“I Am Not Comfortable Rocking A Fro At Work" - Determining Personal Ha

As I’m transitioning into working full-time, I wanted to find alternative ways to wear my natural tresses. Rocking a big ‘fro in the workplace every day isn’t something that I feel entirely comfortable with.

It was cool on the college campus because it’s more of a relaxed environment. Plus, the newbies needed to see us “veteran” naturalistas sporting our natural curls in order for them to feel more comfortable wearing theirs.

In the office setting, though, I’d want my hair to be out of my face and not act as a distraction to any of my colleagues.

I’m proud to say that after 5 years of wearing natural styles, I’ve finally discovered the updo! I don’t know what took me so long to try it. It’s so quick and easy.

It literally only takes me five minutes to get a style that I like. I’ve done various styles, from pompadours, to flat twists to pin ups. It saves a lot of time and product, too!

I also feel a lot more clean and classy with these looks. Am I the only one who feels somewhat masculine when I wear my afro?

Of course, it’s not all of the time, but there are instances where I don’t feel as soft and girly because my hair isn’t lying down smooth and straight.

Maybe this depends on a person’s hair texture and the way they style their ‘fro. For example, bouncy spiral curls don’t yield the same response as a fluffy afro that’s picked out. It’s almost as though there’s a spectrum of what is considered a “radical” hairstyle. I would say that my density alone makes mine fall on the rougher end of the spectrum.

Anyway, I’ll be interested to see what reactions I get as I enter into a new work setting. I don’t plan on wearing an updo everyday, but I don’t plan on wearing my bold curls out everyday either.

I know something as simple as twisting or pinning the front can make an afro look more presentable. My hair’s radicalness will hopefully become less of an issue as it grows longer. But, then again, my hair grows out more than it grows down, so my hairstyles get bigger and bigger instead of longer and more tamed.

Perhaps none of these concerns are valid. Maybe I’m being too hard on my hair (no pun intended) and it will be accepted in whatever style I choose to wear.

Maybe everyone will love it and ask genuine questions about it. Or, better yet maybe it’ll be so normalized that I just blend in like any other person in the office. Hmm. Doubt it!

I’ll update this post in a few months after I’ve experienced these things first-hand.

What about you, ladies? Do any of my sentiments resonate with you? What are your go-to styles in the workplace?