✨ I have not always loved my hair, but my hair has always loved me. Watch the full video here: ruclips.net/video/fGEhrLORjsM/видео.html I hope you're having an amazing day! 🌺🫶🏾🥰
I wish it were that simple, but unfortunately, it's not. The algorithm also plays a part in this. We forget that. It's the illusion of choice. If the algorithm ain't pushing our content... No one sees it. It gets buried by the algorithm, unfortunately. 🤷🏾♀️ If algorithms are programmed by people who happen to be anti Black, the home page will show it. Also, it still doesn't address the lack of brand deals and the like...
@AleciaRenece the algorithm pushes what is being clicked on....if you keep clicking loose texture videos it's going to learn to push those videos....just like when I watch one true crime video now my feed is full of videos about murders and violence...people.vote with their clicks...people click on the videos with more views and assume all naturals must be watching these videos because they have more than 20k+ views but home girl hair don't even match yours.... We are not stupid people...we know how to click exit and search up videos and use our brains to decide which video would be more educational to me depending on our curl pattern, density and more. 2024 no one has an excuse there ARE LOTS of content for kinky coils that isn't clickbaot but no one wants to admit they have length bias, curl pattern admiration for looser curls, slick baby hairs and slick down styles and are trying to make their texture do something or mimick something it isn't meant to do. We have TO ACCEPT our hair for what it is. Once you accept this is.my hair and THIS is what it can do life is much easier. Natural hair is hard when you are trying to make it do things it isn't capable of doing. My 4c hair will NEVER do what a type 3 hair does so why sit there and watch a video I clearly can see isn't gonna benefit me.
In my years I've learned that nobody hates black hair more than black people. Other groups either don't care or they absolutely LOVE IT. Rarely do they hate it....very very rarely 😊
Sadly we've LEARNED to hate our hair from other people. They do hate our hair, they just might not outrightly say it. Again, we're still trying to get the Crown act passed to say it's unlawful to discriminate against someone just because of the way their hair grows out of their heads. It's internalized hatred that we have, yes. But that hatred came from the external. The external doesn't have to be so loud anymore because we do their work for them. But don't forget, it's THEIR work.
I can't agree with 100% with this statement. On one hand, the only people who had problems with my hair 4C texture in my person of life has been black people especially the men. On the other hand, there is discrimination in the workplace on towards 4C hair especially from white women. This is just my lived experience, I can't speak for everyone.
Lol, we learned to h8 our hair and our very selves from others. Who are you kidding? The fact that laws like the Crown Act are needed proves that. We didn't magically start suffering from Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. Also, the whtes and adjacents will smile and lie straight to your face about those things but once comfortable around their own they talk a helluva lot differently. 😅
Thiiiiiiiiis! There's this obsession over length, always! Like dang! Why can't we just appreciate the hair for what it is today?! 😢 It's always about growing our hair. That, too, is rooted in European standards.
@@AleciaReneceI somewhat agree with you on the obsession concerning length connected to European beauty standards in THIS country. In countries like my own, Nigeria, length gave opportunity for styling choices and was ultimately, a consistent sign of beauty. Length and is ties to beauty was already there. I just wanted to share this. The underlying reasons for why black communities do the things they do isn't always credited to what white people do.
@@nikhefe16 Ughh yesss!! I hate when people say long hair is an European standard. IT IS NOT! Even in America. There was a reason they demanded to cover up their long hair in New Orleans.
I completely understand that. I also understand wanting to create a system that makes it easier for folks to better find products and styles that work for their hair. But I do agree that people will take anything and find a way to look down on others or discriminate.
@@squarebear619it has been aid the founder of this system was texurist and thought type 4 hair was not ok and need to be relaxed or curl pattern loosened . I still use it for understanding my type 4 hair but it very much say alot that straight hair is seen as numbero uno and the most kinkiest last
@@squarebear619I see what you’re saying I think it’s supposed to be from “untextured to tightest texture hair” Might be wrong but I think Asians have the straightest untextured hair even if white people are the beauty standard
I feel fortunate that I grew up with virgin hair unlike a lot of my classmates, cousins, sisters, childhood friends. No one could make me feel insecure about my thick virgin hair because it was beautiful to ME!!!!! It was all I knew. Even today as a grown woman in my mid thirties people are still trying to hurt my self esteem by giving back hand compliments and just saying ugly things about my hair. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Blood relatives, co workers, random people on the street, they all try to get me feeling less than. It never worked and still doesn’t work. My mom always had her hair virgin also, no wigs or weave. When you know who you are and are secure with who you are no one can get into your head to influence you to change yourself to their liking or their comfort.
I think Mayowa's World is a good start for those who want more. She has a video on her personal experience with her hair and how people treated her. She has free form locks and had to learn to love her hair without texturerism and infantilisation(too much baby hair and gels)
Yeeeeeeeeeees!!!!! I really enjoy Mayowa's hair and content. I'm honestly so grateful. 🌸🌻💛 I second this! Please, if you think of anymore to follow, feel free to share them here. It would help so many of us out. 🫶🏾🥰🥹🫂🌸🌻 Much love and joy to you!!!
Sadly, it's true. I enjoy following people who just show up as themselves. I'm all for the freedom of expression, and I do enjoy the hairstyles of women who do alm that stuff, too. But the women who don't show up in that way tend not to be as supported, platformes or centered. It's discouraging. 🥺😮💨💛💛💛 And THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WATCHING! 💛🌻🌸
Unpopular opinion: No many people WANT to keep their hair truly natural, so they don’t watch those videos. They watch videos to see hoy to MANIPULATE their natural patterns. My hair is big, loose patterned and there’s not a day I don’t receive compliments, especially from women with tighter hair. I’m not saying it’s wrong to compliment someone’s hair, but the lack of support to the 4b/c chicks, (coming from the same 4b/c chicks) is what killed the movement.
@@Maremare680 When women with highly textured hair learn to wear their hair without added hair, hair dye and excessive manipulation they will develop a healthy relationships with their hair. I am 4C and this strategy worked for me-and now I can’t imagine wearing my hair any other way. My daughter has 3C hair and has never had a chemical in her hair-she said it’s unreal the attention she gets at school whenever she wears a wash and go…including from biracials who have informed her that she’s “not supposed to have that type of hair.”
I learned of the Natural Hair Movement in high school when i was still wearing my hair straight. I always saw the movement as experimental. It was the individual experience of getting to know & understand your natural hair in its natural form without chemicals & flat irons & sharing knowledge of what you've learned. I never saw it as a thing for a specific "hair texture" group. It was a movement for Black people to stop with the chemicals & straightening altering of their hair & embrace their hair in its purest form. Black hair comes in so many different textures, colors & curl patterns, the Natural Hair movement was about discovering & embracing our uniqueness not comparing ourselves to one another.
I had an epiphany a few weeks back: I'm done wasting my money on "curly" products that don't work on my hair. They're not for my hair texture, and there's no point in trying to make it something it's not. I love my hair, even more so now that I'm learning how to take care of it for what it is.
I started my hair journey before RUclips. I learned mostly by reading books and online forums. I grew my relaxed hair out, then big chopped and went natural. I even had a hair blog and a hair RUclips. I personally don’t blame RUclips. They just promoted what people wanted to see. Black women chose to follow women with “type 3” curly hair. And they don’t want to do the work to care (self care) for their hair. The problem is a lot of people never accepted their natural texture. I wore a wash and go for years and am going back to that because it’s the easiest. But it’s a mental shift to accept shrinkage, etc. I hate to see the “going back to relaxers” movement but ultimately black women have to do what they need to do to manage their hair and the rest of their responsibilities. Oh, and I leave my house with my hair wet. 🤷🏾♀️
That's because a lot of black women vicariously live through biracial women and it's something no one seems to want to talk about. The one drop rule nonsensical belief absolutely contributed to the natural hair movement being infiltrated with the hair textures of "acceptable 'black hair' " from acceptable "black" women. BW let it happen because of underlying colorism, featurism and texturism that they refuse to unpack.
Yes. I went natural in the days of Nappturality and the online photo albums before RUclips. People don't know that history of the natural hair movement. Also in the early days of RUclips people quickly became obsessed with type 3 hair and hoping their hair would eventually change after the big chop. It was just a reflection of the bigger issues black people have around hair.
Nappturality! I went natural in '99 so I was on all the forums back in the day. I loved it there because it was anti straightening in any form. I was rare to see a woman with natural hair.
I'm a hair forum girl as well so by the time RUclips came along, i was fine. People have become so disconnected from Black hair people are surprised type 3 hair can become afros because many only want to see type 3 hair in a wash n go. I'm saying this as someone with type 3 hair and people being surprised when i show them of what my hair looks like combed out. The way the algorithm seems to work is it shows you what other people that also looked at similar content watched so if most people looking at videos titled "natural hair" are looking at looser hair textures, that will get recommended. Many are embarrassed to admit they aren't there yet when it comes to accepting their hair. Its easier to say its just hair then admit you're still struggling. RUclips just made the texturism among us more obvious
WENT THROUGH IT! I now only have a shampoo, conditioner & a leave in. I do about 8 twists or braids & go about my week. I don’t have any more of my time or money to give. 3 product girlies have been all the buzz lately in connection with damaged hair & generally just shaming the method. I’m finding it all very interesting I’m 35 & at this point it is what it is, I’ll be 50 by the time I’ve managed to achieve the ideal coils/kinks/curls we have been so desperately striving for. EXHAUSTED & keeping it moving.
And oh baby, they gaslit it out of us! They told us they were natural too, when they knew exactly what the natural hair movement was. It was for kinky hair.
Omg this video is so on point! I wish there was a way that black women could share information with each other secretly because once they “discover” something it’s a wrap for us 😢
Me tooooo! Someone here suggested that we need programmers to build something for us. It'd have to be away from the white gaze. Every TIME we discover/create something, here they come. 😮💨
I've literally already thought of building something like this as an engineer, so I really appreciate reading this, because it feels aligned with what I want to do. Full disclosure, I am lightskinned with 4c. @@AleciaRenece
I look for the ladies on YT who use the grease and water method. In the 70’s we washed and braided our hair at night. In the morning we had a cute fro😊
Being with your mother/sister/aunty/cousin was always the way and remains the way to pass on traditional and cultural information. The breakdown of black families has killed this.
@@mirandaokon A lot of us ended up on RUclips because our mothers/aunties and grandmothers could not care for our hair without with causing us pain or chemical burns. I think people forget what our childhood routines were like
I guess the solution is for black women to become programmers so we can build our own platforms that cater to us and push our own algorithm and keep others from “colonizing”. I also think big name celebrities should have limited exposure on the platforms.
