Natural Hair Is Not A Trend But The "New Normal" for Black Women: The Proof Is In the Dollars!

    If you walk into stores now and laser in on Black hair care products, you will find something interesting.  The fact is that  an increased number of natural hair care rather than perming products are rapidly becoming available.  More Black women are opting to be chemically free, in terms of relaxers, and are moving towards more natural approaches. In an interesting Boston Globe article,  the following quote speaks volumes: "A look at expenditures from 2008 to 2013 shows steady growth in the black hair care category for all categories except relaxers and perms." Further detail about this good news is found here:  http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2014/05/28/chemical-free-black-hair-not-simply-trend/kLVdugv5MChUejSkDXoO3J/story.html

Photo by Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

I am pleased to read that sales are going down in terms of perms and relaxers because this is a true indicator that a change is taking place in the minds of Black women about their hair and how they are willing to spend their dollars.  When I decided to go natural many, many years ago, in addition to freeing up my money that was used to go to hair salons, and utilizing my time more effectively instead of sitting in hair salons for hours on end, something else happened that is more valuable than time and money, which is the belief in the beauty of my own natural hair.  I also came to appreciate the feel and touch of my hair and I absolute love it.  The notion of having straight hair, knowing that it does not grow out of my scalp that way, doesn't appeal to me at all.  As stated, in the article mentioned above by a woman named Modjossorica Elysee, head of Boston Naturals when confronted by those who ask her about her natural hair, "There's a lot of ignorance around the fact that women gain a new sense of confidence when they go natural."  "What better thing than to tell everyone I love my hair?"

The truth of the matter is that the market will follow the dollars.  So since natural hair is becoming the "New Normal" for black women, we will begin to see advertisements, products and a general direction of entrepreneurship in terms of natural hair as Black women and society at large come to terms with and value the fact that Natural Is Cool Enough and that's N.I.C.E.!