For five years I have been wanting to go natural (I've been a relaxed head for six years now), but didn't have the guts to because I was scared of what other people would think. But, now only my happiness and health are important when it comes to my appearance and especially my hair. Plus, life is way too short to not do something because of what someone may think. Besides they are not the one living with my or your decision.
Another reason for going natural was the influence of a few of my friends who had already started their journey. I think this has really helped to give me a base of support. Then IT happened! I watched a documentary called "zeigeist" which led to another documentary titled "the secret gate to eden" which led to "The Modern Racist Paradigm". OMG! These truly opened my eyes to a completely different world and I wanted to know more. "The Modern Racist Paradigm" included the doll test that was conducted again recently and it is shocking that even more than fifty years later our black youth are still choosing the white doll over the black doll!? WTH! Thats when I started thinking more culturally.
I want to be a role model for my family so they can know that they don't have to alter themselves to be considered beautiful. I'm not knocking relaxers they just don't work for me, but in addition its one thing to style your hair straight and its another to permanently alter it to stay in that one style. Our hair is extremely versatile and we can do so many more styles when our hair is natural than when its permanently straight especially when that new growth comes in. So I've decided to embrace my naps and be a role model. I think this became my number one reason.
The last reason on the list is that I want my hair to be long like it once was when I was in middle school right before I started going to high school. I had bsl in middle school and it was so thick and healthy ;-(
O, two more important factors about my hair history. They both go hand and hand. Scissors and ends, ends and scissors. Since I've been giving my own perms I've been giving self trims. I've been doing my self trims so long now that I can give myself a super even cut all the way around or even layers all the way around. Crazy I know, but some of it has a little to do with my cosmetology training. Well anyways. I think I tend to get scissor happy because every time I run my fingers over my ends I always get a piece of a split end in between my fingers or it lands on something where I am. I absolutely hate this so a lot of times when I go in to trim I come out with a cut. I feel this is another factor that goes into why I can't get my hair to grow farther than an inch past my shoulders. especially in the back. This always makes my trim turn into a bob cut. For the rest of this year every 6-8 weeks I'm going to try to limit my self to dusting so that there will be no cutting, but I can't promise because if it gets crazy and I see nothing but split ends on the bathroom floor I'm probably going to cut.
Showing posts with label Natural Hair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natural Hair. Show all posts
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Some History About My Hair
I became a member of longhaircareforum.com in early April of this year and some great advice was given about tracking your progress as you grow your hair. I thought this was a great idea so I finally got a fotki account after snooping around and enjoying everyone else photo albums. I'm a little excited about sharing my experiences and actually being able to see how I get from point A to B.
Here's some history about my hair:
I've always done my own hair since I was about 10 and i seriously worked my natural hair into styles like braids and so on. One thing that forced me to do my own hair was that I am tender headed and everyone that did my hair would always pull or yank at my hair to the point where I would cry. I had enough and asked for a blow dryer and a flat iron and the rest is history. It wasn't until I reached my junior year of high school that someone suggested that I get a perm. While my hair had always been manageable to me, I had the feeling that thick hair is bad. I already knew that too much heat to your hair can be damaging and I was sold on the idea that after I perm my hair the only thing I would have to do is wash, blow dry, and go. (Which was a lye the only perm that I was ever able to do this with was Parnevu, everything else like African Pride, Dark and Lovely, and Pink Moisturizers did not do the miracle job.) After a year of perming I was ready to go back to my natural hair, but it was senior year and well thats when I found Parnevu. So for the following four years I had been hooked on the creamy crack and permanent light brown hair colors.
I guess I would have been okay with the stuff if my ends didn't break off so much from being over processed. And for some odd strange reason only the back of my hair breaks off tremendously ( I finally figured out this is because my hair is really fine in the back). This is the only reason why i did not color the back of my hair plus I wanted to get the two tone effect. After reading growafrohairlong.com I realized that my ends break off so much in the back partly because they're always rubbing against my shirts. ( I always wore my hair in a wrap after I started getting perms.) When I was in middle school I always wore my hair in a bun, I would always get teased about it because it would be so big like a huge button, but my hair was to the middle of my back then. Anyways I think I may go back to wearing buns in fact I even bought some new earrings today so that I can put this style into effect. (Not a big earring fan, but I feel naked when i don't wear my hair down.)
(Some comments in this post were originally written on April 19, 2008 on fotki.com)
Here's some history about my hair:
I've always done my own hair since I was about 10 and i seriously worked my natural hair into styles like braids and so on. One thing that forced me to do my own hair was that I am tender headed and everyone that did my hair would always pull or yank at my hair to the point where I would cry. I had enough and asked for a blow dryer and a flat iron and the rest is history. It wasn't until I reached my junior year of high school that someone suggested that I get a perm. While my hair had always been manageable to me, I had the feeling that thick hair is bad. I already knew that too much heat to your hair can be damaging and I was sold on the idea that after I perm my hair the only thing I would have to do is wash, blow dry, and go. (Which was a lye the only perm that I was ever able to do this with was Parnevu, everything else like African Pride, Dark and Lovely, and Pink Moisturizers did not do the miracle job.) After a year of perming I was ready to go back to my natural hair, but it was senior year and well thats when I found Parnevu. So for the following four years I had been hooked on the creamy crack and permanent light brown hair colors.
I guess I would have been okay with the stuff if my ends didn't break off so much from being over processed. And for some odd strange reason only the back of my hair breaks off tremendously ( I finally figured out this is because my hair is really fine in the back). This is the only reason why i did not color the back of my hair plus I wanted to get the two tone effect. After reading growafrohairlong.com I realized that my ends break off so much in the back partly because they're always rubbing against my shirts. ( I always wore my hair in a wrap after I started getting perms.) When I was in middle school I always wore my hair in a bun, I would always get teased about it because it would be so big like a huge button, but my hair was to the middle of my back then. Anyways I think I may go back to wearing buns in fact I even bought some new earrings today so that I can put this style into effect. (Not a big earring fan, but I feel naked when i don't wear my hair down.)
