love with their hair they often tolerate it. Even most naturals don't even have fond things to say for their hair. There's a mentality of seeing their hair as a burden they're socially pressured to love for the Cause, but when special occations, weddings, and important life events come up, they don't show up as themselves. They mask their hair with heat or weaves. When you actually love it, you want to show it off all the time, variety is different hairstyles to essentuate its look. You work hard with maintaining it so people can see the fruits of your labor when you go out, not to cover it in a "protective style" underneath a Asian woman's sewer waste. You barely even want hair extentions, because you feel no one will actually see your real hair. Blk women who are actually in love with their own hair get it.
I agree with what you said for the most part, but a person who loves their hair can still dabble in wearing weaves, wigs, etc. Some people like to change it up in different ways.
@@claudiaj7605 No they cannot. I'm sorry but Black women are literally the only peope who "dabble" with weaves that cover their texture. Not even black men do this. No other race wears other texture for "variety". You seek these weaves and wigs out because you want a "break" from the so-called "natural look". Its your dessert after soildiering thru your actual hair. That's why little black girls look forward to Easter and Christmas so they can get press irons and look _"extra_ pretty". Same mentality.
@@claudiaj7605 If you want variety there are literally hundreds of style options for African hair. Literally. Some of these styles have not even hit the mainstream in the West, like hair threading. Why is variety and "spicing things up" always changing or masking your texture? Exactly.
Preach! But they don’t hear you though.
@@laela6289 yeah I’m not denying those options, but you have to realize that you can do natural or dramatic changes with both. It’s up to the user and their intentions behind what they use. There is nuance to everything.
'My hair is not heat damaged' *not even a minute later* 'Is my texture compromised? Yes.' Sounds like heat damage to me 😂. Just wear your hair straight and go but don't lie. Heat will always damage your hair over time, no matter how much heat protectant, deep conditioner, and hair masks you use. Those things can minimize the damage but not prevent it altogether.
The natural hair movement was about trying to get type 3 hair, not accepting your type 4, it started out that way, but it became all abour defining your curls or make it look curly. Not shocked everyone gave up and went back to wigs, weaves , relaxers etc.
We have to accept is type 4 people are the ones keeping texturism alive. Look under any type 3/mixed person video or post, "cant 4c my hair doing this".
The power is in our hands.
& laid edges I literally have to tell ppl my edges will not stay laid so I don’t even bother doing it .. for some reason it’s so hard for ppl to believe that but it is the truth lol
Find two to three styles that fits your face and lifestyle. Know what products your hair love and keep your regime simple.
I’m just sick of the discussion. Can we all just let it be. Hair is hair. Everyone has their own story as to why they’re styling it how they’d like. Why do we keep staying in this discussion loop as a community.
Because it’s very obvious that majority hates their texture it’s a problem.
Because people want to force compliance and guilt folks who don't fall in line.
@@emismith4655who cares if they do?
@@Chloeeezyyyblack should care because we have to live with it. People should be confident and love their hair. If you have to wear someone else’s hair to feel beautiful when you have your own that grows out of your scalp then there needs to be a discussion as to why.
THIS! For many people, it's not that deep other than a choice. People want to say it's "self hate" how do you know? Are you that person?
The hair cortex is made up of 3 bonds. As long as those bonds are intact, no one should have a problem with anything a Black woman does
We say that we want to wear our hair NATURAL but then we spend 1/2 of a day or more, MANIPULATING it (adding this product to it and then another product to it, jumping in and out of the shower washing and rinsing it, adding more products to it, brushing it, twisting it, coiling it, drying it under a heated dryer etc etc etc), ALTERING it from its true ‘natural’ state. So I have to ask do we truly desire to wear our hair in its natural state?
This is definitely something for us to think about. Why jump through so many hoops to MAKE our natural hair look different from its natural form?
This topic has made me think about how did the folks in the 1960s and 1970s care for their natural hair when everyone was rocking large Afros? - Afrosheen grease, a couple of large plaits at night and a huge Afro pick come to mind. And we know that the 60s and 70s was an era when our people were PROUD to be Black and they wore their hair UN-SHAMELESSLY in its true natural state.
I have been binge watching natural hair TH-cam videos lately, trying to figure out what products to purchase to maintain my natural kinky hair as I grow it out and I can’t believe all of the steps that hair influencers are going through to transform their hair and the long list of products that they are using. Life is far too short to spend so much of my time and money on trying to alter my hair from its true natural state. So I have decided today that I am going to simply embrace my hair just as it is. I am going to focus on keeping it clean and moisturized and getting it cut in a classy style - and yes, I intend to rock a big Afro inspired style.
