A lot of women of color have ditched their relaxers and gone natural! Some chose to go natural because it was a healthier option while others transitioned because the chemicals in hair relaxers were too harsh on their hair. You can spot kinky coils and fluffy fros all around campus. 

Transitioning from straight or relaxed hair to curlier styles can sometimes shake one’s confidence. Natural hair can be tightly coiled and appear much shorter in length than straightened hair. Adjusting can be difficult. Take senior, criminal justice student and naturalista Brittney Mitchell’s advice:  “Embrace what is God given.” 

I’ve had natural hair my entire life. While everyone was rocking doobies and roller sets in middle school, I had a big puff of hair. Women would say to me that natural hair looked great on me but “it’s not for everybody.” “I am really confused when people say “natural isn’t for everyone,” said junior, psychology student Samaya Christmas. “It grows out of your own head. It is literally for you, and nobody else. What may not be for everyone is tender love and care, and natural hair needs a lot of that,” Christmas said. 

The idea of wearing unprocessed hair is comfortable for some and totally nerve-racking for others. Many of us grew up being taught that straight, relaxed her was more presentable and that our curls and kinks were “nappy.” A lifetime of hearing our hair is bad or requires processing to be considered nice sticks with you. Natural hair is complex. To most, natural hair is not considered just a style of hair but a way of life. 

Many naturalistas even have different views of what it means to be natural. “Just because you color your hair doesn’t mean that you are not natural. Natural hair is when you do not relax your hair or do anything to alter the natural texture of your hair. If you color your hair and take care of it, it will still be natural and healthy. If you don’t take care of your colored hair and it breaks off, you probably weren’t taking good enough care of your hair in the first place,” said Alexis McCoy, a junior accounting student.

The natural hair movement is a positive way of life sweeping through Aggie Land and the black community. Black women everywhere are redefining what it means to be black and beautiful. Stars like Viola Davis and Lupita N’yongo also have confidently rocked their natural hair inspiring many women, even on our own campus, to step out with pride in their natural kinks, coils and curls.

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• Shelby Ivey Christie & Cornesha Rajah Scene Editor & Scene Contributor