HOW NIGERIANS REACT TO NATURAL HAIR!

Ok, so yesterday I was feeling funky with myself and I had enough time on my hands to do something I considered was nice to my hair. My natural hair. I styled it. All I did shawas put it in a side 'fro, I thought it was cute. 

Immediately I stepped outside my house guess the first comment I got about my hair; "ah...when are you going to make this your hair"? I felt like slapping the person-this hair that I spent about a good 25 minutes styling that someone just dismissed like that? #NaturalHairProblems  And by the way, I didn't ask for their opinion oh-I was just going about my business. Onisokuso. 

This just reminded me of all the reactions I've gotten with this my hair:

1. Is your hair strong? 

People always want to know if my hair is strong like the iron sponge used to wash burnt pots. I don't blame them-the curl pattern of my hair is very tight. I believe I'm a 4C? I don't know. Please enlighten me. I can see why someone would assume my hair is strong just by looking at it.

2. How Do You Comb Your Hair?

They often ask this question with a look of pity in their eyes like "eyaaaa, how do you cope with this suffering", so I try to explain that I only comb when it's wet or when I apply a conditioner. Never ever when dry. Unless I want to meet my maker. They ask if I get headaches often too. Sigh.

3. Can I Touch It?

This request always comes after they have asked if the hair is strong and I always feel like a monkey in a zoo when they proceed to touch it and most of the time their reaction is "ah, it's not strong oh... I thought it would be strong." Then they proceed to look at me as if I just performed magic. 

4. Are you Deeper Life?

For those of you who don't know, Deeper Life is a Church and their members don't relax or fix weaves, don't wear jewellery or makeup. They live a very simple modest life. But I am not Deeper Life. I wear jewellery and put on makeup. They probably just conclude that I'm a rebel Deeper in their minds. 

5. So when will you relax your hair?

When I started off natural it wasn't with an end date in sight sha...I was just on a "lets see how it goes" parole. Now, I feel I may not relax my hair in a long while because I feel with natural hair I have the best of both worlds-I can always straighten it and can always leave it kinky. This is what I have to explain to people overtime they ask me this question. I'm always scared that while asleep someone would apply relaxer on my hair. That's my natural hair nightmare I get often. 

Even though some of the reactions can be annoying- a lot are actually positive and I believe I have succeeded in encouraging some people to go back to natural. For that alone, I tap myself on my back