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Straight vs. Curly

To all my females, this paper is important and just might be the most informative paper you’ll read. The lives of all women's hair glides along straight vs. curly. It’s much deeper than when a woman buys a flat iron, curling iron, texturizer, perm, or a simple spraying water bottle. Us as women, we have to think of what it is we’re doing with our hair EVERY SINGLE DAY. (Imagine a dramatic tone when I say that). There are rules when writing this paper:

One: I am a natural girl

Two: I am black. I can only speak from those perspectives.

I may be wrong on some cases. This is my story on how I went from having natural hair to process hair and what you could to avoid it.

Let’s start off by saying that natural hair isn’t always the kinky curl type you’ve probably seen on many black women. Some black women have naturally straight hair and even naturally wavy hair but for the most part we are usually born curly hair. Being apart of a black community and being a woman inside of that, the topic of our hair is something all of us can relate to. It is a topic that brings everyone, even the whites to take notes on. Your eyes are probably glue to this paper because you’re are interested in this kind of hair talk. Starting off with our image, the chocolate silk skin with the big afro and the light honey skin with the big curls are what girls dream of. Those pictures, are about 20% of what it really is. My hair came out kinky. (kinky: thick tight curls, combined often together, hella hard to comb through) I didn't have a afro, I just had very tight curls. I remember being told “oh you got that real black girl hair” that shit, is not cool to say. I’m proud of how tight my curls are but of course you feel some type of way when people say things in a “wow that’s different” type of way or your hair doesn’t look like that black girl on Instagram or Twitter. I started to really hate my curls growing up because of that. That’s what kills the importance of natural curly hair. Each other. Us. We kill it. Black girls will even “wow” you out. We are the soil when it comes to growth. We inspire each other. We are the magical oil that makes our hair the way it is. The influence and questioning of how long your hair would be if you straighten it kills the confidence of many black girls, and it indeed killed mine.

When I was around eight years old, I begged my mom for a perm. (Perm: a creamy chemical to either straighten them curls, or curl what’s straighten for a long period of time. A race based product. Goodluck they say) I wanted my hair to be straight for a while because I was simply tired of the detangling and standing out whenever in school. Sad to say, my hair has never been the same. Once it was rinsed out, I felt my scalp quicker than I ever did. My curls and “naps” were always in the way, it used to take me a second to hit my scalp. I fell in love with that feeling and got perms for about 2-3 years. Once I hit 6th grade, I had horrible, stringy, thin hair and I knew it was time for the “big chop”. (Big chop: A term us black girls use when we have to cut of all our damaged hair. Usually ending up with a baby fro.) After all my hair fell out, my dad took me to get my hair shaved all off. The cutting thing I guess wasn’t an opition? I literally got my shit shaved. Buzz Buzz. I felt so guilty because I was blessed with amazing hair and didn’t realize it until then. This stage is what most girls call the transition stage. (Transition Stage: When you transition from processed hair back to natural. Starting over) It took a while to get used to the hair cut. All I kept thinking about was that I would look and feel like my old self again. It was a feeling black girls often have after processing their hair. Having straight hair felt like I was white. I’m not going to lie when I say that. I won’t lie and and say I didn't love the stereotypical hair blowing in the wind moments, I loved when I could tuck it behind my ear and have the rest fall past my shoulders, and I loved the feeling of silkiness. All I had to do was brush it. I wont lie and say I didn't want to live along the sidelines of white girls because I did. That’s the problem so many black women have, we don't own up to it. We complain so much about white women wanting to have our curls. Calling that cultural appropriation and it’s not fair because we often do the same things. This is the only time I will consider a “white girls” feelings. If I learned any lesson it’s to consider you hair as your best friend. Don't just let it go.

By the time I reached high school, I had healthy curls and a baby afro. That’s when I started to embrace it the most. I got and still get many compliments on how my hair smells and how springy my curls are. (Springy: bouncey; da bounce) Having natural curly hair is extremely different from straight. It’s like ironing all the wrinkles out your shirt. The amount of time is the difference, the amount of products used to maintain it is the difference, and the amount of money spent is the difference. We don't just wake up in the morning and go, we wake up in the shower detangling those curls or undoing our twist out or bantu knots. Embrace that.

I’m so protective over my hair and my black sistas, you should be too. It is okay to go to bed with a conditioning cap or bonnet, you’re afro is okay too. The girls who have the curls that hang and swang, feel yourself. Society can be a pain in the ass, but nothing in the world can knock out naturality. Heat isn’t our best friend, but that’s what heat protection is for. Brands like Shea Moisture (when they were on our side), Carols Daughter, As I am, and Cantu are your ponytail holders. Slick your hair with that amazing ECO Styling gel because God himself knows it better than straightening those edges. Coconut oil is the key to your success. Hair is always going to be hair, but OUR hair is different. Let our brown skin and confidence run through our scalp and pressed down on any and every negative thing said about it. It’s our hair baby, bounce it.

Written by: Le’Asia Smith

Originally Date Written: May 21st, 2017

#black culture #women #curlyhair #hairstyle #ladies

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