Johannesburg's Natural Beauties

Mural by Joel Bergner (and US!!), taken from his instagram - see this and more here: https://www.instagram.com/joelartista/

So last month, I spent some time in South Africa, working on the above ^^  mural outside an orphanage in a neighbourhood of Johannesburg called Berea. The work was partnered with an organization called the Sophie A Kanza Foundation, and some of the volunteers from the org were these beautiful young women who wore a mix of gorge hairstyles. I figured, why not take this opportunity of being in Africa to find out how Afro hair is treated here and why I was seeing SOOOOOO much relaxer and so many weaves in the continent our hair is from. So I spoke to them about it!

"If we're not wearing our own hair,
we look the best in braids."

NAME: Palesa

AGE: 23

NATURAL FOR: 2 years



My hair is all knotted together and is really coarse and really hard. I break combs, honey! I wanted to relax my hair because I broke 4 combs in one week. I relaxed it, put a weave in 2 days later. After a month I took out the weave - back to natural. Not even a single drop of relaxed hair was left. Oh well.

Was it a choice of yours to have natural hair?

As a kid it wasn't a choice. It was my mum's choice. And then as I got older I got more comfortable. When I was growing up a lot of kids were relaxing their hair. They wanted the curls, they wanted the bounce and my mum also wanted that.

I relaxed my hair was I was a kid in like grade 4 (9y/o). Then I cut it. Myself... on the low. Like, start over. Then I hadn't relaxed my hair again until I was 21. And then all the relaxed hair disappeared after a month.

I was tired.

Castor oil dries out my hair.

Hair food dries out my hair.

Shea butter dries out my hair.

Coconut butter saved my life!

Wabwila from "Malawi - the warm heart of Africa!"

NAME: Wabwila
AGE: 21 - 22 next week!
NATURAL FOR:  I made the conscious decision to become natural at the beginning of the year. 

So the situation under my weave right now is... my hair grew like normal, but I wasn't relaxing it. So the bottom part is new growth and natural hair. But the top part is relaxed hair. The back part of my hair, cause it's not used to not being relaxed – fell out. So it's short. I was just waiting til the end of the year to cut off the relaxed parts and then from next year I'll go all Natural!

Do you moisturise your scalp?

Do I?

Do you moisturise your scalp?

Ummmm...

This will save your life! Just a spritz in your parting of water, and whichever oil works for you and massage it in will ensure healthy growth of your hair.

Your hair looks very Indian.

Your hair can do that too.

Do you only Co-wash your hair?

No, because conditioner doesn't remove product residue from your scalp.

P: I want to be able to comb my hair but it's painful for me. Like, even putting my fingers in there. It's so knotted...

(Editor's note: NEVER try to comb your natural hair when it's dry! It will break break break)

Enter our third hair subject...

Tina - "This is me just waking up and shaking it!"

NAME: Tina
AGE: 22
NATURAL FOR: 6 Months

Which products do you use: Hair Food.

What is in Hair Food? 
I have no idea. It's hard. It's like a paste. But like I said, oils just don't do it for my hair.

What works?

Hair food- it's called Sulphur8 and I've used it ever since I was little. I use sulphate-free shampoo. And I condition my hair... sometimes.

Sometimes?! Why not all the time?

I don't need to. I don't see the need. (laughs at WYG's shocked face)

For me, my hair journey is like – find what works for you, and if it doesn't, try something else.

And you've found what works for you?

Yeah.

What was the process for you like?

I had long relaxed hair. Nothing was wrong with it – it wasn't breaking. But I always wanted Natural hair. I always used to look at girls with 'fros and I used to envy them – she knows (gesturing to Palesa who closes her eyes and nods) I've been saying that since I was in high school. And she kept saying “why don't you just cut your hair?” and I was afraid...

P: Terrified!

T: ...of what I would look like without this crown of hair that I've had for years. It's the only thing I know, and I thought maybe my head won't look right. Maybe it's just not for me. And a lot of people would discourage me and say “it's a lot of work”...

