new thread
Hello everyone,
First time here. Just a simple question. I used to have long hair since like i was really young (not that long but down to like my nose without pullin it) and like about a year ago i got a fade. A really short one. So it looks nice but when i go about 2 weeks without cuttin it again, it grows out like an afro.. Really stiking out puffy looking. Well i dont hate it much but it looks kinda dumb. I can't comb it and if i put gel it doesn't work much either. So i went looking thru photoalbums and i saw my dad with an afro. So i decided i wanted to see what I would look like with an Afro.
So i start to grow it and now its been like 3 or 4 weeks since i've cut it. It just sticks out really spiky puffy type thing. I dont have curly hair so i was wondering what I would need to do to get an Afro? I'm spanish. Some people in my school are spanish and have an afro but they have curly hair. I'm afraid the hair will collapse and I wont get an afro.
Any advice anyone? Anything I gotta buy?
Thanks to anyone.
If you want to you can reply to my email if its easier.
BTW i am 16.
cgonzo@telocity.com
TIA
It's hard for me to tell what kind of hair you have, but in general if you want an afro and don't have curly hair, you need to get a curly perm. From what I've read, apparently in the early 70s it was stylish for guys to get perms in order to have afros. Maybe your dad got a perm!
The other thing you can do is use relaxer on your hair, which is a kind of perm to straighten hair. Then it wouldn't get puffy when it gets longer. I saw a makeover on TV that was for a guy, and for his hair they did that, because he was complaining that his hair was starting to stick out when he let it grow.
Perms and straighteners are strong chemicals that can really mess up your hair if used incorrectly. If you decide to do that, it's best to go to a good salon.
Doug
I had straight hair when It was long. Not wavy or nothing. Just plain straight. How long does my hair have to be for me to get a perm? Mine is just about 2 - 2.5 centimeter long. Its sticking up. If i get a perm then what will happen? It will just curl? Does that guarantee me an afro? And then lets say I don't like it. Can I just "undo" the perm.?
I would get that if I wouldn't want the afro.
Thanks alot
Fabio
cgonzo@telocity.com
I'm not sure what the minimum length is. Maybe someone else here knows, or you could ask at a salon. You may have to wait longer.
I think for short hair you'd need to get a tight curl, so the length of the hair would curl around in a small curl instead of sticking up. I think of an afro as needing somehwat longer hair, like maybe at least a few inches (5-10 cm), so that curls go out farther around your head. I guess if you got a perm very soon it would be a kind of short afro.
Maybe a good salon could undo a perm, but it would be very hard on your hair. It probably wouldn't end up in very good condition. A perm isn't really intended to be reversed. It breaks chemical bonds in your hair and reforms them so the curl is the new shape of your hair. That weakens your hair, so doing it again would weaken your hair even more.
From what I saw on TV, that would work with hair at the length you have now. It might also be better because when a curly perm grows out, the new hair near your head will still be straight.
By the way, if you go to a salon, be sure to take the time to explain exactly what you want them to do, and what you have in mind for your hair. If they don't seem to be very attentive, go somewhere else. Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Doug
Hello again
Yes I think i'm going to wait until its longer.
Oh that does not sound healthy! Well what if I just Shave my head? (like a fade?) I guess that might do it without damaging my hair?
Can you explain this more? I'm kind of confused. I have short hair stiking out right now. Lets say I get a Relaxer thing. It will do what? Just flatten it which will be it look puffy right? Well then lets say it keeps growing, the new hair will still be sticky right? Or is the relaxer thing some kind of shampoo i apply every day? What would a relaxer do to my afro (whenever, if ever, i get one)?
Yup I will, but i'm kinda afraid they are going to laugh at me. (i'm kinda shy)
Thanks for the answers Doug.
If your going to reply (i hope you do :P) Start a new post so we're at the top again and maybe someone else will see it. Just name it afro man or whatever.
Thanks again
Fabio
Yes, if you don't mind shaving your head, that will get rid of the perm, since then it will be all new hair.
From what I saw on TV, it would make your hair be normal straight hair, that wouldn't stick up but just stay flat.
The new hair might stick up, but as your hair gets longer, its own weight should weigh it down so it no longer sticks up. The relaxer could be useful to keep your hair flat until that happens.
The relaxer is the same kind of chemicals as a perm, but used to make hair straight instead of curl it. Like a perm, it would be best to have it done in a salon.
I think that would be one way to undo an afro perm, and that would be bad for your hair, like I wrote before. If you had a natural afro, it would be a way to make it straight hair instead. Relaxers are commonly used by black people who want to make their hair straight.
I'm kinda shy too, but don't worry. It's perfectly reasonable to not want your hair to stick up, and I remember hearing about a basketball player, forget his name, who has an afro now, with naturally curly hair I think. Depending on what your school is like, you might get some reactions if you show up one day with curled hair that used to be straight. I wouldn't be surprised if girls compliment you.
Since it's still near the top, I kept it here. It also makes it easier for people to follow the thread.
just grow dreadlocks, geez!
Do you have dreadlocks? If you do please tell me about yours and how you got them started. Thanx