Kinky Nikz 2.0 - Hairy Situations

You might remember me retelling my initial experience with my newly found, naturally bald head but I’m not sure if mentioned that the person that triggered the daring cut was one of my white colleagues.  You see, for some reason, they appreciated what I did not and saw the potential for an amazing new ‘do’.  But had it had not been for the encouragement in the work place (where my brown skin is a minority) i.e. my office manager telling me that i look like a ‘wonderfully, androgynous, little thing’ and praising every bit of growth and new styling technique; would I have still felt comfortable rocking my kinky head of hair in a corporate environment?

 

You see I work in PR, an area associated with the media and considered fashionable and accepting of new and innovative, daring styles, but i’m not a consumer ‘PR-ist’, it’s not glitz and glamour, it’s technology, its B2B and it's corporate, so when I am meeting clients I do tend to whip out my lip ring but tame my hair? Never! Why?  Because my working environment has taught me that it is acceptable because it is ME. I do wonder however, if I were to leave my fabulous work place to venture elsewhere and begin that dreaded interview process all over again, would my hair affect my ability to get a job?

This week’s blog is triggered by an article in Glamour Magazine, citing the same issues about African hair and the workplace. I’ve copied and pasted it below for those of you too lazy to click on the link but have a read.

 “Almost every black woman has had a ‘hair moment,’” said Farai Chideya, who went on to share hers with a roomful of women at Glamour’s Women, Race and Beauty panel last November. It was when a higher-up once commented that her braids made her look unprofessional. Judging from the heads nodding, most of the women in the diverse audience had heard something similar—or worse—about their looks. And it hurt.

The roundtable, which featured brilliant women of every ethnicity, was a high point in Glamour’s year, but it was triggered by a low point. Last summer, a former staffer made an unauthorized presentation to a group of female attorneys in which she commented that, in her view, Afros were “a Don’t” for work. Glamour management found out about her remark two months later and was floored. (Click here for our response.) We shared the outrage of hundreds of you who wrote in to voice disagreement. The idea that a woman cannot be herself and still get ahead at work runs contrary to Glamour’s message of empowerment.

Your letters made one thing clear: Many women of colour still feel judged according to racially biased beauty norms in their careers and sometimes even in personal relationships. It’s not just about hair and it’s not just about African American women, as you’ll see from the variety of testimonials on these pages. At a time when women of all shapes, sizes, colours and manner of hairstyles are increasingly seen in magazines and on TV and movie screens—and when Toni Morrison, the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature, proudly wears her dreads—multicultural beauty acceptance hasn’t pervaded our lives as much as we’d like to think. Those same dreads could cost you a promotion in some offices, noted some letter writers; one reader said reactions to her natural hair at work “made it seem like I’d entered a meeting in jeans and a T-shirt.” But going with straightened hair isn’t simple either, said panellist Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter beauty products: An African American woman who wants to experiment with extensions may be seen as a sell-out. Fear of saying the wrong thing stops most people from making the next crucial step—talking openly about these beauty standards. So Glamour brought together a group of journalists, academics and businesswomen to take that step. Listen in on their discuss

http://www.glamour.com/magazine/2008/02/race-beauty-panel

What are your thoughts and experiences in this area? Do you feel or know that you were turned down for a job because of the way looked? I had a friend who though she was never invited to interviews because her surname sounded too African...hmm interesting concept.

Peace, Love and Nappyness to you all xx

Kinky Nikz 2.0 - Long hair don't care!!!

Those that know me know that I am slightly obsessed with taking care of my hair. Even with my relaxed hair I was always very interested in growing a healthy head of hair.

During my relaxed days, I was often changing hair styles and cuts and this often meant growing my hair longer to achieve the desired style. However, my hair wouldn’t grow back properly at the nape of my neck. The hair back there has always been fine and years of shaving, toxic abuse and wrapping headscarf’s around ‘barely there hair’ took its toll and the hair just wouldn’t grow back, it would always appear patchy once it grew to a certain length but it didn’t really bother me. I just would just go ahead and cut it all off again.

When I started the natural process and my short, cropped hair begun to grow back, I was curious to see whether the back of my hair would come through for me properly and to my surprise it did. It grew back finer than the rest of my coarse naps and has some of the longest hairs on my head. In fact, my hair just generally grows much quicker now and I can actually get this fro into a single ponytail (yay!) so my goals are changing. My hair idol has hair around belly button length and yes, I intend to get there too but one step at a time!

Some of you may look at these naps and think I’m crazy but my next hair goal is armpit length and I fully believe that I will get there in no time. But there are plenty of cynics out there who actually believe that if you have afro hair it won’t grow and the only way to have long hair is to pay for it, so I thought we’d delve into this a little further.

