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Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
Thu Jun 2, 2016, 09:23 PM Jun 2016

****AA Group**** Natural Kinky Curly Wavy Hair.

I didn't want to hijack 1SBM's thread and I know I have a tendency to go off topic...so I'm starting a new thread.

One of the personal reasons I decided to grow out a relaxer was my mother's passing. She had beautiful, long natural hair which I admired. And she would spend hours on my sisters and I's hair when we were children. She had that hard black Ace comb she would pop us with when we started squirming. But the worn, soft-haired boar bristle brush gently brushing up our edges at the end of the process was worth the trouble. She combed our hair out of love.

I begged my parents for a relaxer when I was in eighth grade. All the other girls were doing it..and they would whisper and snicker when my press-and-curl reverted. I played a lot of sports and couldn't maintain a hairdo to save my life. Finally, my parents relented. And I was happy. But the girls still whispered and snickered. It took adulthood to realize how foolish I was to listen to them, and even moreso, how white supremacy affected how they viewed me..and how I viewed myself.

I was scared when I first started wearing my "own" hair. I left the relaxed portion on for length because I just couldn't stand to cut it just yet. And I didn't want to look "nappy-headed". It was still a healing process for me. Grieving in a way...apprehension.. And the childhood fear of not being accepted as DNA/God/whoever or whatever made me.

I still sometimes have that fear. And not because of just my hair, but because I am dark-skinned as well. And colorism exists...and whether or not my white counterparts acknowledge or not, there is a difference in how some view black folks, particularly women, with African features. I have times when I go into work and when a curl is out of place, I'm angry with it. I think we all do that, regardless of color. But it IS a different brand of insecurity that I think some white folks aren't privy to.

I think I am now at a point where I've embraced my hair.

...but not 100%...Posting last night made me ponder where I personally stand...and I can totally admit that.

So...anyone else had the relaxer to natural journey? Or have you always been without a chemical process? And how do you feel? What are your thoughts?

47 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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****AA Group**** Natural Kinky Curly Wavy Hair. (Original Post) Quayblue Jun 2016 OP
I don't know what's wrong with me. I see sisters with natural hair and I just FEEL it, you know what Number23 Jun 2016 #1
Girl there is nothing wrong with you. Quayblue Jun 2016 #2
Yes, bottom-line: Do You! Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #4
This is awesome! Quayblue Jun 2016 #14
The W'fro just touches the shoulder now Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #15
Yes, the first big chop, I used a lot of products Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #6
I use a combo of coconut and almond oils on my baby birds' heads and it works okay Number23 Jun 2016 #12
I know! JAG mentioned Ouidad Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #16
I love Shea Moisture too! Quayblue Jun 2016 #22
I did the apple cider vinegar thing a few times and it did NOTHING for my head!! Number23 Jun 2016 #29
I use a spray bottle with water and a couple tablespoons of vinegar added Quayblue Jun 2016 #36
I thought this might give you a laugh :D Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #19
I did in 2000 JustAnotherGen Jun 2016 #3
"If I couldn't do that I wouldn't wear it natural." Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #7
She had six 'built in sisters' JustAnotherGen Jun 2016 #8
I knew it was the cocktail! Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #10
This is my "shampoo" JustAnotherGen Jun 2016 #21
I am bookmarking this thread!!! Number23 Jun 2016 #28
Try it JustAnotherGen Jun 2016 #32
Looking this up... Quayblue Jun 2016 #37
Ulta JustAnotherGen Jun 2016 #41
Okay, I know I should know better, but I have never been able to figure out what my hair type is Number23 Jun 2016 #13
There's a plethora of online hair type sites and they are fun, as well. Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #17
That is so wonderful. And how adorable is Curly Nikki?? Number23 Jun 2016 #30
It might be a mixture JustAnotherGen Jun 2016 #20
I still have no coconut oil in my house Quayblue Jun 2016 #39
Your hair color sounds beautiful. Quayblue Jun 2016 #23
Funny thing JustAnotherGen Jun 2016 #31
My wife went natural in 2000 ... kwassa Jun 2016 #5
"had a terrible time finding anyone who could cut it" Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #9
Great support system between you two! Quayblue Jun 2016 #25
Great Post, that brought back many memories ... 1StrongBlackMan Jun 2016 #11
Thank you. Quayblue Jun 2016 #24
For you, Quayblue, on your way to 100% :) Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #18
I love that! wildeyed Jun 2016 #33
You have posted before but I never tire of reading it! Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #34
Some day it will be. wildeyed Jun 2016 #35
Aw thanks! (((hugs))) Quayblue Jun 2016 #38
Thanks for the OP! Kind of Blue Jun 2016 #40
My brother informed me the other day that we are more than Irish/Scott and Italian. bkkyosemite Jun 2016 #26
My daughters hair is probably c3 gwheezie Jun 2016 #27
So how does one chase up what kind of texture their hair is? cyberpunk Jun 2016 #42
Why not? Quayblue Jun 2016 #45
It's coupled between that, and it's just something I used to do before enlisting. cyberpunk Jun 2016 #47
^^^ I LOVE THIS!! Liberal_Stalwart71 Jun 2016 #43
Whaaa??? Quayblue Jun 2016 #44
What an interesting thread. SusanCalvin Jun 2016 #46

