A Hair Story: From Relaxed to Natural

Anyone who is criticizing African-American women because they've made a personal choice to wear their hair natural, locks, braided, relaxed, extension, weaved, etc, needs to mind their own business. IT'S A PERSONAL CHOICE. People are allowed to look and wear their hair the way they want so stop with all of the ridiculous judging. Geez!!!!

Posted at 10:11AM on May 8th 2009 by Mayleren

Hallo Anna, so happy to hear that you are a sister here too in Basel. I have been living here since january this year and i have been looking for a hair salon and stumbled on Aveda and was surprised that they had a black guy as thier manager. Can one ask to get one´s hair done by him? What hairstyles does he offer. My hair is natural and i want to try out styles that fit me.

Posted at 5:19PM on May 4th 2009 by Funmi

It's great to see that an African-American woman is going back to her natural hair. After years and years of spending hours at a time, chemical burns, hair loss and lots of money on my hair, I finally changed to locs similar to Sisterlocks(tm) and it is the best thing I ever did!...so easy to maintain and wash whenever I want!...the compliments are amazing!...and it's amazing how fast and long it has grown!. Essence, please can we have more regular articles on natural hair and locks. Many black women think our hair does not grow, believe you me it does!. My sister has Sisterlocks(tm) and her hair was down her back after only about three years. Even after two years it was on her shoulders after starting with only an inch and a half of hair!!

Posted at 1:30PM on May 4th 2009 by j johnson

TYPE YOUR MESSAGE HEREI have been natural for five years and I did not have to cut my relaxed hair in the process. I must say that I have found a hidden treasure in my backyard; A & L Salon and Spa in Conyers, Ga. They cater to natural hair. Their goal is to make sure the hair is hydrated and healthy. They use all natural products and shampoos without sulfates (which dry out the hair). Since I have been patronizing them, my hair is shiny, bouncy, hydrated and healthy. Their signature honey treatment is outstanding! My natural hair has its own shine without the use of any type of oil sheen and is silky to the touch. If you are in the Atlanta area, check them out for yourself @ 770-278-0880. You will not BE DISAPPOINTED!

Posted at 5:13PM on May 1st 2009 by 30467

I have been natural about 17 months and Im glad Essence finally has something about natural hair in a little more detail. I disagree with NOT using conditioner though. Conditioner is good, as long as it isnt laden in alcohol or mineral oils or petroleum. There are natural hair websites and etc that will explain that conditioner is great for your hair. Girlfriends hair will be brittle if she doesnt. Try Oyins, Miss Jessies, Qhemets, etc. :)

Posted at 8:26PM on April 29th 2009 by Kim McCoy

I fight with my hair all the time it looks like one of diana Ross's wig from the 60/s as i am a mixed race child the best thing i can say about it is that Im not bald

Posted at 11:36PM on April 23rd 2009 by kat

Thank You.. Thank YOu I am in the process of going natural and for a lack of information and stylist I have relegated myself to turbans. Seeing a sista with kinky hair that I CAN relate to is encouraging. Now just show more stars going natural and maybe our men can embrace the style as much as they want to embrace Beyonce (LOL)

Posted at 10:35PM on April 22nd 2009 by 123uptownside

As a stylist in atlanta Ga, i work with many many women who prefer natural over relaxed hair. I think people get "natural" confused with being "afrocentric"...Just like others have said, you dont have to wear a fro or locks to be natural...My clients have natural hair that they wear straight through the use of ceramic and ionic tools that are made to infuse moisture into the hair. CONDITIONING IS NOT AN OPTION! Using quality shampoos and conditioners that are designed to add moisture aids in the health of hair. Dryness is the #1 cause of breakage on relaxed or natural hair, so if you want that then do ahead and NOT use conditioner...I dont know what that stylist was talking about. and applying a "grease" to the scalp can clog the pores and weigh down the hair. Its sad the preception we are given when it comes to natural hair. Jesus, please take the wheel!

Posted at 4:11AM on April 22nd 2009 by Jourdan N.

If you ladies want to see some amazing versatile natural hairstyles, look up HAIR BY NEDJETTI salon (Bloomfield, NJ) on Face Book. Nedjetti's gallery will blow you away with the variety of natural hairstyles.

Posted at 3:45PM on April 17th 2009 by Au Naturale n luving it

Thanks for featuring a beautiful natural sister Essence, however the stylists advice is more than suspect. Lather is not an indicator of how clean natural hair is, in fact many organic and highly effective shampoos lather very little. Conditioner is most definitely a natural's friend. Skipping this part is a recipe for disaster. A dry, tough, tangled mess is what you will most likely find. That is probably why he had to blow dry her hair. There is no need to automatically reach for the dryer with natural hair, heat is not necessary unless you want to set a style or want a blow out. Conditioner actually prepares the hair for oils/butters/mists, and our scalps tend to produce oil naturally, the difficulty is with the oil traveling down the strand which is why we often need extra. I really hope Miriam experiments with styles soon and doesn't feel that afro's are her only option, far from it. Best of luck.

Posted at 1:40PM on April 17th 2009 by Sierra