I ran into this hilarious post by NaijaHusband over at NaijaHusband.com about what its like to be married to a woman who embraces her natural hair. I'm telling you that I could not stop laughing through the entire thing. In the post he lists 8 things that husbands should adapt to once their wives return to their natural. Here are just a couple things that he says that men … [Read more...]
Natural Hair
5 Reasons NOT to Relax Your Child’s Hair
If this is a tradition, I will NOT be passing it down to my little black girl. Relaxer, perm, creamy crack, the good stuff and my straight fix are some of the terms said in the kitchen that I can remember as a child. I don’t blame my mother for applying a substance not made to help my hair. I don’t blame myself for continuing to use the same chemical known to burn holes in … [Read more...]
Black Hair Care: How My Mom Regrew Her Edges
by Gabrielle Allen, Black women seem to suffer from a common problem which are thinning edges. I am not saying that it’s exclusive to our race but we do wear weaves and braids more than any race of people I know in existence in this day and edge. Take my mother for example. She told me that since she was a kid, her edges have been in horrible condition and to make matters … [Read more...]
Steve Harvey Helps a Married Couple Deal With the Wife’s Choice to Go Natural
In my article One Man Examines Why He Did Not Want His Wife to Go Natural, I covered a story about a man who had to deal with his own issues in order to accept his wife’s choice to wear her hair in its natural state. Talk Show host Steve Harvey delves into a similar issue on a recent show while talking to couple McClea and Love. In this episode, McClea and Love talk about … [Read more...]
New Army Regulations Slight Women with Natural Hair
Last Monday, the U.S. Army released Army Regulation 670-1 regarding a more defined set of rules on a soldier's appearance. While the regulations cover tattoos, grooming and uniforms, it is the standards regarding hair that has many Black women feeling unfairly targeted. A PowerPoint from mid-March, leaked before the official release of the regulations, shows images of the … [Read more...]
Natural Hair: Maximum Growth & Length Retention
When I first went natural back in 2006 my friends thought that I was insane. My hair was shoulder length at the time. I did not transition long, opting to first cut my relaxed hair into a short style one month before my Big Chop (cutting off relaxed ends). So the change was very abrupt and drastic. What’s the first thing you think when a woman cuts her hair? That she is going … [Read more...]
Natural Hair: 5 Tips and 4 Styles for Tweens
Just when I get the hang of handling my daughter’s natural hair, she decides to become a tween and disrupts my entire existence. Yes my little girl is growing up and she is beginning to want to express herself not only in what she wears, but also how she wears her hair. No longer is she interested in ponytails and puffs. She wants to wear her hair loose and down ALL the … [Read more...]
“Black Hairstyle” Acceptance In The Workplace
Photographer Endia Beal has taken the “Acceptable Black Hairstyles in the Workplace” controversy to a whole other level. In her photographic series “Can I Touch It” Ms. Beal explores gender, race and generational gaps by taking a group of middle aged white women to a Black salon and giving them all so called “Black” hairstyles. Afterwards, she took head shots of them in those … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Love Their Natural Hair
There’s a saying that goes, “If you’re not into your hair, you’re not into yourself.” If you really think about this for a moment, it’s not too far from the truth. Bad hair days tend to make for plain ol’ bad days overall. When your hair looks great, you feel amazing, and your day tends to go even better. Believe it or not, a lot of self-esteem lies within the strands of our … [Read more...]
One Man Examines Why He Did Not Want His Wife to Go Natural
The natural hair explosion seems to be taking over certain parts of the United States. African American women everywhere are getting away from the relaxers and some are even letting go of their weaves. They are owning and wearing their hair in its natural state and embracing their coiled coifs and natural roots. Just turn on any television and you will see Black women and … [Read more...]
UPDATE: Ohio School Bans Afro Puffs – Follow Up
To get some answers and to launch a concrete discussion on an Ohio Schools ban on the Afro Puff hairstyle, HuffPost Live reached out to one of Horizon Science Academy's advisory members James Knight, who is an African American male. When asked how something like this could have been allowed to happen here is part of what he had to say …The board might have misunderstood what … [Read more...]
Ohio School Bans Afro Puffs
The internet rumor mill has been buzzing for the second week in a row regarding an Ohio school's alleged ban on wearing Afro Puff hair styles as will as Twisted Braid styles. Apparently, the administrators of Horizon Science Academy in Lorain, Ohio sent out a memo last week outlining the schools new dress code. The new rules state that "Afro puffs and small twisted braids … [Read more...]
Why Is Skin Tone Still OUR Issue?
Are you color struck? Do you find yourself saying things like, "She is so pretty to be so dark!?" or telling someone, "You better keep her out of the sun, you don't want her to get to dark." or my favorite when looking at someone's newborn child you say, "Oh don't worry she wont get too much darker." To be "color struck" as defined by UrbanDictionary.com is: To have an … [Read more...]
3 Tips for Getting Dad to Help with the Kid’s Hair
I’ll never forget that day. I’d worked 10 hours not including the 2 hour trip there and the 2 hour trip back. Work was just crazy on that summer day 7 years ago. When I got home, all I wanted to do was sit down and zone out. But what met me at the door would prevent relaxation from ever happening. Yes, it was nothing short of a tragedy. A real "Hair"tastrophe if you know … [Read more...]
Relaxed Without Permission: 3 Ways to Ensure That Your Kid’s Natural Hair Stays Safe When Away From Home!
For the second time in the past few weeks I’ve been told similar horror stories. In both situations children with natural hair were sent for short visits with relatives and were returned with relaxed hair! In the first story the mom sent her two daughters to be with their dad and stepmom for Spring Break and the stepmom put relaxers in both girls hair. In the second story … [Read more...]