Um, braids

It's late October and around the Mile High City it's starting to get pretty chilly outside. I'm quickly approaching my first "Nappiversary" and I'm thrilled but it also makes me think more about what I need to do for my hair to keep it healthy and growing strong.

This time last year, well in November 07, I was newly natural and thought I could wear Wash and Go's (WAGs) every day. I didn't just think this was a good idea, I actually wet my hair virtually every day to get the look I wanted. It was short, about 2 inches all over, so I couldn't exactly do any protective styles because I wasn't comfortable with that length in twists or braids and I'm not one who wants fake hair to add length. Wetting my hair via co-washes was what I did but I can not and will no do that this year.

My hair is much longer now, about 6 or 7 inches all over, but it is time to protect my hair from the cold weather. When dryness is your hair's M.O. you have to take the lead and be sure to hold on to every bit of moisture you can get. So protective styles it will be.

I decided, last night, to try out box braids (single braids). They turned out better than I hoped but they still are kind of...hm. I don't think I want to wear them out - although I did today - because they don't feel as cute as I would like but I do think I'd like them if someone else could do them for me. Go figure. It seems most styles look better, in my opinion, when someone does them for me. That doesn't help me take care of my own hair the way I hoped when I went natural.

So to keep it simple I will braid my hair and leave them in unless I go out. Maybe I can talk my stylist, aka mom, into braiding it for me small enough that I can leave them until December? Wouldn't that be fabulous?!

In a World of Weaves

In September I took a trip to Mexico with a bunch of ladies. When you, as a natural, venture out with Black women who stick religiously to weave hair for styling it can become glaringly obvious that natural is still not the norm. At what point did we as a race of women decide that our hair was good for little else than gluing or braiding fake hair into it? Am I crazy for thinking that we've bought into the euro-ideology that longer and straighter is better?

Three of the 8 of us was weaved to the max. I am natural, the other two relaxed. The rest: colors, length for days, and straight as Indian hair - weaved to the max. Even my own mother decided to top her "love knot" off with a coily ponytail for our night out. Weave, weave, everywhere.

Is straight hair better? Prettier? Although I have my moments of insecurity, I always find myself back at the same conclusion. Straight hair is in fact more common, maybe more manageable, definitely tends to be shinier - but better or prettier, surely not.

I once was asked by a woman whose opinion I once respected "a woman's hair is her crowning glory - so why would you chop it all off"? How can chemically altered or just plain FAKE be any more of a crowning glory than my naturally coily, cottony in some places head of hair?

In a world of weaves it can be hard to strut your stuff when yours is a head of shorter, "poofier" hair that tends to be less common. It's sad that nearly a year into this natural thing I still find myself a shrinking violet in a garden of fake daisies. I could just kick myself.