Braids, Frohawks and Knowledge

The homie, @milamonster shared this dope frohawk video with me earlier this week.  Your girl PrettyDimples01 brings these natural hairstyles with a sickness.  That’s sick as in tight, not sick as in not all right.

I tried putting the hairstyle on my own head and, after about an hour of parting and braiding and sectioning and rebraiding and moisturizing and combing, I finally gave up.  I only got to the first step of the video: parting my hair into three.  I couldn’t cornrow or flat twist neatly for the life of me.  How is it that I got to be a nearly grown young woman and I can’t braid my own hair properly?

How many other women are nearly, or already grown, and can’t properly braid, twist, part or take care of their own heads unless a chemical process is involved?  This shouldn’t be so.  I realized the natural hair conversation doesn’t begin from the outside in; rather it acknowledges generations of women telling their daughters your hair is not enough in its natural state.  Women who don’t know how to take care of their own hair in its natural form can’t pass down unknown knowledge.

I still remember when I learned how to braid.  My sister learned first, and I was mad jealous and made my mom teach me right away.  My mother is ambidextrous so her braiding style is the wonky one I inherited that got me clowned with my friends: “Why you braid upside down like that?” But at least we knew, a little. I know it takes a lot more practice.  PrettyDimples01 has been braiding regularly for years, it seems, because she flew through that hairstyle with a quickness!

So don’t give up.  I’m sitting here with box braids in my hair for a simple braid out tomorrow, but best believe I’ll be trying that danged cornrow/frohawk till I get it work presentable!