Some of you may be familiar with the concept of terminal length. Some interpret this to mean that the majority of hair on an individual’s head reaches a certain length and then that’s it. I don’t personally believe in a limit to hair growth. Furthermore, all of the hair cannot reach a terminal length at the same time, because they weren’t “born” at the same time. Hair is always growing, but it is also always falling. It is believed that the life cycle of growing hair is anywhere from 2-7 years before the hair falls out. So faster growing hair can accomplish more in this time period. This is where genetics factors in to determine the length of the growing phase and how quickly the hair grows during this time. Keep in mind that the rate of hair growth also slows with age. Some women on the hair forums describe their hair reaching a terminal length of shoulder length or arm-pit length (apl), because it always breaks off at this particular length. I think that this limitation is due to poor care practices fragile hair types that are more susceptible to damage. These include the use of chemicals, rough handling of hair, inadequate moisture and not using protective styles (although not everyone needs to use protective styles to achieve long hair but I definitely do).

Many factors come into play in determining hair length. One factor that I will not include singularly is hair type. I mention this because many black women believe to achieve long hair they must relax/straighten the hair or that they must have a looser hair texture. Yes, looser/straighter hair is usually easier to detangle and tends to knot less often (less damage=more retention), but it does not grow faster. The average rate of growth is 1/2 inch a month with some individuals averaging more or less. Because of the fragile nature of kinky hair, issues often arise with how to detangle and care for the hair properly. This leads to most never achieving their possible length potential. There is also a theory that coily hair growth may be slowed down upon exit out of a curved follicle (the follicle shape determines the strand texture). In curly-headed individuals, the hair follicle below the scalp has a hooked end. More hooks produces even curlier hair. Genetics determines the rate of hair growth, so it is sometimes helpful to look at family members experiences with hair length, but not always. For more on terminal length and genetics, read this informative article on Terminal Length and the Role of Genetics in Black Hair Care by Audrey Sivothosy.

My tips in previous blogs will help with growing your hair long but If you are interested in further information about growing your naps longer also try visiting ‘Grow Afro Hair Long’ http://www.growafrohairlong.com/index.html

Calamity Jane - The Gym

I am a member of the infamous Fitness First in Lewisham. Regarded as such not for any frivolous reason like celebrity clientele (although I did once spot someone from Eternal – not the sisters, the other one - and as discreetly as I could, made a beeline for my phone to share the news with everyone I knew), but rather for its diabolical customer service. 1990s trashy euro pop music videos on repeat (God forbid they play music that actually appeared in the UK chart), moody staff,  faulty machinery, broken air con machine; dilapidated crumbling walls, changing facilities that smell of rotting animal and a general sub standard service. Its sole reason for continued trade is its proximity to public transport, lack of viable competition, fantastic instructors (there’s nothing like spinning at 7am with Jamie or Errol; garage and grime beats blaring from the speakers and the instructor at the front like a conductor pushing forth his orchestra). The real reason it exists is because it’s located in a poor neighbourhood where people don’t feel empowered enough to write letters of complaint and report them to the Evening Standard.

It’s January and the Christmas gorge (despite the recession people still have money for a feast) guilt has set in. The gym is as packed and it’s a sight to behold.

There’s the girl with the hard face who only smiles when there are men in the vicinity, whose relaxed short crop is so newly permed you can smell the chemical relaxer oozing from her pores as she sensually struts on the cross trainer (often in batty rider shorts - which she clearly customised from a once respectable pair of trousers and a circa 1990 crop top). She once proudly proclaimed that she avoided sweating to save her hair. I would say her inspiration for the gym was less the working out and more working men.

There is the beautiful girl with the funky long weave, who loves her hair as much as life itself. You can tell by her incessant stroking and touching, whipping her head at any given opportunity for the most grandiose effect. With every bounce of that hair, you can see her jubilation and heightened sense of worth. We once talked about going natural (and managing it with all the gym) and she looked me straight in the eye and without even the faintest hint of irony, proclaimed with pride that her hair was indeed natural. She mustn’t have seen her natural hair in excess of fifteen minutes every four weeks for the last ten years. That’s the time in-between weaves where she washes it, quickly covers it up in a baseball cap and runs to the salon hoping nobody will spot her on the bus.

The most interesting sight to behold is the assortment of ostentatious head gear proudly on display. In the Covent Garden Fitness First or indeed the Clapham or Purley gyms, the only head gear you may occasionally view is the sweat band of the ardent runner. In Lewisham, scarves, bandanas, do-rags, tights (flash back to your childhood when your mum made you wear them at night) are all tightly wrapped round women’s heads to contain the beast within. I’ve even witnessed a shower cap (not in the steam room, as one may reasonably assume, but on the treadmill). The woman had conditioned her locks, put on her cap and was pounded the treadmill for the ultimate deep conditioning steam.

For all the humour the women afford it is the men that are the truest of spectacle. In January it was them that attended in their droves, flexing their muscles in a wilful display of alpha masculinity.  Pumping, lifting, grunting - they exert such rigour; it’s a wonder they have any energy for other things in life.... like a job. My initial observation was that the scene that befell me, was to mask some kind of closeted homoeroticism. The touching, the grunting, the intentional rubbing of sweating pulsating bodies, precipitated one reasonable conclusion -  GAY.

As time went on I realised that their show of moronic masculinity was indeed for the benefit of one another (only occasionally did they preen over a woman as intently as they did one another) but there was no homosexual tendency. It was simply a performance, a grand opera, to assert their role as King of the castle. In the most base terms, men always believe they can impress a woman – even the run down, didn’t brush my hair, wearing yesterday’s clothes man will still have the audacity to approach a respectable woman, with nothing intelligent to say other then ‘pssst, pssssssst, sexy giarl, I like your backside. Can I take your number?’.

