For most women, hair is no more of a management and styling issue than nails or skincare. But for many women of color, hair is a highly emotional issue.
I have many Caucasian girlfriends, and personally know that it's not much of a challenge to manage their hair and grow it long. For ones with fine, straight hair, it is difficult to achieve styles with curl and volume.
My friends with curlier, thicker hair, they have a little more management to do, but they're still able to grow long, healthy hair that's relatively easy to manage.
When Tony and I are at a shopping mall, at church, at Wal-Mart, or any place where thousands of people are gathered, it's easy to see the difference between most races of women from African American and related ethnicities.
We see an issue that we've termed 'black hair poverty.'
This topic is such a great phenomenon that we spent a whole chapter in our book, "It's My Prerogative," fleshing out.
This issue is evidenced by the fact that African American women spend 5 times more money on hair products per month, yet no race of women are more dependent on wigs and weaves as us!
If we spend so much on hair products and styling services, why aren't we known for our long, gorgeous hair? Why are so many of us walking around with bad weaves and cheap wigs?
Black hair poverty.
Making matters worse; historically, African American women have not fit the mainstream American standard of beauty.
This has made it more difficult for women of color to accept their own natural hair’s beauty.
These external pressures only fuel the fire of frustration we deal with at home.
Maintenance madness - Many curly/kinky girls struggle to maintain their hair because of the coily or kinky hair pattern made worse by coarseness.
This doesn't just make it hard to achieve gorgeous styles, but it causes dryness which leads to brittleness and breakage.
You see, curly/kinky hair doesn’t allow the hair’s natural oil to moisturize it, so our hair suffers dryness.
Styling woes - The above mentioned natural hair woes make it hard for us to easily style our hair in a busy life.
We can't just wash and go like ladies with fine, oily, straight hair types can, because we'll walk out looking like Buckwheat...and some do...but most want more.
This is the big reason chemical relaxers, hot combs and other processes that relax the hair have been such a huge trend for most of the 20th century.
But then we got tired of suffering the downside of all these processes that burn our hair and leave us with scars.
So we decided to transition back to our 'natural' hair, and products tailored to this trend sprung up.
Yet, today, in 2017, I still see so many women in black hair poverty.
But there's finally a solution.
For years I struggled with my dry, kinky, course hair. Trying to manage it so it was able to grow long while being easy to style in cute ways for every occasion.
When I transitioned to natural, without doing the big chop, things got even worse for me.
I had new growth and relaxed hair, not to mention the different textures I've had growing since birth on my head. It was like a battlefield on my head.
Shortly after going natural, my hair got to a point where it was mushy, limp and extremely tangled. I remember crying in the mirror washing it, trying to figure out what was wrong and what to do.
In that moment, I got blazing mad and wanted to take a butcher's knife to it all!
Instead, talked to a one of the few hair stylists who could actually help.
I dropped some serious dough on a salon-grade product line focused on pH balancing and moisturizing my hair.
I got my hair cut, colored and used this product line to restore balance, moisture, and health to my hair.
That's when I learned that using cheap products was no longer for me. They don't have the concentration of ingredients needed to deliver results.
I also learned that the key to success is NOT using organic, raw food items as hair treatments.
I see and hear of ladies using raw avocado, mashed-up banana, and other raw food items as hair treatments and I quiver.
Though it shouldn't have to be said, "These are food items for eating, not necessarily treating your hair!"
Using apple cider vinegar is an age-old home-remedy used by folks since the Great Depression..and I think for most of us who can afford actual 'hair clarifying shampoos'...history books is where these home-remedies should remain!
I actually used apple cider vinegar in my hair one time. When Anthony complained that my head spelled like sweaty, pickled feet, I put an end to that!
Sometimes we all need a good snap back to reality. :)
Salon-grade, performance products and a complete natural hair system is what's most important.
It was the experience I had when I was at my lowest point in my transition to natural hair that I had a moment of absolute clarity.
From that point, Tony and I began a journey to develop a comprehensive solution for women of color. A solution that included premium-performance hair products, a simple yet powerful regimen, essential education and community.
In part 3 of this series, you'll learn the 4 H's to Hair Happiness.
If there are things you're doing to sabotage your hair, you'll learn them, along with the proven secrets to managing and styling your hair to perfection.
Get ready for you natural hair GAME-CHANGER.
You'll be amazed at how fast your natural hair grows longer, softer and thicker than ever before!
The ESSENTIAL HEALTHY HAIR KIT is modern breakthrough that women of color are raving about.
Find out why and start your transformation to natural hair happiness today.
I'm going to share some essential secrets to transitioning to natural hair without doing the big-chop. If you follow these simple rules...
