Racist Comment on Permed to Natural

Hey Guys,

Some weirdo wrote the below comment in reference to my feature story titled, “Black Owned Beauty Supply Store Reveals the Struggles to Stay in Business.” Click HERE to read it.

The user information on my blog reads: KKK, fuckinlazyporchmonkeys, fuckyallnigs@gmail.com and the computer IP address is 71.224.16.169.

I am going to contact the authorities. This nonsense should be legally documented because who knows what else might happen. But - will the authorities be able to do something about this? Is the comment illegal? What can be done? What else should I do?

I need some advice.

The Comment:

you know what black people are good at doing? blaming others, get the fuck off your backs and asses and do something. And no, i don’t mean go try and kill and steal, i’m talking about hard fuckin work.

Budget Van Lines and 5 Star Relocation – The Worst Moving Companies EVER!

I moved a couple of weeks ago but I have to blog about the worst moving company on earth to inform the world about how wack they are in hopes to encourage folks not to use them.

BUDGET VAN LINES along with 5 STAR RELOCATION are unprofessional and horrible to work with. DO NOT EVER USE THEM!!!

I found BUDGET VAN LINES online as a company that specialized in East coast West coast relocation. I spoke to sales representative, Alan Katz. His telephone number is 800-611-6001 ext. 7753. His email address is alan.k@budgetvanlines.com.

In the beginning Alan was very professional. He answered the telephone every time I called and when needed, followed up with an email. So with that, I felt comfortable and confident that I had selected the right moving company. I checked out BUDGET VAN LINES on BBB and found a few complaints but thought a few complaints was normal due to working with so many personalities. Later when everything blew up I found on Google a looong list of people who complained about the company. Many had experienced the same thing I am going to tell you about.

A few days before my move Alan called to let me know that 5 STAR RELOCATION, an affiliate BUDGET VAN LINES works with, was going to call to confirm my job. That was Thursday. My move was scheduled for Monday. Friday came and went. No call. On Saturday I called Alan and told him I had not heard from anyone. Alan said he would follow up. Sunday came and went. No call. Monday morning I left a voicemail for Alan because he didn’t answer his telephone. That was the first time that had happened. I started to worry. I called around pressing various extensions, leaving messages everywhere, trying to get someone on the telephone to find out if the movers were on their way. Three hours later a sales rep answered the telephone and it wasn’t Alan. I told him everything in a panic He confirmed my move and gave me the telephone number to 5 STAR RELOCATION. I called right away but could not get anyone on the telephone until 30 minutes later. David finally picked up the line and confirmed my move for that day and said the movers were still coming. He took my information to give to the dispatcher, Alex. Two hours later I called back (no one called me) and Alex answered and told me that he had the move scheduled for Tuesday instead of Monday. LIAR! I told Alex, David already confirmed my move for that day. He responded, in a blasé blasé tone, “I have it scheduled for tomorrow.” Before I knew it – I cursed him out. Then called my bank and disputed the deposits I paid to BUDGET VAN LINES.

Completely stressed out, I spent several hours calling around trying to find a new moving company that could move my stuff that evening because I had a flight booked to leave New York for New Mexico the next morning at 6:00am! With a recommendation from U-Haul I found a company that agreed to move me the next morning. I accepted it. I had no choice. Then I had to change my flight schedule. I managed to get something that left the same day in the afternoon. More stress and money!

After an hour of me calling my bank to dispute the fee I paid to BUDGET VAN LINES, someone from the company finally returned my calls – but it wasn’t Alan. I was so pissed I don’t remember what they said because I wasn’t trying to hear them.

The moving company I was able to get only moved people locally. So I had to have them transfer my stuff to a storage unit at U-Haul. Stress, stress and more stress.

Overall, the move went well and I was able to make my plane in a knick of time. The rest of my stuff will be here in August when I move into my new place. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.

However, I spent thousands of extra dollars that was not part of the plan to make everything happen. I am wondering if I have a law suit against sorry-ass BUDGET VAN LINES and 5 STAR RELOCATION.

What do you think?

My Hair is Dry!!

My Goodness!!!

I haven’t been in New Mexico a solid two weeks and already my hair has dried up like burnt ash. I guess traveling from New York to New Mexico and then from New Mexico to Georgia and back to New Mexico within seven days was a lot for my hair to handle.

However, while in Georgia my hair felt soft. When I arrived back to New Mexico my hair felt dry and crunchy-like. 

I also have been outside (in the sun) then inside (in air conditioning) then back outside and inside again. Perhaps my hair is going through some sort of culture shock due to all of the sudden changes. 

