Christa Goes Natural!

For the past two years, I've been more experimental with my hair than I've ever been in my entire 26 years. Last Thursday on May 23rd, I made the biggest decision yet...

Before my new haircut...excuse the dandruff, my scalp was overdue for a good scalp scrubbing! 

I went natural!!! For those of you who don't know what being natural means, its when a woman lets her hair grow in its natural texture and state . It's been a long time coming for me, as I've been deliberating over this for the past year...yes, for one whole year, I contemplated over the pros and cons of cutting my hair off and letting my natural curl pattern grow and flourish. Here are some:

• Pros to having relaxed hair:
• It's easier to maintain. I would wrap my hair every night and in the morning, unwrap, comb, and moisturize my hair and be out of the door in 5 minutes or less! 
• You have a straight look that lasts for weeks.
• Your hair is less sensitive to products.
• It's socially acceptable!
• Cons to having MY hair relaxed:
• It's expensive! My hair has always been very thick. In order to achieve that straight look, I had to have a relaxer every 6-8 weeks. It cost $70 each time I got a relaxer and even after I got one, my hair was still curly at the roots! It was like watching money go down the drain.
• My scalp is very sensitive. In fact, my skin is sensitive and I have had a couple eczema spots on my scalp. Something needed to change because my scalp wasn't happy.
• I have a very active exercise routine and sweating while having relaxed hair didn't help to maintain a straight look.
• I couldn't get my hair wet as often as I'd like! Do you know how irritating it is to go to the beach or the pool and not get your hair wet, in fear of messing up your hairstyle? It definitely was an aggravation.
• I knew my hair wouldn't grow to its full length potential if I kept getting relaxers and one day, I wanted to grow my hair to the middle of my back. 

As you can see, I always had more cons than pros to having relaxed hair. I was past the point of being fed up of still having curly roots a week after my relaxer!

This picture was one of the deciding factors for going natural.  My roots were still curly  although my relaxer wasn't even a week old!!! 

So, in December of 2012, I had my last relaxer. I had the plan to transition (grow out my hair in its natural state without cutting it) for a few months, just enough for a little curly fro to rock when the weather became warmer. I wasn't afraid to do the big chop, one, because I'd done it already and two, I love the way I look with short hair.

I loved this cut!

From December to May, I'd wash my hair, blow dry it straight, and flat iron it. That started to get old because of all of the heat I was putting in my hair and the long process of going from curly to straight so I told my hairstylist that I was ready to do the big chop. I'm lucky to have a hairstylist who embraces my decisions so we started brainstorming different looks for my new hair.

This hairstyle was fun! I was still transitioning, so my hair was super thick.

I wore my hair curly towards the end of my transitioning journey. I wanted a no fuss hairstyle that would still hold up in the warmer weather.

On May 23rd, I came in with a picture of what I wanted: a short curly 'do, longer at the top and short on the sides. My hairstylist asked me if I was ready...I hesitated for a couple seconds before I exclaimed, "Let's do this!"

It's something very liberating about having your hair drastically cut. It gives me an adrenaline rush to watch my hair swirl around me onto the floor. And two hours later, when the time came for me to look at the final look, I loved it. Yes, it was shocking to see that although I wasn't bald, this was the shortest my hair has ever been since birth! When you have short hair, there is nothing to hide behind. Your face is truly on display!

The next few days I was asked a lot of questions. Here are a few:

• Why did you go natural?
• I went natural for several reasons: 
• I wanted to embrace what naturally grew from my scalp. I loved that so many of my fellow sisters were learning and loving their hair in the way that God intended it to grow. I've become more and more health conscious as I've gotten older and it only made sense  for that same frame of mind to include my hair. 
• I wanted to do more water activities without having to worry about messing up my hairstyle.
• I want my future daughter(s) to have natural hair. I got my first relaxer at the age of 5 because my mom didn't have the resources that we have today to research the ways to take care of thick hair. And I want my daughter(s) to be proud of her hair like her mom, whether it's thick, curly, wavy, kinky, etc.
• I was ready to stop being lazy and learn about my hair, plain and simple. 
• I want big and long hair. I never let my hair grow past a certain point because it'd look boring. But with natural hair, I can healthily grow it out to the long length that I want. 
• Aren't you afraid of what other people are going to think about your new hair?
• If you're ever afraid of doing something because of what others think, then you'll NEVER accomplish what you want to accomplish. Yes it was a shock to some and I know that others didn't like it but that isn't what matters. I love my new hair...and here's a little secret, people tend to love your confidence in whatever hairstyle you rock. I've seen women with the longest hair and women with low fade haircuts strut with the confidence of queens. You have to like the decisions you've made for yourself. And because I love my new hair, the reactions I've gotten from everyone have been absolutely positive! 
• Why didn't you grow out your hair (transition) until your hair reached a longer length?
• I didn't have the patience! I didn't want my hair to break off because of how thick the roots were. I'm not a huge fan of braids or weaves because I like for my scalp to be able to breathe. Also, I wasn't afraid of having shorter hair. I also felt like transitioning was a waste of time because in the time it takes to slowly grow out your relaxer, you could've just chopped your hair off and grown it. And it does grow much faster without relaxed ends.
• What's your new hair regime?
• Because I have short hair, it's easier to maintain. I detangle, deep-condition, and co-wash (wash my hair with a cleansing conditioner) once a week. I refresh my hair every morning with a water and leave-in conditioner mix in a spray bottle, moisturize, and seal the moisture. I apply a tiny dab of gel to my edges and I'm done!
• Did you join this "Natural Hair" phenomenon because it's popular?
• Anyone that knows me, knows that I hate trends. If everyone's doing it, then I'm not, because I hate following what others are doing because it's "cool" for the moment. Being natural isn't exactly popular with everyone. I did it for me, to accept what naturally grows out of my hair follicles.
• Why aren't more people more accepting of natural hair?
• There's a negative connotation associated with being natural. A lot of women who have relaxed hair don't want their hair to look nappy. But I'm here to tell you that you can have nappy hair, regardless of your hair texture, if you don't take care of it! As with anything that means anything to you, you must nurture and take care of it. You may be one who has tightly coiled hair but if you nourish it like you would a baby, it'll grow into a beautiful head of hair. 
• What do men think of your hair?
• LOL let me first say that going into this natural hair journey, I knew that there are some black men who don't care for it, for reasons varying from "You look like Celie from The Color Purple to "I think you look better with straight, flowing hair!" If a man you're dating doesn't like your hair, that's his problem (I say this to all of the naturalistas who maintain their hair lol). If he leaves you because of it, which in itself is quite drastic, then he wasn't the one for you. But every male, both black and white, that has said something about my hair raves about it. The bugged eyed, big smiles, and winks have completely taken me aback, not going to lie. But I know its more so of the confidence that I exude. So let that be a lesson, you can be almost bald, but if you own it, he'll love it.
• What are your goals for your hair?
• As much as I love short hair, I want to grow it out into the biggest and healthiest curly 'fro that I can. I've always been a fan of big hair and I feel like it'd be a cute hairstyle for me...but who's to say? I have quite the addiction to short & sassy haircuts! 

Whew, what a lengthy post! I still have more to share but that'll be in the future. And ladies, please don't get your panties in a bunch if you're offended by all of the positive things I've been saying about MY natural hair! I'm not trying to convert any of my relaxed friends because not only are you grown, you make your own decisions! Be proud of the choices you've made for your hair, whether it be relaxed or not! If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the comment section below. And as always, thanks for reading! Peace!!

How ya like me now :-)