Rock, Paper, Scissors, Hair?

My Journey to natural hair was not really from some big epiphany or anything, I have always loved the idea of having natural hair even though I had relaxed my hair for the majority of my life. I wanted a more healthy and natural look, so I decided to start transitioning from relaxed hair to natural hair which was also a journey on its own, it was really painful to take care of, on the account of the fact that my hair was two different types. Several days of watching women (who, come to think of it, had way looser curls than my 4C texture) do magical things to their post-transition hair provided the final push I needed to complete the process and get rid of my relaxed hair for good. I couldn’t do it myself, so I got an aunt to do it for me and I can honestly say that I cried when I saw my cut hair all around me, it took me some time to come to terms with the fact that my hair was different and that I couldn’t hold it in any way at all, this was all new territory for me. My mum seemed to take it harder than me, considering my hair was longer just a few minutes ago and she just couldn’t understand why I did what I did, this also made me nervous because now I didn’t know how others would react to this new and improved me. 

What came next was even worse than I imagined, it was months of never-ending knots and tangles, crying through painful combing sessions, and hair that dried up an hour after I moisturized it, and let’s not even talk about the shrinkage game that is on another level, it seemed like no matter how much my hair grew it would never be obvious because it just curled in on its self, leaving me with a likely permanent afro. This was all different from how I pictured going natural would be, I wanted to be able to try new styles and able to do things with my hair that would not be possible if it was in a constant afro. I didn’t really know how to work with my hair now in its natural state I genuinely still don’t most of the time, the thing is most people do not speak of the struggles that come with going natural, it’s mostly the good stuff that comes with it that you hear about. It really is not a walk in the park and it takes a lot of time and effort but I’m starting to believe it is worth it. Being around people who were going through similar journeys as me, taught me that trial and error is a unique process for everyone, so it is a learning process for sure. 

Not everyone’s hair is the same and taking the time to learn about my specific needs during my transition phase was very important. There is no right or wrong way to this process and I have come to appreciate every aspect that comes with this journey, I have loved rediscovering my hair. Going natural really gave a boost to my confidence, I had to accept and love my hair again. I am constantly learning new things about my hair and experiencing the true beauty that is natural hair in all its kinky, textured, coiled glory.

Several days of watching women (who, come to think of it, had way looser curls than my 4C texture) do magical things to their post-transition hair provided the final push I needed to complete the process and get rid of my relaxed hair for good. I couldn’t do it myself, so I got an aunt to do it for me and I can honestly say that I cried when I saw my cut hair all around me, it took me some time to come to terms with the fact that my hair was different and that I couldn’t hold it in any way at all, this was all new territory for me. My mum seemed to take it harder than me, considering my hair was longer just a few minutes ago and she just couldn’t understand why I did what I did, this also made me nervous because now I didn’t know how others would react to this new and improved me. 

What came next was even worse than I imagined, it was months of never-ending knots and tangles, crying through painful combing sessions, and hair that dried up an hour after I moisturized it, and let’s not even talk about the shrinkage game that is on another level, it seemed like no matter how much my hair grew it would never be obvious because it just curled in on its self, leaving me with a likely permanent afro. This was all different from how I pictured going natural would be, I wanted to be able to try new styles and able to do things with my hair that would not be possible if it was in a constant afro. I didn’t really know how to work with my hair now in its natural state I genuinely still don’t most of the time, the thing is most people do not speak of the struggles that come with going natural, it’s mostly the good stuff that comes with it that you hear about. It really is not a walk in the park and it takes a lot of time and effort but I’m starting to believe it is worth it. Being around people who were going through similar journeys as me, taught me that trial and error is a unique process for everyone, so it is a learning process for sure. 

Not everyone’s hair is the same and taking the time to learn about my specific needs during my transition phase was very important. There is no right or wrong way to this process and I have come to appreciate every aspect that comes with this journey, I have loved rediscovering my hair. Going natural really gave a boost to my confidence, I had to accept and love my hair again. I am constantly learning new things about my hair and experiencing the true beauty that is natural hair in all its kinky, textured, coiled glory.

Tell us what you think about natural hair, in the comment section below.

Author

Noddy Okide

I’m a student, I am also an introvert. I believe in empowering women and helping them through whatever means to evolve and become their better selves, writing is one of the ways I can do that.

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