My Experience with Wearing Natural Hair in the Office

By (@Corporate_Curly)

As a woman of color in Corporate America, navigating through the confines of what is deemed “professional,” at times creates an unusual burden when embracing natural coils on the job.

This “burden” is not uncommon for women with curly or coily hair, and it’s one that can cause emotions of feeling “stuck” in a predicament where you are compromised to mask or change your natural hair to divert attention from yourself at work. I’ve experienced these feelings of being “stuck” at work in the past, and I can relate and I truly aim to help women who have trouble finding hairstyles that are right for them, make them feel confident, and simply work for them at their daily jobs.

My natural hair journey began in 2010,

and since then I’ve tried a variety of styles from braids, twists, to fros, and more, in an attempt to find what works best for me. Fast forward a few years later through grad school and working in Corporate America, I’d completely strayed away from wearing my natural hair all together. I did this because I didn’t want to jeopardize my “professionalism” by wearing my natural hair to work.

It wasn’t until I was two and a half years into my career that I began questioning why it wasn’t “right” or “professional” for me to wear the hair that simply grows out of my head to the place I spend the most time? During this time I also felt more empowered to bring my full self to work. So I knew for me and my professional journey that bringing my full self to work also meant wearing my natural hair, unapologetically.

It wasn’t until I was two and a half years into my career that I began questioning why it wasn’t “right” or “professional” for me to wear the hair that simply grows out of my head to the place I spend the most time?

It was after year two and a half

that I took the “big leap” and wore my fro to work. Big leap, sounds daunting huh? Seriously, it was, and it is a feeling that many other women with coily/curly hair feel. Looking back, it was nerve-wrecking, and on that day I was very self-conscious and a bit insecure, but on that day I also felt LIBERATED. Did I care what people thought, yes. Did I want them to think differently of me because of my hair, no.

When I wore my natural hair, it was actually a HUGE relief and
once I got through my perceived “fear” of wearing my own hair into work, I started to embrace it more. I began to share my experience with other professional women who were on the journey of embracing their natural texture at work. Whenever I get questions on how I “took the leap”

I always explain these three things:

1. First and foremost, educate yourself about the health of your hair. Especially if you are a newly transitioning natural, your routines and products will likely be different from the products used while you had a relaxer/perm.
2. Style your hair in ways that make YOU happy. Get any negative thoughts out of your head about your hair. Experiment and try different styles so that you know what makes you happy and feel most beautiful.
3. And finally, JUST DO IT. You are the only person who can love your hair the most. Love whatever texture that you have. Once you begin to educate, embrace, and love your hair nothing anyone can tell you should matter about your natural texture.

From that first day that I wore my natural texture to work,

I knew that my confidence and professionalism trumped any hair style that I wore into the office. Always know that whatever style you have, whether it’s straight, curly, coily, locs, or braided ensure your hair is groomed in whatever style you decide to wear. And what I learned is to believe and understand that your hair doesn’t diminish any ounce of professionalism that you bring to the workplace!

I’ve included my top three styles by maintenance level (from low to high) that I’ve tried out and love to wear at work.

Natural Hairstyles I Love for Work

(None of the pictures are owned by the author )

The Natural Updo | Maintenance: Medium Natural updo styles are great, because they are extremely easy to manage and can last an entire week or longer. This style is my favorite because of the convenience and medium maintenance. Natural updo styles are great, because they are extremely to manage and can last an entire week or longer. This style is my favorite because of the versatility and medium maintenance.