Black hair natural styles | Melissa // 4C Natural Hair Style Icon | Black Girl with Long Hair | Blog Black Hairstyles

Black hair natural styles | Melissa // 4C <b>Natural Hair Style</b> Icon | <b>Black</b> Girl with Long <b>Hair</b> | Blog Black Hairstyles

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Melissa // 4C <b>Natural Hair Style</b> Icon | <b>Black</b> Girl with Long <b>Hair</b> Posted: 22 Mar 2014 10:59 AM PDT Introduce yourself! M: Hello, My name is Melissa. I live in Florida now, but I'm from California and Puerto Rico. Why did you make the decision to go natural? M: I've been natural now for 13 years and I love it! I chose to go natural because I couldn't remember what my natural hair looked or felt like at the time. I had been getting my hair relaxed since I was a little girl, so I didn't remember what it was like. I let a little bit of my natural hair grow out before for cutting off all of my relaxed hair, so I started out with a mini fro. After having the afro for a few years I was looking for a new look, but didn't want to go back to relaxing my hair. All around me were these beautiful people with locs, so I decided to try them out. It was great having them. It was interesting to see people's reactions to my hair in different countries. I kept my 89 locs for 8 years. Once again I was looking forward to a new look and the chance to have more variety of styles I could do without the locs. It wasn't as easy to style my locs because they were thicker than most. When I cut them off it felt so weird but good to just comb through my hair. I actually spent a while just combing through it. It felt like a long overdue massage. It also felt weird holding my head up without all the weight of the locs…like a bobble head. How would you describe your texture? M: My hair type is 4c!!! I would say my hair is dense. I have a lot of it, and it grows pretty fast. Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month. M: I don't have to do to much styling at the length that my hair is now. I just comb through it and put oil in it. With locs I didn't style much. I would get these crazy headaches when I did, so for the most part I would just let them be free flowing. I retwisted with gel and towards the end I used no product to twist. The roots were twisted every 2-3 weeks, or whenever I would find a loose root. What does wash day look like for you? M: I would wash my locs every two weeks. They collect a lot of dirt so I would use Pantene Pro-V Clarifying Shampoo to get all the dirt out. I didn't use conditioner and I let my hair air dry. To give the locs some moisture and shine I used grapeseed oil, argan oil or coconut oil. The argan oil has a great scent to it, so when I want my hair to be perfumed I use that oil. Now that I have a mini fro, I don't know if it's because of the locs or not, but I've had to use dandruff shampoo since I cut them. I wash 2-3 times a week. For conditioner I use a tea tree hair mask. For moisture I still use grapeseed oil, argan oil or coconut oil. Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you don't have a lot of time to style. M: My hair now is too short to do much with it. On special occasions I'll add a flower or a headband to change up my look a little. When I had locs I would just part the hair at a different place or tie them half up. How do you combat shrinkage? M: I don't combat shrinkage at this point. I like my hair looking shorter while it's growing. When I had my afro earlier on in my journey I would blow dry the roots with a blow dryer comb attachment. What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention? M: As mentioned, for some reason I have a lot of dandruff that I did not have before cutting my locs. What are 2 do's for your texture? M: If you have dandruff, comb your scalp in the shower to take more of it out while you wash. Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you? M: You can find me on my blog at http://graphicista.tumblr.com/ or @mwilliams7 on Instagram.

Do New Army Regulations Unfairly Target Women with <b>Natural Hair</b> <b>...</b> Posted: 25 Mar 2014 07:00 AM PDT Late last night, I was on Facebook clicking through interesting articles my friends were re-posting. One in particular caught my eye — not because of the title, but because of the picture associated used to promote the article: I saw a Black woman and the phrase "twists are not authorized", and I was hooked. I  jumped in full steam ahead, reading up on the newly approved Army Regulation 670-1 and pouring over each slide of the leaked Army Regulation 670-1 Leader Training Powerpoint. Amid the regulations about tattoos, uniforms, and facial hair for men, there were some not-so-subtle hints that the United States Army doesn't take too kindly to natural hair. Take a look at these two slides in particular: Apparently, the new regulations seek to create a uniform professional and clean-cut image across the board for both women and men. I have no qualms with that goal (in theory), but rather how it is defined.  As with most definitions of "clean-cut" and "professional", the regulations seem to specifically target Black women — those with natural hair in particular. Twists and locs are out the window. Women with short to medium length hair are allowed to wear it out — except for if the bulk of your hair protrudes more than two inches from the scalp. That automatically discounts anyone with any sort of naturally textured hair. Our hair doesn't hang until it reaches a certain length (and even then it tends to extend far beyond two inches from our scalps) — and it most certainly doesn't lie flat unless straightened. Here's what the Army Regulations say about wearing hair loose, as a point of comparison: What about those ladies with hair that is considered "long"? Bun regulations stipulate that the bunned hair itself cannot protrude more than three inches from the scalp, and cannot be wider than the with of the wearer's head. Again, another slight toward women with thick, dense natural hair. It should be noted that cornrows and individual braids are permitted, but there are of course, strict regulations on the size, length, and styling of these braided styles. What I find the most interesting is that weaves and wigs are permitted. Can someone please explain the rationale behind it being okay to rock a lacefront, but not twists? And how on earth is it possible for extensions and wigs to have the same general appearance as the individual's natural hair and conform to the AR 670-1 guidelines — when her natural hair may be unauthorized to begin with? And lastly, before you just write me off as making a big stink about nothing,  note that "most of the appearance and grooming chapter are punitive". There are consequences for noncompliance. I'd really like to hear from the Servicewomen out there on this one — because as far as what I can see, these regulations deem natural hair as unfit for women in the Army. To read the full article and PowerPoint presentation on Army Regulation 670-1, visit: http://www.armytimes.com/article/20140320/NEWS/303200060/New-Army-grooming-appearance-regs-leaked-online What do you all think? Do the new Army Regulations single out women with natural hair?

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