One day my eldest daughter came home upset because the kids at school were laughing at her claiming she had fake hair. Actually, she had braids but I can imagine how uncomfortable she must have felt with everyone giggling around her.
She always preferred to have her hair braided during school holidays because she couldn’t deal with the questions about her hair being short one day and long the next day.
Anyway, I explained to my daughter that she could consider her protective style as just braids instead of fake hair.
In my own opinion, I do not consider braids to be fake hair because in this case one is not pretending that their hair is long, the hair is simply braided.
Braiding has been around for many years and it’s a style which people of afro origin have always done. When I braid my hair I am not imitating another race but it’s an Afrocentric thing.
Therefore rather than get into a back and forth about whether the hair is real or not I told my daughter simply tell them the truth that she has braids and if they are still skeptical they can do their own research on what braids are.
I did give her one more option she could choose not to volunteer any information because at the end of the day, her hair is her business and she doesn’t owe anyone any explanations.
Even we grown-ups struggle with talking about our hair to other people. However, I think most of the time we have problems because of our own insecurities with our own hair and our own hair practices.
It is hard to explain some traditional hairstyles because other people do not quite understand it and people of other races tend to be fascinated with our hair rather than treating it as normal.
At the end of the day, I want to teach my little girl that she does not have to defend her God given hair or her traditional hair practices but to be proud of it all.
What strategies have you used to groom your little girls in accepting that their hair and hair practices?
Laquisha Jeanty says
These girls are gorgeous
Stacie Hart says
Absolutely!!!
Tiffany Fonville-Horton says
Side note those two girls are beautiful!
Rosy Rose says
Uhh if it’s not your hair, what is it?
Contessa Marteel says
If it’s not your hair it’s “fake”.
Jesus Kidd says
Yes it is. If it doesn’t grow out of ur scalp, it’s fake hair. I much prefer relaxed hair to braids/weave.
Debbie Owusu says
relaxed hair is dead hair. the bonds have been broken down by toxic chemicals.
Debbie Owusu says
braids are an authentic black hairstyle. they do not compare to weave at all.
Betty Bellaart says
Who in the hell prefers chemicals on their hair? ?
Tina Waters says
Everybody has a preference. She likes to relax her hair and not add extensions. Her hair and her choice!
It’s healthier for her relaxed hair not to have the tension that braids and weaves puts on the hair!
Betty Bellaart says
Anyone who relaxes their hair should do some serious research because those chemicals are no joke.
Jesus Kidd says
Hair is dead. My hair is not relaxed. I do not wear fake hair. I wear what God has blessed me with. I merely said I prefer what grows out of a person’s scalp.
Brittny Bailey says
Idc about fake hair or real hair. Those girls are beautiful!
Tamika Jones says
No
Geneva Driver says
Do you consider braids to be fake hair Really… What a question….. #smh
Carla Tyner says
I love make up, but not on a child. The hairstyle is not age appropriate either. That style would work on a teen girl or older.
ladee neenah says
I thought the hair was cute but I have an issue with the make up. Those girls can’t be more than 12, no need for make up.
ShiShi Maze says
anything that didn’t grow from your own scalp is fake. ..but I think the reason some people have an issue with weave is when it’s done WRONG. it was I thought..suppose to enhance your beauty, much like makeup. But when you can see Tracks, Glue, Edeges GONE, your hair sticking out of the weave, it’s down your back to your butt like a real horse tail and you stroke it as if it’s the rope your clinging to as if your falling off a ledge and now it looks like you’ve had it FOREVER…longer then your own hair. the weave is now dry, brittle, stringy, down to a few pieces rather than a whole track or bundle. ..ijs .
Vivian Perry says
If it doesn’t grow from your OWN head then it’s fake..duh
Tina Waters says
If it’s attached to your hair and treated as hair but not growing from your scalp then it’s fake hair.
I prefer to use synthetic hairs to human hair but it’s still fake hair.
