Rating: 
Summary: advice
Review: A little advice for those who figured they could not try any of the natural hair styles that Mrs. Brittenum Bonner mentioned in the book. I personally feel that if you don't want to wear any kind of chemical in your hair and want to try a hair style besides braids or dreads, its litterally impossible without some kind of help from a chemical. They even have wash and wear relaxers on the market, but even they to have some kind of mild chemical straightener in them. You don't have to totally kill your hair with a chemical relaxer going totally straight. Like Mrs. Bonner said in her book, the page next to last. Use the relaxer as a texturizer to loosen some of the curl, not totally straighten tightly curled hair. At least by texturizing it, your not taking all the curl out. If you texturize it, you can try some of those great hair styles mentioned in the book. I just recently came out of braids, i could'nt stand to have them in any longer. So after 6 months of new growth hair, what was i gonna do? Kill it again like I've been doing for the last 10 years with my hair growing to one lengh then breaking off. After reading Mrs. Bonner's book, I decided that a mild texturizer was the way for me to go. With the thickiest hair in the world there was no way I can wear any of those hair styles in that book without my hair drawing up because of a little bit of water on it. Ladies with thick hair like mine, if you don't want to put some sort of mild chemical to it,or a wash and wear relaxer, you might as well pull out that straightening comb and comatize the hair with heat or wear those braids. Just because you may texturize it one month dos'nt mean that you have to texturize the next month especially if your wearing the natural hair styles Mrs.Bonner mentions in the book. Im just disappointed that she did'nt put more in there. Ladies, I recommend the cork screw crimp. satisfied consumer
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: Buy This Book! This book is a wonderful resource on caring for
African American hair types. Ms. Bonner does a great job of letting you know what to do and what not to do when it comes to perming, texturizing, or wearing your kinky, afro-textured hair in a non-relaxed state. I will admit that I did not think she had any type of chemical in her hair, but she does state that she uses a texturizer in her hair about once or twice a year. This book is a great read. It is one of the books that helped me get to where I am now...I recently cut off 11" of thick, considerably healthy, breaking, relaxed hair...and now have 4" of EXTREMELY healthy, kinky, coily, nappy, non-breaking, whatever you want to call it, NATURAL hair. I love it! I never knew I had so many styling options when I came to my naturally nappy hair! I now know that relaxing or texturizing is an OPTION for me and not a REQUIREMENT for managing my hair. Ms. Bonner does suggest that if you do not choose completely natural, to mildly texturize your hair instead of taking it to "bone-straight." This book is great for the price and very informative. I have been able to achieve shorter versions of some of the styles in her book already. Buy the book! You won't regret it!
Rating: 
Summary: If you are considering wearing your kinky hair natural,
Review: Buy This Book! This book is a wonderful resource on caring for
African American hair types. Ms. Bonner does a great job of letting you know what to do and what not to do when it comes to perming, texturizing, or wearing your kinky, afro-textured hair in a non-relaxed state. I will admit that I did not think she had any type of chemical in her hair, but she does state that she uses a texturizer in her hair about once or twice a year. This book is a great read. It is one of the books that helped me get to where I am now...I recently cut off 11" of thick, considerably healthy, breaking, relaxed hair...and now have 4" of EXTREMELY healthy, kinky, coily, nappy, non-breaking, whatever you want to call it, NATURAL hair. I love it! I never knew I had so many styling options when I came to my naturally nappy hair! I now know that relaxing or texturizing is an OPTION for me and not a REQUIREMENT for managing my hair. Ms. Bonner does suggest that if you do not choose completely natural, to mildly texturize your hair instead of taking it to "bone-straight." This book is great for the price and very informative. I have been able to achieve shorter versions of some of the styles in her book already. Buy the book! You won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but read and understand carefully
Review: I agree w/ Deborah in D.C.-- I, too, decided to go "natural" (my real self, right?) back in '96. Well, I had seen the author of this book on "Oprah" and had seen the book in '94 in the stores. Picked it up in '96 and wore braids for a year in order to grow out the real deal. Well, when you look at the pictures in this book, you HAVE TO REALIZE that the author's hair is TEXTURIZED. Agreed: why go natural just to put "mild" chemicals in it? Natural is natural, period. A texturizer, much like a regular relaxer, when applied wrong can damage your hair. Now I'm sitting here in '99 wishing I had kept it absolutely natural since '96. Instead of having a head full of slightly damaged texturized hair, I could have a head full of beautiful NATURAL hair. Don't get fooled by the beautiful hairstyles in the book. They're ALL texturized. What's NATURAL about that?
Rating: 
Summary: Weak book
Review: I agree with the reader from title "Nothing New". I bought this book sometime ago and was very disappointed. I learned nothing. Nothing that I didn't already know or didn't have the common sense to know. Yes, we all have been repeated offenders of continously abusing our hair, whether weaves especially bonding, or hairstyles knowing they are ruining our hair or wrong products. But we sacrifice for the style and 'the look'. We all bought the perfect fix oil , conditioner or moisturizer thinking THIS IS IT!! "IT WILL HELP MY HAIR!" and of course got suckered. I bought the book to help me break the cycle and it didn't stop me. It's hard to find a good informative book. It took a hairstlyist who cares for hair, to help me. By cutting all my damaged, weak, and permed hair; this stylist is helping me to the road of healthy hair. It hurt to cut the little length, but it was not healthy. Find a stylist first, then buy a good hair book for reinforced education. I do not recomnend this book or Cathy Howse's Ultra Black Hair Growth II book. Both books are collecting dust on my shelves. I am sick of our sisters wasting our money on garbage like these. We suffered enough with our hair. Sisters hold on to your money and for those willing to buy,buy it used. In fact, buy all black hair books USED for less disappointment! Trust me, I've been there and can write a book myself.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I am glad I only spent $9 on this book because it had very little helpful informaton.
