Hey guise! I’m back with more honesty. I personally believe when you admit your struggle, you could be helping someone who is secretly fighting this thing. As I was getting ready this morning, I was reminded how relieved I am to have natural hair. I am here to tell you it comes with many new struggles and balancing acts, but I love it because at the end of the day it is what is best for me. Which brings me to my first truth.
1. Natural hair is for everyone who wants it.
So many times I hear the phrase “natural hair isn’t for everybody” and that is the quickest way to send me ranting. If you want to be natural, then natural hair is for you. Just like any new endeavor, you will have a learning curve on how to maintain your hair, but who is to say the hair that naturally grows out of your head is not the hair you are meant to have? No one says elbows aren’t for everybody.
2. You have to embrace and accommodate to change.
Products that you used while you were deep in the trenches of team creamy crack might not work for your hair in its natural state. One of the first things that many naturals realize is that shampoos containing sulfate is harshly drying. Gone are the days of picking Motions or a shampoo that smells good and here are the days of rapid-scanning the ingredients for the no-nos faster than someone can say “TRESemmé”. Even as your hair continues to grow, your regimen might have to change to accommodate the varying levels of maintenance.
3. You are not always going to like natural hair.
When I first had my big chop, I cried. I thought my friend was jealous or mad at me and happily cut my hair because she knew I would end up ugly. It was a very deliberate process, learning to love my hair and love how I looked no matter what my length. Sometimes, I would dress my face up, just to boost my confidence. Rocking wood earrings and head bands were a thing for a while. I’m tender headed so I hated my life just about anytime I needed to detangle. But guess what? There was a short amount of time I lost all my good sense and permed my hair. And within a year, I had transitioned and big chopped again. Because I might not always like my natural hair, but I love being natural and having natural hair.
4. Comparison is the enemy of progress.
Hair envy is a mean, green monster. I follow so many natural hair Instagram pages that feature girls with massive fros that I can only dream of. After I first went natural, I had many friends who would go natural and have loose perfect ringlets while my hair continued to create new meaning to the term kinky. Others would grow huge fros within months, while I still rocked what appeared to be a TWA after being 4 years in the game (shrinkage is a beast, kids). But again, I learned not to compare (it’s horrible for my peace of mind) but instead make the necessary steps to have the best hair for me.
Those are my words, regarding natural hair. So many times, when people express a desire to be natural, I smile and try to warn them about these truths. Hopefully, this will help but I also wish anyone who is pondering natural hair lots of luck! It really is a great experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
If you like what you see, be sure to share with your friends! And if you have any other great natural hair truths, let me know in the comments!
