Bold Cuts - by Sylva

Bold Cuts - life experience story by Sylva

Trip to Puebla, Mexico, March 2001. I was disappointed. All the Mexicans were so, well, American. The clothes, music, Costco...my college experience abroad seemed like the stateside version, only dubbed over in Spanish. 

While ruminating on alternative interpretations for ‘we didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us’ it occurred to me that maybe I could benefit from some introspection. After all, who was I to judge when I was wearing shoulder length braids? I saw a golden opportunity to begin extricating myself from the obligations piled on to me by my family, race and culture.So, I cut my hair. I pulled out those braids and took to sporting the quintessential fade of black boys everywhere. Instantly, I was riveted by my face. What cheeks! My big eyes! My little ears! I didn’t have anything to hide behind. I was forced to face the world unapologetically. No more using my hair to make the appearance of my person less shocking or more palatable. 

Going natural in another country was definitely eye-opening. When I was just black, everyone assumed I was easy; when they thought I was African, their ignorance became even more outrageous. People asked my white classmates if I was their maid and if I spoke English. At drum circles, the crowds eyed me expectantly like they were waiting for me to break out into dance. My mailman called me his ‘Jamaiquena’, his sly way of calling me African. The bright spot in all this was being approached by rural women who asked me to kiss

their babies. They told me that seeing a black person was lucky.

Once back home, my Dad schooled me on how to pick out my hair. I remember sitting in my grandma’s bathroom while he shaped it up for me. His strong hands were surprisingly gentle as he turned my head and inspected his work. There was a tenderness there that I hadn’t expected. I remember feeling grateful because I knew he feared for my future - he told me when I dumped my business major that I would be a pauper - and I could sense that he was hoping this would all be a phase. (Then I got a nose ring! Poor Pop.)  

I broke so many picks trying to get my hair into a neat Afro! Even as I fought it, I was fascinated by its boisterousness. It grew in thick and kinky. It corkscrewed tightly and the kinks had this boiiing quality that was just too cute! I didn’t know my hair could do that! By fall 2002 it had started to loc up on its own. I marveled at how pieces seemed to bond together over night. My hair had a mind of its own!  

The pictures during this time period are particularly telling: my family members look at times scared of, chagrined and bewildered by my natural ‘do. I’ll take responsibility—my hair was unruly. My locs were like raging pond fronds! My grandma caught me getting out of the shower one day and just let me have it. “Oooh!” she said, scrunching up her face and shuddering, “Your hair looks terrible! Terrrrible!”.  I can forgive her only because she was a Sagittarius and they’ve been known to speak without thinking. Eventually, I did cut my hair. I didn’t know of any locticians or natural hairstylists in Seattle and I didn’t know what to do with it anymore. I took the shears to my fat, matted locs and cut. Then I dyed it Red Hot Mary.It was a cute color but it dried up my hair immediately. The little kinks I loved so much stopped boiiinging. The hair at the root became brittle. It truly hurt my heart to see. That was the first time I understood the effect of chemicals on my hair. The price for a seemingly benign pleasure was an irreplaceable quality that was uniquely mine. 

For the next two years, I let my hair grow out again—but this time with more guidance! I washed and oiled it, brushed and parted it, braided and twisted it. Bantu knots were my favorite hairstyle. I arranged them in a diamond pattern all over my scalp. I always got so many compliments when I wore my hair this way. People thought I went to a stylist but it was all DIY. After a couple days, I undid the knots and finger combed the curls into a wavy afro. Talk about hot! At the dawn of the century, I was confident and on my own. My look matched my sassy walk and reflected my willingness to try new things.

In 2006, I officially loc’ed up. My hair was about an inch and half long when I got started. I went to a new stylist in Seattle’s Central District and she twisted me right up! My hair took to the process easily. It was pretty simple: wash, roll and dry. (I maintained my hair myself because I had a weakness for shoes and purses.) When it was long enough, I braided my locs to get a wave or rolled them up to get curls. 

Ten years into nappiness, I have developed a rhythm and relationship with my natural ‘do. It feels good to feel the stubby twists as I wash them and to let my fingers discover new growth. My hair is no longer a burden to me. My roots don’t embarrass me. I don’t have to drive an hour to the next city where all the black hairstylists are. Whew! Going natural is a relief in so many ways. I have to admit that going natural also facilitated another journey. It brought me back to my people. Back in sixth grade, after moving from Washington State to North Carolina, my new black peers ostracized me for “acting white”. My highwaters could be overlooked, apparently, but my straight As were inexcusable. I refused to dumb down and took refuge in Latino culture, excelling in Spanish class and watching Siempre en Domingo on Univision.

Throughout high school and college I kept a wary distance from other blacks.Going natural gave me the courage to face the community who had rejected me in my youth. Hadn’t my hair forgiven me all those years of hotcombs and relaxers? When I took an attitude of curiosity towards myself and withheld judgment, my hair and self-esteem flourished. It wasn’t hard to see that black people responded to internalized oppression in the same way our hair responded to heat and chemicals: by becoming brittle, broken off imitations of images that didn’t sync with who we truly are. I decided to give my people the same chance my hair had given me. Over the years, I have built enduring relationships with beautiful, authentic and empowering people who have appreciated my features and valued our common histories. They understand my struggle and can encourage and nourish me because they are doing the same. All the while, my locs have matured and grown down my back.If there is one thing I’d tell black women, it would be to go natural at least once. If you chose to do chemicals again, then at least you will be making an informed decision. Whatever you choose, getting to know yourself at the root is a priceless undertaking.  -  Sylva, May 2011

To read more about Sylva, check out her blog Blackroot in Bloom.