People in New Mexico said it is the dry air that is sucking all of the moisture out of my hair. I was told that I will have to double up on everything to keep a little moisture in my curls such as deep conditioning twice a week instead of once a week, doubling up on the amount of products I use for moisture, wetting my hair every day and sealing it in plus administering more co-washes.

I am already using good-goobs of products every night, more than I have ever used before, but so far nothing has helped. My hair feels dry and hard as if I didn’t use anything at all.

The products I am currently using are by Wonder Curl. I purchased them at the Natural’s Night Out event in New York City.

I saturate, I mean sat-tu-rate my hair every evening, with Wonder Curl’s Butter Than Love Hair Whipped, Get Slick Hair Smoothie and sometimes Get Set Hair Gel. I lock-in everything with coconut oil or Shea Moisture’s Reconstructive Elixir with sea kelp, argon oil and shea butter for dry, damaged hair. 

I don’t know if I should review Wonder Curl’s products or the Reconstructive Elixir. If I do, based on what I am experiencing in New Mexico, on a scale of 1 to 5 curls, I will have to give all of the products 1/2 curl because they are just not working for me. After using the Elixir my hair is oily but their is no moisture. After using the coconut oil I get the same results, so…

But, while in Atlanta over the July 4th holiday, my hair felt a little softer but I was not really satisfied with its texture.

So in Georgia, I’ll give Wonder Curl and Shea Moisture’s Reconstructive Elixir – 2 curls.

Any suggestions on how I can maintain moisture in my hair??

I Gotta Crush!

Check them out!

I Have to Get a Grip

My hair has grown. The back reaches my collar bone when in March it came to the end of my neck. I am happy about that, really I am, but I don’t think it is growing fast enough and it certainly isn’t as thick as I want it to be. I watch YouTube and read other hair blogs and have observed the growth and thickness of the natural vloggers and bloggers and say – “My hair doesn’t look like that!”

Then I think, “Who am I comparing myself to?” I am comparing my hair growth and thickness to women who are mainly in their 20’s or 30s. I shouldn’t do that because I am 45 years old! Chemicals were in my hair on and off for 16 years and then consistently for another 16. So that is a lot of years spent ruining my hair. When those numbers are combined its total equals more than the age of most of those natural heads and when I think about that, all I can say is, OMG!

My hair has experienced relaxers, curly perms, flat irons, hot combs, curling irons, braids, weaves and maybe something else I can’t think of right now that I know has caused serious damage. It isn’t as strong or youthful as someone maybe twenty years my junior so I have to get a grip and come to terms that my mane will do its thing on its own time and no one else’s – especially mine. Plus, because of all of the hair abuse, in addition to age, I may also have to come to terms that my hair won’t be as thick as most of the bloggers and vloggers or even as thick as I want it to be.

That’s a way harsh reality to come to terms with. Am I ready to get a grip of the truth? Do I have a choice?

Test

Hey There!

Permed to Natural’s posts are having coding issues on its Twitter and MySpace accounts. So this post is just a test to find out if all of the articles will surface and appear legible on all pages.

Okay. Here we go!

Black Owned Beauty Supply Store Reveals the Struggles to Stay in Business

After posting the documentary about the struggles black owned beauty supply stores are experiencing because of their Korean counterparts, I thought about the number of African American owned beauty supply stores that cater to black hair within my parameter, and after thinking about it, I realized the answer was zero. I normally purchase hair care products throughout Brooklyn and Harlem and every shop I go to is owned by Koreans. Once realizing I couldn’t find a black owned beauty supply store, I researched the issue and found the film by Aron Raven.

Because of Raven’s project I became very curious about the topic, almost obsessed, and went online in search of black owned beauty supply stores. Ultimately, I found BeeTee Beauty Supply Store in East Orange, New Jersey. I called the store and spoke to the owner, Tim. He was very gracious and openly filled me in on the politics regarding the beauty supply store business. After our conversation I had to feature him on Permed to Natural. There was no way I could keep all of that information to myself. I went to East Orange to meet Tim in person and to visit his store. BeeTee Beauty is a large space that is magnificently stocked with products for your every hair care need. I felt extremely proud when I entered his store.

Check out what Tim has to say about the beauty supply store business.

PTN: What inspired you to start your own beauty supply store?

BT: We came from families of entrepreneurs. Our families ran their own businesses from retail, corporations to professional practices. So naturally we gravitated towards owning our own business. Beauty supply was an attraction because despite what you do and who you are, you will always take care of your beauty needs.

PTN: How long has BeeTee Beauty Supply been in business and where are you located?

