A few years ago I realized that, whether I like it or not, my hair is part of my personal brand.  Even though I want to be known for my writing, teaching, and feminism my curly coif frequently steals the show. I could pout about this or I could roll with it. I decided to go with the latter and I often use conversations about hair as a way to break the ice when meeting someone new or when at a networking event. 

I'm a member of a Facebook group for naturalistas like myself and was recently put #OnBlast. This means I had to answer some questions about my natural hair journey. And when you put a writer on blast she's going to turn it into a blog post! So...

How long have you been natural and how did you come to the decision to go natural?

I started wearing my hair in its naturally curly state in 2002. Back then "going natural" wasn't a thing. I didn't even say that's what I was doing. I just said, "I'm wearing my hair curly now." While I did have a relaxer when I was younger, I got relaxers so infrequently that I never had an addiction to the so-called "creamy crack." My drug of choice was heat. I basically tried to burn my hair into submission using the hottest blow dryer and flat iron I could find. This process was ridiculous and, of course, very damaging to my hair. During the summer of 2002 I was living in Louisville, Kentucky for an internship and my roommate at the time, who was watching my tussle with my tresses, said to me, "Maybe your hair doesn't want to be straight. Why don't you just wear it curly?" 

Her words changed everything. As crazy as it might sound, in the 21 years I had been alive at that time NO ONE had ever said to me that it would be OK for my hair to not be straight. Growing up I had always been made to believe that pretty hair was straight hair. But in that moment I decided to embrace my curls. What was amazing is that after embracing my natural hair I began to embrace my authentic personality as well. Accepting your hair is a great first step toward accepting yourself. 

Did you big chop or transition? 

I transitioned even though, as I mentioned, this is not terminology that I used. I just stopped getting a relaxer and stopped straightening my hair. And then I went to a local drug store and just started experimenting with hair care products. At one time I even used mousse! 

What advice do you wish you had but didn't at the start of your journey?

Any advice would have been helpful! There were no natural hair blogs or YouTube channels to help me back then, Fortunately, my cousin Tasha went natural at the same time so she was my support system and my partner in hair product experiments!

What's your favorite product, style, regimen, and/or tip? 

People who know me well know that I get bored very easily. I think this character trait has been transferred to my hair because after using a product for a long time one day it will just stop working on my hair. So I change products every year or so. That said, I am a walking, living, breathing advertisement for Shea Moisture. Even when my hair or I get bored with a product I just switch to another Shea Moisture product. Previously, I was all about their Coconut & Hibiscus line. I used the shampoo, conditioner, Curl & Style Milk, and Curl Enhancing Smoothie. Recently I've replaced Curl Enhancing Smoothie with the Superfruit Complex Hair Masque (which is supposed to be a deep conditioner, but I use it as a leave-in). I really like how my hair shines when I use that. And I've recently started using the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Conditioner. It's great for dry hair and it smells so good I want to marry it!

The main tip that I would give to naturalistas is "Do you boo!" Seriously. Find the products, regimen, and styles that work best for you and don't worry about what everyone else is doing. I love Shea Moisture, but you may find that those products don't work for your hair at all. Yes, it's fun to get tips from friends and if their suggestions work for you -- great! If not, that's OK too. Going natural is about being authentic.  

It was the summer of 2002, and I was probably on hour three of the tedious process of attempting to straighten my hair with all the heat my scalp could stand. This, of course, was in addition to the chemical hair relaxer occasionally applied to my tresses. While I wrestled with my hair, my roommate turned to me and said, "Maybe your hair doesn't want to be straight. Why don't you just wear it curly?"

Those words changed everything.

I was 21 at the time, and in my two decades of living no one had ever suggested that wearing my hair in its naturally curly state was OK. Many black girls grow up with everyone from the media to their mommas telling them that pretty hair is straight hair. So when an African American woman decides - as I did that summer - to forego straightening her hair with chemical relaxers, it can feel like a revolutionary act. Or even a spiritual experience.

"It's not just a hairstyle, it's a lifestyle," says Victor Simmons. Simmons and his brother, Jeffrey Simmons, started the Visions Natural Hair & Health Expo in Birmingham three years ago.

In my latest post for WBHM I discussed my decision to go natural 12 years ago and chatted with the creators of the Visions Natural Hair & Health Expo. Read the complete post and hear an excerpt my on-air segment here.

This weekend I restocked my hair care collection and thought I'd share what's in my arsenal. As most curly girls know, finding good natural hair care products that are also affordable can be tough, but it's not impossible. Most of the products pictured are less than $10. The only exception is the Carol's Daughter Hair Balm, which is $14. And this doesn't break the bank because I use so little of it when I style my hair.

