A Goddess's Hair Story

I do have relaxed hair, but I am going to transition eventually. I've always been fascinated with natural hair. The versatility, beauty and funkiness of the style--a style once deemed "taboo" as opposed to innately individual. Candace sent me this email and it inspired me so much because I personally can relate.
I don't know very many people would would support my decision to go natural (I'm not even sure if I know many people who would care), especially since I know my own hair texture (transitioned before and I stretch for about 3-6 months between touch-ups) might not go over too well with some folks. (Keeping it real, I am AM a nappy-headed ho... i guess.)
But, this story was so cute and touched base with so many of the inhibitors that keep many black women from wearing their hair they way it (to be frank) should look. I have no qualms against relaxed hair (hello! I am chemically-treated myself!) but, lets be honest... I don't think God intended black women to be born with relaxed hair or else the market would produce relaxers for newborns.
But, I hope you all enjoy this little tidbit as much as I did. I will feature advice from her more often so look out for that!

A Goddess’s Hair Story
by Candace Doby

My hair was dark, relaxed, long and lovely. Whether it was styled up, down or to the side, I got tons of compliments from people about how beautiful my hair was. Honestly, I loved it silky and straight, too, up until I was nineteen. I was a sophomore in college when I started contemplating the idea of going natural. There was something about a short natural crop that I felt conveyed my personality, style and attitude so much better than the straight hair I was rocking. But I couldn’t quite commit to cutting it all off.

After months and months of unsuccessful internal deliberation over what I should do with my hair, I began asking those closest to me what they thought. I quickly found out that they were all were less than excited to hear about my contemplation to go natural. My parents told me not to do it because I would drastically reduce my chances of getting a good paying job. My brother told me I would look like a boy. My girlfriends told me that my long, relaxed hair was beautiful and that I would surely miss it if I cut it off. And my guy friends told me I would never enter a committed relationship with natural hair because most brothers liked long hair that blew in the wind. I was convinced they were right, so for two more years, I visited the hairdresser every six weeks to get my chemical. Deep inside, though, I wanted my hair to be natural.

When I was a senior in college, natural hair was still on my mind. But by this time, I was wise enough to keep these thought to myself and not disclose to anyone what I had made up my mind to do. For eight weeks I grew my hair out, and as a present to myself for my 21^st birthday, I cut the perm. All off! I had a half inch of hair on my head, and I loved it. And ironically, so did the very people who were initially skeptical. And for the record, I got a great job after school. I didn’t look like a boy. I didn’t miss my perm, and I had no issues with men, especially black men.

It took me two years to figure out that my hair didn’t define me. I defined it. It didn’t matter if it was long or short, kinky or silky, curly or straight, light or dark-- I was still a goddess. So, regardless of what hairstyle I decided to sport, it would only be an accessory to the personality I exuded. In addition to this, I learned many other lessons in this process that I want to share:

1. You are the only one who can make decisions about you. Opinions can be nice, but the last word should always be yours.
2. Don’t let people place their own limitations on you. When people can’t visualize a specific change in (or on) themselves, they typically won’t be able to see it in (or on) you.
3. Change is the only thing that’s constant. So, it’s ok to make changes.
4. Be confident in what your intuition is telling you. Because it’s usually right.
5. Relax. It’s only hair.

Candace is a marketing professional in North Carolina and is the owner of Goddess Zuri (www.goddesszuri.com), an ecommerce business that offers apparel and accessories to women looking to declare their natural beauty.

Anthony Dickey Hair Rules Line

Anthony Dickey, author of Hair Rules!, has expanded his curly hair techniques from bookstores to cosmetics isle. His team of stylists and hair enthusiasts alike managed to finally put their ideas inside of a bottle with his new line of products by the same name as the book.Dickey wants to encourage curly heads to embrace their god-given texture and maximize its potential and he's often remark about the small market for kinky, wavy, curly textures.

"Typically, products geared to the kinkiest of textured hair have been relegated to their own special section in the drugstore aisle and can be boiled down to two types: those that chemically alter the hair and those that try to tame it with greasy or waxy ingredients. and the products marketed to non-kinky curly hair don't fare much better; many of them cause extreme dehydration. these products reflect a one-dimensional approach to kinky, curly and wavy hair, and none of them address the multiple textures of an ethnically diverse world."

These products are dedicated to helping consumers get the best out of their curls without mega breakage. (These products can also be used in relaxed or straight hair). The line contains organic ingredients and has everything you need to get the most results from your curly hair, from clarifying shampoo to a deep conditioner. The Quench deep conditioner contains a melange of Avocado extracts, Jojoba and Shea butter.
The leave-in is a smooth emulsion of honey, ginger root, lemon and Gardenia (gosh that sounds as if it smells divine). There is an Aloe-Grapefruit shampoo and one without sulfates for gentle everyday cleansing. I may have to try this one out to see if its as good as the website says it is. If any of you have used these products, leave me a quick ditty in the comments box.

Natural is the NEW kid on the Block.

Nappy. Kinky. Picky. Hard. Ugly. These were all common epitaphs used to describe the "hideousness" of black woman's hair texture. I remember the days of sitting between my mother's legs as she furious snatched comb through the mass of strands and slathering grease unto the scalp. Grumbling the whole time, she complained of the toughness of maintaining my thick shapeless blob of tresses. I remembered being heckled incessantly by friends and family when I was less than four weeks from my "touch-up" time. I remembered burning myself on the neck, ears and sometimes face, trying to get those little naps in at the edges of my hairline. My friends choose Dominican Blowouts in their coif-arsenal, but had the driest damaged stresses on the block. I got relaxers and was always over processed. Didn't matter if we were leaving little broken hairs on the street sidewalks, like breadcrumbs to find our way home--It had to be STRAIGHT!

Now, kinks and curls are the new "waves". Once reserved for the Afrocentric, Neo-soul college crowd or biracial women, more and more fresh, young teens are leaving the hot combs behind and accepting their god-given texture instead of hiding them. This year, we have been bombarded with weaves; the good, the bad, and the mediocre. The beauty industry is now becoming more in-tuned with black women's natural curls, offering products, book and websites dedicated to transitioning and post-transition shock. No longer is wearing non-straight hair a symbol of anger or a tell-tale sign of racial mixing, but is a steady and growing part of black beauty.Girls are switching it up by adding funky braids, long Afros and color to the traditional viewpoints of natural hair and making it fashion forward. Remember BET's hit reality show, Baldwin Hills? Well, I know you counted, at least, three ladies rocking what god gave them instead of a perm.
One of those ladies include Gerren Taylor, who was been shaking up the runway since the age of three with her luscious texture and shining dark complexion.

Willie, the golden-hued optimist, let her multi-texture coif shined, in all its natural glory. I know you, too, were fighting the urge to envy her lovely locks.














Stacy was the hood-tough girl who made natural hair effortless. Every time she hit the scene, she was rocking a new 'do.


The versatility and low-maintenance of natural hair is its biggest appeal. You don't have to worry about constantly replenishing protein that was diminished during the relaxer process. You can also go from curly to straight, braided to loose, Afro to blown-out with ease. This month, we are dedicating the board to the care and appreciation of kinky hair. Don't be afraid of your new growth, and seriously consider going natural. Put the hot comb down and let your true beauty free.