The I-just-got-my-hair-done mentality is pervasive within the international Black women populous. Isn’t it interesting how a single aspect of one’s anatomy can limit the activities of one’s life? Perhaps if it were the my-leg’s-in-a-cast mentality or even the I-don’t-have-my-glasses-on mentality, it may be more understandable. But the state of one’s hair should never be considered a handicap, should it? And yet, for the Black woman who wears a relaxer or a silky, straight weave, there are instant limitations that she must live with. She knows them well.

1.      No swimming. Submerging your head in water would essentially reverse the 5 hours of sewing, curling, crimping and coifing you endured at the salon.

2.      No rigorous athletic activity. Hot yoga, soccer practice, aerobics, a jazz dance class are all dreaded after you just got a fresh weave. And, let’s not mention a night of passion with your partner. #SomethingsJustShouldNotbeSacrificed #Ijs

3.      Dancing in the rain. Frolicking while snow falls. Bottom line, water is the enemy. This means you’ve always got to cover your head and know the weather report so you’re not caught off guard.

4.      No touching. You don’t want hands in your new bouncy, wavy goodness. You didn’t just wake up like this. It took hours of effort and no one’s going to take that away from you just because they have an urge to pet your mane. It’s a straight up no-no. And that goes for your special someone, too. It’s a reality he hates and has to live with, too.

5.      You’re in debt. In a month, you spend more on your hair than you do on food. Because creamy crack is just that; it ensures that you keep coming back. You can’t just go to work or school with rough edges and a grown-out weave, so you spend money you don’t have to re-install or to get a touch up. It’s the nature of the beast.

6.      You can’t scratch. Normal humans don’t have to resist the urge when their scalp itches. But you do. It’s like you have symptoms of psoriasis just because of your hairstyle of choice. We all know the consequences of scratching when you’re due for a relaxer touch up the next day. You’ve never felt such fire. So, the alternative is: patting. We’re not talking light patting. We mean the prettiest of girls beating the side of her head in order to relieve the itching sensation like she’s some kind of ape. Not attractive.

7.      Your hair smells or flakes. This is probably the worst side effect. Because your head naturally sweats, the longer you keep your extensions in, the more your hair will take on an unpleasant odor. Likewise, the longer a chemical relaxer stays in, the more your hair dries and produces dandruff or – worse- chronic dry scalp. It’s something you may not even recognize until your best friend or your boo says, “Honey, your hair smells” or “Sweetie, you’ve got some white stuff in your hair.” Ewwww. The worst.

In order to combat the seven evils, a movement – which has taken off like wildfire – has encouraged Black women to wear their hair in its most natural state. This way, they no longer have to live a life filled with self-imposed disabilities. They can be free.

Hundreds of bloggers, websites and online video channels have cropped up over the past decade for the purposes of empowering and educating the women who have for most of their lives been consumed by straightening their hair.

Adding fuel to a fire that needs it is hair lifestyle website BlackNaturalHairstyles.org. It launched last March, but for 2015, it is establishing its own day to celebrate the beauty of natural hair and is dubbing it “International Keep it Kinky Day.”

On February 21, apropos because of the concurrent Black History Month observed in the United States and several other countries, BlackNaturalHairstyles.org will encourage women around the world to commit to wearing their hair in its most natural state on that day. That may mean a day without heat for women who have already kissed the chemicals and straight weaves goodbye or it could mean it’s the first day you rock your “big chop” for those who are new to the journey. Essentially, the hope is for a Black woman to experience a sense of support and solidarity on that day, which will encourage her to embrace her hair’s own natural texture without judgment or reproof.

As a sign of solidarity, BlackNaturalHairstyles is encouraging women to organize their own “Keep it Kinky” meetup in their area and wear their “Keep it Kinky” T-shirts – which can be purchased for $19.99 on the website.

International Keep it Kinky Day will hopefully change the hair perceptions held by people of various races and those held by Black people themselves. At the very least, it will encourage a departure from a lifestyle that is disabling.