Inspired by Better Than Good Hair, I recently revamped my regimen. Here's what I've been doing lately:

• Shampoo once a week with Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo
• Co-wash about every two days with Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner
• After getting out of the shower I comb through Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk.
• To lock in moisture I apply the Carol's Daughter Hair Balm as a sealant. 
• Finally I apply Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie to help define my curls. 
• If my hair line is dry I also apply some type of oil, such as tea tree or sweet almond oil (not pictured). 
• I then let my hair air dry and voila! 
• To preserve my curls for second and third day hair I simply pineapple my hair at night. (For those of you not hip to curly girl lingo, this just means I put my tresses in a very high ponytail so as to not crush my curls while I sleep.) 

Share your beauty-on-a-budget tips in the comments.

Before you start reading Better Than Good Hair by CurlyNikki.com founder Nikki Walton you might want to grab a higlighter or a notepad and pen. This book, published last month by HarperCollins imprint Amistad, is full of tips on cleansing, conditioning, cutting, and coiffing curly hair.

The book begins with a foreword by actress and comedian Kim Wayans and a prologue by Walton. Wayans and Walton share their own hair stories, which really resonated with me because they're similar to mine. Like me, they too didn't really have an addiction to the "creamy crack" but were obsessed with flat ironing their tresses straight for years until they finally decided to embrace their curls.

No two curly girls' hair journeys are the same and Walton recognizes this. She includes first-person stories from a number of other naturalistas throughout the book. And these stories move beyond basic hair care and also discuss how to handle negative reactions to your hair from family, friends, and significant others. One article also seeks to quell fears that sporting natural hair might hurt your career. Another gives tips on how to exercise and maintain your 'do.

Better Than Good Hair is perfect for new naturals and for those still considering the big chop, but even if you've been natural for years you'll still be jotting down notes while reading this book. I've been wearing my hair in its naturally curly state for 11 years but Better Than Good Hair inspired me to revisit and revamp my hair care regimen and routine.

Walton makes it clear that her book isn't meant to be a memoir or a political manifesto intent on shaming readers to give up their relaxers. Walton simply wants her readers to look and feel beautiful and she understands that for many women, especially women of color, that process starts at the top; it starts with our hair.

Today I'm launching a new weekly feature -- Tress Talk Tuesday!

You may be thinking, "Wait, I thought this was a blog about writing, blogging, and women's empowerment." Well, you're absolutely right. And for years natural hair has been one of the most popular topics and niches of the blogosphere. Furthermore, one of the most empowering things I did in my early 20s was decide to sport my hair in its naturally curly state.

So you should be thinking, "What took you so long?"

Here are some of the things you can expect from this new feature:

• reviews of natural hair products
• reviews of books on natural hair 
• Q&As with natural hair bloggers
• previews and recaps of natural hair events 
• marketing tips for natural hair bloggers 
• post ideas for natural hair bloggers
• blogging advice from successful natural hair bloggers that any writer could use, regardless of niche
• essays on the politics of natural hair

I hope you all are as excited about this new feature as I am.

What new features are you launching on your blog?

For the past two weeks I've been rocking straight hair. This isn't something that happens often. About twice a year I go to my favorite hairstylist to have my hair flat ironed straight. My stylist prefers to cut my hair while it's straight (although she can cut curly hair too) so usually I get my hair flat ironed when I need a trim. Sometimes, I get my hair straightened just because I'm bored; and sometimes it's because I want to wear a cute hat (most of which will not fit over my crazy curls).

The four to six months in between my flat iron rendezvous is somehow enough time for nearly every person in my life to forget that I occasionally straighten my hair. Therefore, when I do smooth out my curls, I am inevitably inundated with questions such as "Is that really all your hair?" A student of mine actually had the audacity to ask me this (and with a stank attitude, might I add). I guess this child doesn't understand that curly hair will be longer when straightened. And I teach at a school for smart kids! Sigh.



The question that bothers me most, however, is "Why don't you wear your hair straight all the time?" 

Really, people? Does my natural hair bother you that much that you'd prefer I heat and beat it into submission all year? If so, that sucks for you because I love my curls. 

Even though India Arie's song "I Am Not My Hair" was once my mantra, I must admit I feel a bit weird when my hair is straight. When my hair is curly I feel like more of myself and I feel more carefree. With straight tresses I worry way too much about my hair getting wet. And I when I go to the gym all I can do is weight training because after even a short cardio workout my curls will come back with a vengeance before I'm ready for them to return. 