Wait – so even in Malawi orSouth Africa I guess, people feel like Natural hair is too much hard work and it isn't even nice?

T: Yeah! So then I just took a bold decision last year and was like you know what? YOU NEED TO CUT IT!

(the group falls into singing and choreographed dabs)

T: But anyway, I thought ok I'm gonna transition. So I firstly did my research. What it means to have Natural hair; what it's like, responsibilities and how you can transition. You know Big Chop or Transition? 

How did you do your research?

T: Online. I spoke to people who had Natural hair and asked them about products and their journeys and whether it really is hard work, y'know that kinda thing. Just to get opinions before I go into this journey which I know nothing about. You know, noone in my family has ever gone Natural? Well no, my mum had gone Natural for a couple of months before I did...

So I transitioned. I stopped relaxing my hair and I'd just wash it. And then I started using the Sulphate -free shampoo and my hair would tangle at the relaxed ends, like crazy and it used to be SO painful! So I'd plait it and wash it again but it was so painful and unbearable. But then I was like, ok I think I have enough growth to just, like, cut it.

You know another way to stop your hair from tangling – using Conditioner!

T: I tried conditioner even then.

But not every conditioner is for everybody. For me Aussie Moist, or the gluten free conditioner from COSTCO work and make my hair feel amazing! I actually even use it just for moisture, but when I'm putting it into a style.

Wabwila:You know what you must try? Excuse my pronunciation: TRESemmé.

T:  I think that's for White people.

W: These White people stuff, they work nicely for Black people.

T [uncertain]: Hmmm... So yeah I've been Natural for a couple of months. Since April.

Ahh so you're a new Natural!

T: I am

W: So my hair might be longer than yours eh?

T: Maybe.

Is length important to you guys?

T: For me, right now in my journey; no.

W: Let's talk about stretched out length. Cause I stopped relaxing my hair last year, so the natural length might be longer.

T: Is length important to you, P?

P: I look weird with short hair.

W: I don't want my hair to be... I want my hair to be like that (points to WYG). I want my hair to be "nice".

T: But that's a type of hair.

W: Well I wish it was like that. I look like a boy with hair like this (points to T's mini fro)

Tina with mini-fro in question

But my hair IS EXACTLY the same texture as hers.

W: Is it?

Yes.

W: But I like it in this form.

So you need to stretch your hair.

P: WYG doesn't get it.

T: She wants it to look like she's mixed race.

P: There we go. Now she gets it. It's the texture.

Ok, I get it. I know I certainly used to want my hair to look like certain women I followed on Youtube.

WYG's Karla rocking the twist out

W feeling WYG's hair: This is not Black people's hair...

But I am a Black woman! 

W: Ok we'll call you that for now. But it's still so lengthy!

T: By this time next year I just want my hair to be as long as it used to be.

W: How long have you had this hair for?

I've been Natural for around 5 years.

T: But you see, that's the thing. You've had these twists for how long? A couple of days?

Listen I could do your hair and in 2 days you wouldn't recognise it.

T: But that's what I'm saying. My hair gets like really curly. You see that if I had that style for a couple of days my hair would be like that too.

P: But yours is Natural hair really stretched out. Like the curl pattern – you can't really tell what it looks like. Tina's hair is like, really tight curls.

But if I were just to wash my hair and walk out – my hair would look exactly like Tina's.

P [quizzically]: Small curls like Tina's?

Yup.

T: I actually discovered that I like my hair like this.

W: If it makes you feel beautiful girl – keep it!

T: It certainly does. Like I used to relax my hair, but only semi-relax it because I wanted the bush! You know, I liked the feeling underneath my hair like - ahhhh this is what Natural hair should be!

I used to always rub fingers over my inbetween relaxer regrowth and love the feel of the curls.

T: Yeaaah so I would semi relax it and now I'm like – finally I have my hair the way I actually wanted it to be. But you know what I miss? Tying my hair in a bun.

