“Mommy, your hair is so fluffy,” my son said as he buried his face in my Afro. Taking a deep breath he dug his four-year-old fingers closer to my scalp and exclaimed “I love your hair. It’s so soft!” It was one of those moments that first time mothers savor for a lifetime. My husband and I have one son – and while we debate having more – I pretty … [Read more...]
Black Hair 101: Thank You Melissa Harris Perry
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Class is in Session! Ahh Black Hair 101. I have long wished that there was a class or some sort of program that I could send people to when they have questions about Black hair. When I cut out my perm it was rare to see a Black woman in a natural style. So rare that one of my earliest memories of seeing a natural Black woman was watching Freddie on Bill Cosby's A … [Read more...]
“Overly” Coarse & “Totally” Out of Control
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Products For"Any" Type of Hair photo credit: Urban Hippie Love This weekend I was cleaning the house and turned on the T.V. so it could play in the background. The channel just so happened to be tuned to a hair product infomercial featuring a Caucasian woman and a lighter skinned woman of African descent. The infomercial was for Chaz Dean’s Wen® product that … [Read more...]
The White House ‘Fro
The Pursuit of Nappiness By Mirielle Liong Inspired by his race for the White House, Going-Natural.com offered President Obama the centerpiece of its exhibition "The Pursuit of Nappiness" as a gift for his birthday last year. The colorful framed portrait, chosen as a favorite during the exposition at the Casa Frela Gallery in Manhattan, shows a beautiful woman with a … [Read more...]
Behind the Napps…
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In the summer of 2004 I was combing out my hair in preparation to attend the International African Arts Festival. As I rinsed the conditioner out of my thick and tangled nappy hair, I grew excited about the fun I knew we were about to have. The festival, which takes place in Brooklyn, NY, is a major event. Every year thousands of people of African descent gather there in … [Read more...]