Rating:
Summary: A natural hair classic
Review: I have read many of the reviews on this book. For those who had criticisms, I agree with the reasons you had them. Good Hair does not have a lot of instructional wording in it. There are some misspellings. The author admits to using a texturizer. Still, I feel that this book's importance goes beyond these types of concerns. We all know that in black culture hair has always been a major issue as is anything that signifies our differences from whites. This book is mainly about how blacks have dealt with their hair, its devastating results and squashing the negative attitudes that come with wearing your hair natural. In short, feel beautiful in your own and be beautiful. This book was instrumental in helping me complete my transformation to natural hair in 1996 and I haven't looked back. Mrs. Bonner's natural, funny storytelling and uplifting attitude are worth ten times more than any professional's mumbo-jumbo filled books. And to be honest, other books about natural haven't been any better with giving more instruction and styles when it comes to natural hair. Plus, Mrs. Bonner gives enough instruction that a beginner can really get a handle on things before moving on to my advanced instruction. I have my "Good Hair" copy until this day and look forward to her latest release, "Nice Dreads".
Rating:
Summary: Nothing New
Review: If you grew up with a mother who taught you the correct way to take care of your hair.....this book will bore you. I think the older generation (35 and over) may relate to this book more than the 20 somethings to early 30's. They speak of jheri curls and making protective hair wear (ex. instead of buying Goody products) as if it were yesterday. I didn't find any of Bonners' hairstyles appealing. Also, she didn't seem well educated on the truth about relaxers. Who would be so foolish to go to salons that go against your will by not providing the service you asked for? Ridiculous. If there are that many women out there who are "repeat offenders" of bad beauty stylists/salons, then they don't care too much about their hair afterall. Whether your hair is relaxed or natural, she doesn't teach anymore than you "should" already know. She also makes a few false statements in reference to relaxed hair. It's just common sense that you wouldn't use a thin toothed Ace comb on Afro hair. Come on, is she trying to insult the intelligence of African American women? p.s. Is her name Brittenum or Britten?
Rating:
Summary: You'll be on the road to better hair
Review: Ms. Brittenum Bonner's book is an excellent (not to mention affordable) resource, that any woman (or man) with African hair should have in his/her library. ...The information is presented in a casual and humorous style that most people will identify with. The information provided is plentiful and makes a good deal of sense. Skin and hair are very similar and if we are delicate with our skin, then why not with the hair? ... She not only talks about natural hair (which I am most interested in), but also perms, curly perms (jheri curls), extensions and texturizers. For all of these, she tells you how you can have any of these things, but also how to get acquainted with your own individual hair structure and type, and with good habits, how to get length, but mostly keep it HEALTHY. Every hair type IS made of the same thing regardless of race, it is the information you arm yourself with about your own hair and the practice you put into it which determines if you have healthy hair. Yes, that's right. There is no "good" or "bad" hair. That is a myth. There is only healthy and unhealthy hair. .... Intertwined with funny personal experiences, she tells you briefly about the structure of the hair, the proper methods for everything from shampooing, conditioning, combing, brushing, using your fingers, the proper things to do before going to bed (I was SO relieved to know I don't have to wear painful rollers -they're bad for you to sleep in anyway.), moisturizing, getting shine and yes! - Even styling! She recommends some products for all of these, that are already on the market and don't cost very much that you can pick up easily and implement into nourishing your hair. She also includes pictures and instructions to help you achieve gorgeous hairstyles, EASILY and without the use of harsh and expensive chemicals. Still, even if you can't do without your perms, extensions and texturizers, she tells you how to use them responsibly and eventually transition to even healthier NATURAL hair. ... To my surprise, she has the exact hairstyles in there that I've been wanting. Until I can nurse my hair back to health, these are easy things that I can do that resemble what my hair will look like on its own when it grows out, but that I can acheive now, naturally, just by being informed about my hair's structure and enchancing it with some easy methods... Some of the natural twists and such that she shows you in the book, will give you those beautiful hair styles, that look natural and ARE natural, because you're using your own hair, it doesn't take long to do and doesn't cost much. They also promote hair growth, as you're not doing further damage to the hair, and breaking off the hair that you have before new hair grows. ... This is the best book I've bought on the topic so far, and I'm so glad that I bought it. It's an easy read that I will continue to come back to and recommend to others. Already, I feel as though the book has worked if only that I feel good about making the choice to stay natural, and I am educated about what the truth is about my hair. There is nothing to be ashamed of about your hair, other than not taking the time to know how you can treat it best.
Rating:
Summary: I lived it...it works
Review: My mother had "good" hair and she didn't have the patience/knowledge to help me manage my "skraight from africa naps". So, I can relate to a lot of the authors experiences (even though I'm only 31).
I cut my hair on a whim, then I bought this book. Before reading it I never thought that nappy stuff on my head could grow out (without being a total headache) and was committed to keeping it short.
One year later, I had shoulder-length hair that was the envy of ALL the sistas...even the biracial one with "good" hair.
For those of you without a clue, get this book! Read her other book too.
But for those of you who already have the information but haven't committed to treating your hair with respect, you won't learn anything new in this book. It's up to you to treat your hair with love. No book, cream, perm or weave can replace the TLC your hair needs. Good luck and love your naps! I do.
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