I can’t believe 12 years have flown by already. On August 23, 2008, I did something bold (at the time). I did a big chop (cut off all my relaxed hair) and became fully natural. Cutting my hair was a freeing experience. For me, it meant not carrying so much weight (black hair expectations) on my shoulders any longer. I wanted to finally be me and not rely on what others and society deemed to be acceptable. Seeing natural hair was very rare. People saw it as a rebellion move. I was called a hippy, people wanted to know why I wanted to do it; why I wanted to “walk around like that”. Some even asked me if I would go back to relaxing my hair.
However, having natural hair is not all unicorns and fairies. I’ve had my fair share of bad days with my hair. I’ve had days where I thought to myself, why the heck would I do this. I questioned myself about what I was trying to prove. I just wanted to be and feel free. Over the past 12 years, I’ve had 3 big chops (2016 being the latest), straightened it 4 times (pain in the ass), and now rock an undercut with the sides shaven. But one thing I love seeing so much is more black women embracing their natural beauty.
You need not have a certain texture of hair or a certain face to rock your natural hair. When I hear people say that, it’s more of an excuse as to why they don’t like or want to go natural. If you’re not comfortable or don’t want to rock your natural hair, that’s fine. Just be honest about it a stop with the excuses. I am grateful that I found other natural ladies on YouTube and different forums and groups able to share knowledge and help with things such as hair texture, products, routines, etc. Everyone’s hair is different and I find that a lot of the big companies and mainstream product lines do not work for my hair. I am fortunate to find something that works for my hair. they may not be mainstream but, that’s fine by me. My advice for any woman that is still thinking about going natural is to just do it. It's just hair, and it does not measure your self-worth or beauty.
I love my natural hair and won't ever go back to the "creamy crack".