As you may know, being a college student isn’t as easy as it seems. During our college years we often hear the phrase, “I found myself.” It’s during these years that we discover who we are and our self-image. Self-image is defined as the idea, conception, or mental image one has of oneself. The No. 1 self-image of majority of women is their hair. Recently, there has been exceedingly high numbers of women making the change from relaxed to natural hair or from natural to relaxed hair. There are many stereotypes when it comes to self-image and how you choose to wear your hair, natural or relaxed. Some people feel as though women with natural hair are complying more so to their ancestral roots. Many African-American women have coarse, thick hair that is not so easy to maintain. Most African-American women have never had the hair image of fine, straight and silky hair. Natural hair makes many women feel that it’s a way of staying true to who they are and appreciating their past. This is why others feel as though black women are straying from their roots. By getting relaxers or perms they feel as though they’re trying to be socially accepted and are complying with the white image and culture, becuase white women have always had the straight and silky hair.
From my understanding, relaxers or perms are used to make the hair straight, defined and change the texture of it, that allows it to be silky. Many women who have relaxers get them because it’s easier to maintain as well as less expensive. Although there are many positive effects of getting a relaxer there are negative effects too. Not all African-American women have the same type of hair. Some women have stopped receiving relaxers due to excess hair thinning as well as scalp burns after receiving the relaxer. Many of these effects are due to the chemicals that are used in the relaxers. The most common and strongest chemical is lye, which straightens the hair from the root. There are no lye relaxers you can receive, but among the other chemicals used in relaxers, those chemicals as well can be damaging to your hair. It’s important to read the ingredients to see what exactly your exposing your hair to. Natural hair care, on the other hand, can be very expensive. It takes a lot more maintenance, as well as patience during the natural process. Women with natural hair tend to have more negative opinions from society. Natural hair can also be seen from a positive viewpoint. It may not be as easy to maintain, but it is the fastest way to having thick and healthy hair. The more knowledge and better understanding of hair care will allow you to make wiser decisions about the hair products you use.
Throughout my three years of being a student at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, I have noticed many changes in the number of women with natural hair. In 2009, comedian Chris Rock released a movie titled “Good Hair,” which poses the question “What is good hair?” and, “What do you have to do to have good hair?” The movie showed hair from a different aspect: the negative effects of getting perms, having relaxed hair, the chemicals, and the effect it leaves on your hair. “Creamy Crack” was the name given to perms or relaxers. There have always been women who preferred to have natural hair rather than relaxed hair, but after the release of this movie, those numbers have sky rocketed.
After noticing so many of my friends and others on campus make the switch from relaxed to natural or from natural to relaxed, I was curious to find out why. Why they decided to make that decision? I also wanted to get the opinions of guys, how they felt about so many women deciding to change their hair and which would they prefer a women with natural or relaxed hair?
Keshia Halls, a junior elementary education student from Richmond Hill, New York said, “I went natural because my hair didn’t take perms well and the chemicals from the perms were damaging my hair.” Malasia Greer, a junior nursing student from Miami, Fla. said, “I’ve been natural all my life, my hair won’t take well to chemicals. I have naturally soft hair.”
Derrick Showers, a graduate food science student from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla said he prefered relaxed because he feels it is easier to manage, and “more economical for a person’s pockets.” When asked about how he felt towards natural hair women, Showers said, “I feel as though because the world and things are done for economic reasons in particular people follow what they see and try things of this nature, by becoming natural.”
Raymond Echols, a senior criminal justice student from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. said, “I prefer women with natural hair because women with relaxers are trying to be white due to the media standards. Natural women comply more with their roots, I believe.”
No matter what your self-image is comprised of, I believe it’s safe to say that we all make our own decisions and are happy with them in the end. Whether you have natural or relaxed hair in today’s ever changing society, maintaining our own self-image and identity gives us a unique freedom. The more knowledge and understanding that we have of hair allows us to make wiser choices. Never be afraid to step out of the box, out of your comfort zone, and try new things. Dare to be different!