Senior Marie Betz joined in on the New Year’s tradition of making a goal for the new year ahead of her.
Marie has been getting her hair done in braids or other protective styles since around sixth grade and rarely was seen with her natural hair. Even though she was getting protective styles that allowed her hair to grow, she knew always having her hair done was not the healthiest option for her hair or for her self-esteem.
“I started getting my hair done professionally,” Marie said, “[starting in] maybe sixth grade, but I only did [my hair] over the summertime, never during school, because I wanted to wear my natural hair because I thought that was cool. [Now, I prefer] having my hair done. I love my natural hair [though] because [my natural hair] is all about me.”
Even though she loves getting her hair done, Marie decided to switch it up this year and save getting her hair done for special occasions like school dances and photos. Marie is learning how to take care of her natural hair and new styles through TikTok and Pinterest, and even though she just started this goal, she is already learning to love her natural hair and see the benefits of not getting her hair done all the time.
“I feel more relaxed when I am with my natural hair,” Marie said. “When I’m not with my natural hair, I feel like I have to make sure it looks good all the time, but with my natural hair, [I can be] like, ‘Let’s just do a couple styles,’ and [I am] not worrying too much about it.”
Marie is trying to not only feel less stress when she has her natural hair but also feel more confident as well. After having her hair done for so long and seeing other girls on social media with their hair done, she finds it harder to feel as confident in her natural hair. So far, she has made it a month without getting her hair done, the longest she has gone since—she thinks—sixth or seventh grade.
Wearing her natural hair has come with its challenges besides just enhancing her confidence, though. Marie is taking Strength and Conditioning and runs track, and the gel she uses for her natural hairstyles combined with sweat does not mix well.
“[When I had my hair done], I didn’t have to worry about it,” Maire said. “But now, I have to do [my hair] the night before school. I make sure that it is glued down to my head, but sometimes, [the style] will come apart, so it’s a [little bit of a] problem.”
Even though her natural hair comes with issues and a lot of maintenance, Marie has taken it all in stride. She researched how people in other countries, especially Haiti, where Marie was born, take care of and style their natural hair.
Marie is about a month into her goal and taking it all in stride. She uses a few different hair oils, a homemade hair mask made from rice water, avocado, eggs, and onions (even though it doesn’t smell good), and moisturizers such as cocoa butter to make her hair as healthy as possible.
Marie has a 4C hair type, and she still struggles to love it, but she is past the point of wishing for her mom’s straight, non-textured hair and is trying to get past her need to always have her hair styled.
“When I was younger,” Marie said. “I swear I just wanted my mom’s hair, which is just pure white and straight down her back. But now that I look [at her hair compared to mine], I’m like no I’m good, I would rather have my hair than hers.”
Although TikTok and Pinterest were the apps that first made her want to style her hair, they have become sources of inspiration for natural hairstyles. Marie is starting to love the way she looks with her natural hair, and she also appreciates others’ natural hair. She even claims people can receive more compliments when they wear their natural hair and are seen embracing themselves.
Marie added one last thing for herself and other people struggling to accept and love their natural hair.
“Fight the power,” Marie said.
