One New Adventure, and one problem… What About My hair?

Hmm...why is it that the only options are weaves and braids that someone has to be paid (lots of money) to put in for you? Why not do two strand twists you can put in yourself and then take out as a twist out? You can wash and condition on your own--make sure you have enough products from home to take care of your hair, and just let it go!

Congrats on your trip! Whichever you decide, I think you'll be ok in London. There's a large black population there which means LOTS of haircare options. Find something low maintenance and have fun!

I am so proud of you my goddaughter. Great Article!!! Soooo, I think that the term "good hair vs bad hair" is disgusting. I have a 5 yr old daughter and a 2 yr old daughter, and already family and friends are making a statement about how "different" their hair texture is. In their eyes, one has good hair, and the other one doesn't. Let me tell you, I have cursed some folks out for even trying to put that nonsense language into my childrens' ears.  They both are beautiful regardless of their hair. I will admit, I put a lot of effort to make both their hairstyles look great at all times. Also, as a mom, i tell my children how beautiful they are everyday....As they get older, the crazy people in this world will make them have a complex about their hair, but as long as I continue to build their self-esteem, they will be okay - whether they choose to have natural hair or processed hair.....Thanks for sharing !!!!!

Hey Niala, great article. I've been reading BBW for a while but this is the first comment I've making. I live and work in London, so I think you have plenty of options that are easy and fairly affordable (well, as affordable as our obsession with hair allows). I had the same problem when I got acceptance into a college in Virginia for my Masters a few years back. It was definitely a concern. What I chose to do was to put my hair in a protective style (braids), and you could do the same - so braids or a weave, something shortish and curly that wouldn't require straightening or need lots of product. When your hair is due, you could take out the style and keep it natural, or get it done again - London has a very thriving black hair industry, mainly in South or Northwest London (where there are big black communities). There are a lot of good local hairdressers (don't be put off by the size of the salon, rents aren't cheap over here heheh), a wonder around your area or google will reveal them. 

I wish I could help you but I can't :) Whenever I have a problem with my hair I always go for the most low maintenance solution. Right now my hair is natural and short. And I trim it every month to make sure it remains short enough to be hassle free.

hello welcome and goodluck as fro hair lol am natural so i don't think i could offer any advise on hair but i hope it works out for you well plus i read that ur gonna get braids which is honestly what i would have done cause man! sometimes i so don't wanna touch my hair :p

Let me join my sisters in welcoming you and wishing you all good things, Niala.  Please keep us up on all your experiences.  Some of us live vicariously through the young and free.

I'll offer no comments on hair.  I inherited my Native American father's hair, and so have nothing to add.  In any event, I'm am sure you will find a way to show off your youth and beauty to best advantage.  Much happiness and success!

I studied abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland and had the same concerns...how was I going to relax my hair?!! But you know what? While walking to the grocery store, I found out that I lived about five minutes from a SALLY'S BEAUTY!!! In Scotland! My mind was blown. They're all over the UK, including London.

Granted, I relaxed my hair myself. But you're going to London, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. You will DEFINiTELY be able to find a good salon there. Believe me. If I were you I'd find the number for a Sally's in one of London's predominantly black parts of town and call them up and ask for a few good salons. Or search around on yelp for reviews.  With a little bit of research, you'll find a salon to help you out.

But  if you want to go natural too while in London, that's totally awesome too! Have fun with the British boys...they are something else! Ha!

Thank you for all the hello's:) Hello to you all too! I am glad to be here, because you are all a wonderful group of people! Now let me get to all of these comments...lol

Following the 'advice' I gave Brenda - pack a couple of 'dead-things' in your suitcase + brushes, get on the flight and GO.

But, then again, I'm a guy ... whadda I know about hair?

