I was seven years old when I first got my hair straightened. I remember feeling more beautiful. I went to a predominantly white school and was told by a classmate that I looked like an animal and had a “lion’s mane, not real hair.” I went home one day and told my mom I wanted “straight hair like my white friends.” She told me that natural hair is and will always be beautiful.
And still, I insisted on getting my hair straightened. What started as the occasional appointment turned into getting my hair straightened every Friday for over five years. But I decided to wear my hair natural in college after getting even more in touch with my blackness. And I wish every Black woman felt comfortable and respected while sporting natural hair.
But there’s an expectation for Black women in corporate America to straighten their hair. Extensions, also known as tracks, are common amongst Black women in corporate America. So are weaves. Many Black women get weaves and spend thousands of dollars a year on their hair.
Most of the Black women I know who make over six figures straighten their hair, have extensions, or have a weave. There is immense pressure for Black women to change our hair to gain the acceptance of our white colleagues and employers. It’s time for Black women to put down the straighteners and pick up some curl pudding. Here’s a few reasons why we shouldn’t have to straighten our hair for work.
Cut Costs By Going Natural
When I get braids the hair I purchase is sixty dollars every time. I usually fluctuate between braids and natural hair every month. But at one point I was getting braids every three weeks. It was two hundred dollars each time. I know Black women who solely get a haircut for five hundred dollars. And weaves and extensions can be just as expensive. There is an entire industry dedicated to Black women changing our natural hair and, frankly, spending scary amounts of money to emulate our white peers’ hair.
When I straightened my hair I subconsciously wanted to appease my white peers in the workplace. Today I no longer feel that way and use Shea Moisture curl shampoo and curl conditioner. It costs around thirty dollars for shampoo and conditioner and the bottles last me at least a month. I have saved so much money by embracing my natural hair.
Spend Less Time On Your Hair
As a kid I hated sitting in a chair for hours having someone detangle, shampoo, condition, dry, then blow dry, then straighten my hair. That was just for getting my hair pressed (straightened). If you get a weave or extensions it takes even longer. Know that the time Black women spend on hair depends on the texture of our hair, if it does or doesn’t have knots, how fast someone does hair, and more. I have probably spent days worth of time in hair salons over the course of my life. I have sat in a chair at a hair salon, also known as the shop, for up to six hours.
It feels like forever when getting long braids. After a month or two you have to take braids out. The same goes for weaves. You sit in a chair for hours, the hair often feels heavy, and it acquires a strong stench if it isn’t dry properly after it gets wet. I support all Black women, regardless of whether their hair is natural or not. However, I don’t miss spending hours at the shop every week. Black women shouldn’t be expected to spend all day in a hair salon so that we can fit in at work.
Become Even More Confidant
Going natural is a huge confidence booster— and more Black women are going natural as time goes on. In the past few years I’ve realized that I am beautiful and worthy of respect no matter what hairstyle I have. I enjoy learning more about curl products and have used brands like Pattern, Miss Jessie’s, and Shea Moisture. I read about how aloe vera, peppermint, apple cider vinegar, and tea tree oil in hair products can help reduce itching. I watch YouTube tutorials for natural hair. I have learned so much about myself through my natural hair journey.
I understand that there are so many confident Black women who don’t have natural hair. I can’t speak on behalf of all Black women. In my experience having natural hair boosted my confidence. It feels good to be authentically me without fear of judgment.
I want Black female readers to know something. You don’t need to change your hair to be accepted in the workplace. If you work somewhere that comes with the expectation to straighten your hair or have a weave, it might be time to consider a new job if you can. I refuse to work somewhere that doesn’t accept me as I am. Black is beautiful— and so is our hair.