Ayanna Cooper says
…y’all are funny lol
Tracy Tyler says
Like what u mean
Brikti Hodge Woods says
No!
Sheila Thompson says
?????
Roslyn Jackson says
Forget that fake hair. How bout the true beauty of those little princesses!
Shari McDaniel says
What kind of question is this?
Tianna Small says
People are saying forget about the question that was asked and focus on the beautiful girls… lmfao people are stupid.
Silvia Rocha Patricio Larcombe says
If it’s your own hair it’s not fake but if you braided it with some fake hair that’s a fake hair
Briane Young says
If u have to add more hair to your own hair, then YES OF COURSE ITS FAKE, REALLY
Violette Meeba Nelson says
If it has weave in it, it’s fake hair. If it’s your naturally grown hair, then no. Kind of a simple question.
Lucia Taylor says
Yes! If its FAKE hair? What you saying its not fake if it’s braided? If it is WEAVING hair used for BRAIDING it’s still FAKE.
Ashley Campfield says
I mean it just an extension added to your real hair. But fake yes, it is fake hair. I wouldn’t say it’s a weave. I just say I have braids or extensions.
Nadia Whitis says
Yes but who cares. Pretty girls though.
Keondria Renee Bryant says
really why is this even a question?!
Markisha Tingle says
No i don’t
Nyckole Spraggins says
Yes
Adriana Baccaglioni says
It’s artificial. The stylist may use additional extension to enhance length volume or style in a particular way. It is not real if it is from hair extension but it can be real if it is your own actual hair to manipulate a look.
Cookie Williams says
Of course it’s fake hair…
Alta Smith says
It’s fake but who cares? Do you..cause I’m damn sure gonna do me..
Dacia Bucknor says
My question is who cares. Is it really that deep.
Alesha Jones says
Beautiful girls
Avila Delinda says
Natural braids are not fake but once you attach added hair artificial or human then it is fake.
Florence Blanchard Guishard says
Braid extension are fake hair…. I love them
Danni Olive says
Yes it’s fake, it’s not yours
Boompa Arashi says
Of course it’s fake hair, but braids are apart of our culture and one of the only things we continued to pass down even after we got off the ship. They should not be put in the same category as “weave” which is us mimicking other people’s textures.
Tina Waters says
Not all weaves are of European texture. Just like with braids sometimes it’s just to add length or fullness to your own hair.
Which is exactly what the braiding hair does. So neither is better or more acceptable than the other. You’re adding fake hair to make yourself more beautiful in either case.
Philicia Bailey says
Yes! It is! But I know a lot of females who’ve said they don’t wear fake hair they only wear braids..Like really ma? That definitely didn’t grow out of your scalp. Weaves wigs braids or whatever it’s all beautiful. Embrace your beauty.
Clemer Holmes says
Although it is not growing out of your head it belongs to you and you can style your hair however you want. the nice thing is women of color come in all shades of color, every type of hair you can think of and every leght of hair. Progress has been made to allow us to be as natural as we want to be or add as much other hair as we want. They are all beautiful and there is something for everyones taste. ther is no law that binds us to one look, we are women and while we love and enbrace who and what we are, we can embrace being different from time to time or all the time. Simply because we can. And when one of us makes our choices we as women need to not be so quick to pounce on each other and hold each other down. We should be lifting each other up. After all, there are a whole ot of other people who will put you down no matter what hair you have.
Joan Mckinnie-sanders says
Yes it is!
Jackie Robinson says
They are Simply Beautiful!!
Lyric Gonzales says
If it’s extensions it’s fake. You really bought it but it’s fake.
Lyric Gonzales says
It works on anyone who likes it. That’s what’s wrong with people today everyone thinks their opinion is law and it’s not. But what I do know is QUEENS uplift regardless. If they like it. I love it.