Besides, my curly coif is like my trademark or my brand and how people find me in a crowd. 

So today the curls are back. Oh, how I've missed you. 

"It’s just hair!" she said in frustration. My friend, we’ll call her K., was sharing with me how out of place she feels at natural hair meetups. K. just didn’t understand why other black women who had decided to stop chemically straightening their hair felt this was some spiritual experience. “I didn’t know I was part of some movement,” she said. “I just decided to cut my hair and stop getting a perm.”

I understand her gripes, but the truth is it’s not just hair, at least not for many women. I started wearing my hair in its naturally curly state over 10 years ago, long before it had become the hip thing to do and at a time when there were no natural hair blogs or YouTube videos to guide me. I wasn’t trying to be part of a movement, either. But once I started to embrace my thick, curly mane, I started to embrace my quirky, offbeat personality too. 

This is a movement because it's a stepping stone toward the goal of creating a new standard of beauty. I've been told by people, people of my own race, that not only is my hair is too curly but my nose is too wide and my skin is too dark. Natural hair, however, is giving so many women, the confidence to define beauty for themselves. 

Now to be clear I'm not implying that black women who chemically straighten their hair are doing so because they're suffering from self-hatred. That's ridiculous. But for me natural hair was a gateway to self-acceptance and I know many, many women who can tell a similar story, stories I've been privileged to share in articles for publications such as Weld for Birmingham. 

Furthermore, natural hair can be the common ground needed to bring women together. I can’t keep count of the number of times that while at a mall, a restaurant, or a grocery store I’ve been approached by a complete stranger who wanted to ask me about the hair products I use. I’ve met women at natural hair meetups hosted by Birmingham Natural Beauties who have become some of my best friends.

In spite of all this, however, I will admit that sometimes I wish it was just hair. Then maybe we wouldn’t have had so many people more focused on Gabby Douglas’ ponytail than her performance at the 2012 London Olympics when she made history and became the first African American to win the all-around gymnastics gold medal.

And if it was just hair perhaps U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin wouldn't have needed to issue a public plea last year asking black women to stop forgoing exercise for fear of a bad hair day. 

And there’s the rub. How can we celebrate our tresses without allowing our hair to dictate our lives? 

This question seemed to be at the heart of a recent Birmingham Natural Beauties meetup held last Tuesday that focused on health and fitness. A few ladies gave tips on how naturalistas could manage their hair and still remain active. Also, Dr. Mia Cowan of MiBella Wellness Center gave diet and exercise tips, speaking on the importance of eating breakfast, getting enough protein in your diet, and adding strength training to your workout regimen. 

While we were all brought together that evening because of hair the message was clear: do not live your life constantly worrying about the cuteness of your coif. How you feel on the inside is much more important than how you look on the outside. 

Happy Saturday, babes! I've decided to start posting some of my best content from my blog GeorgiaMae.com here at The Writeous Babe Project too. Check out this post on natural hair and black beauty culture. 


***

Is natural hair the end of black beauty culture? 


That's the question posed by Cassandra Jackson in a recent article she wrote for The Huffington Post. Jackson says that while she is glad to see an increasing number of black women choosing natural hair (as opposed to chemically straightened hair) she worries that the shift toward natural hair also means a shift away from the black beauty salon, which for decades has been the center of black beauty culture. 

She writes:

While many, including me, celebrate the natural hair movement's emphasis on self-discovery, I cannot help but wonder if something has also been lost with this cultural shift. For all the horrible things about hair straightening, the experiences associated with it have created a powerful thread that connects the vast majority of black women. Even if you have kinky hair now, you probably have memories of time spent with family and friends in kitchens getting your hair done by someone who loved you and who you trusted enough to wield a sizzling hot straightening comb next to your ear. You probably remember that first trip to the beauty shop where black women talked about grown folks' business, and nearly every sentence began with the endearment, "girl." It does not matter if your mother was a teacher or housekeeper, or if you were in New York or Alabama because these experiences crossed class and region. Hair straightening was a rite of passage, an entry into the world of black women.

Personally, I've never been a fan of salons. They stink, they're hot, and you're in there for what feels like half your life. So the fact that wearing my hair in its naturally curly state meant fewer trips to a beauty shop was just more reason for me to embrace my curls. But, ironically, now that I'm natural I feel more a part of black beauty culture than ever before. Black beauty culture has not died; it has simply evolved. 


