Everybody's Doing It

Yesterday I ran to Sally's Beauty Supply to pick up some supplies (butterfly clips, bobby pins and such). When it was time to check out, the two ladies behind the counter were looking at my hair. The first girl, who looked to be Latina, asked if my hair was natural and I told her yes. She looked to her co-worker and said, "See? Everyone is going natural!" She then turned to me and said, "I see so many black women coming in with natural hair. We hardly sell any hair or relaxers at this store anymore." I must admit at hearing this I did an internal happy dance. Not because I see this as a natural vs. straightened, but because this is about accepting our whole selves. For me, I couldn't say I loved everything about myself if I couldn't let my hair be seen the way it grew out of my head. As the Latina woman looked at my hair she complimented me by saying it looked so healthy and strong. She then said, "Oh, I be it would be so long if you straightened it." I replied to her, "If I straightened it, it would just damage my hair and and break off. I much prefer it to be healthy." She agreed and and we finished our transaction.

As I drove home, I kept thinking of how many times I've heard other curly girls mention the how many times they've heard the phrase, "your hair would be so long/pretty/nice if you straightened it." When I hear this, all I have to think about is how much shed hair was left on the bathroom floor when I relaxed my hair. All I have to to is think about how stiff and motionless my hair was when I relaxed it. All I have to do is feel how soft and healthy my hair is now to know I've made the right decision to go natural.

Now this isn't to say, at least for some people, that they would like to measure their growth or feel the weight of the length of their hair. Below are some options you may want to experiment with.

• Locks: This hairstyle is one that will take a commitment, but it will probably be the easiest, least labor intensive way to to measure length over time. Plus, it will decrease the possibility of damage from styling.
• Mini twists: This hairstyle will last about a month if properly maintained and doesn't require the commitment of locks.
• Flat twists: Similar to cornrows, by twisting along the contours of you head, you naturally elongate the curl pattern.
• Wrapping Twists: If you normally wear your hair in a twist out, try wrapping your twists at night (like wrapping relaxed hair). Instead of using the paper used in salons, use a silk or satin scarf and loosely bobby pin your twists to you head.

The Long and Curly Road-Getting Through Your Transition

I would love to tell you that your transition from relaxed to natural hair will be easy. I'd live to tell you that you will never have to worry or think about your hair ever again; but I can't. You deserve to know the truth, so here is what I've experienced and felt during my transition.


Detangling: If you're not used to handling and caring for natural hair, getting started can be tough. Always work in sections. It is too easy to get overwhelmed trying to detangle or style a whole head of hair at once. I suggest you invest in several sets hair clips. I also learned that water is your friend. Curly/kinky hair should only be detangled when wet and with a wide-toothed comb. Start from the ends and work your way up. Some people use a Denman paddle brush to smooth out and detangle sections of hair, but if your hair is really curly/kinky I would stick with the wide-toothed comb. When you're detangling your hair, remember the weakest parts of your hair will be where the new natural growth meets up with the relaxed hair and where the curl bends. Not paying special attention to these area will result in damage and extra frizziness. Take your time when detangling and don't be afraid to spray some extra water on to help loosen up any tangles. If you do come across 'the mother of all tangles', you can try snipping it out with a pair of hair shears. Pulling and forcing the tangle will result in breakage.


Shampoo and Conditioner: One of the things I learned pretty quickly was that traditional shampoo was not going to work with my natural hair. As my transition went on, I noticed when I used traditional shampoo, it stripped my natural hair of all of its moisture leaving it dry, frizzy and especially hard to detangle. Traditional shampoos have harsh sulfates in them that tend to leave more pourous curly hair with less moisture than straight hair. This is when I started co-washing, using conditioner to detangle and add moisture to my hair then risning it out which left my hair soft, manageable and clean. When preparing to wash my hair, I usually section it off holding each section in place with a clip. Then going section by section I spray it down with water, detangle and add conditioner to the detangled section. Once all sections have conditioner on them, I let it stay in for an hour or two for deep conditioning. In the shower, I take down one section of at a time to rinse and detanlge it before putting it back into the clip. It sounds like a lot of work; but in the end, it makes the job of styling your hair much easier. Every three weeks or so, I do use a low detergent shampoo to get rid of any build up I have and this systems has worked well for me.