Niala, in regards to your comment about braids making you look "too ethnic," I've got a newsflash for you. All black people are considered "ethnic" no matter how we wear our hair. You could have a blond wig on with blue contacts and with your skin color you will still be considered "ethnic." Try to learn to love the hair that God gave you. If and when that ever happens, you won't have to spend hours trying to achieve a beauty aesthetic that is not yours to begin with and you will finally see your true beauty.

By the way, if you are interested in dating interracially, there are tons of white men who prefer natural hair.

There's black people in London, yo. I studied abroad for a school year in Japan and was a DIY natural before, during and after the experience.

If you are especially fond of certain products, it might be a good idea to bring a semester's worth of them.

I  always thought that if I had braids I would look too “ethnic.”< You shouldn't ever worry about that, but certainly not in London :) There are hundreds of languages spoken in London, people from all over the world live there, it's one of the most diverse cities in the world. Keep us updated on your travels :)

I went natural in college after I signed up for study abroad for 6 months in Australia. I had a friend in Australia and asked her about hair places but she didn't know any. Then she offered to relax it for me even though she was sensitive to chemicals, but I felt so bad for that. It was the last straw. The final nail in the coffin of me trying to make my hair into something that it obviously isn't. I realized there was NOTHING wrong with my hair the way it grew naturally. Once I realized this I felt so free. I had previously worn braids so I had a lot of new growth. Once I chopped off the relaxed ends it was the first time I truly felt naturally beautiful. I only had a couple of months practice with my natural hair before heading out to Australia but everything was fine when I got there. And as a bonus, there were many Melanesians who wore their afros proudly, so I wasn't even out of place. People just thought I was from Papua New Guinea lol. 

That's what I worried about when I thought of going to Japan. I have natural hair, but it's that annoying mid-length where it's too long to make a good afro but too short to be really manageable. And Japan isn't exactly a place with a lot of Black people or people who know how to handle Black hair. I wanted to do the Jet Programme, but 2 years is a long time :-/

Hmm. I don't know. :-) My hair hasn't been straighten in a whole year! I've had a weave in it.. but even then my natural hair wasn't straightened. I've got nothing. OH! How about a wig?

I don't think finding someone to do your hair in which ever way you choose to wear it will be the challenge you anticipate in London.  I have family and friends there and there is no shortage of qualified stylists to choose from based on what they tell me.  If you need contacts, I too am ready to refer.

Because I was shocked and disturbed by this I decided to do something about it. I have spoken to a young female student I know, sent her this article and shehas offered to take you around if you would like? Just let me know if you want to and i will give you oour details so you can feel comfortable about it. Because this worry is just not the ticket old fruity! You've got party outfits to co-ordinate! And hangover remedies to discover!

Niala, When I went to London a few years ago for an internship I wore braids. No one saw it as a political statement. It was no big deal. Braids were so convenient. All I needed to bring w/ me were braid spray and grease for my scalp. There are a LOT of black people in London. I found a black salon and beauty supply store when I was there. Brixton has tons of blk folks. You should be able to find a salon there. But don't worry about hair. Have fun! Girl, I would wear my braids and bright colored clothing, a few times men would stop me on the street and say I was beautiful. Get some braids and enjoy your experience. You will love it there.

I just came back from studying abroad in South Africa (rising senior in college :-)) and as for my hair I put it in individual braids. I see braids as just one of many styles that we can wear, so that too "ethnic" statement was a little weird and off putting, but anyways it lasted for a few months  and was convenient but not as versatile. Then I just wore my hair natural the rest of the time. It wasn't too bad because I learned how to do my natural hair, which is super thick...so that was an effort in and out of itself. 

Regardless, when you study abroad the LAST thing that you or anyone else that you come into contact with will worry about is your hair. As for my experience, many South Africans and others were just happy to be speaking to an American with a "cool accent" that wasn't white lol. 

