A Natural Abroad

Being natural in the Sates is hard enough --  At least for me it is. Constantly being pumped with images of women with long, luxurious sew ins and flat ironed tresses. So when I moved to Istanbul a month ago, I thought the pressure to straighten my hair would be even greater. However, to my surprise, my prediction has been proven wrong. In fact, the reception my hair has received here in Turkey is the exact opposite of what I was expecting. People find my hair fascinating, exotic, and drum roll... beautiful. Now its not that I don't love my own hair, I'm just not used to other people overwhelmingly admiring and taking such a genuine interest in it . Its actually quite a bizarre feeling.

 On any given day, (and quite frequently I might add) I'll be walking down the street and some random person will come to me and begin to touch my hair and say "Cok guzel!" which means "Very pretty" in Turkish. My students love to ask questions about how I style my hair, how long it takes, what kinds of products I put in my hair etc. A whole lesson down the drain because of an impromptu natural hair Q&A session. One time I told my students that my braids were not my real hair and bless their little hearts, they couldn't wrap their heads around the idea. So at the end of class I gave them a little braiding tutorial -- Their minds were 100% blown. BLOWN, I tell you. 

That being said, there is a downside to being a natural abroad in this side of the world.Turkey's Black population is EXTREMELY low and as a result, the demand for Black hair products is damn near non existent. I knew that before coming here and made sure I had my hair in a protective style and that I had fully stocked up on hair supplies -- Dropping dollars at the beauty store before I left. I must say, too, that I'm so happy I stocked up because I've been in beauty supply stores here and A.) There's no Black hair products in sight and B.) The prices of hair products here are out of control. The struggle would be so real out here for a sister without a protective style,  no products from home, and no hair salon to go to. Being a DIY natural with a degree from  the esteemed YouTube University has really come in handy. And as my arsenal runs out, I'll probably have to ask my people back home to send me hair care packages. 

Despite the product issues, its nice to be able to feel like other people like your hair as much as you do -- A great confidence boost. Its something that I don't feel much of back home (which is part of the reason why I sometimes have periods of excessive flat iron relapse). Since being here, I haven't felt that urge once - Not that I feel there's something wrong with flat ironed or permed hair, I just know that I use heat to the point where my hair is unhealthy.

 Going abroad is one of the best decisions I've made in my life thus far and being able to feel comfortable with my self image has mad it all the more easier to settle in. 

So for all you naturals who aren't getting shown any love back in the States, buy a ticket to Istanbul and I'll take you around and help you get your mind right!