Sunday, February 14, 2010

Natural Women: Our Hair, Our Stories (Brijetta S.'s Story)

(Brijetta S.'s Story)
Brijetta S.

Background / My name is Brijetta Smith. I currently reside in Flint, MI. I am 22 years old.

Hairstyle / At the present time, I am wearing my hair braided with human hair (zillions) to help my natural hair grow. When my hair is not braided, I wear it natural, accessorized with hair bands. My hair is naturally curly so maintenance is very easy!

Reason for wearing a “natural” hairstyle / I've been wearing my hair natural for about 3 months now. I decided to go natural because I got tired of putting relaxers in my hair every 8-10 weeks. The upkeep (relaxing, flat ironing, blow-drying, styling) was time consuming and I thought it was time for a change. I wanted a new look and I wanted to start my hair-growing process over.

Support of your natural look / I've found a lot of my family members very supportive of my hair cut and wearing my hair natural. I also have a couple of friends from work that encouraged me to try it.

Negative reactions / I haven't received any real negative responses about my haircut. A couple of my friends have joked around and said I looked like Florida Evans from the "Good Times" TV show. Lol

A woman with natural hair whose style you admire / One woman that wears her hair natural that I admire is my Aunt Audrey. I remember she use to wear her hair relaxed and it was so pretty when she wore it curled. When I heard she got tired of relaxers and she cut her ponytail off, I was curious of what her hair would look like. Today, she still wears her hair natural n short n it is very pretty; it gives her a "Queen" ambience.

Useful natural hair care tips, styling techniques or products you’d like to share / The only products I use on my hair are: tea-tree oil infused or olive oil shampoos, and olive oil conditioning hair cream, mousse, JAM conditioning gel, and a curl-boost gel spray by Garnier Fructis. I usually let my hair air-dry and wash it every week depending on much product I use within the week.

Your definition of “a natural woman” / My definition of "a natural woman" is a woman that's not afraid to express their emotions, physical appearance, beliefs, etc.

"Brijetta S.'s Story" is part of an on-going series I created that focuses on African American women who wear their hair au naturel. Check the archives (see sidebar on the right) for past segments, features and profiles. If you'd like to participate in the series, please email me for details (go to my blog's profile page or visit my website for contact information). Your feedback is always appreciated. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments you might have about "Brijetta S.'s Story," the "Natural Women: Our Hair, Our Stories" series or Black hair in general, in the section below marked for comments.

THANK YOU!

4 comments:

Malcolm said...

I am glad that my niece Jetta got in touch with you Lori. It's always cool when someone Jetta's age embraces the natural look. Now I have to find out which of Jetta's friends have been cracking Florida Evans jokes about her. :-)

Lori said...

Yes Malcolm, a number of younger women are embracing what comes natural, so to speak. There really is a "quiet" movement going on . . .

Let's hope the "Florida Evans" comment was meant as a compliment. :-) Now, had they said James Evans, the fight would have been on! LOL

I think your niece's beauty, strength and intelligence, more than speaks for itself . . .

pjazzypar said...

Jet is my cousin, however I have yet to see her new look. I agree that there a quiet movement which has women subtlety embracing their natural "crowning glory". It makes me proud that someone so young recognizes the beauty in her heritage. Thanks for sharing your story and keep your head up Jet. Forget about the haters because they hate you cause they ain't you :-)

OmoDudu OniDada said...

Hi, its my first time on your blog and I like!
I'll be sure to follow it to see whatelse comes up. I too, am au naturel and am feel much more comfortable this way.