Erykah Badu “Next Lifetime”
Comments and conversations made me realize that I failed to really make my point (if I truly have one) in my last post “Denying My Roots By Relaxing Them?”. As usual, my post was littered with tangential stories and anecdotes. But what it seemed to lack was a point. Why do I even concern myself with my hair and other’s perceptions of it?
I want to look good and feel good about the way I look. It’s just that simple. My aversion to going natural is largely vanity. Because I have no idea what my natural hair looks like anymore, I wouldn’t know what to expect until it was too late. I don’t think I’ll look good with an afro. And what if I don’t? My hair grows soooo slowly that not liking it is really not an option. It could easily take 10 years for my hair to get back to the short bob I have right now. I feel my reasoning must be equivalent to those people who refuse to go back to their natural hair color from blond (or whatever color). We all know it’s not real but they just KNOW they look better that way.
A reason to go natural, on the other hand, is financial. Properly maintaining relaxed hair can be expensive. Every 8 weeks, I pay someone $70 to straighten my roots and trim the ends. That’s $420 every year. This doesn’t include highlighting, deep conditioners and the random “it’s not time for a relaxer but I have to look good tonight” appointments. Those would probably push it up to around $600 a year. Now, I’m not exactly sure how expensive maintaining natural hair would be but I have to guess that it’s cheaper than that. Just trimming and conditioning, no chemical processes required.
So why not just cut it off and perm it again if I don’t like it? I don’t really have a good answer to that. I’m not a huge fan of ultra-short hair on myself. If my hair is going to be permed, it might as well be as long as it is now.
“But don’t you feel you’re denying the real you by chemically altering your hair?” Sure, I can see the logic in that question but I just ask that people see the logic in my response. I have no desire to deny myself. I’m just doing what I prefer. I don’t see perming my hair and being any different from putting on make-up, getting lasik or shaving my legs. Sure, bare skin, bad eye-sight and hairy legs are all natural but no one seems to question my desire to change those things. So why question my hair choices? You don’t have to like it and I welcome any discussion about my choices. But if your only point is that I’m wrong, do us both a favor, save your breath and just think it very hard.
Running her fingers through her short but straightened hair,
Jo’van
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The Truth: According to Jo'van 
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