The Curse of the Nappy Head

I am a proud member of the National Nappy Headed United organization and the secretary of the Beady Beads subcommittee. The word “nappy” is often viewed as a controversial word in the African American community. “My hair is not nappy! It’s kinky.” Well, sis, I’m here to say that my hair is nappy, kinky, coily, all of the sayings, all of the phrases. I reclaim the word “nappy” and I wear it on my chest because as time has progressed, I do not view the word negatively anymore. Having hair like mine is a difficult journey and as many of you all reading this now understand, all-natural hair products are not made equal. You are not about to catch me in the notoriously large Negro hair section in Target picking up every single natural hair product to “try out”. I cannot make a product “work” with my hair. I’m pacing back and forth in the aisle, trying my best to not look suspicious as I text every single one of my friends with a curl pattern that is at least classified as a 4b. AT LEAST. Finding the right products for my hair has been a process since I began my natural hair journey in high school and discovered the natural hair Bible, YouTube.

In 2018, Ezinne Ukoha wrote a Medium post entitled, “How Instagram Destroyed The Natural Hair Movement”. In her article, she makes the argument that the natural hair movement was hijacked by women with looser and "manageable" curl textures on Instagram. This is influenced by a host of ever-present issues in the Black community including the representative power of having proximity to whiteness, colorism, and so much more. I understood her point and frustration very well, but allow me to share my story.

When I finally cut off all of what was left of the remnants of the creamy crack, I was excited about this new journey. Finally, I can see what my hair looks like! When my hair began to grow out and I started to notice what my hair looked like when it was not stretched, I was shocked. This can’t be! My hair did not curl like my favorite natural hair YouTubers and I was confused. I thought that when I went natural, my hair would magically curl and I would be walking around like Goldilocks with a perm. I know it sounds ridiculous and also a bit sad, but it’s the truth. It was similar to how I thought my hair would be swinging down my back like Topanga from “Boy Meets World” when I first got a relaxer. My hair goals were unattainable, inaccessible, and just plain stupid. Looking back, I laugh because boy, this is some stupid shit right here, but it also makes me realize how important media representation actually is. Yes, including Instagram and YouTube.

When individuals refer to media representation, people often think about television and magazines, but there was, and some may argue that there still is, a representation issue on YouTube, especially in regard to the natural hair community. When I type in “wash day routine natural hair”, I already know that I played myself. I have to type in “wash day routine natural hair 4c kinky” to actually find what I need and what I’m looking for without scrolling through pages and pages of results. As a 22-year-old “adult” (I guess you can consider me one of those?), I understand the importance of carefully curating your Instagram and the rest of the media around you to reflect yourself. I intentionally follow the Instagram accounts of natural hair YouTubers with hair that is slightly similar to mine, because no two people have the same exact type of hair. I still have love for my girls with the curly textures, but I’m never taking haircare advice from them again. Why waste time?

In an era where celebrities pop up with beauty lines almost once a month -- likely inspired by the never late and always great Bajan Queen Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty, but let’s save that for another article -- there has been a sharp increase in celebrity natural hair lines. By sharp increase, I mean from zero to like two or three. Tracee Ellis Ross, well known for her big hair and big personality, released her natural hair line in 2019 under the name, PATTERN. Taraji P. Henson quickly followed with TPH, exclusively sold at Target. I have not personally tried either line of products because I recently combed out my dreadlocks and moved out of the United States almost immediately after. I didn’t have time to do the extensive research of watching YouTube review after YouTube review and then ordering products and then testing the products and then washing out my hair and testing the products in a different way because I probably did something wrong … right? The product shouldn’t make my hair look like THIS. In short, I ain’t have time to do all that.

All in all, the natural hair community has bloomed, and now people who still reach for the relaxers in Sally’s Beauty Supply are met with side eyes, which is wrong! Let people relax their hair if they want to, girl. Everybody doesn’t need or want to go natural. Again, the natural hair community has grown, but we still need and want more products catered specifically to tighter textures. Yes, in the year 2020, we are still demanding more kinky nappy hair representation. Having “hair goals” can warp your perception of your own hair growing out of your scalp because you begin to believe that your hair should grow and look like ~this~ instead of whatever it’s doing on your head. I’ve been there and done that. Loving your natural hair as it grows out of your scalp is a process. My nappy-headed queens, embrace the naps because they are beautiful and you are too. Nappy hair is not a curse, but a blessing. A telltale sign of versatility and unmistakable Blackness. If these little snotty-nosed haters have something to say, forget em, we ball!