I COMPLETELY agree!!!!! This would be absolutely GAME changing! I hope the STEM girls are listening! We need our own things! And I absolutely agree with you. Big name celebrities should not get the monopoly. They have enough. 😅🫶🏾💛🌻🥰
If these platforms come to fruition, the "others" that need to be excluded from the movement include most biracials. The one drop rule nonsense that most black people subscribe to is one of the reasons the natural hair movement so easily got hijacked by the "3b/3C" girls in the first place. MOST black women have type 4, afro textured hair.
RUclips didn’t fail natural hair, black women failed natural hair. Instead of watching 4c type videos en mass, black women searched for and watched types 3 videos en mass, which led to the algorithm telling companies what to push to us. We tell companies what we want, not the other way around.
I don’t think it’s entirely black peoples fault since anything will be more profitable if it’s closer to white people But that fixation with making their hair look loose curly like the creators they aspire to replicate And not just embracing their own curl pattern Is what led to so much dissatisfaction and texturism Even though most prominent influences aren’t 4c I doubt people would even trust an actual 4c creator is being honest regardless
I didn’t search for anything besides “natural hair”, what are you talking about? I don’t mind taking fault when I had a hand in it but that wasn’t the case, for myself I mean. It takes more than just watching videos because who cares about views if the products aren’t’t selling? Someone is buying those products which is why they’re still around.
Yup I was turned off realizing what was happening around 2015. As a dark skinned woman I was already aware of colorism and how that impacted me - and then in the natural hair scene which many Black women were encouraged to do, I noticed a lot of videos of women with looser curls and many of us wanting that look. I realized that the movement had become like colonized so I left. I started back up years later and these days focus more on influencers with 4b/4c hair closer to my hair texture.
🫂🫂🫂🌻🌺💛 Yeeeeeeeeeees! Same. That was the time I was like "okay... that's enough." it definitely became SUPER colonized and it felt like the end of an era. 🥺 I'm so glad you were able to find creators again. 🥹🌻 They're doing good work and it's beautiful to see them be supported.
Agreed sis, thank you for your observation. That said, focusing on my natural hair freed me from the tyranny of Asian beauty supply stores. I now make my own hair products do my own hair and have never been happier. I no longer go to any hair salons. True freedom!
What grew my hair: raw henna, olive oil straight from the kitchen cabinet, fenugreek seeds (soak and spray the water onto your hair daily), raw green tea sprayed into my hair, and avocado, honey, banana, and raw coconut oil mixed together before I shampoo (I use normal suave shampoo and Aussie's 3 minute deep conditioner). Braid with just coconut oil over night.
Hair growth is genetic. Of course, a healthy scalp is conducive for growth but if you're genetically predisposed to have shorter, tighter hair then no amount of various products will make it grow. Hair length and growth are still a product of antiblckness brought on by yt racsm. Eating healthy, oil, conditioned, and cleaning/water promote health and growth.
@@CroatanWolf44 it's still lumpy with banana, but after I got a blender it became so much easier. Just wash it out of your hair really really good afterwards, and use bentonite clay if you're familiar
No. Our hair didn't look how we expected/wanted it to look and we got insecure. RUclips didn't fail us, our ego did. we saw the curls we didn't have, the length we didn't have, and we gave up. We got insecure. Truth hurts.
I hear you, and I don't necessarily think you're "wrong", I think it's just more complicated that that. But I get you. Our insecurities hardly ever come from ourselves. We learn to be insecure. We learn that something about us is "wrong" from other individuals. The fact that my white boss can look at my fro and say that I am "unkempt" or "unprofessional" shows that it's not just us. we have reason to be insecure. People have literally lost their jobs, been barred from schools and competitions because of their natural hair. It was literally ILLEGAL in some places for Black women to even SHOW their hair. The insecurities are there, but they're not from us.
I don't think Black women can be blamed for getting our feelings hurt by the natural hair movement. The average Black woman once again had a woman that didn't have their features put on a pedestal and told that this was the model. However the natural hair movement was worse because these women were presented to us as natural Black women. Social media does that often. Black women that don't look like typical Black women are made the standard of beauty for average Black women with two Black parents and four Black grandparents. It was a huge mind ----.
@@AleciaRenece exactly 💯 when we see people that don't have to worry about their hair like we do, it drives the knife even deeper. Do I fry my hair into a damaged state just to fit in, or do I get a wig and move on with the risk of someone trying to snatch it off just to see a black girl get embarrassed? Do I wear my afro or twist outs and risk the uncomfortable questions and unpleasant touches (why do they always pet us on the head like an animal?), or do I get braids and still deal with the onslaught of questions and exaggerated back handed compliments. " Oh those are so cool! How long did that take? Is that even work appropriate? Can I try it too? Is that a wig? Sorry that's rude isn't it? Where do you buy, I mean get it done? Is it real? How does it work? Can I touch it? " No Karen. Stop 😭 I got carried away but my sentiments stand.
I remember helping my battle buddy take down her hair&she was really frustrated that she didn't have curly hair instead of coily hair. I was so angry because our hair is beautiful & majestic. We're literally the only ones with hair that grows up then out, if that's not beautiful i dont know what is
I had the same experience in basic training. There were about 25 ish black women in the bay and only about 5 of them actually loved their hair (including myself) and weren't texturism in some way. I know colonization plays a part, but WE keep this cycle going and we really need to do better.
@@doll.ov.poetrii4682 agree, I can't judge too harshly I just realized I need to fall back in love with my hair. I've been wearing box braids same color, size, length for the past four years lol so I decided to lay off weave and wear my hair in mini twists
Do yourself a favor, and make your own oils and creams. All you need is a small blender/hand mixer, essential oils such as rosemary, peppermint, orange and teatree; raw Shea/cocoa/mango butter; organic extra virgin, cold-pressed jojoba, grapseed and olive oil. Note: You can also use natural clays for cleansing and moisturizing 💗
I also noticed how a lot of youtube black girls have wavy hair, which a lot of times seen to me don't even need all those different products. I have tried many of the products on my kinky hair, and it never comes out looking like theirs no matter how many different products I've tried. Now I see as this sister clearly states it's all about selling products. So yes, the majority of these videos have girls with naturally curly hair, and my kinky hair is not going to come out looking like their hair no matter how many products they recommend or use.
Your recent hair videos inspired me to cut my hair off today. This is the shortest length I’ve had since starting my natural hair journey. Thanks so much for your work. It is freeing a lot of people.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! 🥹💛🌺☺️🥰🫂🎉🎊 I celebrate yooooou! How do you feeeel?! Are you enjoying it? And wow. 🥹🫂 I am HONORED. That is so kind of you to say. I share my heart and hope it resonates with others. Seeing comments like these are so encouraging. Thank you so much. And welcome to the cluuuub 🎉💃🏾🌸
@@AleciaRenece I’m getting used to it! I’m wearing my head wrap for now until I feel more confident. But It feels good to not worry about hair in the morning lol
Your videos are everything! I went natural around 2013 and while I've grown to love my natural hair, I'm still struggling to accept my massive shrinkage! My natural kinks are EXTREMELY tight, so much you can't tell it's growing sometimes :( One year of growth will look like two months of growth if I don't "stretch" the hair and I hate feeling pressured to manipulate it.
Same girl!!! My shrinkage is ridiculous and I try to embrace it but sometimes it can be difficult, esp when it gets closer to wash day cuz it really look like an inch or two from the scalp 😭😭😂😂 but it’s like magic when I stretch it lol
I love hair shrinkage! Mine shrinks by 70%, and I think it's a sign of hair health. Seeing my hair grow up and outwards toward the Heavens is bliss! Now, in full transparency. the maintenance and tangles that can come with shrinkage can be a bit overwhelming at times, so I try to always handle my hair with kid gloves.
Alecia, I noticed the shift, but I now realize I did not understand it as you are explaining it. I internalized it and thought, "something is wrong with me" (like I always have done). It wasn't me. It was strategic propaganda. This topic is spot-on
This is part of the reason I gave up on 'curly hair' products - I think SM is trying to make a comeback for the textured girlies and I didn't even bother buying because I already knew smh. I think it's also important to recognise that this marketing strategy is weaponised more broadly by large companies across the board. I remember watching a video by a former Cosmompolitan editor admitting that the magazine actively looked for ways to exploit women's pain points and insecurities to keep them buying products -- basically, the more inferior a woman felt, the more money they stood to make from her. It's not ethical at all, but it works, and you get costumers who overspend of their own free will trying to soothe their insecurities.
I have 2b/2c hair when the natural movement came by I never used to say I was going natural or a part of the movement despite seeing so many RUclipsrs with the same hair type say that. My reason for saying this was simple my hair texture was never seen as ugly to the masses if anything they fetishised it. We really need to let the kinky haired girlies have their time and moment and also shout out to the type 4 girlies because if it wasn’t for me watching your videos I would not have hair on my head AT ALL!
This was not a new movement. Black women already were natural (I am one if them) since the sixties. The difference is that this 'movement' quickly became less of a celebration and acceptance of natural hair and revealed a desire of many to have a different texture and an infatuation with long hair. This is not new either. Whats new is that many Blacks around the world evidence a similar view.
A cousin and I were the first in our family to go natural. She was away but I was closer, so I got all the criticism as I transitioned. However, eventually all my family went natural, but not until it became trendy. I’m glad they aren’t putting relaxers in anymore, but they didn’t get the point of why many of us went natural. I learned to work with my hair instead of against it, they didn’t learn to do their hair. They go to a hairstylist every 2 two weeks who give them manipulated curls. They would never walk out the house with a wash and go, sadly
@@AleciaRenece thanks ... I've been diving in on myself; overall health and hair. When it really comes down to it, it is simple. The work and commitment required heartfelt discipline, but the remedy is super simple.
this is a conversation i have offline all the time and one *WE* really need to have. wh*te supremacy and capitalism has done EXACTLY what it was supposed to do. great video. thank you so much for sharing this 💙
Our hair products are expensive. I just was looking at Mizani leave in hair milk. If I get from JC Penny it’s $20+ dollars, just for a leave in conditioner, I can get Garnier or Aussie leave in for a few dollars.
We do have cheap products yall just keep complaining about the ingredients and ignore them but they are there. I'm using Bronner Brothers right now. Lester's is another and Design Essentials.
