Ladies, sometimes our natural hair ends up being a conversation starter. However that’s not necessarily a good thing. Whether it’s your relatives with perms or your non-black coworkers, people will always have something to say about our curls and kinks. Here are several hair-raising comments that have made me roll my eyes time and time again.
1. Ooh can I touch it?
Usually this is followed by a hand in my hair before I even get a chance to say no.
2. I love your haircut.
It’s actually just short because curly hair shrinks when wet. (Unless you actually did cut off your permed hair in which case they really do like your haircut.)
3. When are you actually going to do something to this head of yours?
Little do they know, I spent hours twisting this last night and used about five different oils and products. Also, let’s not forget to mention the hours I spent researching about the dangers of sulfates parabens.
4. I see you’re going for the wild look.
Here’s a rule of thumb. Wild is a word to describe an animal or out of control small child, so you probably shouldn’t use it to describe someone hair. Just a tip.
5. Is that a weave?
Just because I have a lot of hair or it looks attractive, you’re assuming it can’t be mine?
6. Look at you being all Afrocentric since going to an HBCU.
Yes. Your point?
7. Men like that long silky type of hair that they can run their fingers through.
Maybe some men may prefer heat damage, chemicals, and split ends, but I don’t. A strong man likes a woman who feels confident enough to wear her hair however she feels. Personally I prefer strong men.
8. Do you wear it like that to work?
This is the politically correct way to call my natural hair unprofessional.
9. The word “nappy.”
When you can’t go comb through a white person’s hair, it’s tangled. When you can’t comb through a black person’s hair, people like to call it “nappy”. Just because it’s curly doesn’t mean it’s unmanageable; you just need a wide-toothed comb to do so. I’ll take kinky, coily, or curly any day before I let anyone call my hair nappy.
10. You have that good hair. Are you mixed with something?
No, I just have those strong African genes. Hair comes in all sorts of different lengths and unique textures. It doesn’t matter whether your hair is slightly wavy or kinky, as long as you take care of your hair. After all, to me the only definition of “good hair” that women should strive for is healthy hair.