I ask myself all of the time why DID I do it? Why did I decide to cut my relaxed and wrapped hair, complete with the notorious swooped bangs (and those bangs were BANGING baby!) To this day, I cannot explain my decision to be natural. I was that girl in the shop every 6 weeks touching up whenever I saw new growth creeping. I was in love with the way my hair would swing in the wind, bounce with each of my steps, and the compliments I received on how healthy it looked. But, really, that was it….it LOOKED healthy, but underneath it was broken off, and my beautiful hair was dying with each application of the relaxer I loved. Now…..before I continue, let me say that what I am writing is MY story, there are many relaxed women who have beautiful hair and that works for them, I decided that for me, I would begin a new story, a new chapter, that would be chemical free. For so long I relaxed because I thought it was what I needed to do in order have a beautiful head of hair. I was brainwashed, and I believed the “LYE” I was told for so many years. I was told that my hair was too thick, too nappy, and too hard to manage without a relaxer….so I continued to get them.
Sad right?
If I would have continued to believe that I had to conform to societal norms, I would not have found out that I have a beautiful head of hair….WITHOUT chemicals. Society says that African American women need to relax in order to fit in, be professional, and be comfortable. I say that I can have my natural puff, my twist out, my wash and go and still rise to the top. NOW WHAT?!?! The reality is that telling someone that they HAVE to relax is to make society comfortable, and making everyone around me feel comfortable is not on my agenda these days. These days I rock my natural hair with pride, and I hold my head up high! There is nothing like looking in the mirror and seeing a head full of THICK beautiful natural hair….that I CAN manage. Now don’t get me wrong, some days I want to pull it out of my head, but in the end, I am glad I can finally be me.
This piece was featured on the website: www.cincinaturalshairgroup.com