It’s crazy I never saw it this way, but when I was in middle school high school, I wanted to wear my natural hair, and every time I would go on RUclips to find how to take care of my natural hair. They were never women that looked like me nor had the same hair texture as me, so it made it very difficult, and made me very discouraged to try and take care of my natural hair or even wear it out, and that’s when I started being very insecure about my hair and I started wearing weave and wigs
I guess it depends on when you were in high school cuz I was in my senior year when the NHM started and I had no problem finding type 4 hair tutorials. They weren’t popular RUclipsrs, but they were there. A lot of people who complained about not seeing their hair texture just didn’t want to look for them.
I agree with everything in this video as someone who has 4ABC hair, I can relate to every touch point. For instance, when my curls are defined people are in awe, when I do absolutely nothing people treat me differently. I had a black woman come into my job one day and compare my fro to a ball of wire. They also try to other me from black women who are type 4 but don’t have a curl pattern that is palatable. I’ve had to correct both black and non-black people about how they speak on a black women’s hair. I have learned so much about my hair from watching women with hair that is thicker 4c and beyond. I appreciate your contributions to my natural hair journey.
I learned about my 4c hair from you tube. That made me feel so confident, i decided against any further processing. I will forever be beholden to those young women.
The sad thing about alot of these products, alot of natural black women on RUclips were on here promoting them hard, but when you went to a hair show you never seen none of the natural youtuber women at any of the hair shows, promoting the products that put them there, it was straight hair women and celebrities that wasnt natural at all
I really appreciate you for this conversation. I loved RUclips for my kinky curly hair. As you are speaking I'm thinking about the women I used to watch and now actually miss. I hate what the corporate colonizers did to infiltrate this beautiful experience.
I remember the Shea moisture commercial. The LEAST they could have done was have a black woman from their own consumer base in that commercial. It's deeper than that. That wouldn't have solved the problem. But that's the least they could have done.
Awwwwwww! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! My mother swears by Donna's Recipe. I think after doing so much research and tests, she's finally found something that works for her. 🥰🌸 I plan to check it out when I grow my hair back. Thank you so much for sharing this recommendation with us. It's really helpful!
Alecia, will you explain why terms such as nappy, knotty, kinky and coarse describes our hair instead of curly, coiled, springy and spiral? Why is natural hair on males accepted by everyone? Must we create our own products or rely on others to do the same? Does referring to us as "black people" promote colorism?
I think different people have different names they like and dislike. For example,. some people, like me, have no problem with "Kinky". I also don't mind coarse because it's a descriptor. Any words that Black folks use to describe themselves, racist people will find a negative spin on it. I don't think it's my job to try to convince racist people to not be racist, texturist, colorist, etc. I'm guess the reason why it's accepted by men is because of misogynoir. Black men aren't held to the same standards as Black women, but Black men have their own brand of texturism (needing to have waves, etc.). Black men face texturism and anti-Blackness as well (the young man who couldn't attend school because he had locs). Yes. We should create our own products. Sadly, either they're under supported, under funded or just not well known. Or some products are bought out (like Shea Moisture) and Black folks are left behind. And no, I don't. "Black" is a cultural label. ☺️ I have no issue being called Black. Those who don't like it will say so. I think people have eyes and some people are racist/prejudice. It's just what they do. 🌸🌻🌺💛
@@AleciaRenece is the purpose of words to communicate a thought or meaning, either negative or positive? Some say n-word is a term of endearment. Is there another group of people with a large percentage who buy into different hair texture for males and females within a group? There will never be 100% agreement on our hair, etc, however more of us must embrace how we were created. Did our ancestors on The Continent call themselves black people? Who started this trend and why? Are our skin tones diverse, here in The Diaspora and on The Continent?
@@jmanhope1745 again, I see "Black" as a cultural moniker. 🤷🏾♀️💛 I love being Black. I feel no shame about it. The N word is not the same to me. And this language isn't ours. Racist people will take any word or phrase (and I mean any 😂) to be racist. Right now, white folks are calling Black people "DEIs"... That is a benign acronym, but white folks have taken that and made it into a weapon. It doesn't matter what word we use, they'll spit on it. I'm honestly not concerned with what White people do. Whatever Black folks choose to call themselves (Black, African American, People of the African Diaspora, People of the sun, melanated people....) works. For me, I'm cool with Black. 🥰 It's just a name used to group people. It's a word used to describe a group of people. It's not different than calling someone "white". We know they're not the color white. It's just a word used so you know who I'm referencing culturally. I think we put a lot of energy into trying to convince people that we're worthy, when we should just walk in it. We're lovely, worthy, Beautiful beings. As far as Africa, I have no African tongue. I'm sure if I were from Africa, or steeped in African culture, there'd be another word to describe a group of people. And yes. White people have different hair textures... Straight, fine, curly.... We're not the only ones whose hair comes in a variety of textures. It's just the human experience.
Hmm, this is really interesting from the coily girl end of things. I myself am a mixed girl with curly hair, and lately I’ve noticed Im not seeing many of the black creators i used to watch. At all, really. Now I’m getting recommended videos of white women with curly hair. It’s like we’re all being erased, but it’s no secret that these algorithms hate us.
Really???? 👀👀👀 *writes this down and saved for later*. Thank you SO much for sharing this with us! When I grow my hair out again, I'll give it a try! 🥰🌻🌸💛 Thank yooooou!!!
My society is quite different (I live in Nigeria). However, I rose above our own noise and now I'm enjoying my multi-textured hair that consists of kinks, coils, waves and all the types of hair on the chat. One thing that has resonated in all areas of my life is that I am so confident that you can't pressure me to do what I don't want. I don't do "cancel culture" because I first look for where the narrative is coming from and I judge based on what I found out to be true. At this point, it's pure capitalism for even the most black-owned brands so, I just go with what suits me. I'm too old to be playing politics with my time.
I enjoyed the video. Your comments were so true. In the early days of me going natural. I kid you not. I spent thousands of dollars on hair products and equipment because I didn't know anything about caring for my natural hair. I found myself comparing my texture and curl pattern to other women. Who in many instances were of mixed race. My hair was never going to do what their hair did. I agree about so-called natural products changing the formula. I.e. Shea moisture, Carol's daughter, Mielle, and many others. The beauty industry really does profit off of black women. Smh.
I got caught up in the natural hair copious product hauls. However, I first “went natural” in ‘92. 😅 So, from the desert to “this tew much”! It took me doing sooo much less to my hair to uncloud my perception and follicles. Ohhhh shout out to centering my own gaze. Genuine hair love these days.❤
Thank you for this. I’ve had my fair share of wigs and other hairstyles involving weave especially as an older teenage girl. I chopped my hair off a year ago and once it grew I felt good about it until one of my guy friends said it made me look like a boy. I was so insecure and I realized I was putting my scalp through so much with the constant installs and hours of sitting in the chair getting braids. When in reality my scalp is sensitive and I’m allergic to braiding hair and the other day I took out my wig and it left my hairline bleeding. I woke up early and I decided to loc my hair. This will be my second set and I’m ready to embrace my natural hair, and to love myself authentically especially as a young black woman.
love hearing you speak! as a former natural hair content creator I appreciated this perspective and a lot of what you said is why I stopped creating that content. once I peeped the nonsense it just no longer resonated. my routine is so simple and stress free now.
You did preach that Sermon of the Purloined Products & Movement! If we were as selective with our hair secrets as we are with sorority secrets, NOTHING would have leaked out, lol. Thank you, Alecia, for having inspired me to continue with my menopausal, natural hair.
Our hair can be natural but only in a style that appeases them😒 Find the girls on YT who use the grease and water method😄 I tried Anthony Dickey’s suggestions and conditioned my hair with ALOT of regular smegular conditioner 3 or more times a week. It’s finally softer and not breaking as much. Four simple twists or braids or not and my hair is nice! In the 70’s 80’s we just used grease and water.
This topic is one of the reasons I had no problem leaving the beauty industry as a hairstylist. Society won’t let our women be great in loving and embracing the hair that grows out of their heads. We walk away from the “creamy crack”, and then right into wanting the soft, loose, bouncy curls…when all of don’t naturally have that texture. We still have a long road ahead towards individuality.
NappyFu made a great video recently on the "keaving natural hair community" and she is SPOT ON...we do not want to admit our internal bias. 2024 we are not children , we can unlearn toxic things about nayural hair when we take accountability for the content we consume...yes hair discrimination may be real but it mostly comes from our own and ourselves deep down. Show.up for yourself with love and accpetance so others know how to approach
I hear you and her. However, to say that self hatred came from ourselves is wrong. We LEARNED to hate ourselves. It's both. Can't have Black people hating themselves without being taught and oppressed. Literally RIGHT NOW, there are laws in place right now that say if your hair is natural, you can't go to class, work, etc. I don't think you mean any harm, and I think you think that this is accountability, but it's gaslighting and victim blaming. People HATE Black folks loving themselves. They literally killed them for this... To say that if we love ourselves, all of our problems will be fixed, is not true. It's way more complicated than that. There are systems in place to ensure that we don't love ourselves and that they make MONEY from us hating ourselves...
I believe this is why wash and go's became so popular. It seemed like only way black women with coily hair could keep up was to diminish their coils. Here we are in the natural hair community, not having natural hair. 🤷🏽♀️
Good video. Undeniable points. In 2011 when my home girls went natural...they looked like sisters trying to understand their roots, culture and history. Now in 2024 Tracee Ellis Ross is the champion of natural hair, and I thought it was because women had figured out new techniques.
I agree with what you’re saying and I still blame us. We allowed black women to be exploited bcus a lot of us got on here lying for a bag. I remember a lot of the hair OG’s and they are no where to be found now. We should have done a better job of protecting our community bcus black hair has been exploited long enough. I cringe at hair content now. Btw, I’m 4c and I use Joico bcus having worked in a Salon I’ve learned shampoo for curly hair is simply a moisturizing shampoo. Has nothing to do with color.
Speak truth to power. Every time we create something just for us, it's taken over. Seems like we have to return to Morris code to have something for just us
I don’t recall shea moisture changing their formulas. I still use some of their products and Mielle didn’t either they made an additional product that was lighter weight for the type 1-2s however they still make their original formula
sistah, this is such an important conversation, and no one has it quite like you. I have listened to all the things that some influencers put out there when it comes to hair, blackhair, and I shiver at these thoughts that make the rest of us want to run and hide. personally, I have really soft and not too tight curly hair. but I am not good at hair. If I listened to some of these women, I would be bald. I love you so much.
I wore my hair short *deliberately* from the age of 25 to about 40. But in my late 30s I wore a short-ish bob, so I don’t know if that counts. I would love to see more short hair proponents and content on social media, and not solely in the context of big chopping to start over or remove relaxed or damaged hair. I would love to see influencers who wear, style, and maintain short hair long-term.
