Split Ends: A Natural Versus Relaxed Hair Roundtable (VIDEO)

Black hair has always been a point of discussion and contention. Blogs are abuzz. Even the TSA is giving black hair extra scrutiny.

It seems a line has been drawn in the sand on black hair's kinks and curls (or lack thereof): on one side is "The Relaxers"; on the other, "The Naturals." But can we find answers to the questions that arise once you determine what side of the "hair line" you fall --- or if you find yourself somewhere in between?

Are you seen as being detached from or ashamed of your ethnicity if you relax your hair? If you have natural hair and use products with chemicals to maintain it, are you truly "natural?" If you have natural hair and straighten it when heat, are you really "natural?" And how do men respond when the women in their lives make the switch?

Julee Wilson of HuffPost BlackVoices sits down to talk tresses with Jessica Cumberbatch-Anderson of BlackVoices, Huffington Post reporter Janell Ross, and Lashanda Davis, a recruiter with AOL, HuffPost's parent company.

Comments

[Myilanna Ingram]

08:54 AM on 09/22/2011

I have been wearing my hair natural since 2007 i love it.... some styles i love some styles i hate but that is with anybody. What is bothering me the most is this why is it that with us black folks it seems its all or nothing. i have had relaxed hair that was longer and shorter, i have had curly weaves that look like natural black hair and the straight long and short weave. Regardless of my hairstyle i still am proud of being a black woman. It gets a little old that black woman cannot wear their hair in diffrent styles and textures without being told that we want to be white i have NEVER ONCE WANTED TO BE WHITE.

Why is our self identity questioned just becaue a woman chooses to wear relaxed hair or a weave. I mean look at white woman and other races when you see a white woman with weave is she trying to be something that she is not? It almost seems like a double standard for black woman we HAVE to be natural or we are not true to ourselves that is BS

Now im not blind to the fact that many black woman do have identity issues with wearing our natural hair but every black woman is not the same. just because some feel this way it is not like that for every black woman period.

[andres85]

09:23 PM on 09/06/2011

I think the girl in the middle sounds like she's trying to sound educated but doesn't make any sense. She sounds judgmental and fake. If you straighten your hair occasionally you can still say you have natural hair. I'm sure she washes her hair and conditions it and probably puts more product in it and she is still considered natural. She is trying to be too deep, you just started going natural! The other girls sound very intelligent and open. Do you screen for these interviews??

[Joede Brown]

04:21 PM on 08/31/2011

As a black woman with naturally long, straight hair due to chemo, this debate takes on a different angle for me. I've been told I don't understand what black women go through because I have straight hair. I've only had cancer since 2008 but I do remember slapping on that relaxer every 6 months to make my hair more "manageable". I wanted to be natural and I was transitioning when I received my diagnosis. Usually, the hair comes in darker and curlier after chemo but mine decided to rebel.

When looking at me, you don't know my story (or anyone else's).

I'm tired of everyone being so self-righteous, no matter what side of the debate they are on.

I'm also tired of people telling me I have "good hair". I'm getting used to it and I'm grateful to have hair after being bald for a year. The wind kicks up and your style is done. Who looks crazy now?

I'm tired of women with TWAs being called "bald-headed". Really? You haven't seen bald until you've seen a cancer patient.

I'm tired of people saying locs, afros and natural hair are dirty. Not all black people think alike and not all natural hair is dirty.

I'm tired of this debate being given so much attention (I'm also to blame). It demonstrates that black women are only about hair and sex by their own response to these topics. I know me and my sisters are more well-rounded than that.

[Classof89]

01:10 AM on 08/31/2011

So many issues affecting our communities, yet the battle over hair fixtures continues to be one of the many divisive topics being brought up. Natural vs. relaxed, light skin vs. dark skin, long hair vs. short hair, all this has to stop.

People have the freedom to wear their hair whatever way they choose. Americans are great at refusing to think outside the box. Why is being different so unacceptable in this country? Not everyone with relaxed hair has self-hate issues, and not everyone with natural hair has confidence.

Depending on my mood, I wear any style I feel like wearing at the moment. I even slap on a wig for fun when I please. Bottom line: it's all about going with your own flow. As long as you feel good about yourself is all that should matter. And I refuse to let those with either views of the fence tell me, a grown woman, what I should and shouldn't do in my personal life.