Writing this post was freeing - another step in my self love journey.😉
This is awsome. I wish you the best in your journey! 🙌🏾
The main thing I learned from the natural hair movement was the LOC method. No matter what products you choose just liquid, oil and cream. With products it’s just finding what your hair likes.
When a white person wears their natural hair that aren’t policed is the manipulate their hair so why do we do it.
@@Alythia48oil is a sealant I been natural my whole life and I was taught the LCO I never understood oil before cream lol
I don't understand this argument exactly. What you are referring to is "styling" which literally everybody does to their hair at some time or other regardless of texture. I wash my hair once a week and style it for the week. When I wake up, I just spritz it with water to refresh the look until I wash it again. I think this community makes this topic and process more complicated than it needs to be honestly.
Are we leaving dreads out of the equation? I combed mine out but I'll probably get them back. They made my hair grow SO FAST and they were so low maintenance. They give you the "length" that so many of us want... idk why more black women aren't doing it honestly! Great points being made❤
Would you be thirsty for length if you had halle berry hair type, I doubt it, so you still got low level love for your natural hair.
Saying black women no longer want natural hair is unhealthy propaganda.. I maintain my natural hair under wigs and between braid installs and when I do wear it out. I place 2 tracks of clip ins for fullness. And I love how long and luxurious my hair is. Our hair doesn't like manipulation, so protective styles are a must. I currently have 20 inches when blown out and it's very pretty and I love it 💕
There no such thing as a protective style. Hair doesn't need protecting, if it did God would have provided it. Actually hair is meant to protect the scalp. I never wear fake hair and mine is healthy down my back. Just admit it, you are wearing the wig because you hate your hair. That's OK!!!!!
One thing that I find “annoying “ is that people with 4c hair (especially the ones who say they are “4z”) act like they own type 4 hair groups, etc…. I am type 4, but not 4c. I joined several natural type 4 hair groups on line because I needed guidance when I first big chopped. The people in those groups literally attacked me and several based their attacks on my skin tone. I even had a hair stylist stop me at the shop’s door and say I couldn’t get my hair done there. I had a hat on. She couldn’t even see my hair but she said “I can just look at your face (complexion, nose, whatever…) and tell.” So, people cry about being discriminated against for being “natural 4c” , but then turn around and do the same thing to others. (Not “all” people of course, but I personally have experienced a lot.)😢
@@user-Mimi_622Leave West Africans out of this. West Africans themselves have a variety of skin tones, hair textures, and features
It's like reverse featurism born out of a trauma bond ....
Omg😮
@@AfriPrincess411 thank you! I'm 75% Liberian and came out paper white
I am 4C I have gotten all my jokes with my hair natural or in braids I stoped caring in my 20’s now I am in my 30’s … people would call me for an interview and I would go to the salon and get my hair flat ironed now whatever style I have as long as it’s not frizzy I just go to the interview
It’s not hard. All you have to do is wash, condition, moisturize. The people who say that it’s hard just don’t like the look of their natural hair texture.
This!
Hard will always be subjective. Perhaps all YOU have to do is wash, condition and moisturize and be fine. Others do the same and have a different experience . Why is it so hard to understand that not everyone has the same outcomes?
wash, condition and moisturise is too vague a process for my hair. It all came together when my trichologists gave me specific instructions to follow and specific products to use. It's hard for my hair to grow mainly because of my genetics as a thalassemia carrier and neurodivergent stress. It breaks very easily. I have to do protein treatments, scalp treatments and Olaplex to stop it from breaking. I also swim. Moisturizing with glycerin in the winter cold dry air will dry out my hair. You also need the right tools. I detangle my hair with a seamless comb or a tangle teezer in 20 sections. If I don't detangle and trim my hair I will have loc'ed and matted hair....not a fan of freeform locs
@@mendingwall3823because it’s not, I had 4b/4c I’m not a stylist and I literally do my own hair, my brother’s, my mother’s, my man’s hair. We all have different types of type 4 hair and even though it responds differently to different products the basics are the same and it’s not hard to do. We need to stop viewing our hair as difficult it’s racist af.
@@Appleboo222 It isnt hard for YOU. I am not you. It must be shocking to learn that not everyone shares your experience. Being a stylist and doing your hair along with your mother's and man, doesnt make you the expert on every black person in the world. It certainly doesnt make you the expert on my hair. The basics isn't the same because we are not all the same. Not everyone will struggle, and not everyone will have an easy time, since humans are different and all. By the way, hard doesn't mean inferior and something isn't racist simply because you disagree. This is no different than saying math is easy for me. Everyone in my family gets straight As in math, therefore it must be easy for everyone.
