As a little Nigerian girl, growing up I ALWAYS had braids. All types of braids. Braids here braids there braids everywhere. And boy did I hate sitting there to get those things done! The frustration from the pain and the hours it takes to get your hair braided. As a little girl all I wanted was to look like the girls on the 'Just For Me' perm boxes. I know somebody out there feels me on this (haha). Those little girls always had their hair laiiiiiidd! I wanted to look exactly like them. I have always had extremely thick hair. Lil Wayne said it best "tougher than Nigerian Hair." I'm Nigerian and my hair sure is tough but I don't think anything is tougher than it (haha). My hair stressed my mom out so much. Combing through it was a nuisance. So she got me hooked on that creamy crack. My mom did such a great job taking care of my full head of hair but you know how it is when you are a little girl. You want all this independence and you want to do your own hair. Well, when I got into high school after years of complaining and begging my mom finally let me start doing my own hair. When I tell you it was a disaster, I am not even playing! Hair falling out, split ends, dry hair, the whole nine. It was so bad my mom said, "Nope, I can't help you with this, you are going to a salon" (Lmao). It literally got that bad because all I ever did was manipulate my hair and try to make it do things I knew darn well it couldn't and wouldn't and shouldn't do. I was a part of the do-the-most coalition. I was literally doing the most with my hair. It got pissed and started to give up life (haha). So, my mother took me to a salon and the beautician started me on a healthy hair regimen. The only part of her regimen I didn't follow was the whole eating healthy part (haha). My eating habits are terrible! In-between perms my mom would still braid my hair or give me a nice sew-in. Thank God for African moms that can do hair! For tha Freee (lol). So, I would see all these images on the internet, in commercials, in music videos of all these women and their hair and I wanted it! I wanted my hair to look exactly like theirs. And once again I practiced my do-the-most behaviors (lol). It wasn't until I made the decision to go natural that I fully appreciated my hair. Don't get me wrong, I loved my perms. Swinging my long black hair back and forth and watching it blow in the wind (lol). I loved it, but I only loved it because society loved it. I loved it because that was the common image of what is beautiful. I'm not going to go into a big old rant on society and all its wrongs (that would take all day) but I will say this. Your hair should be a representation of who you are and who you know yourself to be. It should not be a representation of what you think others want you to be. If you wear a fade, you should wear it because you love to see yourself that way. If you are team creamy crack, it should be because you genuinely love your hair that way not because you are trying to live up to some standards. etc. So, my point is, let us teach young black girls to love their selves. Little girls should not be comparing their selves to the next woman on the cover of a magazine or pop stars. Lets instill attitudes of self worth in these young ladies. Little Girl Love Your Hair :)
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