Women in our past family history that were natural

**netta** · 01-21-2013, 08:28 PM

I have been thinking of positve affirmations for growing my natural hair. I have done so much to it in the past, mostly cutting and coloring and bleaching. I decided after looking at old family pics that they would inspire me to keep on the journey. What about you?
Here are some family heirloom pics. I am 54 years old and never met my grandmother, a strong black woman with 11 children, I was told she had her own pew in the church and was a deconess. the other pics are my aunties at young ages.I can't imagine what made my mom straighten and me put a perm in my hair. i had long heathy natural hair as a child like most of us black women !

years old

cordelia ferguson.jpg

auntie murell and auntie ola ferguson.jpg

**Mikalia42** · 01-21-2013, 08:41 PM

Beautiful photos!

I met my grandmother, and she too had natural hair when she was younger. Unfortunately, I've never seen those photos; they're in Panama so I only have/had her word to go on. When my father and I had dinner a couple of months back, he said "You look just like your mother when I first met her." I asked her if her hair was natural and he said "Yes, it was! Exactly the same texture but yours looks healthier." I'm guessing she started to relax her hair somewhere around the time they met or after. In the old photos of her around the time I was born, her hair was straight.

The only woman on my mother's side of the family I've seen a photo of that had natural hair in her youth was an Elder aunt. She actually kept her hair natural her entire life. We used to call her Silver Springs (like spring coils) because her hair was so coily and gray.

**OHR** · 01-21-2013, 09:30 PM

netta:
Love the family pictures!! Takes me back to memories of my daddy's mom, Alberta. I don't think she ever had a relaxer...had it hot combed.

Many [still] don't know that before the mid 60's or so, it was the rare bird that had their hair relaxed.

Originally Posted by Mikalia42

The only woman on my mother's side of the family I've seen a photo of that had natural hair in her youth was an Elder aunt. She actually kept her hair natural her entire life. We used to call her Silver Springs (like spring coils) because her hair was so coily and gray.

Love this!!!

**LBellatrix** · 01-21-2013, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by OHR

Many [still] don't know that before the mid 60's or so, it was the rare bird that had their hair relaxed.

Relaxers didn't start getting big until the late 60s, and they didn't start getting REALLY big until the late 70s.

When I knew my maternal grandmother, she had a TWA but always wore a wig in public. I had a few other elders (some of whom I met, most of whom I didn't) who had natural (straight, curly, and/or wavy) hair. Other than my maternal grandmother I honestly don't remember seeing any of my older relatives' hair (those who had naturally nappy hair) in its natural state.

**AStone** · 01-22-2013, 01:10 PM

My grandmother has never relaxed her hair and my mother had an amazing Afro (so did my dad lol) when they were younger so did her sister.

**CoilyHairedBeauty** · 01-22-2013, 08:17 PM

I honestly can't think of one for SURE.

My maternal grandmother *may* have been natural (but she str8ened.). She passed away before I was born.

**Mikalia42** · 01-22-2013, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by AStone

My grandmother has never relaxed her hair and my mother had an amazing Afro (so did my dad lol) when they were younger so did her sister.

I saw a photo of my father from the 60s also. He had an awesome fro, but I will never let him live down those pink bell bottoms.

**netta** · 01-22-2013, 08:36 PM

Some interesting facts.hopefully np will be our archives our future families can see. Madam cj walker invented the hot comb i believe, before that i

**KreativeKoils** · 02-06-2013, 02:37 AM

Is it terrible that I've never really seen pictures of the women of my family with straight hair. The only girls that didn't "have" to get a perm had looser, curly hair. I really don't have any nappy inspirations in my grandma or anything, I think it's been a few generations since we've had natural hair, and Lord knows how many of us did something to alter the texture.

I'm going to stick with being a woman in my family history that has natural hair, and inspire the future lil fuzzy heads

**Scribetastic** · 02-06-2013, 04:34 AM

My grandmothers and my mother were naturals. I mean when the whole heat thing came up my mom tried to use a comb but her hair was too delicate, so she pin curled it most of the time. The heat and relaxers started and ended with me. For that much, I'm at an advantage.

**bhop13** · 02-06-2013, 02:42 PM

Most women in my family had natural hair until they became adults...more of a sign of the times I think.

**MsNadia524** · 02-12-2013, 03:44 AM

I dont recall any women in my family who wore their natural hair out. Those who were natural wore wigs.

No... I do have an aunt who wears her hair natural, but she has that "good hair." Her description, not mine.

**Kitathena** · 02-12-2013, 01:08 PM

All of the women in my family were natural in the 60s-70s but they would never got out of the house without that hot comb hitting their hair first. I think I may have remembered my mom talking about having a fro for a bit but I don't think she liked it and was just trying to get in on the trend at the time.