If you have not noticed the new craze to hit the world, than I must ask…where have you been? Black women all over the world have decided to return back to natural! More and more women are saying goodbye to relaxers and hello to afro sheen. Although a lot of African decent women are embracing and returning back to natural, a lot of women do not feel this is the way to go for themselves. As a recent “natural” I had to ask myself why did I rock my relaxed tresses so long? I remember receiving my first perm when I was in second grade, I was very excited to finally have straight hair, because all I knew is that I hated having my hair combed and I could never wear my hair like Mommy’s because it would always frizz up!
So ever since second grade I received my relaxers every 6-8 weeks. By the time I was in high school, relaxing my hair was the norm and I could not imagine life outside a box of relaxer. My mother who is of mixed decent would perm my sister and I hair for as long as I could remember.
Now I’m not sure, If I continued to relax because it was all I knew or it made me feel more comfortable or accepted, especially growing up around all white students my entire life who all had straight, shiny and silky hair. My texture was never seen and was not common, where I grew up. Straight hair was all I knew.
Now I didn’t see myself as ashamed of my texture or anything, I just knew that everyone in my family wore straight hair. We all had relaxers but all that changed in 2009 when I arrived at Johnson C. Smith University, that fall of my freshmen year I was exposed to the “natural.”
I seen so many different styles and textures, that I fell in love with the unaltered texture of African American hair. Although I debated going natural for most of my college years, my junior year in 2011 I finally decided to transition my hair to natural! It took awhile for me to truly and fully want to embrace the idea of returning natural.
Now five years later, I have finally returned back to natural and I’m in love! I love my kinky, coily texture of hair. I love the versatility of my hair and most of all. I’m glad that when I look in the mirror I’m pleased with what naturally grows out of my head.
Self-love is the best love. Now I’m not saying all women who don’t wear natural hair don’t love themselves. I’m just saying, It something about loving the unaltered and unchanged self!
I say returning natural because, we were born natural and began life natural. So I have returned natural NOT “gone natural” although my hair is not like everyone else’s or like people on television. It is ALL mines and it cost me nothing!
I have encountered many women who give me compliments and say things like, “I could never get my hair like this, mines is too nappy!” OR “My husband just does not like this look on me, it looks good on you…but not for me.” So the real question that I ask Black women is why are you still relaxing? Is it for manageability? Is it to please your Mother, significant other?
Or is it because you truly love your relaxed hair? I would like to know if you could picture life outside of the Relaxer box?
If you would like to return back to natural, I encourage you to seek more information and use the many sources that can help you through your journey. Feel free to checkout sites like www.curlynikki.com, www.blackgirlwithlonghair.com, www.thegoodhairblog.com along with www.transitioningmovement.com.
By no means am I trying to convert my sistas with relaxed hair, I’m just here to encourage those who have danced around the idea of returning natural. After years of debating, my only regret is not doing it earlier! Peace, love and afro sheen!
[Rachel Zeigler]