Women used to live in communities.... other women would do each others hair. It was social. Even white women would have the most elaborate hairstyles. Black women had various forms of braids...some black women had short hair. It seems white women adapted by doing more simple hairstyles as women began to work full time and not have as much time at home to look a certain way. Many black women want something quick and simple too ESPECIALLY when they work full time. Something quick that won't constantly change shape every moment of the day. For others, braids are too expensive.
Just live and let live.
The hair nazis sealed it for me, plus my hair grew quicker stretched.
Many black women never liked natural hair. They might have played in it and joined discussions because it was trendy.
I love my natural hair and I love seeing other black women wearing theirs.
However, for may black women natural hair just did not fit their aesthetic, they want baby hairs, finger waves and sleek styles.
Do you, but look inside yourself to understand why you don't like your natural hair.
I personally find videos like this are problematic especially the title. We need to stop broadcasting negative stuff this about our selves. I mean this respectfully but we get it. How do you expect people to stop seeing as a color and associating us with hating out self if your don’t switch the narrative . I’m tired of opening social media and seeing things like .. black women hate them selves, black men hate black women etc Sighhhh i hate social media, i hate it here. We are part of the problem
I agree. All of this discourse surrounding self-hate and division within the black community is exhaaausting. We're focusing too much on the issue and not enough on a solution. I understand the importance of bringing these issues to light; however, all of this has been the case for ages. We already get slack from some nonblk people about our hair, so if a blk individual also has something negative to say about the hair that grows out of THEIR scalp.....I tune them out. Negativity can be so contagious. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so he is." Proverbs 23:7 The mind is more powerful than people think.
Exactly, also hate the generalization.. like don’t speak for ALL black women or all black people, its a bit annoying. We are not monolithic. NO we don’t All no longer want natural hair, I love my natural hair. Super frustrating… and then imagine going out in the world and now people are looking at you like you hate your self, your hair etc.. when you actually dont. This is why we can just be.
Ive been a natural girl since 17 and im now 30. Never wanted to go back and i will wear braids, afro, twist out, two strand, etc whenever tf i feel like it. Bw really need to stop trying to appease everyone else. I find also that yt folks are generally not even bothered, its other blk folks that are
My experience has been "you're DAMNED if you do or DAMNED If you don't. Why do you wear hair like that? When wearing a natural afro, locs, or hot comb, do you ever relax your hair, or is it not professional? When I wear a wig, you don't need a wig. Are you ashamed of yourself? Oh, don't let me wear make-up and a wig--why are you wearing make-up--you feel ugly without it? Everybody feels entitled to dictate what a BW should and needs to do. The black beauty oppression is overwhelming and dehumanizing. It's all about controlling how we think, so others can benefit from our insecurity. I wear what the F I want; the system be damned.
“Straight Hair natural” is not new. Annie Turnbo, Madame CJ Walker, Marcel irons…. We have been safely straightening our hair for years and years
I made peace with my natural hair when I grew long, thin dreadlocs that I could style in waves by braiding when wet then unbraiding a day later. I had hair as long as I wanted it, cutting off about 6 inches every year to keep it from getting past my lower rib cage, or sometimes cutting it all the way back to my armpits. I loved how it moved and the styles I could pile it up or twist it into, though I hated how I could never find a hat that fit. I was popular with non-black men with that hair and also created, ran then retired from a successful business with that hair. I made my own terms.
But I got tired of it. I like being able to play with my hair now. I like being able to go from a twistout one day to a blowout the next to a silk press the next, and so on. My hair isn't as easy to take care of by a mile, but I like the versatility.
Enjoy your hair, sis! All women fashion there hair in various ways. They comb it, perm it (curl it), flat iron it (to get rid of their curls/waves), braid it (big French braids) and so on. Why can't we do the same? We have even more versatility than they do!
So length made you finally not be mad at it? Wow. 😂😂
I don’t get it. Natural hair is a lot easier to manage than hair that’s been processed straight (I.e. damaged).
