My natural hair journey has not been without its obstacles, yet I feel empowered whenever I think about all the wonderful things that come along with rocking my fro.
Disclaimer: These are my personal thoughts, and I am in no way trying to solicit natural hair converts.
1. I pride myself on my individuality and I no longer feel like I’m being homogenized in the crowd. True, the popularity of natural hair has grown in recent years, but with the versatility that natural hair brings us naturals are sure to add our own unique flavour to common hairstyles.
2. I am learning so much about my hair and Afro-textured hair in general. Most ethnic hair stylists are fully versed in chemically straightened hair; natural hair, however, is quite a different story. This realization has forced me to educate myself by researching products, ingredients, tools, salons, etc., something that I never did when I chemically straightened my hair.
3. My hair is in its healthiest state ever. This is due in part to my research and hair routine.
4. I can use cool lingo like cg method, no poo, acv rinse and bunning. Seriously, I feel like I’ve been given a key to a secret society where all the members speak in code and have behind-door meetings on the philosophy of natural hair. Oops, I’ve already said too much.
5. I don’t worry about getting every strand in place anymore. In fact, the less uniform my fro looks, the better.
6. The compliments I get about my fro are abundant. It sounds vain, but we all secretly love attention.
7. My Saturdays are MY Saturdays. That’s right, no more sitting in a crowded, poorly ventilated salon, getting shuffled from chair to chair, only to find out that your stylist is triple booked, and therefore, your 9 am appointment has now turned into a 12pm lunch & doo. Whether I choose to sleep in on Saturdays or get an early start and the way my day plays out is now ultimately my choice.
8. I feel like my style is more authentic. I’ve always admired, purchased and worn funky (somewhat odd) pieces of clothing, however my fro tends to give my style a more cohesive flow.
9. I workout without even thinking about sweating out my perm or press. It’s a beautiful thing, ladies! When I used to straighten my hair chemically, I had one more excuse not to hit the gym. Not anymore, though.
10. I can walk, run, skip, jump, dance, and even sing in the rain without an umbrella! Gone are the days when the rain dictated my every move. Now, precipitation just brings a smile to my face because I know that I have been FREED.
