💛 natural hair appreciation post 💛

y’all… i used to hate my hair. relaxed, natural, in a sew-in, it didn’t matter. i hated my hair. when i got relaxers, my hair broke off and i never had the long flowing hair that i desired. and the beginning of my natural hair journey was met with rude commentary that made me want to conceal my hair as much as possible in protective styles.

in 2016, i decided to transition to natural while wearing no leave out sew-ins. one day in the winter of that year, i decided to big chop. i sat in the bathroom with a bottle of conditioner and lathered my hair with it. whatever didn’t curl, i cut. 😂

this was at the beginning of the rise of the natural hair movement for black girls and women so, i felt like i would have the support of my loved ones when i made the decision to stop getting relaxers. well… i walked out the bathroom and went to my mom’s room to show her my natural fro. she said and i quote, “what did you do to your hair?” at that time, i was also involved with a human who was… not very nice lol. he made fun of my natural hair and after a few weeks of that, i decided to get another no leave out sew in. i had one friend at the time (we’re still friends) who encouraged me to stay natural and to embrace my hair but, in 2017, i moved for school so i didn’t have her physically there to be a source of support.

some time passed and i met a human who embraced my natural hair. actually, he preferred it. while i eventually found my own love for my hair, it was his encouragement that truly made me begin to embrace my hair. 8 years later and i couldn’t be happier with my decision to go natural. i can’t say it’s for everyone but, it was the best decision for me.

to look back and see my progress and dedication to remaining natural… it feels like an accomplishment. not because i think natural is better than relaxed. that’s not the reason at all. i think everyone should do what works for them as long as they are happy and comfortable with the decision. it feels like an accomplishment because i stuck to what i wanted for myself. and now, im actually comfortable just wearing my hair as is. i do style it with gel but i don’t feel like it has to be in a puff or a bun to be presentable. i love my curls (the 3 different curl patterns in my head 😂) as they are.

#naturalhair #curlygirl #blackgirllemon8 #appreciation #post