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“I’ve been natural for a decade and quite a few of the women in my family have natural hair. I’ve cut my hair various lengths throughout the years. The only thing that’s changed is that it’s not as thick as it used to be because I’ve gotten older, but I’m glad! If my hair still had the same thickness then my arms would probably fall off from washing it.”
“Growing up in Indiana, people could be vehemently mean if you were different. Especially people within my own community. I’ve been natural for most of my life with the exception of one year. A memory that has stuck with me throughout life involved someone in middle school telling me that I would look less black if I straightened my hair. I decided to never let hearing things like that impact how I feel about myself or dictate how I wore my hair, however.”
“I first wanted to go natural because I wanted my hair to be super long and thick. I realized that my hair would’t be that way if I continued using relaxers, however. I’ve been natural for five or six years and have come to realize that it’s much deeper than that….I’ve changed the way that I eat since I’ve been natural because I’m more cognizant about what and how much I eat. I also pay more attention to the products that I use on my hair and skin.”
A (on the left): “I went grey at the age of 23. I’ve worn my hair natural my whole life. When I decided to cut my hair short, I loved it because it felt good. It felt natural to me. There’s something about women who choose to wear their hair natural. There’s a natural confidence and I feel as though I’ve passed that confidence on to my daughter. At times, she’s worn her hair relaxed, but has chosen to go natural again. I hope that I’ve empowered her to feel confident no matter how she chooses to wear her hair.”
“I’ve been natural my whole life. My mother always encouraged me to be natural. The thing that bothers me sometimes is when folks say that they want to see my hair straightened. I’m like ” no,” it’s fine the way that it is.”
“I’ve been a hair stylist for a while and one of the saddest moments that I’ve experienced was having a client who requested a two-strand twist out style put her wig back on before leaving the hair salon. She mentioned that her boyfriend had never seen her wear a natural style, so she didn’t feel beautiful enough to wear the style in public. I thought that the style turned out gorgeous, however. Seeing more women embrace their natural hair during the last few years has been empowering.”