In November 2010, I was fed up with the way my relaxed hair had began to look and feel. Dry, brittle, bodiless, stringy and thin, and I mean extremely thin. I could no longer endure looking in the mirror, as I am one whose hair effects their entire mood and overall being. My reason for returning to natural was to reverse the damage that relaxers had brought upon my hair. This was NOT my hair, I repeatedly told myself as I ran my fingers through in disgrace. Images of my thick, curly, long hair that I possessed as a child would continuously play out in my mind. But then, there was the coarse texture in the middle of my head that seemed unmanageable to my mother, (well, it's still a struggle for me lol) and the simplest solution back then was to slap a relaxer on it. I followed suit for the next 20 plus years, it's what I knew. Until one day, I just quit. Unplanned, zero research, complete halt. I honestly knew nothing about being natural. Ignorant, for sure. I was under the impression that I was supposed to just stop relaxing my hair and voila! Boy was I wrong. As I began transitioning, I began to see and feel a difference in my hair. It grew in thicker, it was healthier, and that was my main objective. Now that I've learned the basics on the health of my hair, I am in the process of maintaining that and retaining length. It has indeed been a learning process, and there is so much to natural hair that I would've never imagined. It intrigues me. I am eager to see how my journey continues.
Four years in and the fun is just beginning! For anyone transitioning as I did, here's a few tips that I of course learned the hard way: BE PATIENT! Never compare your growth or journey to someone else's. There are so many factors that contribute to our hair, such as diet, exercise, genetics, etc. Understand that EVERY PERSON has a different hair texture, so what works for them, (especially product and technique wise) may not work for you. Embrace the trials and errors, oh, and the shrinkage too! Learning your hair and its needs is not an overnight process. When researching, pace yourself. Too much information, tutorials and opinions can become overwhelming. And lastly, hang in there! Remember to make this YOUR journey. Being natural is definitely a roller coaster ride, but don't you always get an indescribable rush and smile at the end? Enjoy!
