Comments on: Go NATURAL with Ease

By: Nutella

Nutella — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:47:30 +0000

How come i am just seeing this? I stopped relaxing my hair in March last year and i gradually chopped off all relaxed parts and i’m all natural now. Thing is my hair grows really slow and i have mega issues combing after washing so i resorted to flat tonging it first. Plus my very thin hair line as a result of years of braiding and generally mismanaging the hair. This article has been so helpful, as has been Quinta’s blog. Thanks and please keep it coming.

By: Quinta Jackson

Quinta Jackson — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:43:14 +0000

Going natural has been and exhilarating experience even though it has not been problem free… I have so enjoyed my journey that I began a natural hair blog called Naturals Unlimited there I tell everything I know to help my natural sisters grow long natural hair go check it out at naturalsunlimted.blogspot.com

By: Uzi

Uzi — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:27:44 +0000

Just did d big chop. R dr any salons in Nigeria that specialise in sisterlocks or braidlocsk ?

By: aminatu

aminatu — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:10:33 +0000

Going natural for me was not option when i got very sick and the strong medicines with my chemical hair was damaging my hair too the point i lost most of my long shoulder length hair. i made a decision to do the big chop with no more chemicals in my hair and that was the best thing i ever done for myself. my health is good and i have beautiful natural hair. When i used relaxer, i never had a issue that i felt my hair was not nice because to be honest i did not know how my hair look. If i paid attention to my mother texture and how beautiful her hair was without chemical than i would of realized i had beautiful hair and i do not need chemicals. So, this natural thing was a discoverer of my hair…. just love yourself with or without chemicals.

By: aminatu

aminatu — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:54:17 +0000

I understand what you saying but why do many black Americans and Africans with particular texture think they need a relaxer. The reason why i asked this question is because if you go to the root of many decisions made, it is base on what western society call beautiful. I am natural and i did not realized how beautiful and versatile my hair is. I love it and i am one year natural.

By: anita

anita — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:16:19 +0000

I stop relaxers my hair in september 09 . I’m so happy i can go without it

By: Miss Fizzy

Miss Fizzy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:50:16 +0000

You should look into sisterlocks. They are dreads but smaller and very pretty. They are so versatile and can be styled, cut, curled, coloured just like loose hair. You can start them with extensions if you want to skip past that messy in between stage. Google sister locks, you’ll find a lot of pictures and info on them. Also google braid locks.

By: mo

mo — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:43:10 +0000

Some do, some don’t. Where I’m from, the girls (birth to 15 or 18) don’t relax; when they leave high school they do b/c everyone wants to look like an American (though most don’t want to admit that that’s the reason). Most older women (50+) don’t either. But since 1995, relaxers have really caught on in Nigerian. Before then they were NOT that popular, especially outside the big cities. Now in the big cities, people relax their small childrens’ hair as well as their own. Lots of people are looking a mess though.

By: Grow Hair

Grow Hair — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:17:34 +0000

Nice article about Go Natural with Ease. I really found your articles informative and beneficial.

By: tigerilly

tigerilly — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:09:02 +0000

assumption, yep….Nigerian women do relax their hair…i believe once a month…question answered?

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:55:16 +0000

Been nursing d idea of growing dreads…im awfuly fed up of extentions and weaves….problem is my designation and where i work…dreads wld be contractidciting my person and position..wot to do???

By: Bebe

Bebe — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:13:39 +0000

Nope that assumption is so not correct. The VAST majority of Nigerian women use relaxers, whether they are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, professional woman, market trader or artistes (especially artistes), young or old, (believe me, I have seen relaxed hair on a four year old, and an 88 year old too, so sad), Christian or Muslim, married or single, etc.

Most women also have extensions all the time, not giving their hair and scalp a chance to rest and breathe fresh air They braid their hair constantly or hide it under wigs and weaves. It is really bad.

I really really want us African women to stop saying we have “bad” hair. Stop treating your natural hair as if it is a birth defect that needs to be corrected with relaxers as soon as possible. PLEASE!

By: unicornblue

unicornblue — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:18:31 +0000

I am just interested, since this is a Nigerian blog, how many women in Nigeria actually use hair relaxers. I know its common among Black Americans and almost all of them use it, but I usually thought not that many Nigerian women use relaxers, only once in a while and because of that have healthier, longer hair. Is this assumption correct?

By: GamGam

GamGam — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:06:57 +0000

Better.

I have been totally natural since Jan, transitioning since March08
But i shampoo every four days…water is very good for the hair,
My hair is growing fast cant wait to see the length by the end of the year

I have never heard about trimming though and i mix my own conditioners.