Thank you for making this video. I have had such a complicated relationship with my hair and while I do have the looser curls, I was never taught how to care my hair and mostly did nothing with it. I actually had it cut just like yours in the video for about 5 years (that cut looks bomb on you) and I felt most like myself and most comfortable with my hair buzzed off. Over the last year I started growing my hair back out and while I've death with breakage due to trichotillomania, my hair has been growing fast. Just over the last two weeks I'm finally looking at RUclips for hair ideas and dang....there is no amount of product that will make my hair look like some of these girls AND...why so much product? I Just want to wash, condition, put a little leave in and walk out the door. Why does it have to be so complicated. My scalp can't handle braids, crochet, weave, and now you're telling me that the "simple" wash n' go isn't really so much 'GO but Wash n' style n' dry n' then go. My daughter has 4b/4c hair and likes her poof balls, loves her fro and gravitates towards any image that represents her. I realized last week I should be fostering a love for her hair so that she accepts it and doesn't struggle the way I did for my whole life. If I'm completely honest, I'm still learning to love my hair. Thanks again for the video. It really resonated with me.
Right after your video ended, an ad came on of a white haircare brand with one black girl as representation and she definitely had the defined fro! So safe to say what you are discussing within brands brainwashing texturism into us, is still well and alive today 😢
my teacher shamed me in 7th grade. i had coconut oil in my hair. natural coconut oil. he then yelled at mw saying he’s allergic when i went up to his desk to get my paper. that was 34 years ago. i told my mom, who is from ghana, and she went to that school quick in a hurry. she made him apologize to me in front of the whole class with her thick ghanaian accent. rip mom and thank you for not letting anyone bully me for being natural and using natural products. today i’m a licensed cosmetologist ❤
Shea moisture was tired of doing bogos. They needed more coin. My thing is all those products work, it’s the Trying to make coily hair “defined” to me is not really accepting your hair. White people was never my problem it’s other black people that had their comments. But whatever
Yeah... But where sis Black people learn to hate their hair...? White people... That's what you're missing. It all goes back to colonization and oppression. Here in the states (I'm not sure where you are), you can be fired from your job, denied entry at school, treated unfairly because of the way your Hair looks... Black hair is constantly called "unprofessional" ... They're literally STILL trying to pass the Crown Act in all states to say you can't discriminate against people because of the way their hair grows out of their heads... Maybe white people were never *your* problem, but ehats not everyone's story. We have to leave room for other people's experiences. That's empathy and care and consideration. Just because you can't relate, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It could also mean that you haven't noticed it. And we also know that men and women are treated VERY differently from one another... So yes.
Well, I can understand where your coming from, but, it really comes down to what works for your hair. Everybody's hair is different. You shouldn't allow someone to dictate what is good for your hair type or what to use. These ppl that share products that work for them are suggesting this could help or this what works for them. You cannot try to make your hair look just like the vloggers hair you watch on RUclips because, your hair, skin, and personality at totally different. Individuality makes you who you are. As a person that watches RUclips about 4c hair over the years, I've learned to pick and choose what is good for my hair, and incorporate their suggestions. I'm in love with my hair growth, and I found out in my case less was better. I stop trying to buy every product someone said was good for them. I don't try to do my hair like them. I do my hair to look like me...BEAUTIFUL
I know this is about black women but speaking as a queer black man I feel the pressure of constantly keeping a haircut and line up because of the same judgement of not being looked at as desireble as well. Black men are often also viewed as dirty if we don’t come out completely “fresh” cut or braided everyday. The minute we get new growth then it’s like we looked at as Olof our looks have somehow become more devalued. My heart goes out to all the beautiful 4c 4b black women. The world just continues to ask you to jump through hoops to prove your femininity and worth while others groups are just simply given that at face value as they exist in their bodies.
The two best hair products i used were made by black women running a small operation. The Curl Smiler and Hair All Down My Back leave in. So many large brands changed. Now I'm working through my stash and hardly buy product anymore.
Love this video. I see you on herbal essences and I raise you garnier fructis. 😂 But my hair was relaxed then. I haven't done a big chop but your style os tempting me to do it because my hair now? 🙃 🤪 I can't recall my haircare learning journey on RUclips. But I like Starpuppy and Faye in The City though I don't think the latter will be doing more haircare stuff in thw future. I also follow Hey Knotty Girl and Shereadelsol. Honestly I don't follow too closely this community because i would be overwhelmed with all the methods. 😂 I have a briogeo conditioner (which is no longer black-owned). I also liked Sheamoisture but stopped when i heard of the changing of ownership. I have 2 styling products from kreyol essence. I also liked kinky-curly knot today leave-in conditioner, which i believe the brand is black woman owned. Speaking of briogeo, they say Beyonce's line is similar to it so maybe check them out? 😂
THANK YOU for mentioning the itty-bitty product containers! WHO exactly are these small portions for?!? I need an entire vat of styling products on washday! #highporosity
My hair is so thick and I have major shrinkage. I sprayed my hair so much water and applied so much gel overtime. Within a couple hrs I’m back to thick dry shrinkage. 😂😂I thought natural hair was cheaper but the products and gadgets I brought drained my account. It was like calculus trying to figure out my hair.😂😂😂😂. It is what it is. Wig today. Afro tomorrow.
How are we getting erased when it was us who flocked to the curly girls' videos? Their hair looked nothing like their audience. You can't blame the corporations when they are responding to what is popular. Many of us went into the neo natural hair movement still with colonized mindsets. We oohed and aahed at the girls with the looser hair textures and then when some of us figured out that we don't have that hair type they ran right back to the creamy crack. We gotta stop the self hate.
Hi there ☺️💛 I believe the problem is way more complicated than that. Did you watch the video? 💛 Self hate is taught and reinforced by outside sources. Also, Black women are not behind the algorithm of RUclips. The algorithm is programmed but white men. They're going to push content that represents what they're willing to push.
@@AleciaRenece Ofc I watched the video and I am part of the natural hair community. Yes, what you said is historically true. But at what point do we take our own beauty back? How long can we hate ourselves knowing this history? Nowadays we are the ones flocking to these 3a hair influencers and making them popular. This is all down to supply and demand. And if we didn't demand it (support, condone and put our dollars there) the supply would have dwindled to nothing. It's time to take responsibility and do the work now for ourselves and the betterment of our community as a whole.
@@MrsDetroit622 I hear you, I just hold both truths at the same time. That's all. You're right. A lot of us do hate ourselves. I'm just asking and adding why. 🤷🏾♀️💛 I'm not arguing. if we spent 400 plus years being taught to hate ourselves, I think I can give grace to Black folks unlearning that self hatred. So to answer your question, it will take as long as it takes. The sale hate we carry is 400 plus years deep, it's multi layered and complicated. Also, in this video I'm talking about the algorithms that are inherently anti Black. They're programmed by white men, so of course there is gonna be a bias. I also know women who were a part of the natural hair movement and they, themselves, talked about how they were pushed out, replaced and buried by the algorithm. On top of that, they were not even considered for brand deals and the like. And our self hatred does not change the fact that these companies use us to make money, then discard us. I was asking if you watched the longer video that this is clipped from because in the longer video, I talk about how I learned to hate myself (I also understand that people have different experiences). It's still internalized anti Blackness, but what was internalized still started from external sources. Even if Black folks pass it down, it's not from us. The systems are racist, anti Black, misogynoirist. That's the world we live in. I'm not going to blame the victims for learning to survive in an awful place. The issue, still, is anti Blackness. 💛
Alecia, have you ever seen the documentary on RUclips called "Natural Hair" or "Natural"? I happened to come across it one night while looking for videos on keeping my naturalfrom having too much breakage. It was very interesting and eye-opening. It's a full documentary with the lady from Dallas named Naturally Isis and others I'm not familiar with. Check it out some time. The styles some of the ladies wore were the straightened type of style, but it was pro natural all the way. Blessings, Tameko
✨ I have not always loved my hair, but my hair has always loved me. Watch the full video here: ruclips.net/video/fGEhrLORjsM/видео.html I hope you're having an amazing day! 🌺🫶🏾🥰
We failed ourselves. I intentionally only click on videos with kinky/coily textures. People voted with their attention and texturism won.
I wish it were that simple, but unfortunately, it's not. The algorithm also plays a part in this. We forget that. It's the illusion of choice. If the algorithm ain't pushing our content... No one sees it. It gets buried by the algorithm, unfortunately. 🤷🏾♀️ If algorithms are programmed by people who happen to be anti Black, the home page will show it. Also, it still doesn't address the lack of brand deals and the like...
@AleciaRenece the algorithm pushes what is being clicked on....if you keep clicking loose texture videos it's going to learn to push those videos....just like when I watch one true crime video now my feed is full of videos about murders and violence...people.vote with their clicks...people click on the videos with more views and assume all naturals must be watching these videos because they have more than 20k+ views but home girl hair don't even match yours....
We are not stupid people...we know how to click exit and search up videos and use our brains to decide which video would be more educational to me depending on our curl pattern, density and more.
2024 no one has an excuse there ARE LOTS of content for kinky coils that isn't clickbaot but no one wants to admit they have length bias, curl pattern admiration for looser curls, slick baby hairs and slick down styles and are trying to make their texture do something or mimick something it isn't meant to do.
We have TO ACCEPT our hair for what it is.
Once you accept this is.my hair and THIS is what it can do life is much easier. Natural hair is hard when you are trying to make it do things it isn't capable of doing. My 4c hair will NEVER do what a type 3 hair does so why sit there and watch a video I clearly can see isn't gonna benefit me.
In my years I've learned that nobody hates black hair more than black people. Other groups either don't care or they absolutely LOVE IT. Rarely do they hate it....very very rarely 😊
Sadly we've LEARNED to hate our hair from other people. They do hate our hair, they just might not outrightly say it. Again, we're still trying to get the Crown act passed to say it's unlawful to discriminate against someone just because of the way their hair grows out of their heads.
It's internalized hatred that we have, yes. But that hatred came from the external. The external doesn't have to be so loud anymore because we do their work for them. But don't forget, it's THEIR work.
@@AleciaRenecePeriod. I one hundred percent agree!
I can't agree with 100% with this statement. On one hand, the only people who had problems with my hair 4C texture in my person of life has been black people especially the men. On the other hand, there is discrimination in the workplace on towards 4C hair especially from white women. This is just my lived experience, I can't speak for everyone.
@@u.fatimabruny-fils1365 So BM and WW are the reason why BW came up with the crown act?
