In conversation with Mariska Dijkstra of the Reformatorisch Dagblad. You wrote a book about frizzy hair. I assume you have frizzy hair yourself? Can you describe your hair, have you always been happy with your hair and so on? How do you wear it at the moment?
You wrote a book about frizzy hair. I assume you have frizzy hair yourself? Can you describe your hair, have you always been happy with it and so on? How do you wear it now?
Yes, I am also blessed with a head of frizzy hair. I have fine hair, which means thin strands but a lot of hair. Hey, a lot of super small frizzy curls, that always stick out in all directions, curiously grab the air and refuse to lie flat. I have always loved my hair, but it has not always been the case that I knew what to do with my hair or what I could do with it. I used to think that you had to straighten frizzy hair to make it look nice. From my own experience I now know that it is the other way around. When I straightened my hair, I could do little with it and it always broke. Now I can make all kinds of hairstyles with my hair and it is healthy.
At the moment I am sitting behind my pc with an uncombed afro. An afro that would frighten the “civilized” western world or be called unheard of/“uncivilized”, but here I just enjoy it. Yesterday it was in an acceptable afro, a hairstyle that the outside world is more used to seeing and I forgot to twist/braid it before going to bed, so now it is an uncontrollable, cheerful, cozy bush. I wear twists most of the time and when I know I will be very busy I wear cornrows because they will definitely stay in place for a month. So I often have something else.
How did you come to make a booklet/website? Did you notice there was a demand for it?
I was really going crazy about my own hair when I relaxed. No matter what I did, my hair kept breaking. I couldn't take it anymore. Driven by misery, I started looking for everything I could find about frizzy hair. Unfortunately, there was nothing on the Dutch market or in Dutch. When I knew enough and had read a lot, I thought maybe I could write a book, maybe there are more people who want to know more about frizzy hair and that's how it happened. I am a computer scientist by training, so building a website was easy for me. I designed http://kroeshaar.com because I was curious about the response to the book.
When do you call your hair frizzy? (is it the official name or is it a kind of nickname?)
Kinky hair is unique hair that you can recognize immediately by the very small curls. It grows at an angle and therefore often looks densely grown.
As far as I know, 'Kroeshaar' is the original name. For me, 'kroeshaar' has never been a negative word or a nickname, of course because I have never been ashamed of my frizzy hair and have always found it beautiful. Because there has been quite a bit of discussion about this, I recently requested it from Taaladvies On Line http://www.ntu.nl. The ANSWER:
'Curly hair' is 'closely curled hair'.
The word 'kroes' in 'kroeshaar' means '(closely) curled'. This 'kroes' is related to 'duckweed' and to 'krul'. Other languages also have words with 'kr-' that indicate something curly; in Latin, for example, 'crispus' ('curly') and 'curvus' ('crooked'), from which the Dutch 'kruiven' ('curls') comes. And the basic meaning of 'kruipen' is 'to move forward in a curved manner'.
I believe that it is because of history that we have come to regard the word kinky hair as something negative. Ever since black people were brought to the Western world, the hairstyles were found offensive and flashy. That is why kinky hair was stigmatized. You couldn't walk around with "THAT" hair, people would think you were crazy, you wouldn't find work, etc. In this way, we learned to find our hair ugly and inferior and that is why the name kinky hair was also seen negatively. I think it is time for revaluation, hence kroeshaar.com and my booklet kinky hair what you need to know and more. Kinky hair is indeed a special type of hair and since you have to deal with it differently than straight hair, I think it is a good thing that there is also a special name for it.
In your book/website you only write about afro hairstyles. Is it true that there is also a European variant of frizzy hair and if so, did you consciously not pay attention to that?
There are many types of frizzy hair and there are certainly Europeans with frizzy hair. When I write about frizzy hair I also mean this type of hair, it doesn't matter if you are a bit lighter or darker in color and if your hair is a bit more or less curly. From the book by Curly girl, a hairdresser of Jewish descent, I understood that we more or less have the same "hair struggles" in this world that is still dominated by smooth-haired standards. From that book I have, for example, the nopoo or no-shampoo method. Shampoo is simply too drying for frizzy and curly hair, but we are so used to it that people think they are unhygienic if they don't use shampoo.
By the way, I received 1 photo of a Dutch girl with frizzy hair. She was also on the site under maties, I asked her for a frizzy interview and maybe that will come. Furthermore, there are several people with frizzy-curly hair on the forum who join the discussion.
According to your book/website, many women with frizzy hair want to have it de-frizzed. What do you think is the cause of that?
Because of the history I just explained, we have come to believe all sorts of things. That it is easier to care for frizzy hair when it is de-frizzed. That is REALLY not true. But we still apply standards that do not apply to our hair, such as combing hair. Combing your hair has nothing to do with care in principle. Sandy and Dolores' locs are very well cared for, but they never use a comb. It is definitely easier to run a fine-toothed comb through your hair when it is de-frizzed, but that is not a standard that can be applied to frizzy hair. So there are a lot of misunderstandings. I think that is the cause, with all the consequences.
What is the biggest misconception about curly hair?
That frizzy hair is hard. Partly because of the comb standard that is used. If you can't get a comb through your hair, your hair is hard. Well, I can tell you that my hair feels very soft at the moment, but please don't try to get a comb through it. Then it's also hard and there's nothing you can do with it, no.
Is it a trend to switch to natural ways of hair care? If so, why?
I hope so. I see a trend in natural curly hairstyles and I think that is a big step forward. Maybe natural hair care will go hand in hand with that. As far as I'm concerned, it is a very good development because most chemicals have a bad effect on hair and skin. Curly girl advises against shampoo because of the ingredient sls, for example, which dries out our hair. Here in the Netherlands there are different opinions about it, but I think you can better use natural products or products on a natural basis.
What is absolutely essential to purchase if you have frizzy hair?
A wide-toothed comb or a brush when it comes to “tools”. When it comes to products, I think pure Shea butter and the poo bar or a herbal shampoo from Carol’s daughter. With the poo bar or a herbal shampoo you can keep your hair clean without drying out the curls and shea butter makes your hair super soft and protects it from the sun and/or the cold. Furthermore, a good deep conditioner is a must and for me the best is the Tui from Carol’s daughter. Maybe not all products work equally well for everyone, but I have yet to meet the person for whom this deep conditioner does not work. If you are going to twist or braid, the hair milk is ideal, but others like the hair honey better. The rest is I think more a matter of what your hair likes.