BT: BeeTee Beauty opened officially in August of 2002. Our information is 516B Main Street; East Orange, New Jersey 07018; 973-678-0046; Website: www.beeteebeauty.com; Email: beeteebeauty@yahoo.com.

PTN: Your competition are the Koreans who also own beauty supply stores geared towards African American hair care. Have you lost customers to Korean owned beauty supply stores in your area?

BT: Well you loose some and you gain some! Koreans have always dominated the industry and our people have come to think that the beauty supply business is the domain of the Koreans only. I think that we as a people should support one another and together we can get our business back. Currently, the Koreans control the market, they have the financial stability, and they have locked down the supplies, the suppliers and the manufacturers, which pose entry barriers into the beauty supply business for the minority black person.

PTN: Have you noticed a change in the way business is done over the years? If so, please tell us about it.

BT: The market is dominated by the Koreans; if you don’t speak the Korean language, they wouldn’t sell to you, when they do sell; the price is higher than for their Korean counterpart. You are often compelled to pay cash, certified check or money order for everything you buy. No return, no terms. In New Jersey where we are located there is an organization called Korean Beauty Supply Association (KBSA). They have threatened to boycott any distributor that will sell to any non Korean beauty supply store. Consequently, these distributors become scared to sell to the non Koreans because of the threat of boycott from KBSA. Have you ever wondered why most stores owned by blacks or minorities are poorly stocked? It’s not because they don’t have the capital. No. Far from it! Majority of them have the money but they can’t find a supplier that is willing to take the wrath of the KBSA.

Secondly, if you do find a supplier or distributor willing to sell, they will suddenly either stop selling or demand their products back.  Then follows the excuses; either the factory in China or Korea has gone on strike or they have burnt down or they are out of stock, and so on…. Or they give you the “proximity” excuse. The proximity excuse is usually used when Korean distributors don’t want to sell to you because you are not Korean. They tell you that you are too close to a customer of theirs and will violate their unwritten code by selling to you. They would say it promotes unhealthy competition. But it’s okay when the store is Korean owned. These stories are real! They actually happened to us and are still happening eight and a half years later.

In November 2002, a few months after our official grand opening in East Orange, New Jersey, our main distributor Jingu (Harlem21) hair company came back to our store and demanded to take their products back. They came with a refund money order (issued from a Korean bank in China Town, New York) and advised that they have been instructed by their CEO in China to refund us our money and return their products. They indicated that their company had received numerous calls and threats from KBSA that they were doing business with us. The KBSA had called their president in China and logged complaints. When Jingu came to our store to collect their products, they came in company with KBSA members to ensure that the products were actually retrieved. Another supplier in California, Jazz Wave, stopped selling to us three months later. Reason? Their factory burnt down and they are getting a lot of calls from the New Jersey chapter of KBSA to stop selling to us, they would eventually confess. Ben’s Beauty (in Philadelphia), Milky Way Hair Collections, Janet Hair Collections (Beauty Plus), Beverly Johnson Hair Collections, Outre, Motions Hair Collections, Sensationnel Hair, just to name a few, had one excuse after another.

PTN: All of the hair collections you just mentioned are Korean owned?

BT: Yes all of them are Korean owned including Beverly Johnson’s Hair Collection. Also Korean owned are Sally Beauty Supply stores.

PTN: How are Koreans able to obtain black hair care products to distribute? Can you go to the same place to purchase products for your store as well?

BT: Korean distributors go to the manufacturers, and some are black owned, to buy products by the trailer load. Manufacturers don’t normally sell to retail stores because the distributors are able to purchase a lot more items and that is how they make their money. There are a few black distributors I am able to purchase from but sometimes they buy products from the Korean distributors because they can not afford to purchase a large amount from the manufacturers.  

PTN: Do black owned manufacturers know what the Koreans are doing to black owned beauty supply stores?

BT: I am sure they do.

PTN: How many black owned beauty supply stores are there in East Orange, New Jersey?

BT: I know of only three including mine. The fourth one was forced out of business by the Koreans due to lack of suppliers and products. So her customers dwindled and migrated to her Korean competition. 

PTN: How many Korean owned beauty supply stores that cater to black hair are there in East Orange, New Jersey?

BT: At the top of my head I can count more than eight in the vicinity where I operate. I am sure there is a slew more of Korean owned black beauty supply shops in East Orange since East Orange accounts for over 75 percent of blacks in the Oranges.

PTN: How do you feel about those numbers?

BT: Discouraging and disproportionately balanced. It is unfair that black people are prevented from entering a market that caters to their needs. But then again, who says life is fair?