Number23

(24,544 posts)
1. I don't know what's wrong with me. I see sisters with natural hair and I just FEEL it, you know what
Thu Jun 2, 2016, 09:44 PM
Jun 2016

I'm saying? I FEEL that hair. They look so spectacularly, astonishingly, amazingly beautiful. They look perfect.

But my mama slapped a relaxer in my hair when I was 8 years old (I had enough hair for five people) and that's been all I know. And then I go on naturallycurly.com to read about what products to use on my own daughters' hair and I read where some of the women with natural hair it takes them FIVE HOURS and like 12 hair care products to maintain it and I just don't think I can do it.

I know that for alot of sisters, the transition from relaxers to natural is an almost spiritual experience so it is great to read about how you're dealing with it. And yes, for black women hair is about so much more than just hair. It's about how we feel about ourselves as people and as women. It ain't JUST hair for us.

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
2. Girl there is nothing wrong with you.
Thu Jun 2, 2016, 10:39 PM
Jun 2016

That's just how it is out here in these streets.

I agree... It is so much more than hair. It's a damn psychological process. And we just do what's best for us in the present. And hell, I did a flexi rod set on my hair this past weekend it and was MAD at the results. I was texting everyone I know to help me fix it and they were like, naw, we have no clue. I just put conditioner in it and tie it down. Then I take my scarf off in the job parking lot.

My daughter is like you. She has 5 heads of hair. I don't remember having that much hair myself.

And it is a ritual to keep her hair done. She gets so angry when it's time to take it down and wash and the wholIe nine because there's so much of it. I just try to be patient and not get angry myself.

Girl...trying to mix hair with working and schooling...yo.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
4. Yes, bottom-line: Do You!
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 10:44 AM
Jun 2016

Do what makes sense for you.

I've gone thru the big chop twice now and not turning back this time. The first time, I couldn't stand all the attention from everybody and I caved to the creamy-crack relaxer.

This time, about 2 years now, I've resorted to calling my 'fro what my husband calls it, The WowFro

Last year, during our move, hauling boxes from one place to another, I was stopped by a police officer. Shit, what now??? I was speeding just 5 miles over the limit, didn't get a ticket, I think because he wanted to get a closer look at the Wowfro and Actually complimented my hair. What? I was praying, Please God, don't ask for my number. He wished me well on the new move.

I was followed a second time for miles during the move by an officer and that's a long story but I have no doubt the Wowfro struck again

But the journey has been a long one and I don't even know where to start with my so-called African hair, in America, that I'm loving beyond belief! Finally!

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
14. This is awesome!
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 08:26 AM
Jun 2016

Now the cops would have me shitting bricks, but just having a WowAfro so awesome, it's noticed in traffic.

How long is your hair?

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
15. The W'fro just touches the shoulder now
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 09:33 AM
Jun 2016

on the sides and back. I do lil black girl plaits every 3 days or so because of the tendency to just lock. I often keep the plaits in for weeks at a time because it grows best and fastest just leaving it alone. Cracks me up remembering the torture of my mom combing and braiding and being awfully tender-headed. And all these years later I'm doing it to myself.