And cheaper, because you are not a slave to the salons. I love having my weekend's ❤
This is long. The title needs to say, ‘Some Black Women’. Being that I am 52 I think the biggest problem is that most of the girls and women born in the early 90’s didn’t even know what their natural hair looked liked when the “Natural Hair Movement" began. It was foreign to them. I got on my sister for slapping a perm in her 3 year or 4 year old daughter’s hair(she’ll be 25 this year). My niece’s hair was medium length dry, thick, and would be considered 4c. My sister didn’t want to take the time to deal with it and took what is considered, in my opinion, the easy and lazy way out. She had two other daughters but didn’t put a perm in either of their hair. But her oldest that had the perm at an early age does have issues with taking care of her hair. She hides it under a knit cap all the time. Being that I grew up with natural hair, along with all the other Black girls and women around me, I know that we can take care of our natural hair just fine with very little effort. Yes, I had a Jheri Curl in 1984(I was 13) and perms after that until 2013 or 2014. Honestly, it took me a minute after watching TH-cam videos to realize that they were and some still are doing too much. My mom washed, conditioned, greased, and either straightened or styled her four daughter's hair in its natural state. I went to school with girls who had various hair textures and various lengths. What I didn’t see from the 80’s- early 2000 we’re Black women and girls losing their hairline. I blame the wigs and braiding your hair with weave. Get with older women 40 and above who should remember how our hair was taken care of. We also didn’t have the issues that y’all are having with these stylists these days. Good grief. Yes, some are frustrated and ignorant of Black women's hair texture because they have never dealt with it in its natural state, to include their own. But like I said, our stylists dealt with mostly natural hair and they had natural hair. Perms weren’t a big thing until the late 80’s in my area.
Simple answer people r very lazy now because natural requires effort. I love the versatility of black hair with some many different textures. If u love yourself and r secure in who u r ur hair is easy but if ur insecure and lack self esteem others can make u feel negatively about ur hair. It’s not so much a black as it is a female thing, I have friends from India that hate that their hair won’t curl and because it’s so thick if they don’t blow dry it it takes 3 days to dry completely . So it’s all a matter of perspective. Embrace what god gave and look beyond yourself, fulfillment will come🙏🏽
Like you said, everyone is allowed to wear what they feel comfortable with, but there is something to be said for taking ownership of the hair that comes out of your head and finding styles that do it justice, outside of other peoples beauty standards. If you want to find hairstyles that deviate from 2 dimensional beauty standards one place you could look is the continent. There are some beautiful styles that showcase our hair and its history, outside of how we are now told to wear it.
A lot depends on how you wear your hair. i think natural hair made my morning routine simpler. I pineapple at night. Take it down in the morning, spritz, fluff, done. When I was relaxed I had to plug up hot rollers and give enough time to heat up. Install, have time to let them be in my hair. My hair is fine and looks limp lifeless when completely straight. If I didn’t add volume it didn’t look good. Relaxers kill volume in fine hair. If I grew my hair long it looked awful too unless I got it layered.
I feel like one of the reasons why so many black women don't like wearing their natural type 4 hair is due to textursim which is something thatbis very much a issue in the black community black people still look at 4C hair as being nappy and not being "good hair" we have to learn to love and embrace our hair just the way it is.
Y’all lazy stop giving excuses
Black women can wear their hair however they please, I’m not judging them for making a choice they wanted. Yes we had and still have a natural hair community but still it does not make me want to actually be involved in it. I can still love my natural hair without it.
Not to mention, there's texturism in the natural hair community, which is why everyone is so obsessed with braid and twist outs to get that biracial curly look. Also, the obsession with edges, but they wanna come for people with relaxers, wigs, and weaves.
Girl, I am tired 😂
Been natural for over 10 year’s and my arms are tired. Tired of high prices to get your natural hair done. Plus no one really knows how to do natural hair. The extra charge for 4 C hair is ridiculous as well. I am about to do my relaxer soon. Then once it grows out I will think about doing my locs idk… Just tired girl 😂 my arms and back can’t take it no more!! 😂
This is me. Plus, I just do not have the time to put in to natural hair. I could go to a salon, but I do not have time for that. Braids and wigs for me, and that's it.
I've been natural since 2016 and my hair has only grown a little over 5 inches. I'm putting my hair away, constant manipulation is breaking it off and no amount of oils and creams is retaining the length like putting it away will. #teamkinkytwists
Love my hair. Wish I had never straightened it in the past
I think some ppl must pass that straight hair phase in order to really appreciate our natural hair(at least in my case)
@@rachel12127 😊 I feel that! ❤
Amen, I agree. I love my hair more now that it's natural. I hated relaxed hair.
