Don't Touch My Hair.

My hair has always been a big defining factor of my life. Well obviously because ya know it’s literally physically apart of me. Growing up I can honestly say I DESPISED doing my hair. I’m hella tender headed. My scalp is beyond sensitive so even the slightest tug of pull I’m already crying. Sad to say nothing has changed to this day LOL.

(You wouldn't believe me if I said this hairstyle took my mom about 3 hours to do because I kept crying like a little bitch that day because my head really is that tender headed)

I remember crying literally every day as a kid when my mom had to do my hair I would get beyond frustrated and flustered. I also recall wanting my hair to be straight. All of my friends had perms and I swear I would beg my mother to get one, but my mom was like FUCK no & thank you God she never allowed it because we all know how insanely damaging perms can be today. Any type of heat in copious amounts to your hair is damaging actually. I just hated being the only girl with thick curly hair while everyone else flaunted their silky fresh press outs. But after years of experimenting (and many of those experiments gone wrong too, bangs, bleaching my hair, cutting it, my poor scalp done seen some things chile) I’ve learnt to love the hair I was given and I couldn’t feel any more immense happiness from doing so. You see as a black woman, our hair literally defines us.

You have people constantly judging you for what you do with it. Oh so you wanna install weave? You must not love your natural hair. You want a wig? Only grandmothers wear those. You wanna cut it? You’re lazy and you wanna look like a boy. You wanna dye it a different color? Blonde? Oh so you wanna be white? My answer to all of this: STAY THE FUCK OUT OF BLACK WOMENS BUSINESS. The amount of ignorance that surrounds the discussion of black women and what we do with our hair is astronomical. Weave and wigs are simply protective hairstyles that keep our hair protected from harsh treatments. Also it’s fun to be versatile and switch it up a little bit. Cutting your hair can be seen as a form of self love. If it’s easier for you to maintain that way then go for it! Dying and bleaching can be a bit damaging but as long as you take care of it you should be fine. Not to mention blonde was NEVER subjective to just white people due to the fact that there are many black people naturally born with blonde, red and brown hair. So quite frankly, all of these oppositions for what we wanna do with OUR hair sound dumb as fuck and it’s never been hard to do a quick google search as to why what I do to my hair has never been and never will be non of your business. I love my hair. Despite my tender headeded-ness and all. I love experimenting with it, I love it when it's natural. I just love it PERIOD. To all my beautiful black ladies, please do whatever the fuck you want to YOUR hair just keep it healthy and protected 💗 to all the weird ass white women that love stealing our hairstyles, stop. Not only is it appropriating a culture that doesn’t belong to you, but it actually looks ridiculous on yall, respectfully 💗 you do not have the hair texture to even hold braids or weaves or twists. My hair is not a quick aesthetic for yall, it’s my livelihood. It’s what makes me a beautiful black woman. & to the men that always got some shit to say about what we doing with our hair, pay for it or shut the fuck up 💗

With love as always,

Lea 💕

ALSO, a big shoutout to my friends that helped me with this project! Please follow them they’re amazing and super talented 💕 @egyptian._.queen @jo_gurren @frigidflicks/@frigidfaces