The cop stops are in 2 different sections of a relatively quiet route to the new place. It's rare that I have to go back to the old place. But when I do the fro is pulled back tight or the plaits in. It's just not worth that kind of attention. Some of them just obviously see it as suspicous but that's just an excuse.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
6. Yes, the first big chop, I used a lot of products
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 11:24 AM
Jun 2016

and thought that I had to. But the best products so far for me are just plain old hydration and a little bit of coconut/olive oil, whatever natural oil, even mayonnaise to condition and wash out, of course, Seriously, I had to get to know the hair that grew out of my head and that may be the problem with a lot of naturals and the need for products. A lot of them are young, too, and products are just so much fun!

I agree that it hasn't been just about hair but seriously knowing that there is nothing wrong with it. I think once that growth in consciousness is understood, the sky's the limit for what can be done with the most versatile hair on the planet, IMHO.

I'm thrilled that black people, when it comes to hair, are allowing ourselves in huge numbers to live life the way we see fit. Do you!

Number23

(24,544 posts)
12. I use a combo of coconut and almond oils on my baby birds' heads and it works okay
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 10:20 PM
Jun 2016

But I am in LOVE with the Shea Moisture line of hair care products. Practically every one is gold.

The curling smoothie is the BOMB and the curl and style hair milk is amazing. I have even used it on my own hair a few times (I have to be REALLY careful not to use too much, that stuff packs a punch) and it makes your hair so moisturized and soft and the smell is divine.

I am a hair and skin care NUT. Like you said, products are so much fun!! This is why I will never EVER let my subscription to Allure magazine run out.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
16. I know! JAG mentioned Ouidad
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 09:39 AM
Jun 2016

Though I've been good about keeping to the bare minimum, the need to try it is irresistible.

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
22. I love Shea Moisture too!
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 11:18 PM
Jun 2016

It does smell really good. It's decreaed how much of the apple cider vinegar I rinse with when my hair gets a little funky.

I have to catch it when it's on sale though.

Number23

(24,544 posts)
29. I did the apple cider vinegar thing a few times and it did NOTHING for my head!!
Sun Jun 5, 2016, 02:26 AM
Jun 2016

How do you use it?? What was I doing wrong??

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
36. I use a spray bottle with water and a couple tablespoons of vinegar added
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 04:41 PM
Jun 2016

Spray and saturate your hair then let it sit for 30 minutes. Then rinse it out and wash with shampoo. If you reuse weaves, soak the bundles in about 3 cups of water with a couple tablespoons of vinegar before you wash with shampoo.

I hope this helps. My little sister put me on to this a couple years ago and it has helped tremendously.

JustAnotherGen

(31,688 posts)
3. I did in 2000
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 04:52 AM
Jun 2016

Now I need never really "needed" it and would do it occasionally - maybe with a new cut?

Two things happened - my natural hair color is a mix of about 60% auburn, 20% blonde, 20% warm brown.

1st - the brown started going gray in 2000. My hair was mid way down by back.

2nd - western NY, hot tub, January in an enclosed porch. A little wet on the ponytail. Two minutes two long drying off on a 23 degree night and getting through the French Doors and . . .

A good shoulder length cut and the necessity of hair dye demanded I go natural. That's also around the time I stopped wearing face make up like foundation, powder, primer - realized I didn't need it.

The person most thrilled? My mom. She had to "learn" how to do my hair and was glad I stopped putting the chemicals on.

That said I don't hold it against C4 and C3 hair owners. Mixed race hair more Caucasian (C2) I have to wash the front every day (oily hair) and condition the rest - then put my cocktail on and air dry.

If I couldn't do that I wouldn't wear it natural.

And now I don't jerk around with the complicated color processing - I just dye it very dark brown. When I'm 50 I'm stripping it and going snow white.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
7. "If I couldn't do that I wouldn't wear it natural."
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 11:42 AM
Jun 2016

Hehehee, getting the cockatail on?

I had no idea hair was being so specifically typed. I found out 3 years ago that I'm a 4C, so I thought. Then realized I'm 4B to 4C types from front, sides, middle and back. What?

