Another hair story from the Black man's perspective, which is something we don't get to hear often, but Eric takes us through the journey of the naps, waves, straight, and laid hair.
I dig this. It made me reflect on when I was losing my hair in my mid twenties while I was single, still in school and BROKE. Thought to myself it's over for me. Shared it with no one and just tried to learn to buzz and take care of it on my own. Took awhile for me to learn to love my head bald. I thank you for this bro
Of course! It’s a journey for sure but once you step into it and truly own it it’s yours and a thing of power for you and inspiration for others. Be well!
As a 28 year old that grew his hair out and braided it for the first time. This resonated well, I started treating my hair as if it was my personality doing everything I could to maintain it and keep it fresh. You don’t realize how something as simple as hair can become such a focal point.
It definitely can creep up on you and take much of your attention. As a former barber you even see the personality changes (Spice Adams has done skits on this) once you have a fresh cut. Thanks for reading!
I resonate with this on so many levels. My mom struggles with her thick kinky hair, while my aunts and uncles inherited silky “good hair” from our Native American heritage. It definitely influenced me to use a texturizer in High School. Now im kind of obsessed with taking care of my hair. Part vanity. Part spiritual.
Funny how this happens based on people and energies that preceded us. I see we have a similar journey and I’m actually grateful to hear so many men step up and share their experiences. I didn’t think I was alone but I also never shared about it before for all the silly reasons men don’t share certain aspects of who they are. After shaving my head it became forgotten until this post. Thank you for commenting.
Aaaaaah Eric, I finally settled in to read this, and you immediately hooked me with your love of House music!👏🏾👋🏾👏🏾 I'm an OG House Head!! I loved this piece. I remember those Jerry Curl daze, lawwwd!😂 I currently have a deep love for a bald man in my life. Sooo sexy. I'm watching my son's beard turning salt n pepper.😊 And my Daddy passed with thin white hair (my roots are too!) This was a beautiful generational connection. Can't wait for your piece on your choice of women based on hair confidence. Wooooo...😁
I feel like this piece wrote itself and I could’ve just kept going but out of respect for the word count and everyone’s attention spans I kept it concise. What you identified in my piece is something I re-remembered: the generational thread and I think girls, by virtue of getting their hair done by mom, are more connected to that thread then boys are once they reach a certain age and maybe it’s that disconnection, in some instances and in my instance being privy to my mom’s hair trauma that funds our shame (when it exists). Going bald removed all of that from my experience and freed me from it. This piece and your words reminded me from whence I came and what I’ve overcome. 🙏🏾
Love that for you. I saw your "Six Pieces That Define My Writing". I'll check them out. Especially the one about the divorce. Been there... and back. A brief mention on that on something coming soon from me...😊✨
Thank you for this. During the pandemic my hair grew out so much and I was forced to establish a relationship with it and how it grew. I learned to love it, and all that came with managing it. This read made me think of that time. (Back to my waves now).
Loving the vulnerability and transparency! Reminds me of my siblings and I all having different grades of hair - me being the youngest with naturally curly “good hair” usually reserved for my brother’s light skin (instead of my chocolate flavored appearance) - and the commentary that followed. It also became the final nail in the coffin that we all had “different daddies”. Ahh - growing up in Chicago - what a time…
Yessir. You were like my uncle I referenced. The chocolatiest with the wildest hair. Those Chicago beauty brands had us in a chokehold. I was down the street from Johnson’s Products. #iykyk
With Luster’s right there too - pink bottles in every household lol #ChicagoKids - we all had an Auntie who worked at one of the hair product spots or Ebony/Jet lol
I had the exact same sentiment when I cut all my hair off. Not a baldie lol but not a lot. My confidence is on 💯 when I’m rocking it super short tho. Funny how life works. Phenomenal writing.
I never thought about what men go through regarding their hair. I appreciated this peak into a black man’s mind from teens to adulthood. As women we don’t realize that a lot of the same things we feel about our hair affect men as well. Like you mentioning your mom not liking her hair. Glad as a culture we are embracing what God put on our heads ☺️
Thank you.🙏🏾 I am glad as well. It is freeing for sure. I paid it forward. Hair, other than discussing natural styles, never was a conversation while I was married and has only been a source of celebration with my kids.
But also, this was a good article. I never really thought about men’s thoughts about their hair, so thank you for sharing. And I appreciate the Detroit Red mention, because that’s exactly where my mind went! :)
Thank you. It was real for a long time. The brothers that had the waves and curls had all the girls and the attention so subconsciously or not, everyone else tried to follow suit.
I really appreciate this. A lot of men have complex relationships with their hair, and not just what’s on top but what’s on the face and the body overall. It’s sad we don’t talk about this in open spaces enough.
My hajr journey is also layered, from getting my first grays as a teenager (GENETICS!) and short cuts and now a fro for over a decade - it’s been a ride. I really appreciate reading someone else’s story in this realm. Thank you for sharing Eric.
Brother, I so appreciate how this resonates with you and several other men who have been willing to comment. It lets me know that even in the writing of this I am/was not alone.
I dig this. It made me reflect on when I was losing my hair in my mid twenties while I was single, still in school and BROKE. Thought to myself it's over for me. Shared it with no one and just tried to learn to buzz and take care of it on my own. Took awhile for me to learn to love my head bald. I thank you for this bro
Of course! It’s a journey for sure but once you step into it and truly own it it’s yours and a thing of power for you and inspiration for others. Be well!
