I have always had a very powerful relationship with my hair.

Looking back, my various styles have defined where I was in my life. In high school, I was always trying to find ways to put my own spin on current trends. I tried my hardest to stand out from the masses with my hair styles and colors in college. And now at this junction of young adulthood, I am dedicating myself to a whole new journey: I am locing my hair.

With that being said, I am aware that people are going to ask a boatload of questions about why I am choosing to do this, the main one just being "Why?" I'll have people saying that they love my afro and that I shouldn't do it because of reasons x,y, and z. But, it's deeper than that. So to alleviate the inquiries, I am writing this piece.

Locs are something that I've grown up with. My aunts, uncles, cousins, and both of my parents have them, and they all have different reasons for growing them. When I was younger, I could not comprehend what could made them want to do something like dread their hair. I thought it was silly for them to keep their hair the same way day in and day out, not being able to change it at the drop of a dime. For some reason, I thought I was more "free" because I wasn't pigeonholing myself with a hairstyle that I couldn't drastically change. But what I did not know at the time is that they have just as strong of a relationship whit their hair as I do with mine. Their hair was changing with them overtime. And this is where I found my "why" in locing my hair.

As I am maturing and learning more about who I am each day, I believe that starting my loc journey will make me appreciate things about myself that would be difficult to see otherwise. Through the various stages of this process, I will be able to see myself develop ideas to better my mind, body, and soul, becoming more patient and resilient with each passing season. But also I feel that their will be challenges that will present themselves in this new journey of self-exploration, and when faced with them, I will be able to get a deeper understanding on how I handle myself. Each step will be a valuable one.

And I know after reading this, there will still be people who will not fully understand why I'm choosing to do this. And at the end of the day, it's not for them to understand. I am doing this for myself. I am starting down this path because I know that in this world full of those who try so desperately to fit in, my place is to be completely free while standing out and being who I wish to be without any hesitation.

I am beyond excited about beginning this stage of my life.