By: Affiong

Affiong — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:49:42 +0000

LOL>>> I knew y’all would jump on that ‘Good hair’ bit. Especially, you sugabelly. I was obviously being sarcastic with that evil laughter at the end. But if you failed to see that, well that’s your problem!

I’m the biggest advocate of natural hair, whatever kinda curl you have. And there’s no such thing as ‘good hair’ or ‘bad hair’. LOL.

I love how Bella Naija is becoming so controversial ;p

By: PoisonIVY

PoisonIVY — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:41:39 +0000

I was just about to ask WHAT makes “good hair” GOOD?
Is it me sugabelly or have peoples minds beign sooooo messed with?
This is why we see under 4 year old girls with chop chop front hair damaged by chemicals and things because their mums want them to have the “good hair”.

WHAT IS GOOD HAIR??
CAN SOMEONE SCHOOL ME?

IS MY HAIR BAD HAIR??Because my hair is like heidi klum and seals kids hair..that texture??
would people call it BAD HAIR??
because its not long and silky?
Is that why atimes in the train i get all this weaved out girls giving me the side eye like WTF has she got on her head?? a birds nest??
Relaxer has NEVER touched my hair..does it make my hairBAD HAIR??
I cry out in pain when i wash it and attempt to run a brush through it so as to stimulate the roots with natural products…does that make it BAD HAIR???
The color is uneven like dirty blonde and dusty brown with black unruly afro curls..IS THAT BAD HAIR??
when i then manage to get aunty at the salon in north london to style it in sade adu for me and i get the little rodo rodo afro baby hair in front…does that make it BAD HAIR?
And when friends call me razz because i never wear a weave and dont have hair that the man can run his hands through,unlike them with their lace-front weaves–does it mean i have BAD HAIR?

PLEASE WHAT MAKES MY HAIR BAD AND THE “GENERALLY ACCEPTED” ONES GOOD.

As that is one thing i have never understood

who is ANYONE to tell me or anybody out there that they don’t have “GOOD HAIR”?

People play too much i swearrrr!!!!
If only we knew how many young black girls have fucked up views about themselves,…damn shame

By: Sugabelly

Sugabelly — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:26:39 +0000

What a dumb thing to say. There is no such thing as good hair or bad hair. Hair is fucking hair.

But of course people like you go around poisoning the minds of all the little girls around you with this good hair bullshit and then they grow up to be just as fucked up about their hair as the rest of us are.

FAIL.

God made ALL OUR HAIR.

Your hair is not good. And mine is not bad.

I call bullshit.

By: Affiong

Affiong — Sun, 10 May 2009 23:36:40 +0000

umm…sorry to burst your bubble hun, but that is what my natural hair looks like & I’m not mixed or anything. Straight up Ibibio girl with that ‘good hair’ HAHAHAHA!

By: chiomah

chiomah — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:26:37 +0000

I have been proudly naturalfor 3years now, and really that picture in the caption is so not what nappy hair looks like, unless ur mixed lol! Having hair natural is great, and i get loads ofcompliments, but i must confess i do miss having my hair relaxed, and every now and then i feel like going back to relaxers. There are so many styles I can not do, and sometimesi get bored. I agree that relaxers are harsh but if you take care of your hair, you can achieve great looking hair whether natural or relaxed.

By: Hmmm

Hmmm — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:52:36 +0000

Love the write up…two thumbs up!!!.
I wear my hair relaxed and I love it. I relax once or twice a year depending on how I feel. Please lets not turn this beautiful write up into another argument about which is better relaxed or non processed hair.Its funny how one group feel they can look down on the other because they are either not embracing their “true roots (no pun intended)” or they do not agree with the other’s preference. I just love that as a black woman, I can relax my hair today and or decide to let the relaxer grow out and rock it that way. Let’s not allow the texture of our hair or style preference define how we see ourselves. Those who say, the chemicals will kill you…remember that you can’t color your natural hair either…that is a chemical too you know, o and stop eating processed foods(those chemicals will kill you faster than anything you put on your head :-p). Those of us with relaxers, do it in moderation…it is an alternative but too much of it WILL kill your hair. Ladies without relaxers…it is just as tasking to take care of your hair, so wash regularly and make your hair look beautiful and neat…let’s not think because you don’t have chemicals your hair won’t suffer if it is neglected.
All in all, stop the bickering ladies…if you made a choice to wear your hair without a relaxer or texturizer then rock it and stop saying crap like people with relaxers are not embracing their roots. In the end, our roots do not lie in our hair texture, abi does your hair now define who you are? If it does then a lot of self reflection is needed. Bella thanks for this outlet. We love ya.