Charcoal Ink

Every now and then, I do get asked questions by people about what it is like having natural hair. I have fun with protective hair styles such as braids and I think it’s all part of the fun of being natural.

Having natural hair is brilliant, wicked, fun and extremely expensive. This part is really not stressed in the glossy veneer of the natural hair movement – sometimes (to me), having watched the blog scene flourish so beautifully and I love that, I think the financial aspect of being natural has taken a back seat and it really should not.

Without disposable income to even make your own homemade ingredients for your hair, you cannot be natural. That’s why I want to ask anyone who reads this blog or anyone who is curious about going natural – can you actually afford your lifestyle as a natural? I realise me living in Tanzania for now means I can afford it every now and then depending on the cost of braiding. The cost of weaves here is up there with London & New York.

I’ve never tried glossy products such as Miss Jessie’s so I cannot make judgments on them, but I will say I really like some products from Dark & Lovely such as their treatment conditioners and the tingly scalp products from Dr Miracle’s and they definitely aren’t cheap.

So what I’d say to anyone who is natural or anyone considering to be natural is only do it if you can afford to have natural hair styles because it defintiely is expensive.

There is no point in my view having a gorgeous natural hair style if you cannot afford to pay off your debts/mortgage.

Today, I got paid from a commission from one of my clients which saw me get some money and pay 10% of the fee into my savings account. I was happy to be able to put 10% away, even though it was not a huge amount.

This made me think today as how being a black woman affects my ability to save. The barriers to entry of banking in terms of political occurrences, former colonial platforms in terms of accessing cash and investments at least in Tanzania has meant that I do think it has been harder for me to learn about savings and money because actually I also was not as interested in the past, as I am now.

I keep thinking about my Million Challenge vision and how I want to save to move out and of course sort my overdraft. Is 10% too unrealistic for you at the moment or is it perfect for what your lifestyle? Let me know in the comments.