Lihle Ndlela says
Hair is just an accessory we wear fake diamonds, pearls and gold all the time and that’s fine so why can we accessorize our heads with some plastic fibers it’s just hair fake or not
Lihle Ndlela says
It’s all fake if it doesn’t grow from you head sometimes people laugh and ask questions when they don’t know. It’s dishonest to claim any extensions whether braids or weave is our hair beyond it being ours just cause we bought it. No voodoo happens at salons we just style hair how we want. That’s exactly what I will tell my kids if I ever have any.
Sandra Brooks says
It’s fake, but the look is very black to me unlike other non black nationalities human weave hair.
Lynnet Ruiz says
Fake if it isn’t with your natural hair
Siobhan Bradford says
So what!
Rosemarie Gee says
Anything that’s not your actual hair is fake hair.
Tina Waters says
Just like everyone else gave their opinion she gave hers. One thing God did was make us all different with different likes and dislikes and different opinions. If he hadn’t we would just be mindless drones.
Carla Tyner most girls don’t just go out made up like this. Most often they dress and makeup for things like dance recitals and other performances.
Donna West-White says
If it is hair not attached to your scalp, it is fake! What?! That is so stupid! The girls are beautiful and their hair is very nice.
Shawntel M. Guillory says
Uhhhmmm….dumb question. Braids aren’t fake hair if the hair being braided is real. It’s a question of the hair being fake, not the style/braids. You add fake hair to yours to have it braided in braids. You can wear a braided style without adding fake hair. Braids don’t equal fake hair.
Vanice Mattews says
If it did not grow from your scalp…fake
Danielle Gorman-Callaham says
What? The dumbest question ever.
Lisa Taylor says
Really!
Roberta Williams says
braids have been black peoples worship
Crystal Ortiz says
??? it’s several small strings of plastic. How is that ‘real’ hair?
Linda Williams says
All Day Long.
Artra Veal says
I wouldn’t say fake but added hair. Those braids help most women/girls. They are definitely convenient when you are a busy person but costly. That’s why I just twist my own hair, left it and keep it moving. I don’t see anything wrong with the braids though. I’ve done them in the past. That little girl was just dealing with rude kids. Kids can be that way. People young and old gone hate and always have to run their mouths about something.
Lenore Alexis says
Added or whatever phrase you use to describe the braids it is still FAKE!
Amie Jobe says
Who’s not fake here in this world we living in now lol??? People smile at you and you walk a wee bit from them and hear what they’ll say about you. And all even faking love that they know isn’t there anymore and not to talk of the rest lol. Les just leave fake out of it. X
Michelle Hughes says
I respect braids more than I do sew-ins.. Im a natural and braids are protective hair styles but Brazilian and Peruvian and others naaaah Im not feeling it…walking around with either someone elses hair or some damn animal….im good
Jeanette Allison says
these two girls are gorgeous and they look like they’re about to go on stage and do a plie`
3caramel7 says
There has been for me some ridiculous stories coming from the US about natural hair regarding children at school, and some people in their workplace.
The problem you have is, is that you have all worn wigs, hair pieces and relaxed hair for so long, that now natural hair is her with its uneven shapes,texture and curls, its jarring on the eye and you’re frightening the horses!
In other words, its different!
And people need time to adjust and to get used to the different styles.
Growing up in the UK, we weren’t so much into the weave and protective styles so white people saw our natural hair in all its glory for the last 50 years or so.
Some of the stuff, the teachers have said, their arses would be fired by the end of the day!
Some people are still trying to work out whether this is a fad or something more permanent.But what is not going to help you is finding any excuse to go back, well its a protective style, as you get a sew in done, or constantly flat ironing your hair. ( And I’m not talking about going on holiday or living in the Arctic circle!) Habits are hard to break! You all talk about choice, but you haven’t reached there yet, its going to take years for black natural hair to be seen as normal. You need to demonstrate that black natural hair is beautiful, that it can be so called ‘tamed’ and corporate and that its here to stay.
Monique says
You mean BRAID EXTENSIONS TO BE FAKE ? Next time please clarify what you mean because people may assume that you are talking about ALL BRAIDS !!