 |
| Close up pictures of my tight curls ;) |
All
Naturals
w/ Curls, Coils & Kinks
When the question comes knocking should you return natural or not... many people are left confused or even unsure if this is the right decision for them. I think it's a common feeling mainly due to the fact it's really a life changing decision. I remember as my friends one by one were returning natural and every time I turned around another natural in public would make me more and more curious of the natural texture I feel I never knew. I remember thinking maybe my texture is like hers, or maybe hers or those girls... or even none of them. Did it even matter what my texture was?
My creative juices definitely began to flow as my thoughts bounced around at the idea of returning natural. At this time I was also a bit burned out with relaxers in general... the feeling of here comes that new growth and there goes the new growth as I cover it up with another relaxer... old faithful... or was it? It wasn't an overnight decision but it definitely became crystal clear which route God wanted me to take. We all have a different purpose and journey in life so this isn't a rant that you should absolutely return natural just my personal thoughts from my experience and I truly felt it was time for me to share about my introduction into the natural hair world.
What does it really mean to return natural? I am sure that it varies as it can mean many things to different people. I know for me it was a combination of self-discovery, mixed with embracing my natural texture, topped off with desiring a healthier lifestyle including not putting harsh chemicals on my head into my body. I was engaged and planning for our wedding and the thought came to mind... should I just stop getting relaxers and see what happens or should I just cut off all my hair now? HELP! I started to do some research and read many stories about why a lot of naturals decided to return natural... as there were many different reasons one common denominator started becoming clear they all desired to be free. Would it be as freeing for me as it was for them... what would my hair journey be like? As, I was looking into the future of my life starting a new chapter as a soon to be wife I thought this is a perfect time for me to make some changes for my new life lying ahead.
Bold moves! I remember telling my fiancé what I wanted to do and accomplish and he was more than supportive and assisted me in this wonderful transition. Supportive friends and family are important and helpful during this time. I also asked my natural hair friends questions and thoughts about returning natural. Make sure if you decide to return natural you are doing it for the right reasons. Authentic motives well help aiding in unrealistic expectations. Once you make the decision to go natural research and be prepared to embrace whatever texture you were born with. Please don't pray and ask God for a particular texture! One thing that helped me is I watched many natural hair YouTube videos with naturals with all different textures and walks of life since I had no idea what my texture was. I researched a lot on the different natural hair textures and became very familiar with what to expect after you BC or decide to transition.
In the end I decided to step into this new natural hair world and return natural and step out on faith. I felt a peace about returning natural and strong desire which I knew meant I was headed in the right direction for me. My plan at this point was to stop getting relaxers and my hairstylist would assist me in my transition phase of my natural hair journey. Yes ladies I was a weekly frequent visitor of the hair salon! If you are a current relaxer trying to decide to return natural or not and you already do your hair yourself... you may be more than fine to tackle transitioning on your own but I wasn't one who did my hair at all. If not there are many natural hair stylists out there to assist you during your transition phase if you choose to go that route. So, I transitioned for 6 months... with the initial goal of a year lol. What happened? Well... that transition phase at least for my texture was a beast. We had trouble washing it, detangling it, styling.... my two textures just fought each other all the time forcing me to cut it all off but I had no breakage. ;) My blessing in disguise is what I like to call it.... as it launched me into the natural hair world.
Returning natural definitely was the best decision for me. I had no idea how it would change my life and open my eyes to so many things I had never seen before. This process mentally may take some time for some of you so don't fret that is common. I would suggest if you are trying to navigate the pros and cons of returning natural to check your motives at the door. If you feel peace about it go for it and if you don't do more research as it may not be the right time for you. I would definitely encourage you to check out other naturals stories as they are all different and may offer you a different perspective. My hope is that you would make the best decision for you and do it from a knowledgeable standpoint knowing what to expect. Trying something new will not only be an exciting and rewarding experience but it truly for me.... set me free! If I could do it I know you CAN. ;)
My creative juices definitely began to flow as my thoughts bounced around at the idea of returning natural. At this time I was also a bit burned out with relaxers in general... the feeling of here comes that new growth and there goes the new growth as I cover it up with another relaxer... old faithful... or was it? It wasn't an overnight decision but it definitely became crystal clear which route God wanted me to take. We all have a different purpose and journey in life so this isn't a rant that you should absolutely return natural just my personal thoughts from my experience and I truly felt it was time for me to share about my introduction into the natural hair world.
