If you haven’t recognized by my pic already, I am one of them “Natural” Sistahs. The word “Natural” refers to my hair and the fact that I do not perm it or alter my nappy hair texture by straightening it. I have been natural since 2006. My natural hair journey has been in the making for many years I believe. Taking the step to actually make it happen came in waves (no pun intended)before i decided that I was going to do it. Here is my road to change:
#1. I moved to Atlanta in 2000 and was happy to see MANY sistahs with various natural styles that I adored but was never bold enough to try.
#2. With the hot summers here in the south I was constantly pulling my former permed shoulder length hair up into a pony tail.
#3. I asked my beautician to chop it all off into a short bobbish style that was inspired by Missy Elliots hair in her Lose Control video.
#4. keepin it real, in 2006 my hubby got laid off and i couldnt afford them 100 bucks a pop/3 hour beauty shop visits anymore, so I cut the perm out (the big chop)and my natural hair journey began.
Getting to know my hair in it’s natural state was like getting reacquainted with an old friend. I haven’t looked back since. Am I trying to make a statement? Maybe…wearing my hair this way is like screaming to the world, “I’m me! I’m Free! Get Used to It!!!” That’s what it is for me anyway. LOL. I am not even going to go into the whole black self hatred thing or how we as a people have brought some of mental remnants of slavery into the millenium with us. Not gonna talk about the 1- drop rule and the systematic denigration of our people…Oh, and I am not going to talk about so called “good hair” and how your hair is considered to be “good” if its a certain texture and “bad” if its a kinkier texture. Nope. Not going there. This is all about me, and loving myself… just as I am. Natural is more than just nice. I get way more compliments on my hair when we go out and My hubby LOVES my hair natural and he constantly tells me so. When we go out, I am frequently stopped and complimented/asked about my hair. He enjoys that. He also likes the way it smells, when I was permed up it smelled different I guess. The versatility of my natural hair also enhances our relationship too, I think. When we go on vacation I don’t have to hide or cover my hair, cause it may be humid or raining. When its time to jump in the pool..I jump. without worrying about whats going to happen to it or spending hours to get it back “right”. When we shower together I dont have to put that ugly cap on, cause I am not scared to get my hair wet anymore. It’s very liberating in all aspects!
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