Nothing is more Natural…
My natural hair journey has been a learning experience for me. The process to me is similar to the journey through life. And just as there are different people on their own journeys towards purpose and fulfillment, so there are natural hairs.
People have different natural hair stories and why they chose to embrace that life, some people had a “big chop”, others “transitioned” and those that chose to transition, did so at different lengths of time.
Each head of (natural) hair is different. Different curl pattern, density, length, volume, etc. These may be as a result of various factors- lifestyle, environment, genetics…
I remember when I started up on my natural hair journey 3 years ago, I had a big chop (cutting off the relaxed ends of my hair completely and wearing a low cut) and frankly, I was not entirely prepared for what that new lifestyle would mean for me, but I was excited about the big change.
It took family and friends a while to get used to my new look. Also, I went a little crazy with the whole “organic” life. New Naturalista that I was, every product seemed too expensive then, so I buried myself in homemade natural hair products.
From boiled guava leaves to palm oil, to onion and ginger, name it, I’ve probably used it. What made my situation a little curious was that my efforts did not readily translate to results, to growth. I did all these “crazy things” to my hair but still, growth was not evident. I must admit, it was a little ridiculous. But I didn’t care, I was enjoying discovering all these new things. I knew my hair was growing even if it didn’t look like it.
Was it annoying when people saw my hair and ask how “old” it was and after telling them, their opinion was that my hair wasn’t growing?. Well, yes. A particularly annoying incident occurred where a hairdresser that was fixing my hair proclaimed that my hair was “breaking” and I should come over to his salon for some “treatment”. The gall! Did he know I rinsed my hair with boiled Guava leaves? What treatment could he possibly have? I was offended.
At the time I was embracing my new natural hair lifestyle, the wave was growing nationwide. So I wasn’t alone on this journey. I had natural sisters. And even though we were moving together, their journeys were distinct from mine. While I was homemade products crazy, some others could have been minimalists, or others product junkies, but all of us were just trying to find what worked for us, within our means.
Others with little effort on their part had a full head of hair, long, thick, shiny. Some others, like me had shrinkage to struggle with in spite of all our efforts and shrinkage was the worst. Natural hair can sometimes experience up to 75% shrinkage! The hair does not stretch naturally and when it is manually stretched, does not take too long to shrink back up. I had to be on the defense all the time, claiming “my hair has grown o, it’s just shrinkage”. The flip side is, shrinkage is a sign of healthy hair. If your hair shrinks, it most likely is healthy, it is maintaining elasticity, it can be stretched. Interesting eh?
That was 3 years ago. People see my hair now and say “oh your hair has grown o”, of course, it has. Why wouldn’t it? Today, I’m more comfortable and confident in my hair. I know what works for me and what doesn’t. Is my 3 year growth the same as some other people’s? NO! Does it bother me? No, it doesn’t. My hair has grown and is growing, tomorrow I could decide to chop it all off. My hair is a healthy black today, tomorrow I could decide to colour it. The hair is mine, the journey is mine, if I cannot be happy with the way the hair grows out of my head unassisted, there might be a bigger problem.
We all have different goals, with our lives and with our hair. My hair goal could be to retain length, someone else’s could be volume or another healthy hair, hence the decisions they make for their hair will be based on their goals. Also in life. My 5 year goal could be a Post Graduate Degree from an Ivy League School and getting a job with one of the Big Four, someone else’s could be creating an App that would be worth millions of dollars. The steps we would take towards achieving our set goals would differ.
Each individual with their own stories and experiences. I’m not going to look out for the same victories in my hair as with another person, because we may not have the same challenges or goals. Just as I’m not going to measure the key performances of my life, with another persons’ metrics.
Will you have to struggle with natural hair problems like shrinkage, dryness, knots? Probably. Will you have bad (hair) days? Most likely. Will your life be challenging on some days more than others? Definitely. But it is your life! Your kinky, curly, “coily” life. It’s yours and you should embrace it. The more you live it, the more you learn it. Learn what works for you, celebrate every milestone, plow through the bad (hair) days.
This cannot be over-emphasized. We’re all on different paths, embrace your journey. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a collage or a picture of several women on natural hair, the picture is made more profound, not just cause of the beauty of the women, but the diversity of their hair. There are women on locs, those that are bald, those with their afro combed out, puffed up, twisted, blow dried, various styles. Each of them embracing their hair, choosing their paths, celebrating their lives, you should too.
So, the natural hair like I said, reminds me of life, a lot. Each person on their own unique journeys. With their own victories and challenges. With their ‘curl patterns” and growth rate. As long as you’re doing everything within your power to “moisturize” your life and make your life (or hair) the best version of itself, then you should celebrate it because nothing is more natural than the hair that grows on your head.
