For most of my life I have worn my hair short. With the exception of the Afro in the early 7OS and a short lived experience with a chemical process called the Jheri curl in the late 70's my hair has always been cut about the same. This close cut that was called a Quo Vadis in my youth is now known as a fade. Sometimes I shaved my head bald, I liked the feeling of the sun as it warmed my skin during the warm months. It looked cool and scalp massages feel great on naked skin!
Lots of my friends wore their bald too but for other reasons.
For some years now and especially as I entered my 50's a few years ago I have been witness to my male and some female friends hair has been graying, thinning balding and breaking from years of chemical processing, dyes and coloring, heat applications and the prescription drugs they are taking. Since December 2002 I have chosen to wear my hair in a natural style many call locks. In the meantime, my hair continues to grow, longer and stronger than ever. What is the difference?
Many people believe hair thinning and balding is the natural effect of aging. Yes, age is a factor (I haven't seen many 100 year old men with a full head of hair) genetics play a role too. However,I believe what we put on and in our bodies plays a greater role in how our hair, skin and nails will look over time than we currently realize.
Also, the levels of toxins (poisons) we get from the air, food and water make a huge difference. We are exposed to more toxins in one year than our grandparents were in a lifetime! Consider the balding and skin damage that occurs when cancer patients undergo chemotherapy or if a person is a victim of chemical poisoning.
In this blog I will just address questions I have been asked about my hair, interspersed with a little of my health philosophy. I decided that in my first blog I will start at the top, with a head to toe perspective. I'll begin with the questions I get most and in subsequent blogs I will talk about how to have healthy hair, skin and nails.
I will begin by saying, I now like my choice of hairstyle. At first, I didn't, the early stages were awkward, kind of like going through puberty. I went through the discussion about Good Hair and Bad Hair growing up. At this stage of life it's good to have hair! In the evolution from short to longer hair the stages my hair went through weren't all pleasant. On the occasion when I took a picture with Barack Obama my hair was really doing it's own thing and the picture reflected that. I have gotten used to the fact that some people like it, some don't and that's OK too. Most important was how I felt about my hair. Many women who it's new to want to touch and feel the texture, others are just curious about the style and treatment of it. Little children often want to play with and pull on it! Ouch! I get more and interesting reactions from people of all nationalities in and out of the United States. On a trip to Ghana the young people called me "Rasty"! (Short for Rastafarian) Some of the common questions I receive and my responses will be addressed below:
Why did you choose to go natural? Well, one day I decided not to keep getting a "fade" (a short close cut style) or bald and trying to manage an "afro" (a longer natural style) was more time and trouble than I cared for.
Why do I wear my hair in locks? For many reasons, I like to express a bit of culture, I enjoy the freedom of a natural hair lifestyle and a combination of the two makes for a unique expression of me. Besides that, in the business world today the style is generally accepted and I don't believe I have lost any major deals so far. I do presentations, classes and seminars on wholistic health in the community at churches, for organizations at education and health fairs etc. most people usually view it as part of a natural lifestyle or simply unique and appealing.
What about the care, is it a lot of work? I see my loctician (one who cares for and specializes in locks) about once every 6-8 weeks to tighten up the new growth. That's very manageable for me. I prefer a 2 hr visit once a month as opposed to a weekly or every two weeks in a barbers chair. At home I wash it every couple of weeks unless I am working out and sweating more swimming etc. I do oil it occasionally and keep it covered in the shower and at night while sleeping. Sometimes a hot oil treatment, a conditioning formula and other common aids help.
Doesn't that style come from Jamaica? No way Mon, I'm not Rastafarian! I can tell you a bit about what Rastas believe,though I'm no expert (but I can imitate the accent pretty well). But really, though the style in America was heavily influenced by the Rastafarian culture in Jamaica starting around the 70s those who wear locks do so for a variety of reasons. that are neither religious or based on a single philosophy. Besides that fact, locks are worn by many cultures all over the world, Africa, India, Asia, and have for a very long time. Now the style is imitated in Japan, Europe and elsewhere by people of a variety of backgrounds. The popular book Dreads by Francesco Mastalia and Alfonse Pagano goes into a pictorial depiction of this very well.
They are so tiny and neat are they braids?.... No, they are not braids and they are different than Rick James or Stevie Wonder. Actually, the style I wear are called "brother locks" which is a certain style and system of locking the hair.
Is that your hair? Yes, it is all my hair, no extensions, additions or anything added and it began as small twists in 2002. I don't use any special formula on it and no hair stimulation or artificial assistance. No slam against anyone who does though.
Can you change the style? Yep, I can wear it up, down,braided, pony tailed and there are many other styles possible. I have just a few that I am adept at doing myself and I want to learn more. There are books on styling locks and I find that major urban areas like New York and L.A. have some sophisticated ways of styling locks that are unique, sometimes to the place where it originated like the "Brooklyn Twist".
How long will you let it grow man, it's past your shoulders already? Hmmm, I haven't decided when I will cut it, if ever. There are many people who's hair is down their back so long that they can sit on it, I don't envision it being that long but who knows?
How do you keep it clean? I wash it, regularly- uh huh, with shampoo and it does take a while to dry especially air dry, which I prefer, in the summer and warmer months.
The book "Thank God I'm Natural" by Chris Tia Donaldson gives lots of great tools, tips and techniques for keeping natural hair.
How can your hair stay dark like that without coloring agents? I don't color or rinse my hair, the gray you see is the gray that be.... and fortunately that's not much at all.I suspect it's probably my plant based diet and drug free lifestyle that makes the difference. My studies indicate that the more minerals we have in our bodies the darker the hair stays. There are supplements that will help in this area. Minerals are good for hair strength and therefore all connective tissues, hair, skin and nails too!
So, maybe it's not true that your kids and grands give you gray hair, mine don't. I have two daughters one teen and one (30 something) adult daughter who has two sons.
Overall, I have chosen to be as natural as I can from head to toe carefully watching what I eat, how I manage my health and through peaceful, intentional and conscious living. This has been a part of my way of being for over 30 years. I have consulted with many people over the past two decades plus and you can find me on the web. www.DetroitWholisticCenter.com Health and Face Book under Detroit Wholistic Center, consultations are available. I speak to groups of all sizes and ask me about the Wellness Inventory it may very well change your life. A natural health consultation will help you along the way as well. I will be posting more blogs in the future and I look forward to hearing from you and getting your feedback on whatever I can share.
