El Afro

This month marks my one year anniversary of becoming natural. Or what I describe to be natural . I haven't permed my hair in about 5 years and I've done 2 big chops since then. However , I wanted to embark on this journey to learn more about myself and love more of myself and what God has given me . I no longer wanted to be dependent on weaves or staying in the house because of bad hair days . Nor did I want to become so obsessed that my hair defines me and my mood . I've always believed that hair is an accessory and an extension of self . But there is a long history of self-hate in the AA community and for woman a lot of that involves hair . I really wished I had started this journey earlier . By journey I mean tending and taking care and loving my hair . Understanding the complexities and the beautiful diversity of my hair . Feeling beautiful with kinky shrunken hair . Not brushing my edges down 50 times a day when simply put they don't need to be brushed . I don't think going natural makes you better than anyone else but it does open you to a side of you that you wouldn't otherwise have been exposed to .

It depresses me the amount of damage I used to do to my hair for it to look "right " or presentable . It's crazy to me the amount of chemicals I put in my hair . The amount of stinging I endured to get straight hair . The amount of sores I got from trying to comb my hair into a ponytail . And I don't blame my mom . She only did what she knew . And I oh did what I knew . But thank God for YouTube and blogging because so many black women have connected through this experience . It's one of the many positive things in the black community . For a black woman to love the skin and the hair she is in and feel beautiful . 

At first I was so shocked by the amount of people who said I looked beautiful with my hair out . But I was not surprised by the negative comments I've gotten . All in all I'm glad I started and I will continue to do so . I don't think a weave is the devil because quite honestly by 4c hair needs to be in protective styling such as a weave to enhance growth and prevent high manipulation . 

But I can't go back to purchasing ounces of hair every month at ridiculous prices for the sake of my hair being "laid " or trying to appease the opposite sex . All in all I think I've had more positive reviews from the black male than negative regarding my hair so I'll take that and run . 

At times I can get lazy . And sometimes I caught myself falling back into the weave trap because he seemed so "easy " . But the only way to rocking any hairstyle is having health hair! You can't have a weave with thin hair and no edges . So my main objective is to have healthy hair .

Though I go back and forth with my length . I have seen my hair much longer in my life time and I believe that my hair will eventually get to the length it should be . Contrary to popular belief , black hair does grow ! I will be posting a video of my different hairstyles and journey soon !