Natural hair is not hard, no type of hair is hard if you know what you are doing. As a hairstylist I feel like the natural hair community has played themselves. Effectiveness is the key. Trying to do backflips with 10 million products (literally I know of so many natural hair women who have more products in their bathroom than I have in my salon, and I have a lot of products in my salon because I work with every hair type). The natural hair community has voted, they value consumerism and disjointed illogical complaining more than they value learning how to effectively achieve their desired outcome. As a professional I use, recommend and retail professional products, I don't hate consumer products, I'm just not bothered with them because I require professional results. Unlike some of these naturals I don't have all weekend to dedicate to a single clients wash and style. Something I notice that only my natural hair clients will do is after asking for product and care recommendations they will turn around and ask me for "natural" hair product recommendations instead ??????? All of a sudden I start to wonder when and how did I enter the twilight zone. At this point I think naturals just like collecting hair products, they don't need to work, they don't need to be natural, they don't need to have any redeeming qualities at all, they just need to have the latest trigger marketing terms and ingredients on the label (the ingredient does't even need to be in the product) or be trending on social media. Unfortunate
It’s so odd that people generalize an entire population based off of your limited worldview.
Oh. And I stopped using heat years ago. My hair hates it.
I really hate that natural has to mean afro or locs. I mean I get veering from Eurocentricity but I think emphasis in any protective styling (wigs/weaves) helps people feel less pressure. I've been free of relaxers almost 10 years now and last time I wore a straight textured wig I couldn't stand it. Styling I get exhausted after a few hours sometimes but I do love the beginning of wash day and seeing my hair health and loving my coils.
I wear weaves and lots of braids and twists because I like lots of variety but getting older settling into permanent locs soon.
Is the weave the same texture you born with? If not why not?
I think people should wear their hair the way they want!!! I just have issues with people who talk about people natural hair but they are afraid to wear theirs…. I went natural in 2015. I cut my perm off because my hair would not grow… my hair has been growing like weeds since I’ve stop wearing perms. I have had twa to a big fro.. I had a whole loc journey.. and now I’m back to my twa now.. I’ve had my days like why am I wearing my natural hair.. but honey I can proudly say I’m good I’m gone rock my natural hair.. I want to stand out and I can encourage someone else who may be afraid to wear their natural hair.. people gone talk and once you know that God loves you no matter how you look that’s settles it lol ❤❤. It was not easy and we live in a world where natural hair is frowned upon on… but honey I’m free I’m saving money.. I be seeing these stylist charging $ 500.00 for braids yall crazy… I can go shopping and buy seafood with that money!!! I’m sticking to my blue magic and my hair regimen is simple!!! When I first went natural I bought a few different products I was like let go back to blue magic honey my hair loves blue magic… I got grease, oil, and gel for a wash and go… other then that I’m good..
I’ve been wearing my hair natural for a year. All I do is shampoo and condition, put in a leave in conditioner and hair gel and put it into space buns. Or I will just let it be an Afro. That part it’s not difficult. What makes it difficult is people want it to be anything but an Afro. It’s difficult because people want to manipulate their hair into anything but its natural state. Which is an Afro.
Also, what are y’all doing to make wash they take so freaking long? All I do is shampoo and condition take my detangler brush to it and then use a wide tooth comb to put it into little puffs. It may be adds 5 to 10 minutes to my shower. How the heck is it taking people several hours to do their hair every time they wash it if you don’t have a relaxer or something?
Exactly! I had to realize that was the issue with my hair.
Agreed! 2 hours tops for my wash n style 4B twice a week.
@@Itsme-zi7zjMaybe you have low or normal density hair and/or strands that is less prone to tangling. I have very thick and coarse hair, plus arthritis. Ain't no way I'll be done in less than a hour even if I didn't have joint pain. I wish we could be a bit more open minded to different experiences and difficulties we may have with hair maintenance. I have figured out what works best for my hair but the fact is, it's gonna take at least 2.5hrs and that's without styling on a good day lol. Thick hair is nice to look at but not fun with maintenance especially when you got other stuff going on in life.
@@Itsme-zi7zjexactly. I have high density type four hair, and it takes 45min. (Which includes washing, conditioning, detangling, my actual shower, and then styling). Don't understand why people say it takes dayyys.
Why is everybody else’s natural hair acceptable and/or beautiful, but ours is not. I rebuke that woman that said I can’t wear my NATURAL hair to her event. I say goodbye to anybody who thinks my NATURAL hair isn’t professional or NORMAL. I have no f**k left for women the same skin tone as me or women whose MOTHERS have the same hair texture as mine and try to bring us down based solely on our hair!! Do you know how ridiculous you sound?! Stand down and grow up! Thank you for your video, very empowering and I felt a lot of what you said. In heart and experience. I hope for a better future for our children.
