The Natural Hair Revolution

There is a new thing in town and it's more than just buying the latest apparel. It is a way of life. That's right, natural hair is in!

Going natural appears to be the thing to do. First, let's define what it is to be natural. According tonappturality.com being natural means to have 100% unprocessed hair. That means no perms (relaxers) or texturizers. Some individuals go as far as to believe if you have a dye or rinse in your natural hair, you are viewed as unnatural because you used a chemical to change the color of your hair.

When people think of being natural, they think of being Afro-Centric. Celebrities like Janelle Monae, Erykah Badu, India Arie and more represent the natural hair movement by reflecting the diversity of natural hair. You can rock an afro, locks, curly afro, and many other hairstyles. 

UB has a wide array of individuals with different looks and many of them rock natural hair. Alphea John who is currently a sophomore and a double major in IPED and Criminal Justice said growing up she disliked her hair like any other little girl. She began to love her hair when she went to Japan and got so many compliments, so much so that a few people called her Janelle Monae. 

John said her natural hair is a way of life and not conforming to society's view of women.  It defines who she is.

"You can't find another Alphea around because rocking your hair comes with confidence," she said. " It's all about the confidence and loving who you are."   

Although John has natural hair, she does flat iron it from time to time which does not take away from her being natural. She tries to keep her hair in various hairstyles in order to maintain it better.  She said her favorite hairstyles are "Chinney Bumps (some call it Knots) and using flexi rods."  She believes it is easier to manage; she wakes up in the morning and sprays her hair and go. The two products she uses the most are Olive Oil Moisturizer and Pantene Moisturizer for natural hair. The key to taking care of your hair is using products that best suits your hair according to John.  Although she has never had a perm, she believes it is much more time consuming maintaining hair that is natural.

Here are some helpful blogs and websites geared toward natural fashionitstas:

thegoodhairblog.com

urbane-natural.com

curlynikki.com

Freshman Ashley Chapmen is another pro-natural student. However, Chapmen is biracial and she tackles a different side of what it is to be natural to her that differs from John.  Growing up, Chapmen had many struggles with having naturally curly hair such as battling her frizzy curls to become straight. Although Chapmen is now back to natural, she once processed her hair. 

"When I was younger I saw a lot of other kids with perms and their hair was very straight and pretty and my hair is very curly and frizzy so it's hard to get my hair straight," Chapmen said about getting her first relaxer.

People always assume that Chapmen's hair is not natural and though she has had a relaxer in the past, it bothers her when people assume she has one. 

"Yes it does because people think just because I'm dark-skinned I can't have nice hair or people always think because I'm black, my hair can't grow. They believe that only light-skinned girls or white girls or Spanish girls can have nice hair," Chapmen said. 

When asked what it means to be natural Chapmen said, "Natural to me means no chemicals involved."

What being natural was years ago and what it is now has changed over the years—it is more embraced, more wearable and more fashionable.