The Natural Hair Movement originated in the Unites States in the 2000s and quickly spread to other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom. It is also a movement that I am proud to be apart of.
What is the Natural Hair Movement?
The natural hair movement was created to encourage not only black women, but any woman with naturally curly kinky hair texture, to have knowledge and pride in their natural hair. Joining the movement involves abandoning relaxers and learning new ways to care for natural hair to promote growth and health. This is accomplished through online tutorials, hair product reviews, and advice spread throughout the natural hair community, especially through the use of YouTube videos and online blogs.
The natural hair movement also strives to eliminate the negative connotation associated with natural hair and turn it into a positive one. Words which used to be insults are now compliments. For example, nappy, coarse, and kinky are all characteristics of my hair that I am very proud of today. I think society’s view of natural hair is changing because of this movement, however we still have work to do.
Why I Joined the Movement?
I joined the natural hair movement because I hated my hair. I hated the fact that it wasn’t soft and that it would never grow past my shoulders. I hated the fact that everyone in my family had long relaxed hair and I didn’t. I hated the fact that I had to get my hair braided every two weeks because my hair was “pretty” enough to wear in its natural state. So I went natural. I came across the concept of natural hair by watching YouTube videos. I thought to myself if these black women can grow their hair past their shoulders than so can I. I began saving up money to buy hair products such as Shea Moisture and Cantu and I watched tutorial after tutorial on how to care for my hair. Eventually I began to see results and I never turned back. When my family began seeing a change in my hair they, one by one, went natural as well, cutting off their permed ends and adapting to the nappy lifestyle. To this day I am proud of my natural hair and I actually started making tutorials of my own.
Being natural isn’t only about caring for your hair and learning new tips and tricks. It’s also about believing you are beautiful in a world that tells you you’re not. It’s about changing the views of everyone else because of your own confidence. This is something I struggled with as a child and this movement brought me out of that, which is why it means so much to me.