Scroll down for the English part!
1. Hvor gammel var du at du fik dit hår relaxed?
Først gang jeg blev introduceret til en relaxer var i 1984, da jeg kun var 10 år gammel.
2. Var det din ønske at få din hår relaxed, eller var det noget du blev presset til, og hvis det foreligger således at du blev presset til det, hvad var grunden bag?
Når jeg tænker tilbage, så ærgrer det mig(også min mor, siger hun i dag), at mit hår ikke blev behandlet som det var. Jeg havde faktisk nogle fine krøller og så rigtig sød ud i hestehale (nogle vil mene, at det lignede nogle grisehale, så krøllet var det, men…)
Det ærgrer mig, at min mor og samfundet omkring os ikke kunne acceptere dette. Jeg ville ønske, at vi kunne have været ligeglade om, hvad min mors veninde og resten af familien sagde om mit og min søsters hår dengang. Det var kruset, krøllet, besværlige at pleje, sagde de fleste.
I Brasilien er der stadig en kæmpe pres, hvad glat hår angår. Håret skal være så glat som muligt, for det er denne ideal man ligger vægt på. ”Naturlig kruset hår har aldrig været accepteret i Brasilien, da der er nogle der mener, at det betyder at du er dovne og ikke gider at gøre noget ved sig selv. De fleste mørke piger i Brasilien bruger rigtige meget tid og penge på at få håret glattet.
Da jeg var 10 år blev min mor træt af, at skulle kæmme mit hår hver eneste dag før jeg skulle i skole. Min far blandede sig og forslog, at jeg blev klippet ligesom ham, altså en mandsfrisør, helt kort hår. På denne måde vil min mor ikke bruge meget tid på at skulle ordne mit hår hver morgen.
Efter det mislykket klipning begyndte mit hår at vokse rigtig meget ”opad”, du ved, og var meget tykt. Det blev endnu mere hårdt for min mor at pleje det, da jeg havde mistet alle mine fine krøller og hun kunne ikke rigtig styre det mere som før. Der fandtes ikke rigtig nogle gode moisturizer, eller leave ins til sådan et hår dengang. Det var så grimt, at jeg ikke turde, at gå ud for en dør i flere dage. Jeg blev drillet af de andre børn og syntes slet ikke, at det var sjovt.
Min mor gav efter for presset desværre, og fik både min søsters og mit hårs relaxed
3. Hvad slags problemer har du haft ved at have relaxed hår?
Dengang var der ikke rigtig meget styr på, hvad for nogle kemikalier, der blev anvendt i de forskellige udglatningsmetoder. I virkelighed var det et overgreb på håret, da koncentrationsniveauet af formaldehyd i mange af produkterne var alt for høj og det resulterede i, at efter et stykke tid, begyndte mit hår at knække.
Jeg kan ikke præcis huske hvornår, men på et tidspunkt begyndte mit hår at falde. Jeg fik mit hår glattet ud hver 2. måned og det var mit hår slet ikke parat til.
Det værste var, at jeg var blevet nødt til at pleje mit hår meget mere med en del hårkure, og skulle hver dag før sengetid komme papelotter i håret. Ellers vil jeg kunne ikke komme ud for en dør dagen efter. Jeg hadede det, især i mine teenageår. Sikke et spild af tiden :O(
4. I hvor lang tid har du haft Relaxed?
I 28 år har jeg haft mit hår glattet ud/relaxed. I 2010, begyndte jeg at få påsat hår. Jeg begyndte at bære weaves, hvor jeg fik 2/3 del af mit hår flettet, for at weaves kunne blive syet på det. Foran, blev jeg ved med at relaxe mit eget hår, for at det kunne blænde ind i det påsat år.
5. Hvornår valgt du at går Natural og hvad var grunden bag?
Efter 1½ år opdagede jeg, at de hår, som var blevet flettet under weaves, var fuldstændig krøllet og virkede meget stærkere end de hår der var på spidserne og det kunne jeg faktisk godt lide.
For at være helt ærlig blev jeg overrasket, at mit hår ikke var så ringe endda. Jeg kunne sagtens, ved de rigtige pleje, få det til at se sundt og flot ud. Jeg elsker stort, fyldt og krøllet hår og det bliver mit mål at have sådan et hår.
I dag er jeg fuldstændig ligeglade om hvordan mine omgivelser vil reagere på det, for så længe jeg synes om det… Ja, så må det være sådan det skal være :O)
6. Hvordan havde du det, den første uge hvor du gik rundt med dit naturlig hår, og hvilke kommentere kom folk med?
Jeg fik min sidste relaxer i maj 2012 (kun foran, da det bagerste bar weaves og har ikke set relaxer siden maj 2011).
I juli 2012 fik jeg fjernet min hårpåsætning og besluttede mig for at gå ”natural” for alvor.
Den første uge var lidt mærkelig. Jeg kunne slet ikke styre mit hår. Det var fuldstændig fremmede for mig og vil ikke sidde, som jeg havde ønsket. De cremer, som jeg var vant til at komme foran i mit glattet hår foran, passede slet ikke til den naturlige del bagerste.
Jeg husker en episode, hvor jeg gik på gaden og pludselig kunne se mit eget spejlbillede på et glasdør og fik lyst til at vende mig om og går hjem. Jeg lignede Bozo the Clown. Mit naturlige hår strittede ud på begge sider, mens det glattede foran passede slet ikke til resten. Arghh…
Jeg hører ellers ikke særlig mange kommentarer efter, at jeg stoppet med at bære hårpåsætning, men manglende kommentarer kan også nogle gange være, at folk ikke rigtig godkender det de ser.