(Some comments in this post were originally written on April 19, 2008 on fotki.com)
I've been thinking....
I have been sitting back wondering exactly what it is I would like to talk about on this blog. I ugess it finally came to me that this would be my online journal for everything.
I think this will be a great place to keep all my thoughts including my thoughts about my hair and my progress. Which will be better than having a seperate fotki account, which is where I keep another journal. I'll probably post those entries here along with my pics and close that account. I must warn you that the entries are pretty long. Well enjoy the new combined blog of everything and anything, but probably mostly just hair.
I think this will be a great place to keep all my thoughts including my thoughts about my hair and my progress. Which will be better than having a seperate fotki account, which is where I keep another journal. I'll probably post those entries here along with my pics and close that account. I must warn you that the entries are pretty long. Well enjoy the new combined blog of everything and anything, but probably mostly just hair.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Introduction and 1st rant
Ok, so this will be the introduction for my blog. I know it wont really matter because after a while no one will even see this post. Unless they just want to see everything that I've written. I opened this blog because i feel as though I need an outlet for my everyday thoughts. Especially considering that i talk about the same things all the time. I really have to find an outlet because everyone that I talk to is getting sick of hearing me talk about them. So the solution, new audience = new topics well at least for you.
So please forgive me if I tend to talk about the same topic, but I don't think you'll really care. Its just something to read, but hey maybe you'll find it interesting while everyone near me finds it dull and tiring.
Enough about that. The topics that I'll talk about will be based on Detroit, African and African American History, Transitioning to go Natural, Natural Hair Care, and the challenges of being an intelligent African American female in an urban city. Trust me its not easy.
These are the things that I tend to talk about all the time. My bf thinks I'm trying to become completely Afrocentric with the Dashiki and all. Which is not true. I find an interest in learning about the history of people as a whole. There's something inspiring in knowing what and who was once here before now.
My very first rant. Umm, I hope this doesn't go too long because I know once I get started its kind of hard to stop or either I'll stop at the most awkward time where its actually hard to wrap. Well here it goes:
What was Mayor Kwame thinking???? He makes it so hard to try to support him during these trying times. Especially when he does something so stupid like going to Canada without permission. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!!???!!!! I mean really did you think no one was going to notice you? You know these people out here hate you and want to see you out of office. Did you forget you were out on a bond? Or do you just think that the rules don't apply to you? Okay, maybe that's what it is, but unfortunately you have to learn the hard way that a lot of people out here don't care who yo daddy is. All they know is that your a young black mayor of a major city and they don't like that because you stand for hope for a lot of young black men especially in this city. And your really putting a lot of them down. Your really becoming a negative idol for them and me.
I have to admit I was a strong supporter of Kwame even after the new trucks, the hiring of family members and getting paid under the table, even after Christine Beatty, but this one really has me questioning things. All I can do is shake my head in disgust and wonder what the hell is really going on. In this world when we do questionable things there are always consequences that will come eventually. I know it all stimulated from something that happened in like 2002 or 2003 and here it is nearly the fall of 2008. Well I can say that Kwame taught me one thing if nothing at all, always keep your noes clean. LOL.
Well, that's all for today til next time.
Love, Peace, and Please No Hair Grease (do you know what's in that stuff),
Apiphani
picture from The Associate Press (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iUnJmDV31xdNygv_rfAeqJX4SyfgD92EBCL85)
So please forgive me if I tend to talk about the same topic, but I don't think you'll really care. Its just something to read, but hey maybe you'll find it interesting while everyone near me finds it dull and tiring.
Enough about that. The topics that I'll talk about will be based on Detroit, African and African American History, Transitioning to go Natural, Natural Hair Care, and the challenges of being an intelligent African American female in an urban city. Trust me its not easy.
These are the things that I tend to talk about all the time. My bf thinks I'm trying to become completely Afrocentric with the Dashiki and all. Which is not true. I find an interest in learning about the history of people as a whole. There's something inspiring in knowing what and who was once here before now.
My very first rant. Umm, I hope this doesn't go too long because I know once I get started its kind of hard to stop or either I'll stop at the most awkward time where its actually hard to wrap. Well here it goes:
What was Mayor Kwame thinking???? He makes it so hard to try to support him during these trying times. Especially when he does something so stupid like going to Canada without permission. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!!???!!!! I mean really did you think no one was going to notice you? You know these people out here hate you and want to see you out of office. Did you forget you were out on a bond? Or do you just think that the rules don't apply to you? Okay, maybe that's what it is, but unfortunately you have to learn the hard way that a lot of people out here don't care who yo daddy is. All they know is that your a young black mayor of a major city and they don't like that because you stand for hope for a lot of young black men especially in this city. And your really putting a lot of them down. Your really becoming a negative idol for them and me.I have to admit I was a strong supporter of Kwame even after the new trucks, the hiring of family members and getting paid under the table, even after Christine Beatty, but this one really has me questioning things. All I can do is shake my head in disgust and wonder what the hell is really going on. In this world when we do questionable things there are always consequences that will come eventually. I know it all stimulated from something that happened in like 2002 or 2003 and here it is nearly the fall of 2008. Well I can say that Kwame taught me one thing if nothing at all, always keep your noes clean. LOL.
Well, that's all for today til next time.
Love, Peace, and Please No Hair Grease (do you know what's in that stuff),
Apiphani
picture from The Associate Press (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iUnJmDV31xdNygv_rfAeqJX4SyfgD92EBCL85)
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