“I am empowered, my mind is changed, I am no longer afraid to be Leia’ ”

This is my story:

   

  I haven’t always loved the beauty of natural hair. I must admit, I was one of those “My hair is too long and I don’t want to look crazy” kind of girls addicted to the relaxer. I used to talk to this guy that wore his hair in twists and he just looked so sexy and I always wanted to try them on my hair but since I wasn’t natural I couldn’t. Prior to my 21^st birthday I made the decision to cut my hair into a Halle Barry pixie style. After the cut, I started to hear about the potential health effects of relaxers and decided that if I was going to go natural now was the time; I was NOT going to do the big chop when my hair was to my shoulders! I loved my health more than the sleek look. At this point my hair was chopped off and the transition was easy. I wore braids until it was long enough to cut off the relaxed part and rock my afro. I received many compliments from men, women and most surprisingly Caucasian strangers. It was a great feeling and I was happy to be natural and wear the twists I had been dying to try out.

     I’ve been very lucky to not have had any traumatic experiences going natural. However, I have received the occasional odd look followed with the “I will never go around nappy headed” comment from the chemically influenced. This may bother others, but after all of my mother’s “loving” criticisms of my hair anything anyone else has to say just rolls off my back.

     I think the best part of being natural is my personal growth experience. Being natural truly gives you perspective on what makes you beautiful and while going through that short/in-between stage you realize it’s not your hair that makes you beautiful. I finally started to understand what people meant when they said they were free. Free to walk out the door without checking my hair 50 times in the mirror, free to leave the house without a comb, free to walk around without make-up or other cosmetics that you think you have to have, or just free to be who you are and ok/not really caring about people who can’t or won’t except you for any reason; it’s a great feeling. I gained a confidence about myself that people see and respect and tell me they wish they had.

     The only negatives are that I can’t get my hair wet(so many people think once your natural you can go out in the rain->NOT TRUE) and in the summer, if it’s too hot, I can’t wear my hair straight because it willswell up from sweating and I will look like a fluffy troll doll.

     The biggest factor that keeps me natural is the versatility. When I was relaxed, I mainly wore curls or a flat wrap, but with natural hair I twist my hair one week, untwist it for a curly look the next week, and have a looser curl the third week. I just created three different looks in a fraction of the time it takes to create three different styles for relaxed hair each week. I also love that in the morning I can simply apply some oil to my hair, play with it a little bit and be out the door in minutes. I can straighten my hair with a flat iron, I can wear ponytails, I can wear styles galore, the possibilities are endless!

     People used to tell me that once I was natural I had a whole new community of sista's that were embracing of the natural beauty and more open than those that were relaxed. I didn't believe it, but it's true. When I see another woman who is natural I speak and say hey girl I love your fro' or sometimes they beat me no matter how my hair is looking and say I love your natural hair but I am always greeted with a smile! Now let's go to the relaxed girls, hey girl I love your hair-> sometimes it was like they just knew they were the stuff and did a brief thanks with a swish of their locks or some didn't even speak at all. Not to say that all women with relaxers are like this. I just started noticing who smiled back and who was more open to uplifting someone even if they didn't recieve a compliment back and it was more natural women than relaxed. I think it's because going through your natural journey you learn to respect and appreciate others a little more. This is just my own observation**

I canhumbly and with confidence say that I am beautiful. Not because of cosmetic enhancements but because of my beauty that radiates from within and can’t be mimicked or reproduced by the stroke of a makeup brush. 

**Tell me what your journey has been. What are the positive and negatives you’ve experienced?**

Below are some of the styles I wear regularly while natural:

Going Natural What Do I do??????

“Today there are many women who do not respect, appreciate, or understand their own hair in its natural state.” (Lisa Akbari) It’s because they do not understand how to style, control and manage their true texture.

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while been doing more research for you all!

Many women have decided to go natural for health, beauty, or other personal reasons and are lost as to what to do during the transition period.

What you hair is experiencing:

As your hair starts to grow you will start to notice (if your hair is relaxed) where your natural curl pattern and your relaxed hair meet. This is where your focus should be.  The line where the hair meets each other, old and new, is called the line of demarcation or difference.  This is where the hair is the weakest and needs to be taken care of with caution. If you’ve noticed that you’ve experienced shedding it’s because at this line the weight of the relaxed hair is too strong for the natural hair to hold and it snaps and breaks off.

What to do:

CONDITIONING AND MOISTURIZING are key factors in transitioning your hair.  Conditioning and moisturizing keeps your hair healthy and the elasticity strong (how far it can stretch without breaking) within the strand.