I said all of this just to suggest that you stick with the braids...it's really convenient, and then take them out if you decide to do something different. Soooo to answer your last questions, this discussion about bad hair vs good hair is like beating a dead horse. It's just a non-existent issue, and for those who let it exist...well that's on them. The only times that my hair holds me back from doing some things is when it is pressed and straightened...but it's natural now so I don't have that worry currently :-)

I can relate on some level. I don't think there is such a thing as good hair but hair that may seem easier to manage. I have really thick kinky curly hair so its a lot of work if I want to straighten it. To be frank I would be insulted if someone said I had bad hair. I used to wear weaves all the time because I didn't know what to do with my own hair. My mother never really had a lot of hair so she didn't really know what to do either. Eventually being a young college student I couldn't afford a weave once so I said I guess I'm going natural and I'll just have to deal with it. I watched a bunch of youtube videos and went to stores studying different products. I did my first braid out and it was terrible! LOL I'm much better at it now and everybody loves it. I was a bit concerned that my job might say something since my hair wasn't straight anymore but it turned out to be quite the opposite. There are plenty of people with hair similar to ours in London I'm sure you can find stores that have products we can use.

Good Luck! =]

Hi Niala. I kind of know what you're going through. I'm a rising junior in college from New Orleans and I go to a predominantly white college in the suburbs of Massachusetts in a predominantly white neighborhood. My first year, I still had my perm in and it was difficult to maintain because the hairdresser I went to was about 3 towns over and I went to her because her prices were great and I'm used to neighborhood hair shops.

But after my first year, I felt kind of burdened by my hair upkeep because I couldn't do what my other white and Asian friends could do with their hair. And in that same sense, I felt very unconnected to them and myself. Them, because in trying to be like them, with my hair particularly, I realized how unlike them I actually was; there are so many "rules" and explanations with permed black hair, it kind of came off to me as tedious to deal with, and with their hair, it's a lot simpler.

I felt unconnected to myself because I felt like I was trying to be someone who I wasn't. It's kind of hard to put into words, but to give a little background about me, growing up I was the person getting strange looks growing up in black schools because of what I liked, which wasn't hip-hop/rap or watching BET and the like, and in high school, the weird, smart, somewhat reclusive girl who hung out with those weird kids. But what I was trying to get at, is that I felt unconnected to my skin color/ethnicity/background and I wanted a way to connect to that side of me if I couldn't any other way. And for me, that was through my hair, especially since I feel extremely comfortable with every other part of myself. So, before completing my first year, and with the inspiration of my cousin who had gone natural earlier that year, I decided to go natural. But I didn't chop of my hair because I didn't feel like I would be comfortable with that, so instead, I just stopped getting perms and over the summer I got braids so that my hair could grow out without too much of a hassle.

Anyways, long story short, I couldn't be happier with my hair like this. My sophomore year I did have braids, which was super easy to deal with by the way (except taking out, because it can be a mess with all the built-up dirt and what not, but if you can make sure it's ok to wash your braids, it won't be so bad, I found that out too late, and not to mention a super long and tedious process), and now for the summer I've just been rocking my afro. 

(Sorry this is so long; I'm coming to my relevant point now, I promise.) And now, like you, I am going abroad... but to Japan, and for a year. So, of course, one of my concerns was my hair. My mom suggested getting braids, but I was concerned with the take down. So after scratching that idea, we decided that the better thing to do was try to experiment with different hairstyles, and, now here's the fun part, try out a few wigs. (HA! That kills me, too!) So yea, because I'm going to Japan, I won't have easy, or any, access to my hair products, but stocking up won't be too much of a problem. So, to help with your problem, I suggest getting a style that will last you a while. I do suggest braids because the upkeep is easy and since you'll only be there for a few months, they'll last for your trip. But if you don't that's completely understandable, not everyone wants braids. If you know other black women who have gone, I would talk to them, or it might be too late, or if it's possible, you could connect with Etine  and get a perm there because there are a lot of black people there, and it is possible that you could meet some black women there. So yea, I wish you the best in your London adventures. Have a super fun time!!  

P.S.: I have a friend that's going to be in London this coming semester, too. And I have another friend (black) who's going to be in China for the coming year.