Lol, we learned to h8 our hair and our very selves from others. Who are you kidding? The fact that laws like the Crown Act are needed proves that. We didn't magically start suffering from Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. Also, the whtes and adjacents will smile and lie straight to your face about those things but once comfortable around their own they talk a helluva lot differently. 😅
Once Shea Moisture changed their ingredients I started making my own products and never looked back.
Right on sista!
I also noticed at that time all the “natural hair” video had to be people with long hair.
Thiiiiiiiiis! There's this obsession over length, always! Like dang! Why can't we just appreciate the hair for what it is today?! 😢 It's always about growing our hair. That, too, is rooted in European standards.
@@AleciaRenece🎤
Oh god the length checks. 🙄
@@AleciaReneceI somewhat agree with you on the obsession concerning length connected to European beauty standards in THIS country. In countries like my own, Nigeria, length gave opportunity for styling choices and was ultimately, a consistent sign of beauty. Length and is ties to beauty was already there. I just wanted to share this. The underlying reasons for why black communities do the things they do isn't always credited to what white people do.
@@nikhefe16 Ughh yesss!! I hate when people say long hair is an European standard. IT IS NOT! Even in America. There was a reason they demanded to cover up their long hair in New Orleans.
As soon as hair-typing emerged, I knew it was a wrap ~
Agreed . I have never subscribed to that. Another Divisive tactic.
I completely understand that. I also understand wanting to create a system that makes it easier for folks to better find products and styles that work for their hair. But I do agree that people will take anything and find a way to look down on others or discriminate.
@AleciaRenece I think the fact that they typed whte hair when it doesn't need to be typed and placed it at #1 and 2 says everything.
@@squarebear619it has been aid the founder of this system was texurist and thought type 4 hair was not ok and need to be relaxed or curl pattern loosened . I still use it for understanding my type 4 hair but it very much say alot that straight hair is seen as numbero uno and the most kinkiest last
@@squarebear619I see what you’re saying I think it’s supposed to be from “untextured to tightest texture hair”
Might be wrong but I think Asians have the straightest untextured hair even if white people are the beauty standard
I feel fortunate that I grew up with virgin hair unlike a lot of my classmates, cousins, sisters, childhood friends. No one could make me feel insecure about my thick virgin hair because it was beautiful to ME!!!!! It was all I knew. Even today as a grown woman in my mid thirties people are still trying to hurt my self esteem by giving back hand compliments and just saying ugly things about my hair. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Blood relatives, co workers, random people on the street, they all try to get me feeling less than. It never worked and still doesn’t work. My mom always had her hair virgin also, no wigs or weave. When you know who you are and are secure with who you are no one can get into your head to influence you to change yourself to their liking or their comfort.
✊🏾
send through that confidence
❤❤ same here. From a very young age, I absolutely loved my hair despite all the passive aggressive comments I have received.
Teach, Alecia!!! Our blackness from our hair to our skin, to our DNA.....IS PERFECT AND RIGHT!
🥹🫶🏾💛🌺
I think Mayowa's World is a good start for those who want more. She has a video on her personal experience with her hair and how people treated her. She has free form locks and had to learn to love her hair without texturerism and infantilisation(too much baby hair and gels)
Yeeeeeeeeeees!!!!! I really enjoy Mayowa's hair and content. I'm honestly so grateful. 🌸🌻💛 I second this! Please, if you think of anymore to follow, feel free to share them here. It would help so many of us out. 🫶🏾🥰🥹🫂🌸🌻 Much love and joy to you!!!
Interesting statement on infantilisation using baby hairs as an example. Never thought of it that way but you might have a point.
Love Mayowa❤❤!!!
Great content Alecia❤!
Loved this video. Natural Afro is not shown on RUclips. It's always leave in Conditioner., this gel and that glue...
Sadly, it's true. I enjoy following people who just show up as themselves. I'm all for the freedom of expression, and I do enjoy the hairstyles of women who do alm that stuff, too. But the women who don't show up in that way tend not to be as supported, platformes or centered. It's discouraging. 🥺😮💨💛💛💛
And THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WATCHING! 💛🌻🌸
Unpopular opinion:
No many people WANT to keep their hair truly natural, so they don’t watch those videos. They watch videos to see hoy to MANIPULATE their natural patterns.
My hair is big, loose patterned and there’s not a day I don’t receive compliments, especially from women with tighter hair. I’m not saying it’s wrong to compliment someone’s hair, but the lack of support to the 4b/c chicks, (coming from the same 4b/c chicks) is what killed the movement.
@@Maremare680 When women with highly textured hair learn to wear their hair without added hair, hair dye and excessive manipulation they will develop a healthy relationships with their hair. I am 4C and this strategy worked for me-and now I can’t imagine wearing my hair any other way.
My daughter has 3C hair and has never had a chemical in her hair-she said it’s unreal the attention she gets at school whenever she wears a wash and go…including from biracials who have informed her that she’s “not supposed to have that type of hair.”
@@Maremare680Thats it. We didn't support the 4c yt'ers.
I wear my natural hair most times bit not in an afro, because it gets too tangled
I learned of the Natural Hair Movement in high school when i was still wearing my hair straight. I always saw the movement as experimental. It was the individual experience of getting to know & understand your natural hair in its natural form without chemicals & flat irons & sharing knowledge of what you've learned. I never saw it as a thing for a specific "hair texture" group. It was a movement for Black people to stop with the chemicals & straightening altering of their hair & embrace their hair in its purest form. Black hair comes in so many different textures, colors & curl patterns, the Natural Hair movement was about discovering & embracing our uniqueness not comparing ourselves to one another.
I had an epiphany a few weeks back: I'm done wasting my money on "curly" products that don't work on my hair. They're not for my hair texture, and there's no point in trying to make it something it's not. I love my hair, even more so now that I'm learning how to take care of it for what it is.
I started my hair journey before RUclips. I learned mostly by reading books and online forums.
I grew my relaxed hair out, then big chopped and went natural. I even had a hair blog and a hair RUclips.
I personally don’t blame RUclips. They just promoted what people wanted to see. Black women chose to follow women with “type 3” curly hair. And they don’t want to do the work to care (self care) for their hair.
The problem is a lot of people never accepted their natural texture. I wore a wash and go for years and am going back to that because it’s the easiest. But it’s a mental shift to accept shrinkage, etc.
I hate to see the “going back to relaxers” movement but ultimately black women have to do what they need to do to manage their hair and the rest of their responsibilities.
Oh, and I leave my house with my hair wet. 🤷🏾♀️
The fact that women of color view their "Natural Hair" that grows from their OWN scalp as an issue; is TRULY gross to me. 😔
That's because a lot of black women vicariously live through biracial women and it's something no one seems to want to talk about. The one drop rule nonsensical belief absolutely contributed to the natural hair movement being infiltrated with the hair textures of "acceptable 'black hair' " from acceptable "black" women. BW let it happen because of underlying colorism, featurism and texturism that they refuse to unpack.
Yes. I went natural in the days of Nappturality and the online photo albums before RUclips. People don't know that history of the natural hair movement. Also in the early days of RUclips people quickly became obsessed with type 3 hair and hoping their hair would eventually change after the big chop. It was just a reflection of the bigger issues black people have around hair.
Nappturality! I went natural in '99 so I was on all the forums back in the day. I loved it there because it was anti straightening in any form.
I was rare to see a woman with natural hair.
I'm a hair forum girl as well so by the time RUclips came along, i was fine. People have become so disconnected from Black hair people are surprised type 3 hair can become afros because many only want to see type 3 hair in a wash n go. I'm saying this as someone with type 3 hair and people being surprised when i show them of what my hair looks like combed out.
The way the algorithm seems to work is it shows you what other people that also looked at similar content watched so if most people looking at videos titled "natural hair" are looking at looser hair textures, that will get recommended. Many are embarrassed to admit they aren't there yet when it comes to accepting their hair. Its easier to say its just hair then admit you're still struggling.
RUclips just made the texturism among us more obvious
The real movement needs to pull all funds from places that don’t serve us or pretend to.
This. This would be LOVELY 🥹💛🥰🌺🫂
I went through it. Only to discover that I need 3 things. I'm now a minimalist and I keep it stepping.
WENT THROUGH IT! I now only have a shampoo, conditioner & a leave in. I do about 8 twists or braids & go about my week. I don’t have any more of my time or money to give.
3 product girlies have been all the buzz lately in connection with damaged hair & generally just shaming the method. I’m finding it all very interesting
I’m 35 & at this point it is what it is, I’ll be 50 by the time I’ve managed to achieve the ideal coils/kinks/curls we have been so desperately striving for. EXHAUSTED & keeping it moving.
And oh baby, they gaslit it out of us! They told us they were natural too, when they knew exactly what the natural hair movement was. It was for kinky hair.
Type 3s and 4s
Omg this video is so on point!
I wish there was a way that black women could share information with each other secretly because once they “discover” something it’s a wrap for us 😢
Me tooooo! Someone here suggested that we need programmers to build something for us. It'd have to be away from the white gaze. Every TIME we discover/create something, here they come. 😮💨
I've literally already thought of building something like this as an engineer, so I really appreciate reading this, because it feels aligned with what I want to do. Full disclosure, I am lightskinned with 4c.
@@AleciaRenece
I look for the ladies on YT who use the grease and water method. In the 70’s we washed and braided our hair at night. In the morning we had a cute fro😊
Being with your mother/sister/aunty/cousin was always the way and remains the way to pass on traditional and cultural information. The breakdown of black families has killed this.
@@mirandaokon A lot of us ended up on RUclips because our mothers/aunties and grandmothers could not care for our hair without with causing us pain or chemical burns. I think people forget what our childhood routines were like
I guess the solution is for black women to become programmers so we can build our own platforms that cater to us and push our own algorithm and keep others from “colonizing”. I also think big name celebrities should have limited exposure on the platforms.
I COMPLETELY agree!!!!! This would be absolutely GAME changing! I hope the STEM girls are listening! We need our own things! And I absolutely agree with you. Big name celebrities should not get the monopoly. They have enough. 😅🫶🏾💛🌻🥰
Yes! We need our own spaces. It’s time to be exclusive. 🌸🌸🌸
If these platforms come to fruition, the "others" that need to be excluded from the movement include most biracials. The one drop rule nonsense that most black people subscribe to is one of the reasons the natural hair movement so easily got hijacked by the "3b/3C" girls in the first place. MOST black women have type 4, afro textured hair.
Absolutely. We need our platform.
If everyone is considered Black then good luck at trying to keep others from colonizing.
RUclips didn’t fail natural hair, black women failed natural hair. Instead of watching 4c type videos en mass, black women searched for and watched types 3 videos en mass, which led to the algorithm telling companies what to push to us. We tell companies what we want, not the other way around.
