Why natural?

Let's start with when/why I chose to go natural...

It's February 2009 and I just got another relaxer (what would become my last relaxer ever) in preparation for a school formal. As usual, the first week or so were smooth sailing. No breakage, no problems. Then it started to happen again... I would comb my hair and it would fall out; once I washed it, it became frizzy and barely manageable. I remember calling my mom on a bad hair day and telling her that I was so done with my hair; I was going natural. In my mind, I was ready to chop off all of my hair and start over because this was obviously not working. My mom told me to calm down and that she would not let me cut my hair until I had a plan...products, styles, etc. I took her advise and instantly started to Google natural hairstyles, products, shops, everything. I was introduced to the wonderful world of natural haircare blogs, forums, and YouTube channels. I was excited and couldn't wait to get home for the summer for my work to begin.

I started transitioning instantly because my new growth was out of control. I continued to use the products that I had and to flat iron my roots to keep them manageable. In retrospect, probably not the best plan, but it worked for the moment. When I got home, I got micro-braids, a common transitioning style, from May to July. When I took my braids out I was nervous. I didn't know what my hair would look like, but I was ready to use my newly ordered Carol's Daughter products. To my surprise, after my first wash my hair was incredibly soft. And then, the cutting began. I wasn't as ready for a big chop as I thought, but I started with some of the split ends first. When my two strand twists wouldn't hold because of the straight and now blunt ends, I cut off more. Little by little, wash by wash, over the next month I cut off my straight ends until it was time for me to head back to school. I was getting kinky twists so that I did not have to worry about my hair during the first months of school and so that I could give my hair time to grow. I washed my hair, stood in the mirror and cut off the last bit of straight ends. In the mirror, everything looked straight so I had to stop myself from getting too scissor happy. It got to a point where my mom walked by and told me to leave enough hair for the hair stylists to grab for the kinky twist.

The whole time that I had my kinky twist I was anxious to work with my hair, so I took them out earlier than necessary. At the end of October, I was excited to show off my natural look. I was proud of my decision and the way that it looked as well as the fact that I could do it all on my own.

In the beginning I questioned my decision a little because all of my friends at the time had relaxed hair or straight sewn-in weaves. I often felt like the odd girl out, but then I kept reminding myself that I made the decision to be natural for me and it was for the better. My hair was healthy and I was happy knowing that no more deadly chemicals were going to be polluting my head... and I would not have to go to a beauty shop regularly again.

The rest is pretty much history.

For more on my natural experience on a college campus, see my blog post It's so not a phase...

Be natural. Be you.

Welcome!

Hello Naturalites!!
I am approaching my 2 year nappiversary and what a journey it has been! Being reflective, I have decided to track my journey here in a blog. I am going to try and backtrack through the last 2 years through pictures and products and continuing into the future. If I feel up to it, there may even be some videos as I learn how do to different styles and techniques.

I hope that you all enjoy it and feel free to share your own experiences, questions, and comments!


Be natural. Be you.