Team Natural vs The World...?

Here's my take on this HAIRifying Issue:

Look, I was born with a relaxer (perm) because I had parents birthed from a society that didn't know better. The day my mother put her first perm in, was the day she knew she'd do the same to mine if she ever had a daughter. My hair was predestined for a perm...and my mind followed. As soon as I felt a little hint of a wave growing through my roots, it was TIME! I'd share flaming scalp stories with my friends, and we'd laugh at the nappy natural girls who'd never known a perm. In my house, getting a relaxer was more on schedule than night and day. There was NEVER a moment when my hair wasn't fried, dyed and laid to the side. OKAY? I wouldn't have believed anyone who told me I'd be natural by my sophomore year in college.

Let's back up to freshman year when a perm went awry. I'd never, EVER had any problems with my relaxers until the day my edges came off. BAM! The whole right side of my hairline was Michael Jordan SMOOTH. I had to wear headbands and the whole nine. Ya dig? When the guy I was crushing on pointed out my Mr. Clean scalp, I was SO EMBARRASSED! He was cool about it, but damn, son. C'mon. But check this out, that still wasn't my last perm. After my edges grew back, I laced that creamy crack on the side and was back as sleek as ever. However, something about putting a perm on edges that had fallen out months prior, struck a nerve. Not only that, I missed playing with the baby curls on the side of my head. I missed those moments of natural innocence that I'd never experienced in my youth because my hair was taken before my memories of self existed. We're enlisted in this battle of Natural vs The World because somewhere along the lines we told ourselves we "needed" to fit into society's standard of beauty. I'm not pointing fingers at white people or Europeans because most of them have no idea what people of color put themselves through for a shot at upward mobility--- that's another topic. In my family, and in MY COMMUNITY we're told that we "need" perms. I strongly believed that I "needed" a relaxer and even suggested that natural's should invest.

Needless to say, when I decided to do the "big chop," my inner circle snickered and sniped. I woke up one morning on a whim, and cut off all of my hair with a pair of 99 cent scissors from Meijer. Yes, I did give the minor deets. And the date was April 6th, 2010. That's not even important. If you have a perm/relaxer, I know all about the struggle. I spent 20 years in it. I'm not telling you to rock your natural hair. But, I will ask if you know exactly why you get perms. Seriously. I've heard that it's low maintenance and that people don't have time for natural hair. I've heard people don't think it's professional...I even did a research paper on it. I'm a professional woman who has given presentations in front of 200+ white people who love my hair. But then again, it's not about white people, it's about US! Black women and Latinas. That alisado is in HEAVY rotation in DR & Puerto Rico. Maria's Peluqueria uses the same creamy crack as Brenda's Beau-tique.

Y'all know we're the queens of FLY hairstyles. Trust! Honestly, while I had a perm and routine salon visits, I often ran out of new styles to wear. I did the dyes, cuts, zillions, twists, roller sets, and everything else. Trust me. Now that I'm natural, I can still do all of that, plus curly, artsy sculpted, up, down, wet, dry, slightly diffused, and so much more. My hair grows faster than ever and it's so much thicker! I was complimented on having thick hair with a perm, so look at me NOW! You do not have to chop your hair off. Half of the people I know, grew their perms out. In a few months, I'll reach the overly-glorified bra-strap length and it's only been three years. Good hair is HEALTHY HAIR, and not one of my people is going to tell me that my hair isn't in better condition now that I keep it as it grows out of my head. What's more exotic than chocolate with a curly top, kinky carmel girls, and every shade in between with natural waves? That's sexy! Guys LOVE my hair. Straight hair is OUT! A flatiron still gets my hair just as straight as before, but now it's more VOLUMINOUS, SHINY and BLACK! I can workout when I want to, swim with my mind at ease, and get ALL THE WAY LIVE during a night out, without worrying about my hair. The more moisture in the air, the better my curls look. If you're still with me right now, just THINK about it. Shake those shackles, girl. If you're already living this FABULOUS life of LIBERATION, keep being free.

P.S....pass it on. :-)

-Maura