Personal Story
Hair Diaries of an African Woman
How my natural hair journey has shaped my identity
I didn’t know how to take care of my hair for the first twenty-five years of my life. In case you’re wondering, I turned 28 this May. That’s freaking sad.
But as ridiculous as it sounds, that a grown-ass woman like me had no idea how to take care of my hair, it really isn’t that strange at all.
See, I’m from Ghana. Many women don’t know how to take care of their hair here. And by that, I mean our natural hair.
Most women can’t deal with their natural hair. So, to cut through the bullshit, they just perm it — which is much easier to take care of.
Of course, black people don’t have to wear their natural hair if they don’t want to. I’m not in the business of telling people how to live their lives. Everyone has the right to do whatever they want with their own hair, and I’ll never shame anyone for changing the texture of their hair.
But… (you saw that coming, didn’t you?)
I think there’s a problem when black women straighten their hair as a result of internalized self-hate. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying black women straighten their hair because they hate themselves. I’m saying that if they’re…
