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What Side Are You On

Over the years African American women have struggled with hairstyles and types. Even though processing your hair may be easier and less time consuming, natural hair is healthier. Natural hair is also versatile and and be worn in many different styles. Now ladies what side are you on ? Natural or Processed ?

Personally I don't believe in processing hair because it is unhealthy. From personal experiences I know that a perm or relaxer leaves your hair dry and brittle. Also processing your hair with color, leaves your hair dry and brittle as well. On top of having dry and brittle hair my hair also broke off. While I was trying to figure out what needed to change, I came across many natural hair advocates. Finally I was convinced to go natural, It was the best decision of my life.

Have you ever thought about what a relaxer does to your natural hair ? A relaxer is a chemical based product that alters the texture of your hair. The purpose of getting a relaxer is to make your natural curls and kinks straight. According to  reverseskinaging.com putting a relaxer on already relaxed hair is only going to cause breaking. Who wants to purposely damage their hair?

While getting a relaxer helps managing hair and makes your hair look  pretty, your hair does not benefit from it.  A relaxer causes broken hair and damaged textures, and lack of hair growth. So yes your hair my look nice and feel nice, but it won't be too long before you are no longer satisfied with your hair.

The only pro about having a relaxed is, having hair that is more manageable. Having manageable hair makes a woman's life way easier. You don’t have to spend that much time detangling or just tending to your hair period.    

The best thing about having natural hair was, I no longer had to deal with the problems of processed hair. Yes my hair broke off and was in a very unhealthy stage for a while, but I no longer had thinning or dry brittle hair. Don’t get me wrong , you can still experience these things with natural hair, but if your hair is well taken care you will have no problems.

First things first , natural is healthier and  less likely to get damaged because it is in it’s natural state . Having natural hair is hard work, but it is worth having. You also benefit from having natural hair because it is well appreciated in the african american community.Studies have proven that natural  is  healthier than processed hair because it is it more  nutrient- rich , stronger, and it grows faster.

Secondly natural hair is so easy to style in different ways without heat. Putting to much heat on natural or processed hair isn't healthy. When your hair is in its natural state styles like braid outs, twist outs , and Bantu knots are really pretty and give your hair volume.  

The next thing that makes natural hair possible are the products being used. Natural hair products range from sents, brands, and what the product does. Personally my favorite brands are Cantu and Shea Moisture . These brands leave your hair smelling good and looking nice, the best part is they are sulfate and paraben free.

The final thing that makes having natural hair easier and healthier is  protective styles.  Protective styles can be for relaxed or permed hair, but having natural hair is a plus. Protective styles are meant to take the stress from everyday manipulation and styling off of your hair. Protective styles include braids, twists, and cornrow styles. Many people confuse Protective styles and extensions , not all protective styles involve extensions.

Most importantly natural hair is well respected in the african american community. Not only is a good look for you, but believe it or not it is apart of history. For example Madam CJ Walker created  line of natural hair products in 1995. Also in early civilization Africans would wear their natural hair in styles that showed their tribe, social status, and families background according to www.bbc.com

Personally I don’t believe that natural hair has any cons, but there are 3 main cons that people complain about. Many people complain about maintenance, money, and time when it comes to natural hair.

Most people that have recently transitioned to natural hair complain about the amount of maintenance that natural hair takes. When having a relaxer it is easier to comb through your hair and style. While when having natural hair you must detangle , oil, and condition before  you can style at all. This may seem to be  hassle, but in my opinion it's worth the maintenance to have unprocessed hair.

The next thing that most people complain about is the amount of money spent on natural hair products. Natural hair products aren’t really cheap, but it is worth having soft healthy hair. Many people don’t understand why natural hair products are so expensive. Natural hair products are so expensive because they are paraben,sulfate, paraffin, propylene glycol, mineral oil, and synthetic fragrance free. These are all things that can harm your hair, therefore products that are free of these things are great for your natural hair.  

Lastly an abundant amount of people complain about the time it takes to handle natural hair. The longer your hair is, the longer it takes to styles and detangle your hair. Personally I never had a problem with the amount of time I spent tending to my hair. Many people think that dedicating a whole day to your hair is too much. In my opinion spending a day defining my curls and making sure my hair is well moisturized is important. Other may have different opinions.

In conclusion, natural and processed both have pros and cons. In my opinion no matter how many cons, natural hair is way healthier than processed hair. Yes having natural hair does take awhile to do  and may be on the slightly expensive side, but remember being chemical free is amazing. Having chemical free hair connects you to history and leaves your hair healthy.Who doesn’t want beautiful natural hair?

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Oil and Pre-Poo

Do you pre oil your hair before you wash it ? Well personally to maintain my hairs shine and oil , I pre oil my hair before I shampoo . I apply a caster and tea tree oil mix to my scalp, shaft, and ends of my hair. This helps strength and keep the oil sealed in .

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What About You ?

As a African American Women with natural hair do you use more heat or wear protective styles ?

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curls

curls

are poetry

in the form of hair

for they are messy,

yet still manage to frame expressions.

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🌞🌞 insta: curlytreats

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I also use castor oil for me edges and entire hair. My hair tends to be dry or break off in the middle, it always comes in stronger and healthier when I use castor oil !