Agree.
I don’t think it’s entirely black peoples fault since anything will be more profitable if it’s closer to white people
But that fixation with making their hair look loose curly like the creators they aspire to replicate
And not just embracing their own curl pattern
Is what led to so much dissatisfaction and texturism
Even though most prominent influences aren’t 4c I doubt people would even trust an actual 4c creator is being honest regardless
Well said
I didn’t search for anything besides “natural hair”, what are you talking about? I don’t mind taking fault when I had a hand in it but that wasn’t the case, for myself I mean. It takes more than just watching videos because who cares about views if the products aren’t’t selling? Someone is buying those products which is why they’re still around.
@@jollyrancherchick if it don’t apply, let it fly.
Yup I was turned off realizing what was happening around 2015. As a dark skinned woman I was already aware of colorism and how that impacted me - and then in the natural hair scene which many Black women were encouraged to do, I noticed a lot of videos of women with looser curls and many of us wanting that look. I realized that the movement had become like colonized so I left. I started back up years later and these days focus more on influencers with 4b/4c hair closer to my hair texture.
🫂🫂🫂🌻🌺💛 Yeeeeeeeeeees! Same. That was the time I was like "okay... that's enough." it definitely became SUPER colonized and it felt like the end of an era. 🥺 I'm so glad you were able to find creators again. 🥹🌻 They're doing good work and it's beautiful to see them be supported.
Yup. The biracials hijacked the movement and white women followed.
Agreed sis, thank you for your observation.
That said, focusing on my natural hair freed me from the tyranny of Asian beauty supply stores.
I now make my own hair products do my own hair and have never been happier.
I no longer go to any hair salons. True freedom!
What grew my hair: raw henna, olive oil straight from the kitchen cabinet, fenugreek seeds (soak and spray the water onto your hair daily), raw green tea sprayed into my hair, and avocado, honey, banana, and raw coconut oil mixed together before I shampoo (I use normal suave shampoo and Aussie's 3 minute deep conditioner). Braid with just coconut oil over night.
Hair growth is genetic. Of course, a healthy scalp is conducive for growth but if you're genetically predisposed to have shorter, tighter hair then no amount of various products will make it grow. Hair length and growth are still a product of antiblckness brought on by yt racsm. Eating healthy, oil, conditioned, and cleaning/water promote health and growth.
I have a question 4 you. The avocado, honey, banana and coconut oil, you mix it until it's whipped or until its in cream form?
@@CroatanWolf44 it's still lumpy with banana, but after I got a blender it became so much easier. Just wash it out of your hair really really good afterwards, and use bentonite clay if you're familiar
No. Our hair didn't look how we expected/wanted it to look and we got insecure. RUclips didn't fail us, our ego did. we saw the curls we didn't have, the length we didn't have, and we gave up. We got insecure. Truth hurts.
I hear you, and I don't necessarily think you're "wrong", I think it's just more complicated that that. But I get you.
Our insecurities hardly ever come from ourselves. We learn to be insecure. We learn that something about us is "wrong" from other individuals.
The fact that my white boss can look at my fro and say that I am "unkempt" or "unprofessional" shows that it's not just us.
we have reason to be insecure. People have literally lost their jobs, been barred from schools and competitions because of their natural hair.
It was literally ILLEGAL in some places for Black women to even SHOW their hair.
The insecurities are there, but they're not from us.
I don't think Black women can be blamed for getting our feelings hurt by the natural hair movement. The average Black woman once again had a woman that didn't have their features put on a pedestal and told that this was the model. However the natural hair movement was worse because these women were presented to us as natural Black women. Social media does that often. Black women that don't look like typical Black women are made the standard of beauty for average Black women with two Black parents and four Black grandparents. It was a huge mind ----.
@@AleciaRenece exactly 💯 when we see people that don't have to worry about their hair like we do, it drives the knife even deeper. Do I fry my hair into a damaged state just to fit in, or do I get a wig and move on with the risk of someone trying to snatch it off just to see a black girl get embarrassed? Do I wear my afro or twist outs and risk the uncomfortable questions and unpleasant touches (why do they always pet us on the head like an animal?), or do I get braids and still deal with the onslaught of questions and exaggerated back handed compliments.
" Oh those are so cool! How long did that take? Is that even work appropriate? Can I try it too? Is that a wig? Sorry that's rude isn't it? Where do you buy, I mean get it done? Is it real? How does it work? Can I touch it? "
No Karen. Stop 😭
I got carried away but my sentiments stand.
I remember helping my battle buddy take down her hair&she was really frustrated that she didn't have curly hair instead of coily hair. I was so angry because our hair is beautiful & majestic. We're literally the only ones with hair that grows up then out, if that's not beautiful i dont know what is
I had the same experience in basic training. There were about 25 ish black women in the bay and only about 5 of them actually loved their hair (including myself) and weren't texturism in some way. I know colonization plays a part, but WE keep this cycle going and we really need to do better.
@@doll.ov.poetrii4682 agree, I can't judge too harshly I just realized I need to fall back in love with my hair. I've been wearing box braids same color, size, length for the past four years lol so I decided to lay off weave and wear my hair in mini twists
6:45 I never forgave Shea Moisture for that.
Do yourself a favor, and make your own oils and creams. All you need is a small blender/hand mixer, essential oils such as rosemary, peppermint, orange and teatree; raw Shea/cocoa/mango butter; organic extra virgin, cold-pressed jojoba, grapseed and olive oil.
Note: You can also use natural clays for cleansing and moisturizing 💗
I also noticed how a lot of youtube black girls have wavy hair, which a lot of times seen to me don't even need all those different products.
I have tried many of the products on my kinky hair, and it never comes out looking like theirs no matter how many different products I've tried. Now I see as this sister clearly states it's all about selling products.
So yes, the majority of these videos have girls with naturally curly hair, and my kinky hair is not going to come out looking like their hair no matter how many products they recommend or use.
Your recent hair videos inspired me to cut my hair off today. This is the shortest length I’ve had since starting my natural hair journey. Thanks so much for your work. It is freeing a lot of people.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! 🥹💛🌺☺️🥰🫂🎉🎊 I celebrate yooooou! How do you feeeel?! Are you enjoying it? And wow. 🥹🫂 I am HONORED. That is so kind of you to say. I share my heart and hope it resonates with others. Seeing comments like these are so encouraging. Thank you so much. And welcome to the cluuuub 🎉💃🏾🌸
@@AleciaRenece I’m getting used to it! I’m wearing my head wrap for now until I feel more confident. But It feels good to not worry about hair in the morning lol
Your videos are everything! I went natural around 2013 and while I've grown to love my natural hair, I'm still struggling to accept my massive shrinkage! My natural kinks are EXTREMELY tight, so much you can't tell it's growing sometimes :( One year of growth will look like two months of growth if I don't "stretch" the hair and I hate feeling pressured to manipulate it.
Same girl!!! My shrinkage is ridiculous and I try to embrace it but sometimes it can be difficult, esp when it gets closer to wash day cuz it really look like an inch or two from the scalp 😭😭😂😂 but it’s like magic when I stretch it lol
I love hair shrinkage! Mine shrinks by 70%, and I think it's a sign of hair health. Seeing my hair grow up and outwards toward the Heavens is bliss! Now, in full transparency. the maintenance and tangles that can come with shrinkage can be a bit overwhelming at times, so I try to always handle my hair with kid gloves.
Alecia, I noticed the shift, but I now realize I did not understand it as you are explaining it. I internalized it and thought, "something is wrong with me" (like I always have done). It wasn't me. It was strategic propaganda. This topic is spot-on
Wow 🤔💯
This is part of the reason I gave up on 'curly hair' products - I think SM is trying to make a comeback for the textured girlies and I didn't even bother buying because I already knew smh. I think it's also important to recognise that this marketing strategy is weaponised more broadly by large companies across the board. I remember watching a video by a former Cosmompolitan editor admitting that the magazine actively looked for ways to exploit women's pain points and insecurities to keep them buying products -- basically, the more inferior a woman felt, the more money they stood to make from her. It's not ethical at all, but it works, and you get costumers who overspend of their own free will trying to soothe their insecurities.
I think the products we buy are harmful. The less we do, the more our hair flourishes. Thanks for sharing your insight.
I have 2b/2c hair when the natural movement came by I never used to say I was going natural or a part of the movement despite seeing so many RUclipsrs with the same hair type say that. My reason for saying this was simple my hair texture was never seen as ugly to the masses if anything they fetishised it. We really need to let the kinky haired girlies have their time and moment and also shout out to the type 4 girlies because if it wasn’t for me watching your videos I would not have hair on my head AT ALL!
This was not a new movement. Black women already were natural (I am one if them) since the sixties. The difference is that this 'movement' quickly became less of a celebration and acceptance of natural hair and revealed a desire of many to have a different texture and an infatuation with long hair. This is not new either. Whats new is that many Blacks around the world evidence a similar view.
A cousin and I were the first in our family to go natural. She was away but I was closer, so I got all the criticism as I transitioned. However, eventually all my family went natural, but not until it became trendy. I’m glad they aren’t putting relaxers in anymore, but they didn’t get the point of why many of us went natural. I learned to work with my hair instead of against it, they didn’t learn to do their hair. They go to a hairstylist every 2 two weeks who give them manipulated curls. They would never walk out the house with a wash and go, sadly
The world does so much to steer us away from ourselves. We must be really something if we came to know ourselves fully.❤
It's so true. I completely agree. 🥺🫂✨🌺💛 Also, it's so good to see you!!!
@@AleciaRenece thanks ... I've been diving in on myself; overall health and hair. When it really comes down to it, it is simple. The work and commitment required heartfelt discipline, but the remedy is super simple.
this is a conversation i have offline all the time and one *WE* really need to have. wh*te supremacy and capitalism has done EXACTLY what it was supposed to do. great video. thank you so much for sharing this 💙
Our hair products are expensive. I just was looking at Mizani leave in hair milk. If I get from JC Penny it’s $20+ dollars, just for a leave in conditioner, I can get Garnier or Aussie leave in for a few dollars.
We do have cheap products yall just keep complaining about the ingredients and ignore them but they are there. I'm using Bronner Brothers right now. Lester's is another and Design Essentials.
It’s crazy I never saw it this way, but when I was in middle school high school, I wanted to wear my natural hair, and every time I would go on RUclips to find how to take care of my natural hair. They were never women that looked like me nor had the same hair texture as me, so it made it very difficult, and made me very discouraged to try and take care of my natural hair or even wear it out, and that’s when I started being very insecure about my hair and I started wearing weave and wigs
I guess it depends on when you were in high school cuz I was in my senior year when the NHM started and I had no problem finding type 4 hair tutorials. They weren’t popular RUclipsrs, but they were there. A lot of people who complained about not seeing their hair texture just didn’t want to look for them.
