Grow my hair natural

One of my bucket list's goals has been to stop perming my hair and to start growing it naturally.

And now, I can proudly say that I have been perm free, since 2008. However, recently in january 2010, I began to wear my hair naturally. During the transitioning stage, I wore my hair only in protective styles, braids/ twist.

 Because I am a bit new and inexperienced with black natural hair, the purpose of this post is not a how to guide for natural hair care. This post is simply to document my bucket list's accomplishment and to give readers some motivation to grow their hair naturally.

Why I decided to go natural?

• I was scared to wake up one day bald, because my hair was severely damaged, after years of using a relaxer.
•  I wanted to regain the  thick hair that I had as a child.
•  I was tired of spending long hours at the hairdresser and seating under a hot dryer.
• I could not fix the damage from the chemicals and heat, despite all the treatments/ cuts/ regiments.
• I could not find a black hair salon, when I moved to school.

How did I transition from perm to natural hair?

I did not want to do the big chop, where I had to cut off all my hair and start from scratch. Instead, I put my hair in braids. Then, when my hair reached a certain length, I cut the remaining permed hair.

Currently, to care for my hair, I do a lot of research, I watch a lot of tutorial videos from you tube, and I follow natural hair blogs.

Here is a list of helpful links:
HeatherNicole
CurlyNikki
CurlyChronicles

What is good hair? 

 The answer to this question, to me, is very simple. Good hair is healthy hair. I decided to include a preview of Chris rock's documentary, "What is Good Hair?", because it not only pertains to this hair topic/post, but it is also hilarious.

 

What are 20 things I wish I knew before going natural ?

(The list is from natural reign. The first 13 things were taken from her list. I modified her original list by adding, at the end, 7 other things I wish I knew before going natural.)

1. That a relaxer is an acid.
2. That it's not a political statement nor a way for others to judge how 'black' I am. Simply put, It Just Is.
3. That I would get more compliments on my hair than ever.
4. That I would love that it doesn't look like anyone elses hair - not like when I was relaxing and having it Chi Iron Straight while occasionally getting asked: "Is that all 'your' hair?"
5. That I could take a shower without a shower cap.
6. That I would not be afraid of the Rain.
7. That men YES even black men love it and find it strangely exotic and as natural as rain.
8. That we deserve to feel as beautiful as we are.
9. That I would feel sexy, confident and free.
10. That I would be at peace with God and know that he didn't give me bad hair.
11. That I really CAN survive without heat and chemicals and have so many hairstyle options, including straight if I chose to go there for a day.
12. That for unexpected events I wouldn't have an OMG my hair is not done moment. I can either wash and go or place a wrap around my head and tie it in a knot and still get compliments although it's a bad hair day.
13. That my hands would stay in my hair and I would have to chant "I will not touch my hair, I will not touch my hair"; and at the same time realizing why as a kid I could not keep my hands out of my hair.
14. That black natural hair is not meant to be comb/ detangle at a dry state.
15. That I have to invest in a big comb and throw away my small european comb because it is not for my curly hair.
16. That there is a whole community of girls with natural hair on the internet to support/help with the transitioning process.
17. That African- American women spends an an absurd amount of money to maintain permed hair.
18. That my curls are more fragile than straight hair.
19. That there are natural hair salons.
20. That experimenting with different products is a good thing.

To conclude this post, I want to give you my point of view on the natural hair movement. I disagree with the idea to go natural just to make a statement. If you decide to go natural, you should do it for yourself.

Additionally, I think the natural hair movement is positive in that it allows black women to learn/ understand/love their hair.

Though it was not my initial goal, through my natural hair journey, I learned to embrace my natural beauty. My hair, just like my shoes or clothes, reflects the type of person that I am. However, I do not let my hair define me.