PTN: Do you purchase products from Koreans who distribute most of the black hair care supplies? If yes, is it hard working with them? If not, how to do stock your store?

BT: Yes, I do but it’s not easy at all.  Cash up front no credit. There are a few willing to do business with us under the radar. These suppliers very frequently do not want our Korean counterparts to know that they are selling to us.

PTN: How do you think African Americans lost ownership of beauty supply stores for black hair? What can we do to gain back control? Do you think we are willing to do that?

BT: I don’t know but knowing what I know now, I think we sold out! We need to stop selling ourselves short, cheap and gain back our self esteem. I believe in my people and I still think that we can gain back control if we stick together and support those that dare to enter the market. We will gain back control when we start working together, start spending our money within our people and in our businesses and give black businesses a chance. Financial institutions in the black communities need to open up and lend money to grow the community.

PTN: What do you want Permed to Natural readers to take with them after reading your story?

BT: The beauty supply industry is like the mafia. No one tells you until you get there to find out that everything is locked down. It’s a dog eat dog world out there. The Koreans do not want black people in the business that caters to blacks, previously owned by blacks and used by blacks. Where black owned beauty supplies exist, the Koreans are bent at eliminating and wiping them out for good.

I want all your readers to ‘try and support black beauty supply stores out there’ wherever and whenever they can because they are the ones that will create the wealth in the black community and invest the money back in the black community. Ever wonder where your Korean beauty supply store owner lives? Certainly not in your community where they make their money! 

From Permed to Natural, Back to Permed, to Natural Again

I did the above after swearing a million times I would NEVER get another perm once transitioning back to natural hair.

I put my hair through relaxers, wave nouveaus, weaves, box braids, cornrows and so on until I got sick of it all and had my hair cut in a pixie like Halle Berry – which I wore brilliantly for more than a decade.

After growing weary of short hair, I wanted it long. When my hair reached neck length I decided to go natural again but didn’t want to do the Big Chop so I transitioned and basically that is how my blog Permed to Natural was born.

I often wonder why I transitioned from permed to natural, back to permed to go natural again so many times. Did you guys do this too or am I the only one? I returned to the chemicals because I was afraid of corporate America. I am very thankful I don’t feel that way anymore. Even though relaxed hair looked cute on me, I never really felt comfortable with it in my hair. In the back of my mind I was always thinking about going natural.

What is it about permed hair that is so attractive? First of all relaxers are no good for us in so many ways it’s ridiculous. Maybe relaxed hair is special because people think the way I did – corporate America won’t approve if it’s not permed. Some say permed hair is easier to manage. Many have been raised to think straight hair is better than curly or coily hair. Several have experienced being rejected by their own race because their hair isn’t straight. Black men have said to me, “You can’t run your fingers through a natural head.” I wondered; does running your fingers through someone’s hair make them an overall better person to date? I guess some men would say “Yeah,” but seriously, though. Just the other day on Facebook I promoted my fan page through an email I was linked to and some dude sent a personal response that first read, “Don’t be ugly. Get a perm.” Then it must have been changed because the final remark read, “Get a perm.” For some reason Facebook allowed me to see his first comment by putting the cursor on the sentence. Weird. I know. But that is what happened.

 Since I could remember having nappy hair was not acceptable. My mother was raised in rural Georgia during the 1940s, and at that time, black folks were criticized about their appearance constantly. All of that criticism somehow leaked into the Black home and took up residency. To this day some households still have the same leakage problem. Based on her experiences, my mother who possesses fair skin and fine curly hair didn’t appreciate her texture and like many others she changed it. That was her foundation. However, today, should we still dislike our hair texture based on treatment that was done to us decades – even centuries ago?

 Have you guys ever witnessed a seasoned woman get a perm with extremely thin gray strands of hair on her head surrounding a bald spot in the middle? That is what a relaxer can do after using it for many years.

So again I ask – What is it about permed hair that is so attractive? Can anyone provide their point of view?

A Test

Hello Everyone – This post is just a test to see if I correctly set up my Twitter and Facebook Fan Page. I am a neophyte when it comes to this computer stuff and no one I asked was willing to help me so…

Here is goes.

Permed to Natural Got Hacked After All

Permed to Natural got hacked on Halloween. I thought I had gotten things adjusted but I found out that my subscribers are not receiving my posts which is due to the hacker’s poisonous venom.  I am in the process of trying to get Permed to Natural back to normal again. I guess people have nothing else better to do then to be destructive to folks they don’t even know.

I will keep you all posted on any updates.