CARE AND TREATMENT
Caring for natural hair can be tricky sometimes, from the use of ordinary water and any soap at all; I adapted the use of black soap (popular known as Alata Samina) for washing of hair from the Trichologists.
After few weeks of engaging in natural hair educative programs and reading wide, I realized that just as we need nutrients, so does hair. Application of Banana, Coconut oil and others to the hair became a best option to add nutrients to hair, as advised by experts.
Frequent washing, less dyeing and staying away from the dryer was a selected option for natural hair growers. When applying creams into the hair, it advised to use appropriate natural hair products, to avoid damages and entangling of the hair.
Also protective hair styles can be done to avoid exposing the loose ends or edges of the hair to the mercy of the weather.
These and other stages passed through, enlightened me on the beauty of natural hair, how easy it is to keep natural hair, why I should keep natural among others.
A NEW BEGINNING IN THE NATURAL WORLD
Meeting Rejoice was a different ball game, the nature of her hair, was quite different from the actual. In the tertiary institute knowing and seeing all the hair style present at lectures, she decided to ‘lock’ her hair. The question is, what inspired her to move from the natural afro style to a Dred lock?
“I believe in reality, and reality is not manipulating or faking your identity, when you know what you have and what you are capable of doing, you waste no time at all” she said.
“The joy of keeping natural hair over the years was an upper hand to know what I can do with my natural hair and how to properly care for it. Dred locks has always been a thing of my dreams, but upon hearing that, eggs and others were put in the human hair to entangle it was a discouragement. I decided to Dred when I found an alternative solution devoid of eggs and coffee.
Likewise the decision was not easy, to lock your hair forever, without thinking of the future as to if all jobs would accept it and even if your family would accept it. Talking about family, I was quiet lucky my parents had no restrictions about hair and they had also travelled by then, all they needed was for you to keep a neat hair, one not odd. Upon returning, my hair was already locked and because it was kept well, there was no cause for alarm.
Before I locked my hair, I needed to know what it entails, what I cannot and can do with my Dred. I noticed that, the old days of Dred locks were past and gone, it was a whole new trend. Did you know that while having Dred locks, you can style it anyway you want it to fit any occasion, fix wigs, braid with extensions, and to better the option, braid cornrow and any other hair style a person with a natural or relaxed hair will do”.
SHARING THOUGHTS
“The real you is one in your natural state, don’t be deceived by fashion or trend, they are only meant to market and sell a particular brand. How many white women wear Kinky hair to talk of our own Afro wigs? This is evident that, we are only helping them without helping our selves.
Keeping natural hair requires no extra cost; it is even the easiest way of protecting hair from damages and chemicals. It is a free lifestyle style which requires only the first push.
I know few friends who started but went out even earlier that I imagined for reasons best known to them but, I tell you today that the trend is on and here to stay.
If indeed we are out of slavery, then we should learn to appreciate our own and adapt our own culture and traditions, rather than being enslaved mentally. Anyway, I personally believe that, the mental slavery game is on because, comparing a white woman’s hair to a black woman’s, the whites have one type of hair, being it A, B, or the better answers hair expects would explain while a black woman has more than one type of hair on a person. We are deceived to reduce our hair from about three types per each person to a silky fine hair which is only a type.
Well, I have less to say, the decision is yours to make, either to believe in yourself and love your natural hair or to be mentally enslaved forever. I love my natural hair and love it even more after locking it. You might not like Dred locks but I encourage you to love and join the natural hair train fast moving in Africa.
-End of part 2. This is a two part story, GhanaMatters.com published the first part in yesterday’s edition. If you liked this story or have a story to share, you can contact GhanaMatters.com for exclusive coverage. –
