Does Undefined Curls Equals Unkempt Hair
I have been trying hard not to comment on the whole Solange Hair Saga. However, in light of my recent quest for ’perfect curl definition’, I feel a few questions arising .
My recent natural hair experiment on trying to get curl definition was inspired by several discussions I had seen on the online natural hair community, where curl definition seems to be the MUST-HAVE. I have noticed a lot people perpetually chasing after this or that wonder product that is meant to give them perfectly spiralled ringlets, regardless of their hair types. It seems like your hair is not ‘done’ if you don’t have curl definition going on
I have never been one that particularly cared about getting perfectly defined curls because I know:
- My hair type will never give me type 3 curls
- As long my hair is healthy & moisturised it will achieve its own definition, which does not look like ringlets.
- My hair can & DOES look good, with or without curl definition.
The picture below of my hair was taken last summer whilst on holiday in Cyprus. This was how my hair looked like after several days of swimming, both in salty sea water & chlorinated pool water. I didn’t use any products to get this look – this look was very natural, very organic and my coils were quite random. I got more compliments on my hair in this state then when I wear twist-outs, coil-outs etc.
I have personally found the recent attacks on Solange & her curls rather disgusting. I have always admired the fact that she chooses not to coax her hair into perfect curls, only achievable via the use of products. Like me, she focuses on keeping her hair healthy and her hair does look great for it!
Yet, she met a barrage of insults from several ‘curlies’ who branded her hair ‘unkempt’, ‘dry’ and akin to ‘the look of a homeless person’ All this, simply because she lets her natural hair texture do its own thing, rather than coaxing it into perfectly defined curls.
In fact, in the article above from the Daily Mail, one of the many nasty comments said: Thandie Newton’s hair is gorgeous! That is the correct way to wear “natural” hair. Solange’s hair is just nappy! She should borrow one of Beyonce’s weaves
My last blog post (which was rather tongue-in-cheek) highlighted the ridiculousness of the eternal search for curl definition & the lengths some people would go to get those ringlets. I kid you not, there are lots of people who are taking the Coca Cola hair treatment seriously and using it on a regular basis!
Why can’t people just embrace and work with their own natural hair texture, instead of trying to make it do what it can’t naturally do on its own?
Why is it that someone who chooses not to have defined curls is branded dirty, unkempt, homeless hobo?
Does undefined curls equals ‘undone’ hair? Is the hair only ‘done’ when it is perfectly curled?