The end of my workout beckons and I drag myself to the mat area to endure the mandatory five minute waste of time, abs session. Full steam ahead I go. Dropping to the mat and rising again like a deranged jack in the box. Then out of nowhere, one of the goons stands directly behind me, so close my sweat surely must flick onto his legs. He gives the cursory nod to a man nearby (not sure if they even know one another or it’s some kind of unspoken code of conduct), he pays me no mind (indeed it’s as though the mat rather than the person on it is the only thing in view) and with no shame or even the hint of humour, lifts his top up, tenses his abs and gawks at his own reflection. He turns from side to side, getting a good view from every profile and after a full five minutes (which is a long time to stare at yourself in a public forum) he drops his t-shirt, gives himself a self ingratiating smile and saunters off. Displaying not even a glimpse of embarrassment.

Spent from fighting my way on to the machines (which the non sweat brigade used until water penetrated their weaves) and dehydrated from inhaling the pong and fumes (no air con makes for a very smelly room). I trudge home, having experienced quite the psychological workout, to eat cake and sooth my fragile nerves!

Dedicated to my father, who thinks the gym is an unproductive waste of time. And anyone who has time to go on several occasions over the course of a week needs to either get a second job or find something more intellectually changeling to occupy their time. Having watched those peacock men, strut around the gym showing off their feathers, I am inclined to agree with my dad.

CJ

Kinky Nikz 2.0 - Nappy Regime

So this week was the dreaded weekend. Why? Because it involved wash day! Yes, every three weeks (well, in the winter, probably more so in the hotter months) it rolls around and i get to do my beloved treatments and try out some new fandangle deep conditioning method. So this week I thought I would take you through my hair regime.

Below is a picture of the products I used (I forgot to include the egg and herbal tea I used).

Every month I try and henna my hair as this is my chosen protein treatment. People in South Asia, North Africa and the Middle East have been using henna for years as part of their hair regime because its conditioning properties ensure strong, shiny hair that has an instant fullness. Don’t believe me? Try it out for yourself.

Now, I mix one and a half packs of henna with green tea that has cooled, honey and one egg and let the mixture sit for one hour (the length of time depends on the type of henna).

In that hour it’s time to detangle and as you have all heard, this can prove to be a time consuming process…tip to root!

After shampooing once with my gorgeous, candy smelling Neutrogena Triple Moisture shampoo, that you can only sadly get in the US, and conditioning with Hello Hydration, I allowed my hair to air dry for 20 minutes before applying the henna mixture. I know I said that I only rarely use shampoo but my hair was full of product and greasing up my pillow so it was a must.

Now this I where it gets messy…Once the henna is mixed it looks like mud and smells like bush or forest floor or hay, so once I have applied it generously all over my hair, I wrap and seal the stench with cling film and leave it to sit for six hours…that’s right, six  minimum!

Silly me! I bought the wrong henna packet and this one had loads of twigs in it! This was a nightmare to get out. The mixture takes a good few rinses go get rid of on a good day but the twigs made things even more difficult. After rinsing and co-washing (washing with conditioner) for about 20 minutes, I left my hair to deep condition with Hello Hydration for two hours but my hair was instantly fluffy and thick.

Since I didn’t actually wake up and start the treatment process until 11am by the time I finished it was 11pm (I left my henna in for eight hours) and I was knackered. Nevertheless, my hair still needed to air dry before I could twist it. I just slapped some Elasta QP Mango Butter in my hair, finger combed and plait in small sections so it so would dry overnight and bish bash bosh, the job was done!

Henna Facts:

1. Always ask for body art quality henna and not henna for hair, it has too many chemicals in it. I get mine in a wholesale shop on Ealing Road but anywhere where there is a prominent Asian community should stock it
2. Henna does dye your hair; it is a natural colorant for hair. The original stuff will dye your hair a deep red colour (depending on your natural shade) but there are some alternatives such as Indigo/ black henna. I understand Lush also stocks henna with the same conditioning properties
3. You can use henna on natural or chemically processed hair types
4. Stronger Hair – When the lawsone (dye) molecule goes into the hair it penetrates the hair shaft some, binding with the keratin in the hair. This makes hair stronger, but also is one of the qualities that make henna removal near impossible. Henna also coats the hair and fills in rough spots on a frayed cuticle. This adds a second layer of strength, but it does not lock out moisture
5. Henna makes your hair dry so it is important to follow up with a deep moisturising conditioner or your hair can become very brittle
6. Loss or reduction in curl- The protein in the henna weighs down hair strands and this in turn elongates your curl pattern and reduces shrinkage. If your curls/coils are quite loose, it may be an idea to try an alternative like cassia or bentonite clay

Please note that all of the information presented in my blogs is based on my personal experience. Make sure that you follow the links or Google any products or treatments that you are interested in using so you are fully aware of the positive and negative aspects.

Catch up next week…

Peace, Love and Nappyness J