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Not another Natural Hair Site!!!

Well actually, this is not a typical natural hair site. The overall point of creating this site was to address the psychological issues we curly-haired women face. Oh you didn't know our hair decisions were psychological? Going and being natural is even more psychological. Think about it: It takes a lot of courage to go natural, right? That courage depends upon our mental state at each level of the journey. Even those of us who are relaxed face some psychological issues. For example, the very thought of not getting relaxers is out of the question for some women because they are so used to getting them.

Where did I come up with Nappy Mentality? When I say nappy I'm referring to naturally curly/coily/kinky hair textures. Those terms are synonymous and interchangeable with each other. Society made the term "nappy" a bad thing, but naturally curly-haired people wish to remove the negative connotation normally associated with the term. The term mentality describes a person's mind-set, view, or outlook on things. Nappy Mentality..Get it?

Before you get swayed away by the word "nappy" or think this site isn't for you, just understand these 2 things:

1. Nappy does not mean bad. Nappy only describes hair texture, whether it's kinky, coily, tightly curly, afro-textured, ethnic, whatever. It does not describe anyone as a person. Society made the term negative, but we have to remove the negative stigma that has been placed on it and take it for what it originally meant. (Check my blog for the meaning of "nappy.")

2. According to "A Nappy Mentality," being natural is not curly vs. straight. You can be natural and still choose to wear your hair straight. Our goal is to promote health and understanding of our original hair texture, not to tell you that you HAVE to choose between the two. Once you read more about the psychology of our hair choices, you'll have a better understanding of what this means.

Now of course I understand that black women are not the only women with curly hair. But if I focus on black women on this site, it's only because black women (in America) go through the most scrutiny & turmoil because of their hair choices. The scrutiny comes from every direction (people from other races, men, the media, etc.), but the most turmoil comes from other black women. Get my point? Don't worry; I will try my best to not make this site boring. It's actually very interesting to know that our hair is not just physical, but psychological.

This site will include the following:

Featured info, pix, & videos of women in each hair state
Views from outside the natural community (including men, other races, other hair types)
You can share your own experiences and tips on the forum
My personal hair blog
Links of recommended sites
And of course, interesting info on the psychology of curly-haired women.

What exactly do you mean by "psychological?"

The definition of Psychology: Understanding the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of animals (Yes, humans are animals!). Just incase you didn't know, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors are all involved in our hair decisions. (Go to the Psychology page to understand more about some of the psychological issues some curly-haired women face.)

DISCLAIMER!

The information regarding psychological issues facing curly-haired women is not intended to diagnose or scare anyone. It is just to inform everyone of the possibility of hair being more than just a physical issue.

Here are the different hair states for naturally-curly-haired people. Click on each hair state to get a detailed explanation.

Relaxed - Getting relaxers is a completely psychological process. Don't believe me? Click to read.
Thinking - "Thinking" is a completely psychological process in its own right, so here's info about women thinking about going natural.
Transitioning - Read about the psychological issues facing women who are transitioning from relaxed to natural
The Big Chop - This page discusses the mentality of women who have only been completely natural for less than one month
First Year - The first year of being completely natural can be a tough for some and easy for others. Click to see why
Happily Nappy - You did it! This sections talks about the psychology of women who have been completely natural for more than one year, and are never turning back