“Growing up as a Black woman, I had to learn how to accept my hair. Even though it wasn’t what other Black people would consider ‘kinky’ it was just that to White people and my Hispanic friends. I remember begging my mother for a relaxer when I was only 7 years old. I would look at the commercials of people with bone straight hair and fantasize about how beautiful I’d be if I had straight hair like them; how much more I’d be liked and accepted by my peers. It wasn’t until I was a freshman in high school that my great aunt recommended me to her hair dresser who specialized in women with natural hair. After about a year and a half I completely grew my relaxer out and then I realized there was nothing wrong with my hair in the first place. However, I still straightened my hair all the time making my natural curls almost nonexistent. I’ve thought about training my hair back to its natural state, since ‘natural hair’ is kind of back in style now, but I don’t have the patience for it. Not to mention I’ve been straightening my hair all my life, so it’s what I’m comfortable wearing. But I realized that being a Black woman had nothing to do with how I wore my hair — it was about appreciating, honoring and understanding my heritage, culture and ancestors.”