Your mom should be commended! My SIL's mom, a wonderful white woman, chopped off her hair because she just couldn't/wouldn't(?) learn how to manage the poor girl's hair. Then SIL did the same thing with my niece, because now she couldn't learn how to manage the dense mix of the "African" hair. I've never seen a depressed 5 year old until then. My brother, growing up with 4 sisters, took over haircare of the kids and they're all gloriously naturals.

JustAnotherGen

(31,688 posts)
8. She had six 'built in sisters'
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 11:47 AM
Jun 2016

To help her. Their mom being mixed probably helped her . . . i.e. my mom knew about coconut oil for hair back in the 70's!

Yeah - it's a cocktail -

Coconut oil
Perfect 10 conditioner
Depending on the weather - Ouidad gel or humidity gel or curling cream. Sometimes mousse at the crown.
And Ouidad spray in 'curl back' around lunch time.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
10. I knew it was the cocktail!
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 12:00 PM
Jun 2016

Seriously though, God bless sisters! And coconut oil

Thanks for the tip on Ouidad. I'd never heard of it and see the Google images results on all hair types. Nice!

Number23

(24,544 posts)
28. I am bookmarking this thread!!!
Sun Jun 5, 2016, 02:24 AM
Jun 2016

For the great discussion and advice and ESPECIALLY for that cleansing oil! That looks like genius!!!

Number23

(24,544 posts)
13. Okay, I know I should know better, but I have never been able to figure out what my hair type is
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 10:23 PM
Jun 2016

My oldest is a clear 3b, my baby girl is a 2c. But me, I have no idea!!

Maybe I'm a 3C?? I am constantly being mistaken for Ethiopian and you know how their hair looks?? Does that sound right?? I've had a relaxer for so long who the hell knows???!!

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
17. There's a plethora of online hair type sites and they are fun, as well.
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 10:22 AM
Jun 2016

If I had known that there was such a huge online community, I wouldn't have been so initmidated to wear my fro after the 1st big chop. I found that the texture charts are really not that important in the long run, but a must for learning exactly how to care for natural hair. And I found that, and I bet it's the case for a lot of people, texture is not uniform all over the head. I've got my dad's coils in some places and majority of mom's kinks, 4B to 4C.

I love how the notion of "good" hair flies out the window when black women get together for the best ways to care for themselves. That's the best part of the natural revolution, everybody from relaxed to kinks are there for one thing, to help each other out.

Curly Nikki: Life & Hair Therapy comes to mind, or was it AfroBella, the first results when I Googled natural hair a few years ago. The girl has since sold her site for millions and millions after just starting blogging about her journey. http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/10/my-hair-story-pt1.html

Who would have ever thought natural hair care would be a boom for black entrepreneurs??? So good!

JustAnotherGen

(31,688 posts)
20. It might be a mixture
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 01:19 PM
Jun 2016

And yes I definitely know the hair type. One of my nieces has it. That hair type can be plaited then finger combed out to flawless waves. Try using raw organic coconut oil for setting lotion.

When I straighten my hair with a dryer and round brush - that's what I use and my hair is so silky. Natural heat protection.


I don't know if they have it where you are - but if I air dry - I use an instyler to smooth it. That might work well on your daughter's hair as opposed to Sundays of my Aunt Boot with her hot combs! My mom was okay with an electric hot iron but she was too nervous for the combs on the stove.

When she was here this past Thanksgiving and saw me using it on my overnight dried hair she was so mad she didn't invent it 35 years ago. Ahh - she did killer basket weave and French braids on me though!

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
39. I still have no coconut oil in my house
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 04:46 PM
Jun 2016

*slaps my own hand* bad, bad me. Going to get some this weekend because it's hair-doing time.

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
23. Your hair color sounds beautiful.
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 11:25 PM
Jun 2016

And isn't it wonderful to just look at yourself and the mirror and see yourself.

I think my mother's hair is similar to yours.
I'm going have to dig around a bit more on hair grade numbers. I got impatient with the science when I first started growing my hair out and just wanted something that made it manageable.

That snow white sounds divine. I know I will do the same. i almost can't wait for it.

JustAnotherGen

(31,688 posts)
31. Funny thing
Sun Jun 5, 2016, 08:52 AM
Jun 2016

Jack and Jill friends would tease me about being a Blondie Locks in the summer.

My non black friends during the school year used to call me red. .