Yea TH-camrs take all credit because the parents failed us. ONCE AGAIN!
The natural hair movement was supposed to be easier. It wasn’t supposed to need that much manipulation, because it was natural. But there were so many products $$$. So much time spent on wash DAYS! Sorry, but it wasn’t supposed to be that hard, expensive, or time consuming.
We need to acknowledge the reasons we pick the styles that we do.
1. Will I look good?
2. How much will it cost?
3. How long will it take?
4. How hard to maintain?
5. How long will it last?
Nowhere in there was any self-hate. No militancy. No attempt to upset office Karen. We need to let other black women off the hook when styling their hair. There is no one way to do this. In the end, it’s just hair.
Best comment here.
Yes I have struggled. But for the last 6 months I have stopped wearing wigs and weaves and worn my own hair out. I have gotten so many compliments from every race and every one loves my hair! But most importantly I love it! I take care of it and that’s all that matters ❤
The comment that makes me laugh is when black women say "you have a nice head shape to wear your hair natural "
Since when does head shape determine if you rock natural hair or fake hair 😂
I think people need to start doing what they need to do for themselves and stop trying to attain some sort of aspiration that's inappropriate for them. I think if people spent more time just living with their natural hair just trying to attain and maintain healthy hair, they would be a lot happier with how their hair turns out.
I have a hair texture that people often look at and decide is easier and more attractive. But the reality of the situation is that I struggle just as much as anybody else with my hair because of my hair texture. When I stopped worrying about whether my hair was frizzy, when I stopped worrying about the shrinkage and when I started focusing on the health of my hair, my hair started to do and look much better. At this point I'm in a regimen where hydration is the goal. My hair never looked or felt better and I never felt more at peace with my hair
I had relaxers my whole life but went natural in 2021. Then in February 2024 I got a perm again and now I regret it. Both natural and relaxed hair takes effort!!
This was AWESOME thank you for this subject matter, I truly believe we as black women number one need to stop worrying about what anybody thinks of our hair no matter how we wear it.
WE ARE GROWN!!!!! mmmkay Next love yourself love your hair love your skin love your butt love your lips love your nose LOVE IT ALL, LOVE HOW GOD CREATED YOU!!! OUR HAIR IS SUPER IT LITERALLY DEFIES GRAVITY!!!! and lastly take care of your hair do what needs to be done for your texture so that it is its best self so it looks and feels like its supposed to how ever it grows out of your scalp. natural hair is alot of work but that is part of its beauty, and yes my arms get tired in the mirror and sometimes i dont have the money to buy certain hair or products so i make do and put on a head wrap. LADIES WE ARE NOT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE and that is BOMB!!💣💣💣💣
Well said, and thank you!
@@Ari_Says_Stuff you are more than welcome ❤️
*sigh* Representation, representation, REPRESENTATION. This is a concept that's beginning to confound me...This mentality of "unless everyone else is doing it, I won't do it" is soooooo exhausting! Look, I get it...Humans are "communal beings". It's almost genetically dictated that we will generally follow the crowd if doing so means we won't get kicked out of the community. It's a leftover from evolution. Blah, blah, blah...Uuuugh! U need someone to tell u your hair is ok for u to feel it's ok?!? Some famous person has to freely rock their hair in its natural texture for black women to feel its acceptable to do so??? 😧 Whaaaat?!
No one has mental autonomy enough to say, "I like my hair in its natural state and I don't give a damn whether Beyoncé or Zendaya or Coco Jones or Cardi B or whomever tf is wearing their hair that way or not! I'm ME, and they're THEM and I don't need 'permission' from society to do this!" 🤨
This goes back to the insidious concept (among many other things) of "desirability politics". Our worthiness as women is still veeeery heavily dictated by our looks...and this isn't even exclusive to BLACK women. This includes all women across the board, but the sistas have always had an extraordinarily tumultuous relationship with the concept of desirability being as how we're ALLEGEDLY at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to attractiveness. *eye-roll* The male gaze, being pretty enough to be marriage material...Ya'll know all the things that have dogged us for centuries. Because hey, if u can't attract a mate, what good are u? 🙄
Hey, maybe u should do a vid on that? Because I think we've really internalized so much of this bs. It just makes me sad to think that instead of FIRST looking to our OWN feelings about our hair, looks, etc., we look to the outside world for that confirmation and validation and if we don't get it we're ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater. "Welp, nobody's cat-calling or flirting with me! Must be my TWA!"..."Ope, didn't get that job! Must be my locs! This won't do! Guess I'll cover 'em up with a convincing lace-front!" 😕 What other race of women have to do this s~~t?!
