
The trend towards natural hair began originally in the ‘60s with the advent of the Afro and then died down, only to return in earnest during the late ‘70s, around the time that I entered the budding natural hair-care industry. Many of us were captivated and loving our natural selves! As in the ‘60s, the decision made by Black women to wear their hair natural did not happen in a vacuum. This choice to go “counter-culture,” unsupported by mainstream media, is a bold and brave one that speaks to a change in consciousness.
What I’ve observed, not only in myself, but also in countless clients and others, is that “going natural” can include, changing one’s diet to a more wholesome eating experience. It can include being drawn to seeking out a spiritual path, including meditation, prayer, yoga and self-reflection and exploration.
When your consciousness opens, your awareness changes and expands. You begin to notice realities you may have taken for granted, or of which you were unaware. Something as simple as the effects of littering, for example, will appear on your radar, maybe for the first time. You’ll take better notice of your surroundings, your interactions with others, your own mind-chatter… the list of things that will become more present to you is endless.
It’s been long said and documented that we are a microcosm of the Universe; it’s easy to see (if we’re looking) how that occurs in our consciousness, is reflected in our world. Making the move to natural hair effortlessly lends itself to the blossoming of the Green Movement. When you respect yourself and seek your authenticity, you’ll look for it in both your immediate world and in the world at large. You’ll recognize that everything you do has an effect not only on you, but also on the planet. This includes what you think about your hair and what you do with it. After you stop putting chemicals in your hair and doing unnatural things with it, you may not want to continue to eat unnatural foods.
There is a bubbling up from deep inside that can no longer bury the truth ― our hair is beautiful, just the way God made it. It doesn’t have to be altered for its beauty to come forth. The same is true for the home that God provided. If we disrespect the planet, we disrespect ourselves and we’ll suffer the consequences, whether or not we are aware of the action or reaction.
Therefore natural hair and the green movement go hand-in-hand. Wearing your hair natural means you are not contributing to the rinsing of harsh chemicals into our water supply. It means that you are in a place of love, acceptance, appreciation, and honor for your hair, your body, your mind and the planet. We all have heard the old adage: “What goes around comes around.” If we continue to disrespect ourselves and the planet, only fear and sadness will result.
As soon as we decide to love and respect the planet and ourselves we can look forward to more love, peace, and glory, including the crowning kind. Going natural? I highly recommend it!
This article was commissioned for Our Time Press newspaper and appeared in the June 11th 2009 edition.













I don’t mean to sound mean, but it’s time to address this problem, and there’s really no nice way to put it. Some people have Stinky Hair. And unfortunately, it’s of their own making.
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