Well my hair has been behaving itself lately. It could be due to the Marley twists that I have entwined into it so that I could tame its wildness. Whatever it is I love it! I’ve been contemplating on bleaching my hair blonde and wearing my natural curls but I’m going to need more consultation on that before I take that big step.
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The holiday season is here. So t'is the season to be with family and friends, shop, and create a budget! Being a college student, I love everything at a great price. However, I am a victim of high fashion shoes. My addiction to fashion items from BCBG, Jessica Simpson, and Vince Camuto, has led me to realize that my unhealthy shopping habits could affect me financially (in a negative way) in the future. Financial preparation has been an issue that seems to constantly cross my mind whenever I think of student loans and other expenses. Why isn’t financial responsibility a mandatory class that we have to take before we are pushed into the real world? About a week ago, I started this new health kick. And I must say it has been a challenge. However, it is necessary in order to embrace the Natural Me. I realized that I had to start internally. Being healthy does not only include what one eats but also how one lives. Our diet can affect many things including: hair growth, our emotional, mental, and physical well‐being. For example, hair is composed of mostly protein. This means one needs protein to help grow hair. Of course protein is not the only nutrient needed, but it is a start. Other nutrients needed to maintain healthy hair include: Iron, Vitamin A, and D. “Young ladies should not wear their nails polished. Young ladies should not whistle. Young ladies must know how to cook.” These were only a few of the requirements that were mandated to me as a child in a Liberian household. Growing up Liberian in America was really tough for me. The more my family wanted me to embrace my culture the more I tried to assimilate into American culture. Assimilating was a defense mechanism that was developed due to the negative comments that were said by the kids at school. Once they discovered my nationality, the jokes never seemed to stop. “You’re an African booty scratcher!” “Do you look out your window and see lions?” “Do you all walk around naked?” were some of the asinine questions and comments that were proposed to me. There are two words that are detrimental to one’s hair, SPLIT ENDS! I recently went to the beautician and she cut almost 2 inches off my hair due to split ends. All the hard work I had put into my hair during the summer disappeared with her shears. As I watched my hair hit the floor, I couldn’t help but feel aggravated at the fact that my hair might never leave my shoulders. What’s the point of being natural if my hair never grows in length was the question I always would ponder after each trimming or cut. Using what I know now I would respond to that by saying that natural hair grows healthy in width before it can grow in length. by Renia Bates In the 1970s, the symbolism that followed the word natural hair was in the shape of a hair fro. When that word is mentioned today, one can now see a variety of hair styles, products, and attitudes. I have been natural for a little over two years and saying that the journey was easy would be an understatement. Everyone has their reason of why they decide to take the natural hair journey. Some do it because their hair has become damaged due to over-processing, and others do it because everyone else seems to be doing it. Now I was inspired by the comical yet realistic blockbuster “Good Hair” which was directed and narrated by Chris Rock. Chris explored the perception of “good hair” through the eyes of the consumers and the sellers. Once the movie was concluded, he made people, especially black women, realize that we need to appreciate our own hair. That straightening our hair was a mechanism developed in order to help us assimilate to society’s definition of beauty. |
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