Have we, as Black women, decided that "being pretty" is what's most important above all things? 🧐
This is just micro-managing blk women and our hair. Womwn in genereal do a lot to their hair to make it look better or more manageable. But why is it any issue when blk women do it? Theres a deeper issue in the blk commhnity but at the same time it seems like we're just not letting women do what they want with their hair. There's nothing we can do about texture bias so just do ehat you want with your hair.
I love my natural hair. And i have experienced the joy I have been able to spread to other black women who were once too scared to wear their natural hair at work who started embracing it once they saw me strut down the hallway with my fro or even my headwrap.
And there is definitely something wrong with actively trying to damage your hair texture and call it “trained”.
I’ve been natural for 10yrs. After years of using gels, my hair was damaged and thin. I struggled for a while on what to do. I finally decided to flat iron my hair. Going natural has really been a journey-finding the right products etc. Personally although I wear my hair straight I refuse to wear wigs and weaves.
Still a lot of unlearning to be done when it comes to such problematic sentiments towards natural hair. There's been progress, through education and a slight increase in representation (albeit there's an obvious bias as to what's deemed acceptable), but we there's still some way to go
For the natural girlies, give locs or sister locs a try. There’s also Freeform locs for the wild spirits lol and micro locs for the girls who don’t have sister loc money lol
I’ve contemplated getting locs for so long, but I’m afraid of losing the ability to do other styles. I know locks can be versatile too though.
Loc'd my hair 16 months ago best decision EVER! I had been hesitant for years but I'm loving it..I have 4c hair and all the manipulation and chemicals ..(i did kertains a few times ) Seemed like a lot ..once I started to pay attention to all the chronic hair loss in the community and could see the correlation to alopecia from styling practices that was the final push for me
Locs are not for me because I understand my hair, my scalp, my personality. My scalp needs shampoo every week. I do not want to sit for long periods in a salon for the re-tightening and retwist. I have a type of alopecia from being a thalassemia carrier and having a neurodivergent brain. When my hair falls out it's easier to hide in my afro than in thinning locs. All my friends who had locs in our twenties had to cut them off in their 30s and 40s due to hormonal changes, stress and post partum. Locs are beautiful but not for me.
Nope.
Ive been natural for over 10 years. I have very coily hair. I recently decided to heat train my hair (mainly blowouts) because im tired of guessing. My hair would never completely be dry if i air dried it. Best decision ever.
Same. I have coily hair with high shrinkage and I started heat training. I absolutely love it.
I’ve also been thinking about using blowouts as a means to keep my hair moisturized. I’ve noticed that when I just rock it in it’s natural state, it gets dry so quickly no matter what I put on it. But whenever I moisturize it, put Shea butter on it, and blow dry it it just stays more moisturize longer. Also, thanks for watching!
@Ari_Says_Stuff that's another reason why I changed up my routine. I had the exact same issue as well. I used the garnier mega sleek leave-in conditioner and a heat protectant serum just in case i wanna throw in some wand curls . I'm on the no natural oils or butters thing. My only exception is I use shea butter for braids as a gel replacement for smoothing my hair
@@Ari_Says_Stuff girl when my hair was virgin natural, it could soak up the whole Atlantic ocean and dry out within five minutes. I would sleep with overnight conditioner in my hair and it would be dry within a day.
Moisture is stored in the cortex of the hair shaft. The best way to moisturize the hair is to drink water and stay away from inflammatory foods.
You can lose and get moisture from the environment easily if the cuticles of your hair are naturally open (high porosity). So using a butter to seal the cuticl after you blowdry is fine.
But if you have low porosity hair( the cuticle is naturally sealed shut) there is very little need to put anything on the hair after blowdrying. You can’t even get moisture into the cortex without breaking your hydrogen bond all over again, so it’s pointless to try to moisturize externally after a blowdry. Maybe a very light serum or oil like almond oil, squalane, or grapeseed.
Obviously these oils don’t apply if you’re about to flat iron.
Lastly, leave in conditioner is your heat protectant for the blowdryer, so be sure to use it as the instructions will clearly say it’s a heat protectant.
I have always been more influenced by family than celebrities and not everyone in my family has or in the past had chemically treated hair. Some who don’t, keep our hair straight, some of us never straighten and some go back and forth. I also have older women in my family with locs. Even as a child I remember seeing people cut their hair short to get rid of relaxed hair. My great aunt did it but we never called it big chop.