[Anita D Crum]

08:32 AM on 08/30/2011

Straight or natural? What difference does it make? I view it as an option for styling hair, an "accessory" a woman would select along with one's attire. I've worn my hair naturally straight (shampooed then pressed with pressing comb), relaxed, braided, weaved and Natural (shampoo, moisturized, pick and go) throughout my life (I am currently wearing it Natural with hair color for grey coverage and have been for the past two years). What I know is that at some point, the relaxed hair, the flowing weave on tracks sewed in or glued, etc...are all "unnatural" and at some point the hair needs to take a rest from it all to keep the hair on the head and it requires going back to the natural state! Even a "press n curl" gives a woman a limited time frame before it "reverts" back!!!

I say, choose your style, wear it for a while because we always have to go back to the natural state to restore stressed hair from chemicals and bound hair from weaves . Of all the "processes" I've worn, I feel the most beautiful wearing my natural born given, tight curls.
Peace!

[mvthisenvythat]

12:17 PM on 08/29/2011

It really annoys me how people who have never had a black day in their life try to come on these debates and drop 2cents saying it is a female issue not an black womans issue. Who are you to say that when you have never been black???? It is a black womans issue and you have never suffered the ridecule or standrad of not being acceptable for job, friends, a mate, or even sometimes your own family because of some dead cells that grow out your head that happen to look different from everybody else. You have never been surrounded like a pet show while people stare or even sometimes touch you because of their ignorance. Look at all the time put into these debates...it is a sensitive black issue!

[GirlInNYC]

09:37 PM on 08/28/2011

These ladies were too diplomatic. Every time the one lady said, "Because I have straight hair," I wanted to pull mine out. My dear, your hair is not straight. It's straightened. The truth is that the standard of beauty is long, silky, straight hair. Black women (unless an anomaly) do not have this hair texture, and are also considered masculine if not biracial or 'mixed-looking.' The solution? Straighten the hair.

Straight hair on black women has been the 'norm,' yet looks anything but natural on some. On Gabby Sidebe or the Williams sisters (tennis), it looks abnormal because their African features are more pronounced. On Nia Long or Tyra Banks, it looks a bit more natural.

The sad part to me is the denial by black women who claim it's a style preference. No it's not. Styles change. Black women who hold on to the texture of a race that is held up as the standard of beauty and never changes that 'style' (aka straightened hair) ever, rejecting their own natural hair like the plague, are not opting for style. They're opting to accept society's standard of beauty, hiding herself under the texture of another race. Unfortunately, this rejection is popular.

And a white woman with dreads is not anyone's standard of beauty. I would compare Asians and Hispanics who try to go blond. That exhibits the same racial identity issues.

[Wgarcia100]

02:05 PM on 08/29/2011

You have essentially said what I want to say. It is our (and other people of color's) struggle with white supremacy and the poison that has saturated our minds. It is deeper than hair. It is emulating an ideal that is limited to the caucasian race. You are correct in stating "I would compare Asians and Hispanics who try to go blond. That exhibits the same racial identity issues. " I was listening to the panel and they were not connecting with the real conversation and that is the issue of accepting or rejecting our inherent features as a beauty standard. It comes down to that. Hearing the host state that straight hair has more styling options is absurd. I do believe the woman in the middle with the short afro was more clear regarding her rationale for going natural. I feel this was a missed opportunity to "cut to the bone" and discuss our self hatred and the need for acceptance that is framed by a beauty standard that does not, in any way include black (asian or hispanic) women.

I wear my hair natural and have for 20 years. I have worn locks for 16 of the 20 years and I am now returning to my locs. My only hair care product is coconut oil and a leave in conditioner for moisture during very dry or cold/hot weather. Otherwise, nature is the stylist for my hair. My hair drama is resolved.

[jrx238]

12:01 PM on 08/28/2011

"the lions share of hair dressers that are trained to deal with Black hair are really trained to deal with relaxed Black hair"

So sad but so true. I experienced this yesterday when my hair was practically ripped from my head (in a Black salon mind).... never again. I think it means something when salons can't deal with the hair of its target demographic in its default state.

