tballardbrown:

For the first time ever, Oprah’s appearing on the cover of O without blow-drying or straightening her hair.

via Oprah’s Natural Hair on O Magazine September 2012 – Oprah’s Real Hair - Oprah.com

Photo: Ruven Afanador

While many, including me, celebrate the natural hair movement’s emphasis on self-discovery, I cannot help but wonder if something has also been lost with this cultural shift. For all the horrible things about hair straightening, the experiences associated with it have created a powerful thread that connects the vast majority of black women. Even if you have kinky hair now, you probably have memories of time spent with family and friends in kitchens getting your hair done by someone who loved you and who you trusted enough to wield a sizzling hot straightening comb next to your ear. You probably remember that first trip to the beauty shop where black women talked about grown folks’ business, and nearly every sentence began with the endearment, “girl.” It does not matter if your mother was a teacher or housekeeper, or if you were in New York or Alabama because these experiences crossed class and region. Hair straightening was a rite of passage, an entry into the world of black women.

— Cassandra Jackson: Is Natural Hair the End of Black Beauty Culture? (via tballardbrown)

tballardbrown:

OK, yes, I am tooting my own horn here (couldn’t think of a hair cliche that fit) and posting an essay I wrote about my transition from chemically straightened hair to natural hair: My Kinky Relationship With The Teeny Weenie Afro : NPR

Enjoy! 

Photo credit: Alex Cavoulacos/The Daily Muse

Send us photos of your naturals! — Tanya B.

tballardbrown:

When I set out to make a documentary about black women who are “transitioning” — cutting off their chemically straightened hair and embracing their natural kinky afro texture — I had no intention of appearing in the film. I felt I was an objective observer and really just wanted to highlight a growing movement. (Of the 50 or so women I struck up conversations with randomly on the street, the vast majority had gone natural within the last three years. According to one industry study, sales of chemical straightening kits, which can be harmful, reportedly dropped by 17 percent between 2006 and 2011.) But including my own story forced me to examine how I felt about my hair with more honesty than ever before.        

(via Black Women’s Transitions to Natural Hair - NYTimes.com)