But you can still do that. You can get a big elastic and pull your hair back into a crown

T [to Palesa]: Which you do all the time

P: Because I have to go to work and when I'd go to work with my hair just out, people were like “Oh my Goddd” and I'm like “don't touch my hair!” I hate it!

UGH yeah. Ask permission at least! OK. Here's a question: In South Africa, or at least in Johannesburg where you guys live – is the Natural movement coming, or is it already here?

W: It's coming.

P: It's here.

T: I feel like it's here. I have a number of friends who are all like (whispers) "I'm going Natural!"

P: And all of a sudden when they say it, it's like “I'm going Natural and you can't tell me not to.” It's political.

T: Yeah. I think like girls going Natural is them re-owning (sic) or owning this pride or self-pride, like – we don't have to hide. Like that woman - this model and previous Miss SA winner. So she used to do these beauty pageants and all of that but she cut her hair and she went Natural and she was like “no more will I hide under a weave. I don't wanna do it anymore.”

When was that?

T: That was last year. And she looks beautiful!

Tina and Palesa relaxing in front of the mural

So you think it's becoming fashionable now?

T: It's becoming fashionable and it's also like, a statement.

P: Yeah I think it's like more than just what you see in the media. People are just tired. It's like Alicia Keys doing her whole No Makeup thing. For her it's personal. It's not about making some weird statement or some PR stunt. It's not that. We've always had Natural hair and we've always felt comfortable with our Natural hair, it's just that other people have always made us feel uncomfortable. They made you feel like there was something wrong with your hair and you start to pick up on the issues with your hair. Like for me combing was an issue. And I had to go to school, so now you're sitting between your mum's legs while she's yanking your curls...

T: ...And you really don't have to. The reason your parents combed your hair is because they also thought straight hair was the correct thing to have.

P: They want to neaten your curls. Straighten your curl out a little.

T: And you wonder why are you supposed to?! And now when I have my hair like this, my mum is like “Comb your hair! Why is your hair not combed.” or “It looks untidy”. But for me, I'm like “Mum, this is beautiful!” And I don't even care what she says because, I mean she is my mum and I should care, but she doesn't understand because she was also raised in that time where you had to hide and straighten your hair and beauty is a particular kind of look.

P: You know what I love. When I just get up and the way that my hair will just fall and I'm like “That's all you? Naturally? Dammmnn! Look at you!”

T: Yeah right?! I LOVE IT!

P: Yeah, I love it. Like I hate combing. Pain has always been a part of my life. But be you in braids; be you with natural hair -  but I love my hair.

T: I agree with Palesa on the whole, it's personal thing. Ever since I went Natural, I feel more confident. I feel like "this is me." And it's such a beautiful journey. I wanna talk about my hair all the time...

P: Yup. ALL the time...

T: ...And I'll touch my hair all the time. I don't even wanna plait my hair because I wanna see it. When I have braids, I can't wait to unplait them.

Oh wow, ladies thank you for such a lovely interview! I can't believe how similar our stories are despite growing up on different continents!

T: Can I just say one more thing? It's very nice to have people around you who support you in your new journey. Like, Palesa has always been there for me saying "oh, you look so beautiful!"

How long have you been friends?

P: Nine years! And I'll always touch her hair...

T: ...And it makes me feel beautiful when she does it!

P: Like, I'm ALWAYS up in this!!

T: And I love it! She was always like "those people in society who make you feel like 'that's not cool!' or 'it's not neat, what are you doing?' ugh" ...I just always draw my strength from her. All the time.

P: I dunno why, cause I'm like the weakest b*tch ever...

T [smiling at her friend]: No, you're not.

I love that you two have each other as Natural Sisters! Keep loving and supporting each other - your journeys are amazing! Thank you.

Karla with African Queens, Tina and Palesa

All photos taken by me, unless used with permission from Tina, Palesa and Joel Bergner.