One of the things I love most about being natural has very little to do with my actual hair. I love being natural because of the sense of community and camaraderie that comes with it. At least once a week I have a conversation with a complete stranger in a clothing store at a shopping mall or in the aisles of the supermarket or in an aerobics class at the gym, and those conversations are sparked because of my curls. Those conversations begin with questions like "How long have you been natural?" or "What products do you use on your hair?" 


Furthermore, some of my closest friends that I've made since I moved back to my hometown have been through local natural hair mixers organized by groups like Birmingham Natural Beauties. At these mixers conversations begin with questions like those I mentioned before, but soon the discussions move to other topics -- our careers, our hobbies, our husbands, our dreams. And soon a friendship is born. 


And thanks to natural blogs we naturalistas can forge bonds with women all across the country or even the world. Through online communities we share stories of our transition from relaxed hair, we rant about our search for a stylist who can cut curly hair, and we rave about products that keep our tresses soft. And soon even these conversations can drift to topics like exercise, as many women begin to workout more after going natural, or healthy eating, as many women begin to reconsider what they're putting in their bodies once they start to think about the products they're putting on their heads. 


So, no, many black women no longer congregate in black beauty salons as we once did, but black beauty culture is alive and well. We naturalistas may not see the black beauty shop as the safe and sacred space as our mothers did but as we gather at natural hair blogs, conferences, and meetups, we are encouraged and we are supported because we are always reminded that we are beautiful. 

image via

Afros, braids, curls, and kinky coils – I am surrounded by hundreds of beautiful brown women sporting natural hair styles at the 2^nd Magic City Natural Hair Meetup.

The increasing number of African American women who are choosing natural hair as opposed to chemically straightened hair has sparked what some call a revolution because for many of these women the choice has less to do with a hairstyle change and is more about a lifestyle change. The shift to natural hair has inspired, in many women, a shift to healthy eating, regular exercise, self-acceptance, and even improved relationships. These are the kinds of stories being told at this and other natural hair meetups that happen all across the country.

Surprisingly, a closer look at the natural hair movement also reveals some valuable lessons for writers, all writers, regardless of race or how you wear your hair. As women were making the transition from chemically straightened to natural hair some of them began to take to the Internet starting blogs about their beauty trials and triumphs. Soon these beauty bloggers became experts and their sites became the spaces to which women flocked as they sought information and support. Today natural hair blogs are some of the most successful blogs on the web. So let’s look at what they did right.

Know your niche. Blogs need focus and good natural hair bloggers know this. They stay focused on tress talk and even if they write about something other than their curly coif those posts will still be somehow related to natural hair – such as posts about those lifestyle changes that natural hair can spark. So feel free to get creative with how you approach your topic -- otherwise you’ll get bored and so will your readers -- but stay centered on your niche and research it like crazy so you can write with authority. 

Cultivate community. Sure, writers should write for themselves and for the love of the craft, but helping someone along the way wouldn’t be so bad either. Most natural hair blogs were created to help other naturalistas struggling to find the right products and styles for their hair and struggling with serious issues like “Will my boss think my natural hair looks unprofessional?” and “Will my partner find me less attractive with natural hair?” Good natural hair bloggers cultivate community by encouraging readers to comment on posts and interacting with those who do. Some natural hair bloggers like Nikki Walton of CurlyNikki.com also encourage readers to submit guest posts so that her site will feel like their forum, platform, and safe space.

Mix and mingle. This may be tough for introverted artists, but eventually you have to step away from the computer and go out and socialize. Some of the most successful natural hair bloggers have taken cultivating community to higher heights by hosting mixers that allow them to meet their readers IRL. So maybe it’s time for you to throw a shindig for your blog. I hope I’m invited. 

What lessons have you learned from your favorite niche bloggers?

Antoinette (l) and Shanti (r)
Photos Courtesy Around the Way Curls

There are so many natural hair websites out in the blogosphere these days that when I stumble upon one I haven't read before I usually think, "Oh gosh, not another one." But when I found Antoinette and Shanti's blog Around the Way Curls (formerly known as A Curl's Best Friend), I knew I'd found something special. 

Antoinette and Shanti are best friends and together have created an online publication that explores pop culture and women's issues with an emphasis on celebrating naturally kinky and curly hair. They say their goal is to re-define popular notions of beauty and inspire women to embrace their uniqueness and to encourage a strong sense of self-worth within their readers. 


In less than a year, Antoinette and Shanti have managed to garner a strong following of loyal readers and were recently named by The Root as two of the best black bloggers of 2012. 

The ladies of Around the Way Curls graciously shared with me how they've managed to build a strong online community and how they deal with issues they face while blogging. 