I've always seen this an internal conversation among Black women...but as for the male perspective, most guys in my experience say they prefer natural, but really prefer relaxed or don't care whether its relaxed or natural as long as it looks good. I mean what normal guy really cares that much about hair...? And if they have a hair preference they just seek out women who possess what they desire like normal human beings instead of getting angry at women who choose to do what they want with their own bodies. As for the hateful comments by mrbluesays etc.... bitter guys who have little to no interaction with any women in the first place have found a haven on the internet...ignore. Its easy to tell the difference between a mean spirited comment (or 10..) made by a psycopath trying the get the only female attention he'll receive for the day and an honest male opinion.

[ThomasTrom]

06:45 AM on 08/28/2011

I'm black male and I have a sister who relaxes her hair, uses a straightener briefly, and her hair looks really good. She's careful to use the straightener properly, though I'm not sure if she puts anything in her hair besides the occasional coconut oil. It's long, jet black, shiny and a little curly. But, her hair also looks really good natural. I do encourage her to have her hair natural but she won't do it. She gave a brief explanation why, but I *still* don't see why not. To me, a black woman who goes natural is more desirable than one that relaxes their hair. As long as the hair is quite long, I usually like it...it depends, I guess it doesn't suit everyone. But I do dislike weaves and any artificial hair.

Someone mentioned Chris Rocks "Good Hair" doc. I found it funny. BUT the impression I got after watching the documentary is that black women are dependent on artificial hair. Which isn't true at all. No one in my family has artificial hair of any kind. It is either platted, natural or relaxed, but that was the impression one got from the documentary. What I personally love about black hair is the color (I love dark hair), how thick it is and strong it is.

[scrodeesonya]

11:07 PM on 08/27/2011

Isn't it interesting that we as AA women are the only group of women that have debates about hair with regards to how it defines us ? As a little Miss girl, I remember watching shows like the Ms America pageant every year wishing to have their hair. My mom use to hot comb my hair and it was one of the most painful times of my life. I thought God had cursed BW with nappy hair because we cant shower, swim, or even make love to our men without worrying about our hair. As I got older, God taught me to love myself as a BW, which includes our beauty to be creative and different which no other group of women can do when it comes to hair. He also taught me that hair does not define who we are. A woman can have natural hair and still have low self esteem and not know & understand who she is as a black woman.. I know some just do the natural thing cause its low maintenance and cost effective. I think it's wonderful that we can choose how we want to wear our hair as long as its for that reason, not because someone else wants us to wear it a certain way and not to try to prove or convince to others we are more "black" if wear it a certain way. Black women are beautiful with processed or natural hair....that's part of the essence of our creation!

[mvthisenvythat]

12:09 PM on 08/29/2011

I am not sure if you are natural or not. I have been 100% for a year and back and forth for 6 years. One thing I can tell you for certain is IT IS NOT CHEAP NOR LOW MAINTNANCE to wear your natural hair. BW is the most fragile and attention demanding. This is no effort to start a debate I was just amazed at the thought.

[Renee Everett]

10:59 PM on 09/08/2011

I didn't spend a lot on relaxed hair products and I'll be darned to spend a lot on my natural.

[OnandUpwards2011]

03:31 PM on 08/26/2011

Looking at this thread I think what's unfortunate is that when there is an opportunity to have a construction discussion on black women, it opens up a forum for some disgruntled black men to say nasty things about their women.

In the United States today, for every 10 black female graduates, there is 1 black male. Relative to the general population, black men make up the largest demographic of people in the prison population. High school graduates from the African America community are predominately women and entry level jobs also.

However I don't see such a huge disdain coming from black women towards their men. The black men here really need to know that they need to stand up, don't continue to feed the stereotypes because every time you insult your women, your further demonstrate yourselves as men who cannot stand up and be responsible.

It's just hair and many women across many demographics chemically alter their hair or extend it.

[evett726]

11:16 AM on 08/26/2011

I wish they would talk about helping all women with their hair during a illness.

[Absolute]

10:19 PM on 08/25/2011

We are spending waaaaaay too much time on this. It's what's in your head that counts.

[TresJolie7]

07:55 PM on 08/25/2011

Wow, another hair article.

[Califishing]

02:06 PM on 08/25/2011

I say get rid of all the mess. Makeup and all. Go natural. Well maybe some Afro sheen is Ok.. Check out Chris rocks movie about 'Hair". Just do a search on the net..It's around..