Rule of Thumb: If your hair feels dry apply moisturizer, if your hair looks dry apply oil, if it looks and feels both add both. Apply moisturizer then oil to seal and add shine. If your scalp is dry apply oil.

What styles can I wear?:

There are many styles that I recommend.

If your hair is strong enough you can get a sew-in until all your relaxed hair is cut off. I don’t always recommend because it can be hard to get moisture to the hair underneath causing dryness. Also sometimes the braids could be too tight causing to much strain on areas like the edges causing breakage. You might as well have cut it off. 

Other styles: crimps, twist set or braid set, micro-braids, kinky twists, rod set or THE BIG CHOP!

If you don’t plan on wearing your hair in an afro or twisted I suggest a weekly shampoo, condition, and flat iron straight. Your hair can withstand being straight and all one texture and the conditioning and thermal protection will allow you to maintain health.  The heat from the blow dryer and iron will rearrange your curl pattern by loosening it. The loosening of your curl would leave your afro or twists straight on the ends which is why I don’t recommend it if you plan on wearing these styles.

Why does natural hair get so dry?:

Your scalp secretes oil called sebum. When the hair is combed or brushed the oils are distributed throughout the hair strand in a straightened state. When your hair is natural the strands are in a spiral state not allowing the oil to wind down the strand like it could if it was straight. You also do not brush and comb your hair to distribute the oils. This is why you must condition, moisturize and put oil on your hair.

How did I grow my hair out?:

I used to have really long hair, and then one day I cut it into a bob!  The next year I cut it into a Halle Berry cut. From there I braided it in micro braids for the next 5 months. By then I was able to cut off the rest of the relaxer and wear a little afro.

Next Blog- My transition in whole!

*** Remember: Heating tools for daily use~ the first day you burn away maintenance products, the next day you burn hair!***

Lock vs. Dreadlock- "Hairlocking" The basics you need to know

Learn to work with your hair not against it!

“Dreadlock/Dread: A misnomer for locks, carried over from two traditions. Firstly is the Rastafarian way of life, which refers to the uncut, unmanicured locks as dreadlocks because of the fear they instilled in the white man. Secondly, the Eurocentric tradition of England, referred to locked hair as dreadful as they have historically slandered and disempowered any cultural feature that is not theirs. Today Africans perpetuate this slander by referring to their locks as “dreds.” The term Lock is more appropriate. Nakhena Evans- "Hairlocking Everything You Need to Know"

Cultivated vs. Non-cultivated

Locks are considered cultivated locks because they have received some sort of maintenance. A non-cultivated or dread lock is when the hair has not been maintained at all; hair has matted and intertwined itself without being twisted or cared for.

Stages to hairlocking

1. Pre-lock or baby locks-the initial lock. It can be palm rolled or comb twisted (most preferred methods) or two-strand twisted.  You should stay with the same person who begins them as each person will use a different method which could delay the locking process. This stage can last anywhere from 3 months to a year depending on the texture of hair.
1. Tightly Coiled Hair 3-6 months. (looks like a 3)
2. Coiled Hair 6-9 months. (looks like S)
3. Wavy Hair 9-12 months. (usually Caucasian/biracial hair types)
2. Budding or teenager- the hair begins to lock. The lock is no longer thin; it becomes enlarged about 3 quarters down the lock and is rebellious like a teenager. The hair is starting to matt.
3. Shooting or adult locks- the entire lock begins to interlock and matt. The hair is in this stage anywhere from 1-2 years.
4. Contracting phase or elder locks- These locks are now a full network of interlocked spirals of strands. Locks are consistent, tight and solid.
5. Aging- Now you have gotten to year 5, locks are established. After a while, the hair may become thin- trimming is suggested and healthy maintenance will reduce the thinning.

Locks require patience and time. They are not like braids and can be done in several hours. It takes months to years to fully develop locks and have them done the right way. Don’t use brown gel or beeswax. Brown gel tends to dry the hair and beeswax is very hard to break down and if the right shampoo isn’t used it will remain locked in the hair which is not good. These types of products give the appearance of a healthy lock but on the inside of the lock dirt and debris will be retained making the locking process longer and adding more work.

The oil that is most like the natural oil your scalp secretes is Jojoba oil. Sunflower, olive or peanut oil can be supplemented for jojoba oil. You will want to use these oils after shampooing and conditioning to put what moisture that has been taken out back by shampoo back into the hair and scalp.  Aloe Vera gel mixed with oil is a good locking agent that is water soluble.

***Eat right and educate yourself about your hair-> what is going into and on your scalp will get absorbed into your blood. You want to make sure it’s able to help not potentially harm you.***