Love Your Hair!

I was thinking of how fortunate it is to have the hair of black girl. I love my hair. I thought about this today when I was at a salon getting my permed hair styled, while my daughter was getting hers braided. We have many diverse styles we can rock on any given day. We can change it by season. It's too hot so we decide to wear it short or have braids. It's too cold, so we decide to grow it long, wear a weave or a wig. Sometimes our hair reflects our world views. A sister is into the history of African and African-American culture, so she decides to wear braids or a 'fro. Another wants to celebrate her Caribbean roots and grows her hair into beautiful locks. While another has a huge personality and wants a big weave to reflect the style of her favorite celebrity.

We often judge each other based on our hairstyles as if one style is better than the other, but really it's personal preference. If you have dreads, it doesn't make you more political. If you wear a perm, it doesn't mean you're trying to "act white." Some love the act of combing and grooming hair, while others are busy and want to be able to get up and go in the morning.

Whatever style we wear now, we have all had moments as little black girls of getting our hair braided or combed with pain or pleasure. No matter what the process is, the end result is beautiful. Our hair, like our culture, is strong and resilient.