"I'm going to be honest. This image was clickbait." LMAO 🤣🤣🤣
You see!!! Sometimes we just need a little clickbait to get the job done lol.
As a 28 year old that grew his hair out and braided it for the first time. This resonated well, I started treating my hair as if it was my personality doing everything I could to maintain it and keep it fresh. You don’t realize how something as simple as hair can become such a focal point.
It definitely can creep up on you and take much of your attention. As a former barber you even see the personality changes (Spice Adams has done skits on this) once you have a fresh cut. Thanks for reading!
so relatable, takes me right back to growing up experimenting with my hair lol
As I wrote I felt myself de-aging back to my preteen and teenage years. Glad it struck a chord with you.
I resonate with this on so many levels. My mom struggles with her thick kinky hair, while my aunts and uncles inherited silky “good hair” from our Native American heritage. It definitely influenced me to use a texturizer in High School. Now im kind of obsessed with taking care of my hair. Part vanity. Part spiritual.
Funny how this happens based on people and energies that preceded us. I see we have a similar journey and I’m actually grateful to hear so many men step up and share their experiences. I didn’t think I was alone but I also never shared about it before for all the silly reasons men don’t share certain aspects of who they are. After shaving my head it became forgotten until this post. Thank you for commenting.
Aaaaaah Eric, I finally settled in to read this, and you immediately hooked me with your love of House music!👏🏾👋🏾👏🏾 I'm an OG House Head!! I loved this piece. I remember those Jerry Curl daze, lawwwd!😂 I currently have a deep love for a bald man in my life. Sooo sexy. I'm watching my son's beard turning salt n pepper.😊 And my Daddy passed with thin white hair (my roots are too!) This was a beautiful generational connection. Can't wait for your piece on your choice of women based on hair confidence. Wooooo...😁
I feel like this piece wrote itself and I could’ve just kept going but out of respect for the word count and everyone’s attention spans I kept it concise. What you identified in my piece is something I re-remembered: the generational thread and I think girls, by virtue of getting their hair done by mom, are more connected to that thread then boys are once they reach a certain age and maybe it’s that disconnection, in some instances and in my instance being privy to my mom’s hair trauma that funds our shame (when it exists). Going bald removed all of that from my experience and freed me from it. This piece and your words reminded me from whence I came and what I’ve overcome. 🙏🏾
Love that for you. I saw your "Six Pieces That Define My Writing". I'll check them out. Especially the one about the divorce. Been there... and back. A brief mention on that on something coming soon from me...😊✨
“Write” on! 👊🏾 Hope the writing impacts you and looking forward to reading your comments.🙏🏾
Thank you for this. During the pandemic my hair grew out so much and I was forced to establish a relationship with it and how it grew. I learned to love it, and all that came with managing it. This read made me think of that time. (Back to my waves now).
Our relationships with our hair is real. It’s intriguing how experiences and eras (the pandemic) cause it to change and evolve.
Loving the vulnerability and transparency! Reminds me of my siblings and I all having different grades of hair - me being the youngest with naturally curly “good hair” usually reserved for my brother’s light skin (instead of my chocolate flavored appearance) - and the commentary that followed. It also became the final nail in the coffin that we all had “different daddies”. Ahh - growing up in Chicago - what a time…
Yessir. You were like my uncle I referenced. The chocolatiest with the wildest hair. Those Chicago beauty brands had us in a chokehold. I was down the street from Johnson’s Products. #iykyk
With Luster’s right there too - pink bottles in every household lol #ChicagoKids - we all had an Auntie who worked at one of the hair product spots or Ebony/Jet lol
Pink bottles, sulfur, hot combs, and grease.
I had the exact same sentiment when I cut all my hair off. Not a baldie lol but not a lot. My confidence is on 💯 when I’m rocking it super short tho. Funny how life works. Phenomenal writing.
Thank you for reading. And yes, the irony that comes with less being more is quite funny. Especially after years of pursuing more.
I never thought about what men go through regarding their hair. I appreciated this peak into a black man’s mind from teens to adulthood. As women we don’t realize that a lot of the same things we feel about our hair affect men as well. Like you mentioning your mom not liking her hair. Glad as a culture we are embracing what God put on our heads ☺️
Thank you.🙏🏾 I am glad as well. It is freeing for sure. I paid it forward. Hair, other than discussing natural styles, never was a conversation while I was married and has only been a source of celebration with my kids.
Lmao the clickbait worked on me !!
Me, too! My first thought was “Who dis?”😂
😂😂😂
But also, this was a good article. I never really thought about men’s thoughts about their hair, so thank you for sharing. And I appreciate the Detroit Red mention, because that’s exactly where my mind went! :)
And yes, Detroit Red.😁🔴
Thank you. It was real for a long time. The brothers that had the waves and curls had all the girls and the attention so subconsciously or not, everyone else tried to follow suit.
I really appreciate this. A lot of men have complex relationships with their hair, and not just what’s on top but what’s on the face and the body overall. It’s sad we don’t talk about this in open spaces enough.
My hajr journey is also layered, from getting my first grays as a teenager (GENETICS!) and short cuts and now a fro for over a decade - it’s been a ride. I really appreciate reading someone else’s story in this realm. Thank you for sharing Eric.
Brother, I so appreciate how this resonates with you and several other men who have been willing to comment. It lets me know that even in the writing of this I am/was not alone.