What does it really mean to return natural? I am sure that it varies as it can mean many things to different people. I know for me it was a combination of self-discovery, mixed with embracing my natural texture, topped off with desiring a healthier lifestyle including not putting harsh chemicals on my head into my body. I was engaged and planning for our wedding and the thought came to mind... should I just stop getting relaxers and see what happens or should I just cut off all my hair now? HELP! I started to do some research and read many stories about why a lot of naturals decided to return natural... as there were many different reasons one common denominator started becoming clear they all desired to be free. Would it be as freeing for me as it was for them... what would my hair journey be like? As, I was looking into the future of my life starting a new chapter as a soon to be wife I thought this is a perfect time for me to make some changes for my new life lying ahead.
Bold moves! I remember telling my fiancé what I wanted to do and accomplish and he was more than supportive and assisted me in this wonderful transition. Supportive friends and family are important and helpful during this time. I also asked my natural hair friends questions and thoughts about returning natural. Make sure if you decide to return natural you are doing it for the right reasons. Authentic motives well help aiding in unrealistic expectations. Once you make the decision to go natural research and be prepared to embrace whatever texture you were born with. Please don't pray and ask God for a particular texture! One thing that helped me is I watched many natural hair YouTube videos with naturals with all different textures and walks of life since I had no idea what my texture was. I researched a lot on the different natural hair textures and became very familiar with what to expect after you BC or decide to transition.
In the end I decided to step into this new natural hair world and return natural and step out on faith. I felt a peace about returning natural and strong desire which I knew meant I was headed in the right direction for me. My plan at this point was to stop getting relaxers and my hairstylist would assist me in my transition phase of my natural hair journey. Yes ladies I was a weekly frequent visitor of the hair salon! If you are a current relaxer trying to decide to return natural or not and you already do your hair yourself... you may be more than fine to tackle transitioning on your own but I wasn't one who did my hair at all. If not there are many natural hair stylists out there to assist you during your transition phase if you choose to go that route. So, I transitioned for 6 months... with the initial goal of a year lol. What happened? Well... that transition phase at least for my texture was a beast. We had trouble washing it, detangling it, styling.... my two textures just fought each other all the time forcing me to cut it all off but I had no breakage. ;) My blessing in disguise is what I like to call it.... as it launched me into the natural hair world.
Returning natural definitely was the best decision for me. I had no idea how it would change my life and open my eyes to so many things I had never seen before. This process mentally may take some time for some of you so don't fret that is common. I would suggest if you are trying to navigate the pros and cons of returning natural to check your motives at the door. If you feel peace about it go for it and if you don't do more research as it may not be the right time for you. I would definitely encourage you to check out other naturals stories as they are all different and may offer you a different perspective. My hope is that you would make the best decision for you and do it from a knowledgeable standpoint knowing what to expect. Trying something new will not only be an exciting and rewarding experience but it truly for me.... set me free! If I could do it I know you CAN. ;)
Power Thought -Authentic motives well help aiding in unrealistic expectations.
Today's Natural Hair Lingo
CAN = Calling All Naturals
Returning natural = Process of returning back to your natural hair texture by either cutting off all your relaxed hair or growing out your relaxed hair and it cutting it at some point.
Relaxed hair = Textured hair that's been chemically straightened
CAN = Calling All Naturals
Returning natural = Process of returning back to your natural hair texture by either cutting off all your relaxed hair or growing out your relaxed hair and it cutting it at some point.
Relaxed hair = Textured hair that's been chemically straightened
Weekly Natural Hair Care Deals
*$avings Alert*
Sally's Beauty Supply - August Beauty Sale
No comments:
Post a Comment