Nogen har sagt: Nå… er du blevet klippet? Det ser sødt ud (fortolkes: kunne bedre lide, da du gik med et langt hår, som ikke var dit).
Men jeg ved, at jeg har en lang vej endnu for at mit hår kommer til at ser ud, som jeg vil have det. Jeg har en lille smule relaxed hår i spidserne på 2/3 del af håret og meget relaxed hår i 1/3 (foran). Jeg har ikke lyst til Big chop, da jeg synes at korte hår passer slet ikke til mit ansigt. Jeg vil stadigvæk kunne sætte det op eller lave en ”puff” mit på hovedet.
Derfor vil jeg vente til december, hvor håret er vokset lidt mere for at klippe en del af spidserne væk. Så, jeg regner med, at om 1 årstid kommer jeg til at bære en fuldstændig naturlig manke. Glæder mig :O)
7. Når du engang få en datter vil du Relax hendes hår?
Aldrig i livet vil udsætte min datter( hvis jeg havde en. Har to drenge :O) ) for dette.
The engelish part!
1. How old were you when you got your hair relaxed?
The First time I was introduced to a relaxer was in 1984, when I was only 10 years old.
2. Did you wish to get your hair relaxed, or was it something you were pressured to, and if you were pressured into getting your hair relaxed, what was the reason behind it?
When I look back, it annoys me (even my mother, she says today) that my hair was not addressed as it was. I actually had some fine curls and it looked really cute in a ponytail (some would say that it looked like some pigtail so curly it was, but …)
It irks me that my mother and the society around us could not accept the way my hair looked. I wish that we didn’t cear about what my mom’s friend and the rest of the family said about me and my sister’s hair back then. It was frizzy, curly, and difficult to take care of, most people said.
The girls in My father’s family had natural smooth hair, my cousins that I played with, had natural smooth hair.
In Brazil there is still a huge pressure, for girls to get straight hair. A girls hair should be as smooth as possible, for it is this ideal look. “Natural frizzy hair has never been accepted in Brazil, as there are some who think that it means that you are lazy and do not bother to do anything for you. Most dark girls in Brazil use cso many hours and money to get their hair straightened
When I was 10 years, my mother was tired of having to comb my hair every day before I was going to school. My father intervened and suggested that I should cut my hair like him, A MAN HAIRDRESS, very short hairdress. If I got my hair cut, my mother did not spend much time on having to fix my hair every morning.
After the failed hair cut my hair began to grow even more and it growed “up”, you know, and was very thick. It was even more hard for my mother to take care of my hair now, after I had lost all my fine curls and she could not really control my hair as she could before. There was not really any good moisturizer, or leave ins to such hair then. It was so bad that I did not dare to go out side my door for several days. I was teased by the other children and I didn’t think it was funny. My mother unfortunately gave in to the pressure, and got both my sister and my hair relaxed.
3. What kind of problems have you had by having relaxed hair?.
Back then there was not really much track on what some chemicals used in the various ”smoothing methods” In the reality it was an assault on the hair, as the level of concentration of formaldehyde in many of the products were too high and it resulted in that after a while, my hair began to crack.
I cant exactly remember when, but at some point my hair started to fall. I got my hair straightened out every second months and my hair wasent ready.
The worst thing was that I had to care for my hair much more after getting my hair relaxed, with treatments, and every day before I went to bed, I had to come papelotter in my hair. Otherwise I could not get out of my door, the next day. I hated it, especially in my teenage years. What a waste of time: O (
4. For how long did you have your hair Relaxed?
for 28 years I have had my hair straightened out / relaxed. In 2010, I started getting extensions . I started wearing weaves, where I got 2/3 part of my hair braided. In front, I continue to relaxe my hair so that it could dazzle into the extensions .
5. When did you chose to go Natural and what was the reason behind it?
After 1 ½ year, I discovered that the hair that had been woven under the weaves, was completely wrinkled and seemed much stronger than the hair that was on the tips and I actually liked it.
To be honest, I was surprised that my hair wasn’t that bad. I could care for it, make it look healthy and good. I love my big, full and curly hair and it is my goal to have such hair.
Today I don’t care about how my environment react towords my hair, as long as I like it : O)
6. How did you feel the first week walking around with your natural hair, and which comments came from people?
I got my last relaxer in May 2012 (only in front, then back of my head hasent not seen relaxer since May 2011).
In July 2012, I removed my hair extension and decided to go “natural” for real.
The first week was a bit strange. I could not control my hair. My hair was completely foreign to me and it will not sit, as I wanted. The creams that I was accustomed to getting into my straightened hair in front, was not working in the arear where I had my natural hair.
I remember an episode where I went to out and suddenly I saw my own reflection in a glass door and wanted to turn around and go home. I looked like Bozo the Clown. My natural hair stuck out on both sides, while the relaxed part in front didn’t macth the rest of the hair.
I don’t hear many comments after I stopped wearing hair extensions, but the lack of comments can be that sometimes people do not really approve what they see.
Someone said: So … have you had a haircut? It looks cute (interpreted: liked it better when you had long hair that was not yours).
But I know I have a long way to go for my hair to look the way I want it to look. I have a little bit relaxed hair at the tips of 2/3 part of the hair and relaxed hair in 1/3 (front). I do not want the Big chop, because I think that short hair is not for me. I want to be able to set it up or make a “puff” my head.
Therefore, I will wait until December, when my hair has grown a little bit more to cut some of the tips off. So, I think in 1 year I will be able to wear my natural hair. Looking forward to it: O)
7. When you get a daughter will you Relax her hair?
No way would I expose my daughter to that (if I had one. I have two boys: O))
Aafroscandic; Beauty, Culture & Life 