My Natural Hair Journey: Transitioning, Big Chops & Products

My Natural Hair Journey: Transitioning, Big Chops & Products

I often get comments on my hair regarding how easy it must be to maintain or that it must’ve always looked this way but the reality is, it hasn’t always been this curly and healthy! My natural hair journey has been long and required a lot of hard work, confidence and perseverance but it was so worth it. Here’s my story…

My mom started relaxing my hair at around 10 years old because she found it too difficult to maintain. She regularly touched up my roots when there was about an inch or two of new growth. My hair grows fairly fast so I would estimate that was about 3-4x a year. This was the case until I was 18 years old. 

The last time I relaxed my hair was in August 2012 right before I started college. My hair was fairly long and since I knew it would be a few months before I saw my mom again, we left the relaxer on longer than normal. It resulted in my hair being almost completely straight!

With the stress of being a new college student, I often didn’t have time to really style my hair so I’d just wear it loose but I noticed I wasn’t able to wear my hair curly anymore no matter what I did to it. It was limp, and dry and it really bothered me.

I was really coming into my womanhood and embracing myself so with that came embracing my hair. I decided I would get my curls back! But this was before the natural hair journey was really mainstream and Instagram was still fairly new so I was pretty much on my own…

Without much research to go by, I had to use common sense. I knew that my roots would grow in curly but the contrast against the straightened hair wouldn’t look good. So, I did a big chop. The summer after my freshman year at college (2013) I cut my hair about shoulder length. 

I never really allowed my hair to get past shoulder length before chopping it again because I knew if I wanted my length and health back I’d have to speed up the process. I consistently cut off about 3 inches of hair every 6 months after the initial chop.

I don’t have too many natural pics from Fall 2014 because I was so tired of my journey at this point. This was the awkward stage. I wore my hair straight a lot that season and I also wore a lot of buns/ponytails . It felt like my hair would never look the way I wanted it to!

Just when I thought I’d never have my curls back, I did one last big chop right before 2015, completely removing the last remnants of relaxed hair and becoming 100% natural! I felt reinvigorated and for once truly saw my curl pattern. I could barely recognize myself and it felt like I was a brand new person. We don’t realize how much of our identity we tie into our hair so when it changes, whether good or bad, it takes time to accept.

But the journey didn’t end there… I still had to learn how to maintain my texture which I wasn’t used to. I was still using Garnier Fructis and generic brand shampoos and conditioners! I thought as long as it smelled good and was a popular brand, it must work well. Whew, I was so wrong.

I began experimenting with natural hair products specifically made for my texture like Shea Moisture, Cantu, Mielle and Aunt Jackie’s. I became like a scientist experimenting on my hair, using samples and observing the results. I started doing masks regularly and switched from a wide-tooth comb to a paddle brush to detangle.

Another change I needed to make was no more heat. Like most WOC I was conditioned to believe that my hair looked most “kept” when it was straight and spent many holiday/birthday seasons in the salon. I had to undo the idea that my natural hair was unprofessional or unkept. I straightened my hair a total of 6 times between 2015-16 and it started to show! Toward the end of 2016 my hair was much longer but the curls had very little bounce, volume or form.

It wasn’t until 2017 that I fully got the hang of treating & maintaining my natural hair without relying on heat when I was frustrated with it. I invested in products that were more expensive but worked better for my hair, and perfected the order in which to apply those products and how.

I also got my first professional curly cut with Ouidad in September 2017 and I have never looked back!

My curls truly flourished throughout 2018 and have been thriving ever since. I got my routine down to a science, but I still like to switch up my products every once in a while so my hair can be refreshed. I also get regular trims to maintain shape and body while encouraging new growth. I’ve learned that with more length my curls just don’t maintain their structure and it’s best for me to keep my hair bra-strap length or shorter.

Learn what works for your curls and stick to it but also don’t be afraid to try new things and experiment. Your hair is not your identity but it is the crown atop your head, so wear it with pride.

I share my natural hair journey to show that no journey of change is easy. People see the end results of a good thing & assume it was always that way but good things take hard work. So if you’re going through your natural hair transition, or any life transition for that matter, just know that the results will be worth it, you just can’t give up!

Love,

G

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