When a blogger attends a conference, whether it's one on better blogging or one related to her niche, I believe it's important to set goals in order to really get the most out of the event. Why? Because no conference is perfect and if you're not intentional in your approach you could get caught up the flaws of the event and lose focus on why you came in the first place. 


Last weekend I attended the Fro Fashion Week conference, which is a natural hair and fashion event held twice a year in Atlanta by Naturally Me! Media. I raised by a mother who preached punctuality, so I was a bit annoyed when the morning sessions of the conference didn't start on time neither Saturday nor Sunday. But overall I believe the conference was a good investment for me as a blogger. Here's why:
  
1. Kim Coles.

Most conferences will have at least one celebrity guest. The skirt! Creative Conference I attended this summer didn't have any movie or TV stars but did feature best-selling authors Claire Cook and Emily Giffin, who are certainly celebrities in the world of publishing. Fro Fashion Week's celebrity guest and keynote speaker was actress and natural hair beauty Kim Coles. One of my goals for the weekend was to get a picture with her for my blog GeorgiaMae.com. Not only did I get a picture, but also an inspiring post to go with it, since Coles gave one of the most uplifting talks I've ever heard at a conference. Read all about it here. 


2.  Bloggers, Brands, and Brunch. The conference featured a lunch designed specifically for natural hair bloggers, which is a large part of what I do at Georgia Mae. The lunch was quite informative and I left with tips on how to boost traffic and comments and how to work with brands for giveaways and events. I was especially happy to meet Jess McGuinty of Jessicurl. 

3. Networking. The best bloggers read other blogs. This conference was a great way to meet other bloggers and discover new blogs like Knaps, which has quickly become one of my favorite sites. 

4. Post ideas. I left the conference with long, long list of post ideas. Here's a post on fall accessory trends I published today, one that I wouldn't have thought to do had I not attended this conference. 


5. Free products. 

Who doesn't like free stuff? One reason Fro Fashion Week is a great conference for natural hair bloggers is all the gift bags of free product samples you receive. And if you're lucky (like me) you might even win a prize pack of products from a company like Darcy's Botanicals. Check out my review. 


So if you're a natural hair or fashion blogger, visit the Fro Fashion Week website to learn more about the conference and to decide if you'll be on the scene come spring 2012. 

Thursday morning I walked into work and was greeted by a pleasant surprise.


"I didn't know you were writing for Weld!" a co-worker said holding in his hand a copy of the inaugural issue of Weld for Birmingham, a new weekly newspaper in my Magic City. I knew the issue was out and had even received a few text messages from friends about my story but I had yet to get my hands on a copy or even see it online. But I walked into the main office of my school and there was a stack of papers. A grabbed a few (OK, perhaps a bit more than a few) and ran upstairs to my classroom and closed the door. I had less than two minutes before the kiddos would start trickling in, so quickly flipped to pages 24 and 25 and there it was:

My story, titled Going Natural, takes a look at the natural hair trend and how it is taking shape in Birmingham. (Going natural is a phrase we African American women use to describe the decision to stop chemically straightening, or relaxing, our hair.) The primary focus of the story is the emergence of local social groups that are designed to support women on their natural hair journey (and, yes, it is a journey), groups such as Birmingham Natural Beauties and Birmingham Naturalistas.


The cover story for this launch issue of Weld was about big ideas for making Birmingham better. I believe groups like Birmingham Natural Beauties and Birmingham Naturalistas have the power to do just that, to make this city a better place. These groups are uniting women. They are hosting fun and exciting events in a place where people constantly claim "there's nothing to do" and these groups are promoting local businesses such as LeVia's Hair & Body Essentials and Angela's K.I.S.S. All Natural Hair & Skin Products.


But you don't have to be a black woman going natural to be part of something dynamic in Birmingham. This year I have learned about a number of other groups making Birmingham better in various ways. I'm a proud member of the Alabama Social Media Association and Black Girls Run! Birmingham. DISCO is changing the lives of trouble teens with creative writing. There are also great organizations like YP Birmingham and Birmingham Urban League Young Professionals. There's even a Bad Movie Club that meets on the first Monday of the month to watch those films that are so bad they're good like Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures.


I could go on and on, but the point is this -- Birmingham is booming with groups of gals and guys who are uniting to make themselves and their city better. And if the group you're looking for doesn't exist, start it!


I'm excited to be part of a group of writers who are ready to find the magic in the Magic City and share incredible stories in this new publication. I am ready to Weld for Birmingham.