“Thrum” by Tanya Auclair free download

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We use natural hair as a gateway to improve upon oneself in a holistic manner. It is Ria’s firm belief that once a person begins to embrace their hair in it’s natural state, especially if they have spent the overwhelming majority of their life denying it’s existence, they will begin to understand the benefit of improving the quality of their life overall. After all, what sense does it make for one to ensure they only use all natural products for their hair but insist on eating fast food and diet sodas for their bodies?
Thus, Naturalistas use learning how to care for their natural hair, a knowledge which was lost during the spread of imperialism and colonialism, as a gateway habit to improving their overall lifestyle. Improvements can be in various forms, including but not limited to exercise, permanent change in dietary habits, alterations

African waistbeads are symbols of femininity, fertility and wisdom

to what we feed our minds ( in the forms of  TV, reading materials and even the music we listen to), and clarification in belief systems. While no one is going to dictate what one must do with their hair, what should be read, and what one believes, the Naturalistas philosophy offers a means to understand our surroundings in from a perspective, which we’ve always possessed but never made use of.

Once one begins to understand and fully appreciate why caring for out naturally Afro-textured hair is a process that adult women have to be taught, then we being to understand that our contemporary surroundings and all that is considered as “norm” is very much out of sync with who we are naturally.

All Naturalistas members are not expected, nor required, to evolve their way of life beyond the way in which they maintain and care for their hair. However, the Naturalistas Organization is committed to aiding all those who wish to.