If you are reading this and have decided to go natural, congratulations and welcome to the sisterhood of naturalistas. You have decided to let go of the need to feel incomplete without chemically altering your hair. You have the confidence to step out without bone straight hair on your head 24/7. If you are one of the people who feels as if straight hair validates you, this is especially for you. Since I’ve gone natural in 2007 (10 years ago), I’ve had many reactions to my decision. Back then, it was a small wave of people doing it, but it wasn’t nowhere near the movement it is now. I got several opinions as to why I would want to do that. I heard, oh you won’t be able to wear it in a professional environment, it’s just not for me, only certain textures look nice natural, you won’t ever be able to straighten your hair, and you can never wear it in a formal setting. Well I’m here to dismiss all these myths.
Myth #1: Natural Hair Is Not Professional
Here’s my question, what exactly constitutes as professional? My definition of professional is making sure you are representing yourself and business/company in a matter that is neat and a reflection of how you want your business/company to be perceived. Should straight hairstyles only be categorized as this? Absolutely not. If hair is combed and styled neatly, then it should be called professional. There are many styles that can be worn to fit this description. A short crop, cornrowed styles, twist outs, wash and gos, and locs are all natural styles that can be worn in the work environment. A little while back, there was a controversy on Google where if you search unprofessional hairstyles, all these styles were shown. Obviously, they were all African-American women which left people very upset as this being a subtle form of racism. A friend of mine’s sister was actually pictured as one of the women on Google. As I do the image search now, it’s still mostly African-American women featured. People need to get in their mind that there is more than one style for professionalism.
Myth #2: It’s Just Not For Me
I hear this often as to why people prefer not to wear their hair natural. Some even say they just don’t like natural hair. My response to this is so hair that you were born with, that came out of your scalp is not for you? Huh?! I’m not saying by no means that you have to only like your natural hairstyles, but the statement of it not being for you is pretty silly. It’s like saying my hands aren’t for me. When you say it like that, people realize that statements like this are pretty silly.
Myth #3: Only Certain Textures Look Nice Natural
This is where the separation of “good” hair and “bad” hair comes into play. By now, I’m sure most people are familiar with the phrase good hair. If not, here’s a brief summary. Good hair is considered the desirable texture/grade of hair. It’s the hair that is not as kinky/nappy. It’s softer, has a looser curl pattern, and is not course. In some people’s eyes, it’s viewed as multi-ethnic or biracial hair texture. Back to the myth now. As a society, we share in the blame for this. Often times, when a model is portrayed as natural, they usually have the looser curl pattern/”good” hair. She is shown in the magazine, on the product box/label, and on the blogs/vlogs. This may discourage many women who don’t have that texture from wanting to go natural. However, it is certain styles that may look better on a looser curl pattern, but there are also certain styles that look better on a tighter curl pattern. It’s all about using the proper products (different products have different results for different hairstyles) and trial and error. As a natural girl, you are constantly learning new and different techniques to style your hair, so don’t become discouraged.
Myth #4: You Won’t Be Able to Straighten Your Hair
This is a huge myth. The phrase natural just means your hair is not chemically altered. There are no products physically changing the structure of your hair permanently. So if you blow dry and flat iron it occasionally, you are still natural. It’s no different that the press and curl you got as a little girl for school pictures. In most cases, if your hair is properly protected, you can straighten and then wash your hair and the curl pattern should return. If you are constantly straightening your hair, then you may train the curl pattern to lay down. But you have to do a lot of only straightened styles to get to that point.
Myth #5: You Can Never Wear It In A Formal Setting
There are so many natural styles that can be worn for a wedding/formal affair. There are many braided updos that can easily be accessed on social media (Pinterest, You Tube, Natural pages on Facebook, etc.). Here are photos from my wedding. In this day and age, anything can be found online.
I get that everyone isn’t going to want to embrace their natural hair. However, don’t try to discourage or be ignorant to people who do decide to be natural. There are different strokes for different folks, so let the different ones just be that. Cause after all, if everything was the same, it would be pretty boring.