I stopped straightening my hair years ago because I don’t like it as much on me. I never straighten and that includes for job interviews, formal events or anything else.
I feel like the policing of each others hair gotta stop fr but definitely if someone’s is spewing anti black rhetoric FOR SURE shut that down ✨ i used to police in high school but now there’s too much on my plate to be worrying about others. I learned to focus on my hair and mines alone & my children (whenever god allows it)
My only problem with the natural hair community is how they try to make it seem as though you are trying to be something other than black for wanting you hair straight. When, for as long as I can remember growing up in the late 70s, I saw all other races (including whyt) not liking their naturally curly hair and wanting it to be straight and easier/less time-consuming to manage. I still remember as a child seeing/knowimg whyt women literally put their hair on ironing boards and iron it with a clothes iron. Then, on the flipside...whyt women also would purposely get chemical "perms" to put curls and waves in their hair. So how curly hair became only a "blk thing" is strange to me.
It’s almost as if no two black women are the same. This controlling and judgemental natural hair “community” stems from insecurity. White women and others are free to dye, cut, highlight and perm their hair if they don’t like how it naturally grows. They are allowed to do what they feel expresses them the best and makes them feel confident. There are even cases where a white woman may be born with brown hair, but dye it blonde and absolutely rock it. In fact, it’s normalized. But it’s an issue if a black woman wants to alter her hair to fit her lifestyle, personality and personal preferences. This is so toxic and continues to keep us in a box. Just because something is naturally a part of you does not mean that it compliments you. Let’s take the chains off and just let eachother do what we want.
When I went to Brazil and seen what natural hair really is I absolutely went natural ! Nothing more beautiful than 3C or 4C hair that’s to your butt it’s the most beautiful thing ever ❤❤❤ also the most versatile
Why are you talking about 3C? 3C isn't natural hair, natural hair is type 4. Pretty much everyone with 3C hair wears it out man or woman.
@@duckman2480 ummmm all hair is natural hair ?? Are you a kid or something you sound ignorant ! Did you mean to say that 3C isn’t black enough hair ? You sound bitter and like a self hater I just can’t 😂
It’s crazy our own don’t wanna accept ourselves. It’s giving insecurities
haven't watched the video yet however I have noticed ALOT MORE black women starting to embrace their natural hair on TH-cam , social media, and in real life. Not sure if the title is just click bait-y or if this channel truly believes that statement but I would say more black women are getting tire of the wigs and weaves and are starting to wear their hair. Don't let celebrities and instagram "models" fool you real black women are loving on their REAL HAIR
Thank you! Like this is not like the 90s where press and curls, and relaxers were being marketed down our throat! More blk women are rocking their natural hair more than ever before that's why this video rubs me the wrong way.
Facts the struggle is real embracing your natural hair and dialing in love with it! It’s definitely a journey but I love it!!!
Stop gas lightning
I love my natural hair. It's only hard when you think you need to style it constantly instead of letting it rest in twists or whatever protective style you prefer. The most protective styles like chebe braids or African binding are very opposite of American beauty standards so our hair suffers. I've decided I'm going to just keep it binded as long as I can so it can retain moisture regardless. It's important that we become comfortable in our own look whether others find it attractive or not. But I understand that's hard in this current era of anti-blkness. ,
I’ve been natural for 10 years now. My hair is almost to my waist. I will not be relaxing my hair ever again. This is the strongest and healthiest and longest my hair has ever been.
Split ends occur naturally too. They also need to go. Body odor is also quite natural. Bad breath in the morning too. Why stress so much? Super over investment in “natural hair”
This is what you equate natural hair with? Body odor and bad breath? Sad as hell.
People can wear their hair natural or not. However, it is not “natural” to have bad oral hygiene (bad breath); it’s not natural to refuse to bathe daily or to neglect moisturizer and deodorant (body odor); split ends are not “natural”: When our hair becomes frayed at the tips, we should clip the ends and take care w the moisturizers and hair tools we use so as not to continue to cause damage to our strands. We all have to live & work in close proximity to others: What is “natural” is basic, properly maintained skin, teeth, and hair = clean, moisturized, fresh smelling, and protected. Good hygiene and proper self-care is “natural”. But people push “natural hair” because they’re promoting regularly cleaned & moisturized strands plus healthy scalp. If relaxers, weaves, wigs can still achieve that, then everything is good.
idky straightening our hair has become political. many women with curly hair straighten their hair, in every culture. it has nothing to do with "wanting to be white" or "seeing straight hair as more beautiful." its just a different way to wear my hair.