Making That Natural Step

Making that natural step – Loc's

Advice and Inspirational written piece by Naturaleza

What if…

no-one likes it?

everyone says it is not me?

people look at me strangely?

Do these sound like questions you ask yourself? 

Try these on instead - What if...?

I like it alot?

it makes me happy?

doing this allows me to be creative in other ways?

people say crap about it? I'm doing it for ME!

Don't let the views people have of you hold you back from doing it.

You know what I mean!   Having natural hair!

I won't pretend to be the guru on the topic. I can only share my experience. This is the second time that I've begun the journey. I don't know exactly what it is, but this time I feel more relaxed, feeling fit in my skin and loving who I am. 

Maybe it comes with maturity...not with chronological age per se. But maturity that allows us to block out the detractors. When we get to that phase that as people we are comfortable with who we are, who we see and quite frankly, we are not put off by what people say.

We just smile and nod!

Trust me...I smile and nod!

-Ask questions:        Educate yourself by asking other people around you who have natural hair how they maintain it. In my case, I preferred to ask questions about sizing and method to start my locs because I did
not want small locs. Find out about products and of course, the cost to maintain your hair looking its best.

-Use your tech resources:      The Internet is there to help. There are many sites, Blogs, Vlogs like Youtube to educate you.  We all have different reasons for wanting to have natural hair. But, don't get bogged down by what people want. Get excited about what you want! Use what you see and read to make informed decisions.

-Choose a responsible someone:   That someone does not have to be a Broad Street cosmetologist.  But, in the case of locs, I would rather have someone who knows what they are doing start them as they can show me what to do when making it to the salon might be difficult. Hey, that someone might even be your sister, your barber, your best-friend!

-Transitioning:    Not every day will be the same. Some days you may not want to do a twist out or do your full hair regimen. So what? Why can't you rock your headband? Or, do a scarf to complement your outfit? You are not your hair! Be creative with what God gave you! Dealing with locs has meant for me dealing with frizz and people who know me when I had relaxed hair, know how every strand of hair was in place. They knew I had every possible curling iron size under the sun.  The frizz is like a lesson in PATIENCE AND FORBEARANCE!  When transitioning, do you want to wear braids? What about doing the Big Chop (BC)?  Or, even microbraids? These are things to consider.

-No more burns:            Need I say more?

-Product junkie:        Then, of course we think about products.  Hmmm, another yummy part of having natural hair!  But, hey! Take it easy! You still want your crown to look lovely. There is a whole world of natural hair care products locally and overseas. Some say "natural" on the bottle. Others, are 'natural' with the ingredients they put IN the bottle, too! So, do your leg-work.

And, don't let people put limitations on how long they think you will keep your hair in its natural state either. That decision is up to you.  Nor, should you set up yourself for  the - kinky hair vs. loc'd hair debate.  In my humble layman's opinion, "Natural "means no element of chemical processing. So don't put yourself on a guilt trip either.  

Life is dynamic...don't be afraid! And as you may (or may not realize), a woman's sense of style and dare I say, how she wears her hair changes throughout her life; from phase to phase.

Remember: Love you! Embrace your beauty - inside and out!

Skin Care Tips - from Esthetician Juliette Samuel

Black Skin Care Tip: Shea Butter, The Natural Ingredient for African American Skin Care 

By Juliette Samuel
Publisher & Esthetician For Nyraju Skin Care

While dark skin may have its advantages, it can be prone to its challenges.  An example of this is dry skin. Yes, African American people get dry skin. Melanin is a great protector of African American Skin and dark skin in general, but dryness is a condition that brings a different set of issues to be addressed. For most African Americans shea butter is among the top natural treatments that can be used on dry and sensitive skin.  It is packed full of vitamins and nutrients that give protection to the layers of your skin.  Shea butter has the ability to refresh and bring it back to the original suppleness and texture that it’s accustomed to.

Good news for you is that shea butter will have your beautiful black skin responding to it quick, fast and in a hurry.  This enables your skin to retain moisture and have greater elasticity immediately after its application. Shea butter, used on black skin, makes it easier to repair the damage sustained by your skin, such as flaking and itchiness that’s caused by excessive dryness. In addition to making your skin feel better, shea butter has the ability to even out your skin tone.  Your skin is the largest organ of your body and if you’ve ever experienced dryness, you know that there is a tendency for white spots to develop.  The application of shea butter to black skin can reduce the dryness, spots as well as get rid of the streaking that takes place when you scratch dry skin.

In order to take full advantage of the benefits offered by this natural beauty product, make sure that when you shower or bathe, your water temperature is lukewarm.  Extreme temperatures in water, particularly hot water, will strip the natural oils from your skin.  If your challenge is extremely dry skin, do not soak in water for more than 10 minutes.

Your body cleanser should be made from natural products such as vegetable soaps or soaps made from vegetable oils, like olive oil.  Even better, use cleansers that contain shea butter.  Your skin will benefit from the gentle cleansing action and provide it with the moisturizing properties of shea butter.  Hopefully you've enjoyed the black skin care tips in this article but here is one last tip: apply the shea butter while your skin is still damp in order to ensure that the moisture is sealed in.  Do not rub your skin with a towel, instead blot it dry or use your wash cloth to remove the excess water.  This is much more considerate of your body’s fragile protective layer.

Guest Writer:  Juliette Samuel
Authors Bio:  Meet Juliette