I Am Not My Hair

In the words of India Arie, "I am not my hair", although I will confess there are days when I swear that I am! For me personally, over the years, I've taken a break from using a Crème Relaxer quite often so as to give my hair a break from the stress of straightening and styling. Over the last year and a half, that "break" has become quite permanent! (No pun intended!) I no longer use a Relaxer in my hair, although I do continue to color-treat it.

In the midst of my decision to go without relaxing or as it’s called “Go Natural”, I noticed something, other women were doing it too, and a lot more people were taking notice! Then I noticed more and more beautiful black women being featured in commercials and magazines with their hair in all its natural beauty! Hey, that’s a great thing, but I wondered to myself “What are ‘they’ talking about?” We, black women, have been doing this for ages and ages! Some women don’t like the Relaxer and chooses not to use it. It wasn’t a "phenomenon" it definitely wasn’t a casual "trend"! However, it seems to be trendy to do these days!

It, my hair, is definitely a lot easier to handle and even more versatile than it has been before. And yes, I still have bad hair days! There are just days when I have no clue how to style it and what I want it to look like! This is a universal issue wouldn't you agree?! I’ve even had the urge to go right back into a tub of Relaxer because I just can’t cope with it at times! I’ve become a fan of going online to a few websites featuring natural hair to see the many ways other women handle theirs. I’ve even been like a ‘voyeur’ (almost!) salivating at how lovely some of these women's hair are! How do they get the beautiful height, or all of those curls, or wondering what type of products do they use?

One thing I’ll say is the various natural hair websites have all been very helpful in guiding those of us who want to know about the many different products that are out there! If you think being “natural” means you don’t need hair products, think again! You need it! You have to keep trying until you find the product that is right for your hair type. I’ve been doing it so far through trial and error. These days I’m wearing my hair in a “protective style”, what us naturals do when we want to keep our hair safe from the ‘elements’, wind, sun, rain, and wearing it this way does keep my hair naturally soft and manageable! At least, that’s what my opinion of “protective style” is!  I'll also add that walking in the rain has never been more fun (apart from those times in my childhood!)

So, it has been quite a journey, some of which I’ve taken in pictures! A few of these photos you might have seen of me in a blog post or two (and I'll share again below).  I’ve even become a member of a few natural hair website communities! My hair saga continues dear reader, because one day I will feel beautiful and on top of the world; another day I’m beside myself and feeling as if my hair style of choice makes me look and feel old and not too pretty! Now that's definitely hormonal, it has to be! I've always had the hair of my two daughters natural until they decide what they want to do.  My oldest continues to relax, although her hair is naturally curly and she does revert to that look at times.  My youngest remains a natural until she's older, but for now, she's very happy to be who she is.  I've realized one thing though.  Since the day I've stopped relaxing my own hair, she finds more joy in the way her hair is, naturally curly and kinky, and enjoys wearing it more now.  She no longer wishes her hair was like her friends with straight hair! 

Me w/straightened hair (relaxer)

Amanda & Me - my hair is self-braided in two and adorn w/a hair clip

wavy look

Curly hue! (after the pool)

Wavy & colored

Hair accessories, another way to style my look!

Amanda & her glorious hair!

wearing a pony tail look!

My hair in protective mode with twists!

Here's a list of a few websites I like to visit, they are not just about "hair", they are a community:
Afrobella.com
Blackstylecentral.com
Cocoandcreme.com
curlynikki.com
naturallycurly.com
Naturalhaircommunity.com


Here is a link I found some time ago on CocoandCreme.com - nice goals to follow for natural hair: Natural Hair Resolutions Countdown