I agree with everything in this video as someone who has 4ABC hair, I can relate to every touch point. For instance, when my curls are defined people are in awe, when I do absolutely nothing people treat me differently. I had a black woman come into my job one day and compare my fro to a ball of wire. They also try to other me from black women who are type 4 but don’t have a curl pattern that is palatable. I’ve had to correct both black and non-black people about how they speak on a black women’s hair. I have learned so much about my hair from watching women with hair that is thicker 4c and beyond. I appreciate your contributions to my natural hair journey.
I learned about my 4c hair from you tube. That made me feel so confident, i decided against any further processing. I will forever be beholden to those young women.
The sad thing about alot of these products, alot of natural black women on RUclips were on here promoting them hard, but when you went to a hair show you never seen none of the natural youtuber women at any of the hair shows, promoting the products that put them there, it was straight hair women and celebrities that wasnt natural at all
I really appreciate you for this conversation. I loved RUclips for my kinky curly hair. As you are speaking I'm thinking about the women I used to watch and now actually miss. I hate what the corporate colonizers did to infiltrate this beautiful experience.
I spent so much money and time trying to get my hair to do something it didn't want to do.
I remember the Shea moisture commercial. The LEAST they could have done was have a black woman from their own consumer base in that commercial. It's deeper than that. That wouldn't have solved the problem. But that's the least they could have done.
I love Donna’s Recipe by Tabitha Brown. She is more a reflection of me than anyone else out there right now
Awwwwwww! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! My mother swears by Donna's Recipe. I think after doing so much research and tests, she's finally found something that works for her. 🥰🌸 I plan to check it out when I grow my hair back. Thank you so much for sharing this recommendation with us. It's really helpful!
Alecia, will you explain why terms such as nappy, knotty, kinky and coarse describes our hair instead of curly, coiled, springy and spiral? Why is natural hair on males accepted by everyone? Must we create our own products or rely on others to do the same? Does referring to us as "black people" promote colorism?
I think different people have different names they like and dislike. For example,. some people, like me, have no problem with "Kinky". I also don't mind coarse because it's a descriptor.
Any words that Black folks use to describe themselves, racist people will find a negative spin on it.
I don't think it's my job to try to convince racist people to not be racist, texturist, colorist, etc.
I'm guess the reason why it's accepted by men is because of misogynoir.
Black men aren't held to the same standards as Black women, but Black men have their own brand of texturism (needing to have waves, etc.).
Black men face texturism and anti-Blackness as well (the young man who couldn't attend school because he had locs).
Yes. We should create our own products. Sadly, either they're under supported, under funded or just not well known. Or some products are bought out (like Shea Moisture) and Black folks are left behind.
And no, I don't. "Black" is a cultural label. ☺️ I have no issue being called Black. Those who don't like it will say so. I think people have eyes and some people are racist/prejudice. It's just what they do. 🌸🌻🌺💛
"Carol's Daughter" was bought out 10 years ago by L' Oreal😮
@@AleciaRenece is the purpose of words to communicate a thought or meaning, either negative or positive? Some say n-word is a term of endearment. Is there another group of people with a large percentage who buy into different hair texture for males and females within a group? There will never be 100% agreement on our hair, etc, however more of us must embrace how we were created. Did our ancestors on The Continent call themselves black people? Who started this trend and why? Are our skin tones diverse, here in The Diaspora and on The Continent?
@@jmanhope1745 again, I see "Black" as a cultural moniker. 🤷🏾♀️💛 I love being Black. I feel no shame about it. The N word is not the same to me. And this language isn't ours. Racist people will take any word or phrase (and I mean any 😂) to be racist.
Right now, white folks are calling Black people "DEIs"... That is a benign acronym, but white folks have taken that and made it into a weapon. It doesn't matter what word we use, they'll spit on it.
I'm honestly not concerned with what White people do. Whatever Black folks choose to call themselves (Black, African American, People of the African Diaspora, People of the sun, melanated people....) works. For me, I'm cool with Black. 🥰 It's just a name used to group people. It's a word used to describe a group of people. It's not different than calling someone "white". We know they're not the color white. It's just a word used so you know who I'm referencing culturally.
I think we put a lot of energy into trying to convince people that we're worthy, when we should just walk in it. We're lovely, worthy, Beautiful beings.
As far as Africa, I have no African tongue. I'm sure if I were from Africa, or steeped in African culture, there'd be another word to describe a group of people.
And yes. White people have different hair textures... Straight, fine, curly.... We're not the only ones whose hair comes in a variety of textures. It's just the human experience.
@@maytubes5 wait. REALLYYYYYY?! 🥺😮💨 That's so disappointing.
Hmm, this is really interesting from the coily girl end of things. I myself am a mixed girl with curly hair, and lately I’ve noticed Im not seeing many of the black creators i used to watch. At all, really. Now I’m getting recommended videos of white women with curly hair. It’s like we’re all being erased, but it’s no secret that these algorithms hate us.
you know what ✋🏻 product works surprisingly well for our hair? Aussie! and it’s relatively affordable
Really???? 👀👀👀 *writes this down and saved for later*. Thank you SO much for sharing this with us! When I grow my hair out again, I'll give it a try! 🥰🌻🌸💛 Thank yooooou!!!
The conditioner is great and my hair is as kinky as it gets.
Man yes! The moisturizing shampoo and conditioner are life!
My society is quite different (I live in Nigeria). However, I rose above our own noise and now I'm enjoying my multi-textured hair that consists of kinks, coils, waves and all the types of hair on the chat.
One thing that has resonated in all areas of my life is that I am so confident that you can't pressure me to do what I don't want.
I don't do "cancel culture" because I first look for where the narrative is coming from and I judge based on what I found out to be true.
At this point, it's pure capitalism for even the most black-owned brands so, I just go with what suits me.
I'm too old to be playing politics with my time.
Yes! This is what we all used at the start 20 years ago
I enjoyed the video. Your comments were so true. In the early days of me going natural. I kid you not. I spent thousands of dollars on hair products and equipment because I didn't know anything about caring for my natural hair. I found myself comparing my texture and curl pattern to other women. Who in many instances were of mixed race. My hair was never going to do what their hair did. I agree about so-called natural products changing the formula. I.e. Shea moisture, Carol's daughter, Mielle, and many others. The beauty industry really does profit off of black women. Smh.
I got caught up in the natural hair copious product hauls. However, I first “went natural” in ‘92. 😅 So, from the desert to “this tew much”! It took me doing sooo much less to my hair to uncloud my perception and follicles. Ohhhh shout out to centering my own gaze. Genuine hair love these days.❤
Thank you for this. I’ve had my fair share of wigs and other hairstyles involving weave especially as an older teenage girl. I chopped my hair off a year ago and once it grew I felt good about it until one of my guy friends said it made me look like a boy. I was so insecure and I realized I was putting my scalp through so much with the constant installs and hours of sitting in the chair getting braids. When in reality my scalp is sensitive and I’m allergic to braiding hair and the other day I took out my wig and it left my hairline bleeding. I woke up early and I decided to loc my hair. This will be my second set and I’m ready to embrace my natural hair, and to love myself authentically especially as a young black woman.
love hearing you speak! as a former natural hair content creator I appreciated this perspective and a lot of what you said is why I stopped creating that content. once I peeped the nonsense it just no longer resonated. my routine is so simple and stress free now.
You did preach that Sermon of the Purloined Products & Movement! If we were as selective with our hair secrets as we are with sorority secrets, NOTHING would have leaked out, lol. Thank you, Alecia, for having inspired me to continue with my menopausal, natural hair.
Thank you for speaking on this. I chopped off my hair relaxed it and kept it moving.
Our hair can be natural but only in a style that appeases them😒 Find the girls on YT who use the grease and water method😄 I tried Anthony Dickey’s suggestions and conditioned my hair with ALOT of regular smegular conditioner 3 or more times a week. It’s finally softer and not breaking as much. Four simple twists or braids or not and my hair is nice! In the 70’s 80’s we just used grease and water.
This is so true. Love your clipper cut, I rocked that look for decades 😍!
This topic is one of the reasons I had no problem leaving the beauty industry as a hairstylist. Society won’t let our women be great in loving and embracing the hair that grows out of their heads. We walk away from the “creamy crack”, and then right into wanting the soft, loose, bouncy curls…when all of don’t naturally have that texture. We still have a long road ahead towards individuality.
Individuality is a choice. It’s just that simple. The problem is BW are easily led because they seek validation.
NappyFu made a great video recently on the "keaving natural hair community" and she is SPOT ON...we do not want to admit our internal bias. 2024 we are not children , we can unlearn toxic things about nayural hair when we take accountability for the content we consume...yes hair discrimination may be real but it mostly comes from our own and ourselves deep down. Show.up for yourself with love and accpetance so others know how to approach
I hear you and her. However, to say that self hatred came from ourselves is wrong. We LEARNED to hate ourselves. It's both. Can't have Black people hating themselves without being taught and oppressed.
Literally RIGHT NOW, there are laws in place right now that say if your hair is natural, you can't go to class, work, etc.
I don't think you mean any harm, and I think you think that this is accountability, but it's gaslighting and victim blaming.
People HATE Black folks loving themselves. They literally killed them for this... To say that if we love ourselves, all of our problems will be fixed, is not true. It's way more complicated than that.
There are systems in place to ensure that we don't love ourselves and that they make MONEY from us hating ourselves...
I believe this is why wash and go's became so popular. It seemed like only way black women with coily hair could keep up was to diminish their coils.
Here we are in the natural hair community, not having natural hair. 🤷🏽♀️
Good video. Undeniable points. In 2011 when my home girls went natural...they looked like sisters trying to understand their roots, culture and history. Now in 2024 Tracee Ellis Ross is the champion of natural hair, and I thought it was because women had figured out new techniques.
I agree with what you’re saying and I still blame us. We allowed black women to be exploited bcus a lot of us got on here lying for a bag. I remember a lot of the hair OG’s and they are no where to be found now. We should have done a better job of protecting our community bcus black hair has been exploited long enough. I cringe at hair content now. Btw, I’m 4c and I use Joico bcus having worked in a Salon I’ve learned shampoo for curly hair is simply a moisturizing shampoo. Has nothing to do with color.
