A Natural Revelation

I did say I was going to write about natural afro hair.....heeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.............here goes.....

Afro-textured hair is a term used to refer to the natural texture of Black African hair that has not been altered by hot combs, flat irons, or chemicals (through perming, relaxing, or straightening).

It takes on different names such as spring-like, corkscrew shape, dense 'thick', 'bushy', 'coarse' or 'wooly', kinky", "nappy", or "spiralled" even a numerical grade type 4....or 4C for the way too thick bush, cottony, wooly, spongy,coils, springs, zig zags, s-curves....my dears the list is endless...I will simply put it as natural hair...


I have been transitioning for the past 6 years,,, and I tell you...there have some highs and lows.....and I am not sure whether to start on the high notes or the low notes....lemme start on on the lows, some of the lows.....

If I am to hypothetically estimate how much I have spent on my hair....it is probably the cost of a small town....(kidding) but if feels like that much.....I have previously bought every type of weave, extension, braids, clip on weave known to the human race...and I came to the conclusion that no one can out do me on those stakes.....

I have been through the seven deadly itches (from weave ons) goodness....these can turn you into a mad woman....

There is the pat itch/great thinker itch....(you literally pat your head)...like ur patting a dog or patting dough into a flat pastry...this one to the unknown eye seems like you are deep in thought and thinking something intelligent but to the knowing eye...there's is trouble and chaos in weaveavenue....

There is the get a pen and scratch the hell out of your head itch ....this one...haaaa where do I start....this one is the one where you give up...and regardless who is watching you just have to sort out that itch....WITH A PEN....and it feels so sweet after..like you just won the itch battle

The ghost itch.....you know your scalp is itchy but you are scratching another part of your body to divert the attention away from that itch

The get all your fingers and scratch your brains out itch.....this one!!!! experts know this one...no matter how much you have tried....all the above itch solutions do not work...so you lock yourself in a room (with a key) just in case someone walks in in on you....and you literally scratch some weave tracks out of your head....im not kidding...this is what I have gone through.....

Then there is the get one of your fingers and with no shame....just scratch your scalp....like you have lice or somehting.....I know this all sounds disgusting but I am trying to highlight something...which will be revealed later....

Get a tooth comb itch...as you can tell from the description...all it requires is a tooth comb....you just stick it in between the tracks...and itch away...preferably in private..coz you cant be bothered with using your fingers andddddddd....you do not have a pen handy....

The shake what your mama gave you itch=take it out of your head itch....this one is the mad crazy one....your body is going into spasms coz all the other itchpreventions have not worked so.....you are shaking and running out of solutions....so you just literally almost tear the hair out of its roots coz you are so quick to remove that weave and by the time you take it out....part of your hair has come out too...coz u were in a rush....but then it does not matter coz the relief is quite minty.....(you know the feeling of coolmint on skin) yes!!!! that's how you feel....again...I am writing from experience...I have spoken and shared weave stories with some of my girlfriends and we had to be honest with eachother....THIS IS BASED ON TRUE EVENTS.....

All this itching is a build up of dirt, oil, natural oil, air, moisture....its like a separate piece of earth on your scalp and some people do not remove weaves for like 2 or 3 months..so imagine not washing your head for that long...but you keep oiling it...thinking that you are actually enriching it...and in actual fact...you are preventing your scalp from breathing and blocking air to trigger its growth.....TAKE HEED...I am no hair expert but I tell you all this from experience.

And then you have to deal with the alopecia....oh yes!!!!! hair loss on your hairline and forehead...honestly...what is that about...I have gone through that and thank God for raw sheer butter from Ghana (RAW SHEER BUTTER FROM GHANA = I SAY!!!WITH MY FIST UP)my hairline grew back....

And then the shedding...you shed like a cat...you shed like you aint shed before.....your hair is everywhere....you are like a walking memory lane...(I have had weaves so I know what I am talking about and know what people went through with my weave)..its almost like when you talk....hair falls out of your mouth...its UNBELIEVABLE......ITS CRAZY....they look so good...but they shed so BAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDD.....

Then you have to go to the shops to buy the weave that they are going to sew onto your head....and it is never black people selling the hair and weaves....the person selling it to you does not know an ounce of what is good for your hair but they will be more than happy to take your cash and hear the till go KACCCCCHHHHINNNNNNGGGG!!!!!!!

And the trip to the hairdresser....goodnessssss me""""""!!!!!! the fierce ones charge about 200 pounds to sew the weave onto your scalp....and they do it so tight...you make sure that on the first night...you have a good supply of ibuprofen, paracetamol, gas and air, epidural, morphine, any pain killer you can get your hands on...if you do not have this....you need at least 11 (eleven vodka/gin/brandy/whisky) shots to help you sleep through the night and numb the pain out.....yeah....and no one....ABSOLUTELY NO ONE CAN TOUCH YOUR HEAD....NO ONE....its like your whole head just had a botox overdose.....(experience here)

It will take me a lifetime to explain all this......but I wlll keep it short and sweet or sour for now......

Like I said it took me about 6 years to forgive my head and hair for all the damage I have done to it over the years and go natural natural natural.....no weave, no perm, nothing.....its all natural and I am keeping it that way....and I am so proud of my achievement.....

Natural hair is God's gift to you....do not get me wrong....I am confronted on a daily basis by gorgeous people with weaves, perm and flattened hair and that is their choice - we leave in a free world and can do whatever we want. But from my experience I believe that based on your level of esteem, the less you think of your looks, the more you mess with nature. That does not mean I am some kind of knock out on the hair and looks front...NO!!!! BUT I am happy to think of myself as a 6 out of 10. 6 and a half on a really good day. I know my strengths and happy to acknowledge my weaknesses but no matter how nasty and competitive the black hair world is out there....snipes (negative comments about my natural hair) will never get to me. (I had an incident on a London bus one time where someone said "where is the bush fire around here and another said "in Barnet")Think about it....bush = afro hair, barnet = another meaning of afro hair).....

I am lucky to have amazing parents who instilled in me a huge amount of self belief - which I have, regretably, sometimes taken for granted, I had a very down to earth , stable African upbringing. I am not in any way trying to put down people with weaves or perms however my views are "to some people their self image becomes distorted from reality by the excess of physical perfection surrounding them day in day out. The inevitable comparisons follow, self criticims takes over, unless you are strong". It is intereseting when you speak to SOME men about this....they would prefer a girl with natural hair (maybe permed) but natural too....and secretly do not want their wives or girlfriends with weaves but this is something women do to compete with other women.

My stand against weave and perm is not going to make a difference in this world and its growing black hair profitable market, BUT, there!!!! if I do not speak up....all our daughters are going to be put under the most incredible and unrealistic pressure to look perfect no matter their age.

Let me not rant on like a politician.....I will however say think about the products you put in your hair....think about how you look with your hair in its natural state...its fuller, healthier, not flat...its like that for a reason....because you are a natural beauty...because your creater intended it that way, and because it suits you.....

Anyway here is a little history of natural afro hair in pictures.....emancipate yourselves....xxxx

NATURAL HAIR BEAUTIES

QUOTE OF THE DAY

THANK YOU FOR READING....HAVE A LOVELY DAY......XXX