Hi, Lately my edges have been thinning. Not major loss, but I’ve noticed. My edges are very dear to me and it’s driving me crazy! Do you have any recommendations on how to grow edges? I would love, love, loveee it if you could help me out, please.

I have very aggressive eczema that took some of my edges out and they all grew out with castor oil. It’s great for creating thicker and healthier hair. Hope this helps! 🌝

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Kelsey

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Permed Hair or Natural Hair ?

Cantu or Shea Moisture ?

Little Heat or Lots of Heat ?

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Girl Talk !!

Its time to talk ladies ! How do you feel about your lovely head full of hair ? What products do you use ? Personally I love my hair and its length, yes its short ! but its healthy !! How do you maintain your healthy hair ?

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To see or not too see 🙇🏾‍♀️

OMG ! It's a must see ! It's about time black women get recognition. The movie Hidden Figures takes place in 1960 West Virginia. As we all know things were still segregated during this time. This movie shows the struggles of 3 black women working during segregation. Hidden Figures is a movie worth seeing because it is an enlightening biographical film , it highlights an untold part of history , and it's a film that attracts African American Women .

   Most historical based biographical films are very depressing. Movies based on African American history can get overwhelming or very emotional in a bad way. The best part about Hidden Figures is the fact that it informs everyone on African American history but isn't too sad. Hidden Figures is a very uplifting story about 3 African American women . This movie might even push other women to be successful.

    Also, this movie enlightens a part of untold history. This movies sheds a little light on the Hidden Figures of NASA. Many people didn't know about Katherine Johnson , Mary Jackson , or Dorothy Vaughan. These women are a great part of history but , they haven't made it into a history book.Therefore, many people will never know what amazing things those African American women did if it wasn't for Hidden Figures.

      Hidden Figures attracts a lot of African Americans especially women. A lot of women would watch this because of the message. I say this because the movie follows a journey that African American women took to become successful. Some people don't understand what african american women went through. Throughout history even till this day , black women have been underestimated. This movie gives great examples of women being smart , strong , and powerful.

    In conclusion, I think Hidden Figures was a great movie worth seeing. Hidden Figures informs America on how excellent African American women are. Also Hidden Figures is a very family safe movie that doesn't have too much explicit content. This movie is also enlightening, and it is based off a real untold story.

WARNING SPOILERS BELOW

The movies Hidden Figures takes place in the 1960, West Virginia. Actresses Taraji P. Henson , Octavia Spencer , and Janelle Monae acted out the story of NASA’S “ Hidden Figures “. Katherine Johnson , Dorothy Vaughan , and Mary Jackson were the brains behind the launch of friendship 7.

    The women reported to work every morning in The West Computing building in a room tittled Colored Computers. The women acted as human computers calculation math equations . In the movie Hidden Figures every morning Dorothy acted as a Supervisor giving the women there assignments for the day. Luckily Mary Johnson got a permanent assignment working with the engineers working on the heat shield model. Katherine was great with any kind of numbers and got recommended to work with the task group. Every morning Katherine faced the struggles of her unwelcoming coworkers . She even had to travel a ½ mile to use the bathroom daily .

    After wondering where Katherine was for so long daily , Mr.Harrison ( Supervisor of The Task Group) took it upon himself to take down the “Colored Bathroom” sign. After seeing the new IBM machines , Dorothy went the the library and got a book to learn how to program the machines. Later Katherine resorts to old math ways to figure out some very hard calculations. While all of this is happening, Mary is working on getting approved to go to a segregated school to become an engineer. After the IBM machines got up and working , Katherine was told she wasn't needed in the Task Group anymore. Therefore she returned to working in the Colored Computing room. As soon as it was time for friendship 7 the take off , the IBM ran off last minute calculations and were off. Katherine was asked to fix the calculation right before the take off. She even go to sit in the room and watch it. At the end , Katherine calculated friendship 7 successfully, Dorothy eventually became the supervisor of the IBM worker , and Mary graduated and became an engineer. This movie is based off a true story, but not all things in the movie are true. In real life Mary Jackson became NASA’s first African American Engineer, Dorothy Vaughan became NASA’s first African American Supervisor, and Katherine Johnson performed calculations for the Apollo 11 mission to the moon and space shuttle. Even though some aren't recognized, African American women were amazing.

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“Too Black”

Ha! I’m “too” what, you say?

“Too loud,”

“Too obnoxious,”

“Too in the way”?

My hair is “too kinky,”

I “show too much skin,”

But honey,

I’m unashamed of my melanin.

“Oh, if black lives matter,

then why not blue?”

Well, Becky,

you’d be mad too

if police were shooting you

for reaching for the ID that they asked for

or simply walking home from the convenience store.

So, Becky,

don’t ask me why I’m causing an uproar.

Ooh, you see my “angry black woman” coming out!

You’re confused,

You say there’s nothing to be mad about –

Basic. Human. Rights.

You’d think we’d have them by now

but we’re still in this fight,

still in the tunnel slowly approaching the light,

moving away from oppression until it is out of sight.

But, in the meantime,

I think I’ll continue to be “too loud,”

“Too obnoxious,”

“Too in the way.”

I love my angry black woman,

and she’s here to stay.

- Riel Felice

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indigopalms

Audre Lorde (1934-1992)

Poet, Professor, Feminist, Writer, Civil Rights Activist and all round Bawse