Niya's Hair Journey

Journey

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“BAD HAIR”

Jerry curls, phony-ponies, finger waves with corn-rolls and French braids – I have tried it all! Some cute and some not so much. My hair has literally been fried, dyed and laid to the side. If my hair is supposed to be my glory, why do I struggle so much? In fact, I have childhood horror stories about my hair!

My favorite hair story is, when I was 5-years-old, I asked my big cousin, who was 6-year- old, “What kind of grease do you use?” She had gorgeous, long, soft and beautiful hair (my family still laughs about this 30 years later). Another favorite hair story that came a close second, is after getting my hair chopped off because of damage, my brother’s female friend expressed, “Oh my God, your little brother is so cute” (this was torture for me as a teenager)!

“GOOD HAIR”

In my early adulthood, purchasing hair was not a problem. I just decided what style I wanted and then off to the store to get my hair. But, one day I witnessed a little Black girl playing in her Asian classmate’s hair. When I told her to keep her hands to herself and play in her own hair, she stated, “But her hair is pretty!” In that moment, I vowed that I would be a role model and help little Black girls feel more comfortable wearing their natural, curly, kinky hair.

HAPPY HAIR – MY HAIR

I hear all sorts of things about my hair; for example, it’s fine, it’s pretty and it’s soft. What I can confirm is that it breaks easily and lacks consistency. It took me a long time to understand and respect my hair needs. Finally, my hairstylist convinced me to stick to being natural and accept my hair type and texture.

This has truly been a long journey that I do not always like day-to-day. Currently, I wear many different types of natural hairstyles including, twist-outs, finger coils, Bantu-knots and wash and gos. I really do not have a favorite hairstyle, as it really depends on the day and finding the right product – one that is not too greasy, or sticky and that leaves my hair moisturized and soft. I have found that Miss Jessie’s, DẹvaCurl, ECO Styler Gel and olive oil are products that work well for me. My ultimate hair goal is to have healthy, natural hair. At some point I want to let my cousin know that I finally found the grease that works for me! ☺

Niya Bealin