Mind Your Own Follicle

I saw this article posted on the Black Girl With Long Hair Facebook page.
http://bglhonline.com/2010/05/mind-your-own-follicle-a-response/

Recently, I've heard of a hair forum where you could possibly be booted or receive a warning if you talk about or post a picture with straighten hair. I've heard of several comments made by naturals that could be said to be negative about relaxed, straightened, or weaved/wigged sisters. I, myself, can be quite passionate about my own decision (MY OWN DECISION) to become natural. However, do we have to fight other sisters who choose differently? Do you think some of us take this natural thing too far? Has the natural hair community become just another clique that divides us as a race? Or are we being perceived as harsh when in reality we are put on the defense and we're simply standing up for ourselves?

What say you?

I say some naturals have gone too far. That's why I stopped visiting another forum that shall remain unnamed. Whenever you ask about straightening your hair or hair types, you would get "jumped" on!

If you want to straighten your hair, go for it but I say make sure you protect your curls from heat damage. If you want to cover your natural hair with a weave, go for it.....You do you, and I am gonna do me.

That's why I love this forum so much....everyone is so supportive no matter how you decide to wear your natural hair....straight, colored, etc.

Thank you Lynn! We don't need to name names

I think she is talking about Nappturallity. That site was created for women who wanted to learn and style naturally kinky hair. I think the site is associated with, but not created or run by, the lovely woman who wrote Growing Natural. That woman writes about having NOWHERE to go for her hair type and I think the woman who created Nappturality was in the same situation. Can someone provide better info?

I think there are always people who go too far. In this case, I am sure they are plenty. Unfortunately I do think and say negative things about badly relaxed hair and bad weaves. I don't mean to attack women for a simple hairstyle though. I need to be more mindful of pushing my opinions on others.

I have become very pro- diversity and very anti-conformist to false ideals of beauty. I hope I don't become a pain.

I stopped reading a hair site on xyzxyz because it was a bit hostile over there. If you asked a question and someone asked it a few months before, you could get yelled at.

I definitely think that that forum takes being natural a little too far. I mean, c'mon. When I first began my HHJ, I limited my knowledge of healthy hair care practices to just natural hair ones. And although I still am learning a lot about natural hair every day, I'm trying to educate myself in relaxed healthy hair care as well. Not cause I wanna relax my hair ever again, cause it really just doesn't fit my obnoxious personality LOL, but because I just wanna know. I think this forum is great because everyone is extremely supportive of each other, but I think LHCF is also amazing. I LOVE when I see relaxed (or even texturized) ladies commenting on how beautiful someone's fro is looking or vice versa. I've come to accept and love ALL healthy hair, not just if it's natural. However, if I see someone with some jacked up relaxed hair, I definitely giggle a little [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] But maybe next time I see someone with some messed up hair, relaxed or natural, I could maybe help them. That is, if they're willing to listen.

I think that there are those in the natural community that have taken it to the extreme. I think that the decision to be natural is a personal choice just like the decision to have relaxed hair. I don't condemn people who have relaxed hair or who have straightened hair. To each her own. Whatever hairstyle a person has, she should wear it with confidence and not have to worry about condemnation from another sister. We as sisters should not condemn someone for being relaxed or someone who chooses to straighten their hair. My 21 year old daughter is relaxed and I respect her decision to remain relaxed just like she respects my decision to go natural. We should not let the decision to be relaxed or go natural or to wear straightened hair become a wedge to divide us. We should respect each other's decision.

SisterBoyd wrote:Thank you Lynn! We don't need to name names

Maybe I wasn't clear with my gratitude for not naming names. So let me be clear - I didn't start this to bash any particular site.

Lynnieluve wrote:I say some naturals have gone too far. That's why I stopped visiting another forum that shall remain unnamed. Whenever you ask about straightening your hair or hair types, you would get "jumped" on!

If you want to straighten your hair, go for it but I say make sure you protect your curls from heat damage. If you want to cover your natural hair with a weave, go for it.....You do you, and I am gonna do me.

That's why I love this forum so much....everyone is so supportive no matter how you decide to wear your natural hair....straight, colored, etc.

I couldn't had said it better myself.

I am a big fan of LHCF. I favor the more supportive sites. There is one forum on facebook that i avoid because they can get nasty....

all folks need to do is focus on their own head and some need to stop behaving like because they are natural they are better that people who choose to perm etc. I read some forums too and some people just need to mind their own heads and get on with it. Sometimes I wonder why going natural is such a big thing suddenly. The forums, youtubbers etc offer a wealth of advice yes, but sometimes this just feels like a fad that will soon pass...

Kim, you have a point. Part of this IS a fashion thing and these do come and go. That's just the way people are. This kind of thing is a cycle. The difference is the movement is very large and more than just young people are participating. In the recent past - there was only one type of style for black hair that was considerable acceptable by the bulk (not everyone) of society. That has changed. And the media is like a opportunistic virus that responds to it's environment. It is responding to the natural movement so you see more naturals on the media, more people see the naturals so they try it, the media and people see more naturals, etc...It's just how people are.

But keep in mind that fashion often follows circumstance. I think because we are in a new century, because we are in the middle of a technology revolution and because of our ability to SEE each other globally, choice has become a choice. In other words, we could have a video conversation right now and you can show me the fashions on the streets of Japan and that can influence me. I can say - hey, I wanna try that. There would be a very limited filter between my eyes and your camera.

Our filter has dropped somewhat. I don't think we will ever go back to the way it was. Now if suddenly a safe, permanent, genetically altering procedure was invented that would allow women to change their kinks to straight, there might be a stampede to the doctors office and all of this could disappear in an instant. And everything I just said would be quaint and funny.

Still, I personally think that the natural hair movement is not just racial, but a result of the organic movement. So that people have realized that we look different from each other and that's ok. And people have realized that better living through chemistry is not a license to replace nature with Walmart and gasoline.

None of this excuses cruel mean-spiritedness or a sense of superiority. I obviously tend toward supporting natural hair. But SisterBoyd helped me to keep myself in check with this post.

All of you raise great points. When I saw the article on clutch magazine I was a little skeptical but it also raised great points. Honestly, going natural is a personal decision. I did it more out of necessity and ease. I don't have much patience for my hair when it's straight. I hated having to worry about frizz and wrapping it every night. With my twists and fro it's a bit simpler. Every woman should be allowed to do what she feels. Weave, perm, tracks and all. It's personal. I question the safety of some chemicals but to each it's own. I think we're better off being supportive of each other maintaining healthy hair.