Now I'm plain old dark brown and I'm happy that way!

kwassa

(23,340 posts)
5. My wife went natural in 2000 ...
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 10:54 AM
Jun 2016

soon after we were married. She kept it short for awhile, had a terrible time finding anyone who could cut it and not make her look like a man. We bought a home haircut kit, and for awhile I cut her hair and she cut mine. She still cuts mine, but has been growing her own out for four or five years now. She is always experimenting with different looks.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
9. "had a terrible time finding anyone who could cut it"
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 11:51 AM
Jun 2016

Yes! That was the last time I went to a salon because hairdressers just want to cut, cut, cut no matter what I said. And they were black women!

Good job, kwassa My husband is my helper, too. I guess anything but waiting hours for me at the salon

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
25. Great support system between you two!
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 11:32 PM
Jun 2016

I think that is also vital in this process. Lors knows how much money I've spent, and my husband never complained once lol.

 

1StrongBlackMan

(31,849 posts)
11. Great Post, that brought back many memories ...
Fri Jun 3, 2016, 03:51 PM
Jun 2016
she would spend hours on my sisters and I's hair when we were children. She had that hard black Ace comb she would pop us with when we started squirming. But the worn, soft-haired boar bristle brush gently brushing up our edges at the end of the process was worth the trouble. She combed our hair out of love.


I see my Mother (R.I.P.) and my Sister ... though they got on like vinegar and oil, those moments were bounding ... even the "pops". LOL.

I've always loved and cherished Black women with natural hair ... it is/was my first (but not only) clue, as to how she felt about herself (as a woman) and herself (as a Black woman) ... In both cases, it displayed strength and courage (and I love(s) me a strong, brave, Black woman).

It took me the better part of a decade to encourage Mrs. 1SBM to fade the "process" (I refuse to term it "relaxed&quot and go natural. It took baby steps.

When I met her, she had processed straight hair that came to just below her shoulder blades. She wore her hair that way for about three years. Then, I asked her to stop getting her hair processed and I encouraged her to go with braids. She wore them about 5 years. Then, a funny thing happened (well ... funny to me) ... I usually went with my wife while she got her hair braided; but, on this day, I went to play golf.

In the middle of my round, I got a call from my wife, "Come get me right ... damn ... NOW!" When I got there, my wife looked a hot mess and was pissed ... as BabyGirl 1SBM recounted, the woman that did my wife's braids and my wife got to watching movies and drinking and laughing, and when the woman went to cut out the last braid, someone slipped (it's still in dispute whether it was the woman or my wife moved) and real hair got cut ... a lot of it.

On the way home, I convinced her that she couldn't go around with a plug missing from her head, so we went to my barber (that was before I went for the bald look). He looked at her hair and convinced her to let him cut her hair down, "Just to even it out." When he was done her hair was a little more than an inch long ... and she looked ... well ... so hot.

Over the years, she has cut it closer and closer, so that now ... she is sporting something like this (the before picture):

?w=600

However, I noticed that with every cut, she became more out-going and confident ... And, I love her for it.

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
24. Thank you.
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 11:31 PM
Jun 2016

I'm really digging all of the stories you all have as well.

And LOL @ the braid story because I can definitely relate. Scissors suck, for real.

I never let anyone outside of my nieces do my hair. And reason why is they learned from me as I used to cornrow and bead their hair when they were kids. Now they're the pros and my fingers cramp up too much.

I bet your wife is beautiful and I'm glad you were a motivator for her. That always helps.

wildeyed

(11,240 posts)
33. I love that!
Tue Jun 7, 2016, 04:38 PM
Jun 2016

I have posted this before, but the most radical thing I do every day is to love my body unapologetically and to admire and support other women's beauty. These impossibly narrow beauty standards are a tool they use to keep us in line, and I am not having any of that today, thanks. I am never perfect in my quest to be non-judgemental, but I try every day. No judgement of body size, skin tone or hair texture. Beauty is not a rare commodity. There is as much of that to go around as we are willing to see.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
34. You have posted before but I never tire of reading it!
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 10:47 AM
Jun 2016
Beauty is not a rare commodity. There is as much of that to go around as we are willing to see~ wildeyed

Right up there with You could almost say that nature abhors habit. And so, it seeks the novel, by producing various kinds of phenomena, at every level~ Terence McKenna

