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The Moment I Felt Let Down By the “Natural” Hair Movement
Remember when the 4C hair type was the celebrated wallflower?
It was the year 2012.
Not the end of the world as the Mayans “predicted” or as Hollywood would have us to believe, but it was the end of my world of relaxers and straightening combs.
I’m not quite sure when the movement truly began, but literally every commercial that year showed Black women with high afros that were soft and frilly and even Chris Rock affirmed that we should embrace our own hair when he came out with the film, Good Hair, detailing Black women who obsessively use “creamy crack” and other modes to tame their wild kinks.
All of a sudden, I wanted that “baby hair” look. I wanted my hair to be frilly, soft and with some curl and I thought to myself, “My problem is that my baby hair got damaged! My hair shouldn’t be so course that it requires straightening. I want the waves and high afro.”
Right then, I looked at my box of PCJ(I think that was it) and threw it away. I fondled my long tresses that only reached just past my shoulders if you count the split ends. No matter what I did, my hair was limp after relaxing. So, no more relaxers.
