Ever since I did my Big Chop 6 weeks ago, the main question I've received is "What made you decide to do it?" Thinking back, there were a number of factors that helped me make my decision to go natural. So I compiled my top 6 reasons for going natural. I originally had 5 reasons but then Reason #2 came to mind. I don't promise that all of these reasons will make sense to you, but that's okay.
1. My Daughter.
I have a little girl, she's 10.5 months. Since she's still young, I don't know what her hair texture will be like in the future. Currently she has loose, glossy curls that I would never dare get relaxed unless I wanted a bald child. Regardless, I wanted my child to feel secure about herself. I am concerned about the message behind getting her hair relaxed, like she's only pretty if her hair looks a certain way. As her mother, I know I am her primary influence and that she will want to be like her mommy. I want to show her that I'm proud of my hair as it is, and that she should be proud of her hair as it is. Plus I DO NOT want to take drag a second squirming head of hair to salon for touch ups. Which leads me to the next reason.....
2. I. HATE. THE. HAIR. SALON.
So this is probably one of the biggest reasons why I decided to go natural. I used to get relaxer touch ups every 6 weeks like clockwork for 22 years. And every 6 weeks I had to drag my unwilling feet to the salon. My experiences have varied depending on which salon I went to, but they mostly went like this: First apply the Vaseline liberally around your hairline until it covers your eyebrows. Apply the relaxer cream all over your head...and ears...drop some on your arm....your arm burns....a nice glob of relaxer by my eyeball, no that's not dangerous...here, let's wipe you off with this rag that's saturated with even more relaxer cream. (Some places would even try to make you sit with the relaxer on your head for close to 40 minutes for "extra straightness" until you are finally forced to march back to the sinks and rinse your hair yourself. Excuuuuse you for wanting to prevent having to take them to court for damages, pain and suffering). Then, let's rinse your hair out and get the entire back of your shirt wet. Also, don't forget to stream the water down the front of my face. Can't leave with un-ruined mascara on, now can we? Now let's stick you under this giant oven to dry your hair, and make sure the metal clips holding the rollers in are directly touching your scalp for maximum burn time. Stay there for 3 days. Next, lets further abuse your 3rd degree-burned scalp and blow out your hair with the blow dryer setting on HELL (that's a step or 4 above the high setting). Then....you guessed it! MORE heat with the curling iron. Make sure they use the biggest 10-inch curling iron they have when they try to curl the shorts hair at the nape of your neck. Those aren't burns on your neck, they are beauty scars. And after all that, your hair is styled...but a tad bit off. Like that piece they curled in the exact opposite direction from the rest of your hair that's flopping to the left. It's also dry, since they act like they can't spare a few more stinking drops of moisturizer. Then they try to take one skimpy drop of hair gloss that ends up covering exactly 42 hairs. Those 42 hairs are shiny and popping, but the other 99,958 hairs would've liked some shine too. I'm just saying. Now pay them $40.
3. If You Say Up, I Say Down.
I am an extraordinarily contrary person. Peer pressure couldn't work on me in school at all. I like to do things JUST BECAUSE someone said don't do it, or vice versa. That doesn't mean someone can say hey don't do drugs and I bust out a crack-pipe to make a point. But when I started getting interested about natural hair, people made comments about how I won't like it, my hair will be too nappy, I will look like a boy, no one will think I'm pretty, etc. What I actually heard was, "You'll LOVE it! You will rock your curls! You'll look great!" Selective hearing at its finest.
4. The Attack Of The Clones
While sitting in the hair salon, I notice that everyone wears their hair bone straight. Everyone looked like a variation of the same mold. And I looked in the mirror and realized that I was one of them. Nothing about my hair was original. Nothing about my hair said "I'm ME!!!!!" That bothered me. I don't want to be like everyone else!! By going natural, the hair that grew out of my head is unique to ME (myself and I included). My texture, my curl pattern, MINE. That's nothing against relaxed hair, since every other female in my family, immediate and extended, has relaxed hair. (Hi guys, I love you, and your hair looks great!) But combine this clone feeling with my Reason #2 and well... here I am.
5. I Wanted Curls, Dammit.
I was always curling my hair.When my hair was relaxed, it was a &%#@$ trying to curl my hair the way I wanted it curled. I mean, I got my hair "curled" but not "curl-y". I wanted "curl-y". Then comes the hair spray because once it got "curled", there was only a window of time of about 3 1/2 hours before those curls took off into the sunset. Fast forward to yesterday. After a lovely deep conditioning session, moisturizing, and sealing. I sat down on my couch and did finger coils. Did you understand that last sentence?? Read it again: I sat on my couch and "curled" my hair with my fingers. No more curling irons! No more rollers! No more standing in my bathroom under my abnormally hot light fixtures using an equally hot hair apparatus! Yeah me!
6. I'm As Funky As I Want To Be
I feel like natural hair has such personality, such flair, in a way that it's literally an extension of YOU. I have like *snaps* thismuch hair but already I feel like ME, as opposed to looking in the mirror and just seeing pretty hair. I had pretty hair. I still have pretty hair. With proper care and maintenance, anyone can have pretty hair. But no one can have MY hair, you feel me? I felt like my hair did not have personality when it was relaxed. There was no pizzazz, no spark, no reflection of my personality whatsoever. I feel like I can take more risks now, dare to express myself more freely. I'm already going against the grain with my hair being this short AND in it's natural state (See Reason #2) and I want to use this change as a springboard to really expand my style using my hair as the main accessory.
There you go, my personal top 6 reasons for going natural. Do you have anything to add? What were your reasons for going natural?
