These Tresses Are Made For Twistin'

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 It seems like my favorites strive to no longer be my faves at a certain point. First Pharrell with the "New Black", Raven Symone and that crazy tail Oprah interview, various rappers and their disdain for Black women or Black women with dark skin, Stacey Dash for...being Stacey Dash (honestly I thought she was cool when I was a kid!), and recently, Luvvie and her mess. Now, it's coming to the bathroom/bedroom/places where hair happens to get done. It's coming for my hair. (and my body, because I loved the lotion and body wash.) This is what happens when inclusion goes wrong.

   I don't need to name names. You know what you did with that video, company in question. You know how you tried to fix it--a new video and a stupid a** cover on FB, and an apology, but you failed. You failed, but gained a fanbase of people who've never used your products (and just want to talk mess and see Black women upset), and those who are using it, and don't get what this is about. It's been a messy week, but in the end I realized that I don't want to give my dollars to a company who can't even bother to represent me and my hair type in their little "hair hate" video. I have all your crap in my bathroom, use it daily to keep my tresses in check, but you can't represent me? I went through true hate concerning this hair.
I WENT THROUGH HAIR HATE. I STILL DO.

  I have thick, nappy (but proud of these naps!), dark brown 4b and 4c hair that got poofy and wild in the Summer, hair grease and hot combs be damned. I went through the burns of creamy crack, a grandmother who eventually said it was "too much to handle", and stares and snickers in my grown years when I made the journey back. I HAVE GONE THROUGH TRUE HAIR HATE. Having my hair be called crackhead hair, having people ask when do I comb it or if I am going to straighten it. Having grown, usually old White ladies staring at me as if I've lost my mind, then clearing their throats to shame me or get the attention of friends. I have been called a field hand and a field n-word when I wear scarves and turbans.
2010 was the year of scarves.
And in 2012 I cut it all off.

  I have gone through the personal feelings of shame and low self-worth, wondering why it was so kinky, and not soft and smooth like some of the girls I went to school with. I refuse to return to heat and chemicals, but let me tell you--the road has indeed been long and hard. Their so called "hair hate" in this video is this top layer, 3c and under mess with fair-skinned Black and White women with red hair and I guess "hair you don't know what to do with" mess.
I first went natural in 2008.

  MY hair hate went deeper. Tangles, hard to find products that didn't dry it out or break it off. Family concerns at the start, and honestly some days coveting the natural hair of others. You wanna talk hair hate? INCLUDE WOMEN WITH THE 4a-4c hair. WE. HAVE. STORIES. But the thing is, I guess that's not good for marketing. Interesting. Gotta push that product, huh?

   I have read the crappy posts by people who think my hair is a mess. Not directly to me, but about me. With pictures, with harsh words, and opinions nobody asked for. I have seen my fellow sistas be dogged for choosing to go natural, to color it, and to refuse to straighten it. I have been told that my hair is not professional, and will be "too big" for certain jobs. Or that it is unkempt or ghetto. And that's when I decided to work for myself. It's a slow climb, but I'll be damned if it chop this or apply heat to it.
Wash day is usually
full of their products.
  So when a company who was funded by Black women decides to expand, we hold our breath. When they are acquired by larger, mainstream companies known for Whiteness and exclusion, we sigh heavily. We are afraid it will be Carol's Daughter all over again. This keeps happening. Companies that are "for us" end up going mainstream after a merger or a purchase, and suddenly formulas change. Suddenly we are wiped out and don't matter anymore. It's a slap in the face. I will gladly use the last of what I have to move on to other products. They do great things for my hair, but refuse to represent me until they're under fire for it. I'm good.

   Breaking up will be hard to do, but I think I can manage. I'd rather support a company who celebrates customers, instead of isolating and alienating them because others who're just being included are uncomfortable with Black faces. Meanwhile we've had to fight to get our products in stores, instead of having to order out or be shoved in a corner with the "ethnic products". Let me tell you--sometimes going into our own neighborhoods leaves us with grease and relaxer kits, or "natural" products that really aren't. Trust me--hair hate and the struggle of the natural goes deeper than hating hair color. It's budgets, confidence, and trying to combat a lot of BS.

   The snooty commentary from people who "don't get it", or tell us to get over it means nothing. Especially if you are not a Black person. ESPECIALLY if you are a non-Black PoC. Solidarity be damned, right? What a time to throw us under the bus. We see you. You're not that great, just because you have normal hair too. Yet some of you expect BLM to show up when something happens. We're mad for a reason. We're not going to buy the product anymore. I'm on my last leg with lots of their stuff, and although it still works for my hair, I refuse to be a patron to a company who funked up so badly in the first place, then decided to try and fix it by 4 PM.
SMOOTH MOVE SHEA MOISTURE!!!

   The audacity of the company, the comments on "it's not about race", and the fools who've never tried it a day in their life. They're (the ones who've never tried it, and it's not for them.) willing to ruin their hair with oily and creamy products not meant for their hair type. You can't spite me by doing that. Just like you can't fix the damage done. Thumbs all the way down. Especially to those whom the product works for. Just be honest, you want us to go away and not make a fuss.
Get.
The f*ck
Outta.
Here.

  Y'all want to sit there and act like it wasn't Black women who had a mighty natural need who tossed their dollars and online orders to you. Y'all wanna act brand new like the beauty gentrification ain't in full effect. If this is how you choose to isolate your original customer base, you're doing a great job. It's one thing to have products for everyone, but still represent them. It's another to do that, and only represent one side of it. Now watch me save my money and go elsewhere. My top choices of change are:
  I am on the move to other things, and for companies who fearlessly post Black women of all shades with all kinds of different hair textures. My coins will go to companies who believe in giving props and good customer service to those who supported them first. That means not changing the formula, that means not putting us at the back of the bus....

   ...And that means doing right in the beginning, not getting your PR team together when the ratings go down on your FB page. When you do right from the start, you have nothing to worry about.