Would love to live to the day when those 2 quotes are just second nature for us all

bkkyosemite

(5,792 posts)
26. My brother informed me the other day that we are more than Irish/Scott and Italian.
Sat Jun 4, 2016, 11:48 PM
Jun 2016

He did the ancestry thing with DNA. We have a small percentage of N. African in us. I just wish I had some of those beautiful curls that AA ladies have including a dear friend of mine. I have yukky fine straight hair...so be glad you have the curls..because us out here with straight want the opposite

gwheezie

(3,580 posts)
27. My daughters hair is probably c3
Sun Jun 5, 2016, 01:13 AM
Jun 2016

She's never processed it. She's 48 years old. When I had control of her hair I kept it short most of the time and conditioned it with olive oil. When past shoulder nlength I would plait or corn row. As she got older, she would use a hot iron to straighten it but when it gets past shoulder length it breaks too easy. She's wearing her hair chin length with it shaped to be shorter on top because when it's all one length it flattens out on top and she looks better with a more rounded shape and fullness on top. She has medium dry hair and doesn't do a heavy condition but spritzes a light conditioner between cleansing and a heavier application on her edges She uses an auburn tint to highlight the natural red in her dark brown hair. She hasn't used a hot iron in years.
She has a combo of hair types because she's a combo woman,lol. White,black,hispanic and a touch asian
I really enjoyed braiding her hair when she was little, a good time to talk. We still do hair talk, she likes to change her look. We live 100's of miles apart so I love that we can text each other.

 

cyberpunk

(78 posts)
42. So how does one chase up what kind of texture their hair is?
Thu Jun 9, 2016, 01:21 PM
Jun 2016

I'm a biracial college kid who can barely locate the conditioner his mom used to stick in his hair when he was four(lovely stuff really, think it was called B&B or something-- always in this pink and white bottle, had aloe and castor oil in it). I want to be able to grow my hair out and do stuff to it, dyes, straightening, et cetera et cetera-- the only thing is, the only thing that happens when I grow my hair out is it becomes an afro-- now how's that gonna look, being two shades from white with an afro to rival Hendrix? Shit ain't happenin', man.

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
45. Why not?
Fri Jun 10, 2016, 11:22 PM
Jun 2016

This is a big part of this discussion, I think. How we are perceived by others...

Just do you.

My mom used Bonnie Bell in our hair. It was discontinued and she was pissed off to say the least. Experiment.

Make you some aloe vera, olive oil tincture and keep tweaking it.

This thread REALLY has me thinking about colorism now. Absolutely no shade on you.... Because as a dark-skinned person, I previously wanted my hair straight to minimize my darkness, and you as a light skinned, seem to be afraid of Afro appropriation.

Why and where do we draw these lines? Just some thoughts.

But I still personally think you should just do the Afro and fuck it.

 

cyberpunk

(78 posts)
47. It's coupled between that, and it's just something I used to do before enlisting.
Mon Jun 13, 2016, 12:36 PM
Jun 2016

Sophomore year through senior year of high school, I rocked my fro out-- part of it has to do with more... I dunno, I always grew up hearing people say shit like "you're not black, you've just got a bitchin' tan" and completely erasing the fact that literally half of my family was black. That and it's something I've done before-- it feels like outside of going to get someone to braid it(I no longer live near any of my family), I can't do much other than grow it into an afro.

No shade taken, though, it's all good-- it's just something I'm still trying to make heads or tails of myself. Growing up, I had one other mixed friend who accurately summed up the way my mind worked where the tribalism of the school environment is concerned: "I'm too black to hang with the white kids, too white to hang with the black kids".

 

Liberal_Stalwart71

(20,450 posts)
43. ^^^ I LOVE THIS!!
Fri Jun 10, 2016, 01:18 AM
Jun 2016

After 10 years' natural and growing it long, I decided to big chop again. I just wanted to start all over again, just for something different. It's going to be a shocker when I return from vacation.

Quayblue

(1,045 posts)
44. Whaaa???
Fri Jun 10, 2016, 11:13 PM
Jun 2016

Why the chop? I've done that once. When I dropped out of college back in the day, I had it cut.

Why did you decide to?

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