"Can I touch it?" "How do you make it curl up like that"

Black women are starting to embrace their natural hair more and more. This decision may not be easy depending on the person especially if they have to do the big chop or the BC as it's sometimes called. It requires a person to cut their hair short so that they may start the natural process. A fresh start if you will. Not everyone will have to do the big chop. Allow me to tell you about my natural experience.

Sometime in middle school, my aunt started taking me to get perms and if anyone has been to the beauty shop, you know that it takes forever. You can be the first person in and still be the last person out. I continued getting perms until my sophomore year of high school. During that time, I played softball and I figured it would sweat out anyway so I didn't want her paying for it for that reason alone. Since my hair spent the majority of its time in a ponytail, I don't exactly remember my transition phase and what it was like.

The summer before my senior year of high school is when I started wearing my hair out in an Afro. It took me some time to get used to it because it was something new and I was curious. I've grown to love it and I haven't looked back. My decision to be natural was exactly that: mine. I still get comments about my hair and I find them to be rude like "When are you going to do something to your hair?" Or "Why are you wearing your hair like that?" They may have been used as a joke but that's not how I perceive them. Personally, if you don't like my hair, don't look at it. Don't let someone feel bad about a decision that you made. With that being said, if you know someone that is wanting to be natural, encourage them to do so. There have been comments that come up such as, "What if it doesn't look right?" Or "Natural isn't for me/everybody". Explain to me how the natural hair that grows on your head will not look right. Yes, it's going to be an interesting process but ask other naturals what kind of products they use. I'm sure they would be happy to tell you.

Don't think that being natural is taking the easy way out because it's not. However, I find it more fun because you get to experiment with different hairstyles, play with countless YouTube tutorials, and use a number of different products until you find the one that you think suits you. I pick my products by the fragrance, Organix and Cantu are examples of this.

Embrace your hair! If you make a change, make it for you and only you!