Speak truth to power. Every time we create something just for us, it's taken over. Seems like we have to return to Morris code to have something for just us
C@pitalism ruins everything 🤷🏾♀️. No lies were told here ❤
Capitalism ruins EV 👏🏾 ER 👏🏾 Y 👏🏾 THIIIIING 👏🏾 💛💛💛 Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I completely agree
I don’t recall shea moisture changing their formulas. I still use some of their products and Mielle didn’t either they made an additional product that was lighter weight for the type 1-2s however they still make their original formula
sistah, this is such an important conversation, and no one has it quite like you. I have listened to all the things that some influencers put out there when it comes to hair, blackhair, and I shiver at these thoughts that make the rest of us want to run and hide. personally, I have really soft and not too tight curly hair. but I am not good at hair. If I listened to some of these women, I would be bald. I love you so much.
Facts, I stated doing natural hair tutorials, And the curly girls took over. I could never get my hair curly. Shea Moisture is not even good anymore.
I wore my hair short *deliberately* from the age of 25 to about 40. But in my late 30s I wore a short-ish bob, so I don’t know if that counts.
I would love to see more short hair proponents and content on social media, and not solely in the context of big chopping to start over or remove relaxed or damaged hair. I would love to see influencers who wear, style, and maintain short hair long-term.
Thank you for making this video. I have had such a complicated relationship with my hair and while I do have the looser curls, I was never taught how to care my hair and mostly did nothing with it. I actually had it cut just like yours in the video for about 5 years (that cut looks bomb on you) and I felt most like myself and most comfortable with my hair buzzed off. Over the last year I started growing my hair back out and while I've death with breakage due to trichotillomania, my hair has been growing fast. Just over the last two weeks I'm finally looking at RUclips for hair ideas and dang....there is no amount of product that will make my hair look like some of these girls AND...why so much product? I Just want to wash, condition, put a little leave in and walk out the door. Why does it have to be so complicated. My scalp can't handle braids, crochet, weave, and now you're telling me that the "simple" wash n' go isn't really so much 'GO but Wash n' style n' dry n' then go.
My daughter has 4b/4c hair and likes her poof balls, loves her fro and gravitates towards any image that represents her. I realized last week I should be fostering a love for her hair so that she accepts it and doesn't struggle the way I did for my whole life. If I'm completely honest, I'm still learning to love my hair.
Thanks again for the video. It really resonated with me.
Right after your video ended, an ad came on of a white haircare brand with one black girl as representation and she definitely had the defined fro! So safe to say what you are discussing within brands brainwashing texturism into us, is still well and alive today 😢
It was black women who taught me how to do my hair. I am creole and I just never learned until I went to school and the sisters showed me how.
my teacher shamed me in 7th grade. i had coconut oil in my hair. natural coconut oil. he then yelled at mw saying he’s allergic when i went up to his desk to get my paper. that was 34 years ago. i told my mom, who is from ghana, and she went to that school quick in a hurry. she made him apologize to me in front of the whole class with her thick ghanaian accent. rip mom and thank you for not letting anyone bully me for being natural and using natural products. today i’m a licensed cosmetologist ❤
Following. Loved this video. As a fellow 4C girlie this has also been my experience. The shift is so real.
Thank you so much Alecia for this video, you are always so on point, speaking so many minds and heart ❤
Shea moisture was tired of doing bogos. They needed more coin. My thing is all those products work, it’s the Trying to make coily hair “defined” to me is not really accepting your hair. White people was never my problem it’s other black people that had their comments. But whatever
Yeah... But where sis Black people learn to hate their hair...? White people... That's what you're missing. It all goes back to colonization and oppression. Here in the states (I'm not sure where you are), you can be fired from your job, denied entry at school, treated unfairly because of the way your Hair looks... Black hair is constantly called "unprofessional" ... They're literally STILL trying to pass the Crown Act in all states to say you can't discriminate against people because of the way their hair grows out of their heads... Maybe white people were never *your* problem, but ehats not everyone's story. We have to leave room for other people's experiences. That's empathy and care and consideration. Just because you can't relate, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It could also mean that you haven't noticed it. And we also know that men and women are treated VERY differently from one another... So yes.
@@AleciaRenece ❤️❤️❤️
Love your channel so much!!
Once African Export left. I knew the game was changing.
My hair thrived when I stopped ✋️ using natural hair products and routines. It saved my hair and money.
Thank you❤
You're so welcome 🥹🫂🌻🌸💛 I hope you're having a beautiful day. 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾
curl junky is still black owned and high quality
@@onesiewarrior oooooooooh! Thank you so much for the recommendation. I ever even heard of it before. ☺️🌺🌻
Well, I can understand where your coming from, but, it really comes down to what works for your hair. Everybody's hair is different. You shouldn't allow someone to dictate what is good for your hair type or what to use. These ppl that share products that work for them are suggesting this could help or this what works for them. You cannot try to make your hair look just like the vloggers hair you watch on RUclips because, your hair, skin, and personality at totally different. Individuality makes you who you are. As a person that watches RUclips about 4c hair over the years, I've learned to pick and choose what is good for my hair, and incorporate their suggestions. I'm in love with my hair growth, and I found out in my case less was better. I stop trying to buy every product someone said was good for them. I don't try to do my hair like them. I do my hair to look like me...BEAUTIFUL
Very well said! All the points were on point 👏🏾
I know this is about black women but speaking as a queer black man I feel the pressure of constantly keeping a haircut and line up because of the same judgement of not being looked at as desireble as well. Black men are often also viewed as dirty if we don’t come out completely “fresh” cut or braided everyday. The minute we get new growth then it’s like we looked at as Olof our looks have somehow become more devalued. My heart goes out to all the beautiful 4c 4b black women. The world just continues to ask you to jump through hoops to prove your femininity and worth while others groups are just simply given that at face value as they exist in their bodies.
I was part of this shift. Great video.
The two best hair products i used were made by black women running a small operation. The Curl Smiler and Hair All Down My Back leave in. So many large brands changed. Now I'm working through my stash and hardly buy product anymore.
Love this video. I see you on herbal essences and I raise you garnier fructis. 😂 But my hair was relaxed then. I haven't done a big chop but your style os tempting me to do it because my hair now? 🙃 🤪
I can't recall my haircare learning journey on RUclips. But I like Starpuppy and Faye in The City though I don't think the latter will be doing more haircare stuff in thw future. I also follow Hey Knotty Girl and Shereadelsol. Honestly I don't follow too closely this community because i would be overwhelmed with all the methods. 😂
I have a briogeo conditioner (which is no longer black-owned). I also liked Sheamoisture but stopped when i heard of the changing of ownership. I have 2 styling products from kreyol essence. I also liked kinky-curly knot today leave-in conditioner, which i believe the brand is black woman owned. Speaking of briogeo, they say Beyonce's line is similar to it so maybe check them out? 😂
THANK YOU for mentioning the itty-bitty product containers! WHO exactly are these small portions for?!? I need an entire vat of styling products on washday! #highporosity
I use Kinky Curly shampoo and Knot Today conditioner. My hair is softer and my kinks are lovely❤
My hair is so thick and I have major shrinkage. I sprayed my hair so much water and applied so much gel overtime. Within a couple hrs I’m back to thick dry shrinkage. 😂😂I thought natural hair was cheaper but the products and gadgets I brought drained my account. It was like calculus trying to figure out my hair.😂😂😂😂. It is what it is. Wig today. Afro tomorrow.
curl definition will be the end of us all
How are we getting erased when it was us who flocked to the curly girls' videos? Their hair looked nothing like their audience. You can't blame the corporations when they are responding to what is popular. Many of us went into the neo natural hair movement still with colonized mindsets. We oohed and aahed at the girls with the looser hair textures and then when some of us figured out that we don't have that hair type they ran right back to the creamy crack. We gotta stop the self hate.
Hi there ☺️💛 I believe the problem is way more complicated than that. Did you watch the video? 💛
Self hate is taught and reinforced by outside sources. Also, Black women are not behind the algorithm of RUclips. The algorithm is programmed but white men. They're going to push content that represents what they're willing to push.
@@AleciaRenece Ofc I watched the video and I am part of the natural hair community. Yes, what you said is historically true. But at what point do we take our own beauty back? How long can we hate ourselves knowing this history? Nowadays we are the ones flocking to these 3a hair influencers and making them popular. This is all down to supply and demand. And if we didn't demand it (support, condone and put our dollars there) the supply would have dwindled to nothing. It's time to take responsibility and do the work now for ourselves and the betterment of our community as a whole.
How many times can we point out where our self hate comes from and continue doing it?
@MrsDetroit622 Oh you cooking 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥#LetherCook!
@@MrsDetroit622 I hear you, I just hold both truths at the same time. That's all. You're right. A lot of us do hate ourselves. I'm just asking and adding why. 🤷🏾♀️💛 I'm not arguing. if we spent 400 plus years being taught to hate ourselves, I think I can give grace to Black folks unlearning that self hatred.
So to answer your question, it will take as long as it takes. The sale hate we carry is 400 plus years deep, it's multi layered and complicated.
Also, in this video I'm talking about the algorithms that are inherently anti Black. They're programmed by white men, so of course there is gonna be a bias.
I also know women who were a part of the natural hair movement and they, themselves, talked about how they were pushed out, replaced and buried by the algorithm.
On top of that, they were not even considered for brand deals and the like.
And our self hatred does not change the fact that these companies use us to make money, then discard us.
I was asking if you watched the longer video that this is clipped from because in the longer video, I talk about how I learned to hate myself (I also understand that people have different experiences).
It's still internalized anti Blackness, but what was internalized still started from external sources.
Even if Black folks pass it down, it's not from us.
The systems are racist, anti Black, misogynoirist. That's the world we live in. I'm not going to blame the victims for learning to survive in an awful place. The issue, still, is anti Blackness. 💛
Alecia, have you ever seen the documentary on RUclips called "Natural Hair" or "Natural"? I happened to come across it one night while looking for videos on keeping my naturalfrom having too much breakage. It was very interesting and eye-opening. It's a full documentary with the lady from Dallas named Naturally Isis and others I'm not familiar with. Check it out some time. The styles some of the ladies wore were the straightened type of style, but it was pro natural all the way. Blessings, Tameko
So true. 🎯🥺
LOVE this video!!!
I just graduated from TU! It’s practically an hbcu now, we taking over 😂😂
Pretty Dimples is my OG when it came to natural hair tutorials.
EXCELLENT and VERY FACTUAL VIDEO!!!
As you said black women did the ground work . Like usual” we have to fit in wherever we can get it in”
Liked at "Even though they were the laborers that built that" Literally whooped
No lies detected...great job sis!👏🏾😀❤💐