We are now several days into Women's history month, and yes March is "Women's History Month." This post was meant to be for both Black History and Women's History Month. I know that Black History Month is technically over but for me it is everyday of my life and cannot be crammed into one month. The same can be said about Women's History Month. So today lets talk about hair and perspective, my perspective.
I have very recently fully transitioned my hair from relaxed to natural and this is not the first time that I took this journey. The very first time, once I was fully natural, I ended up cutting my hair off and getting a texturizer. We have all gone through our hair struggles and that was the reason that I made the decision to rock a short hair cut. A lot of you may not know but i experienced balding at the front of my head which left me very insecure. There was even a weave that left me with a permanent scar at the top of my head. Sometimes choices are made so easily because of comfort or just the lack of options. All though I was killing it with the short cut, I was just harming my hair and myself.
Instead of constantly weaving my hair up or blowing it bone straight, I have rocked my natural afro for the first time in my life. I cannot tell you how freeing wearing my fro is !! I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, but it feels amazing being completely yourself. In a society where we are constantly being persuaded to look and act like someone else, it is refreshing to just be you. There is a misconception that wearing your natural hair is not pretty and I know I'm definitely not the first person to point this out. I will also not be the last, and as much as we may not admit it, there is a voice inside of our heads feeding us those lies. We as black women and certain women of color, were conditioned to question our true beauty.
When it comes to our natural hair, we are left doubtful. Doubtful that we will be pretty. Doubtful that there are different style options. Doubtful if our men will find us attractive or if we can land that dream job. Natural hair comes in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. All of it is beautiful and all of us are beautiful. True beauty comes from the belief that you are beautiful. We need to practice self love and trust me, you will be much happier and care less about how you appear to others. It is really about learning to love yourself and everything that comes along with you.
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not to bash people who relax or straighten their hair or wear weaves because I wear wigs!! It is just about knowing and loving ourselves, in the purest form. You wear whatever makes you comfortable. I change my hair because sometimes I just want a different look. It is more like an accessory to my outfits. The point is that I had these doubts, even with all these women now wearing their natural hair and bloggers showing us how to style our manes. One big reason why I still struggled with wearing my fro is because most of the popular bloggers have these coiled, springy curl patterns. I just want to let it be known that "NOT ALL NATURAL HAIR IS CURLY!" I may not be able to do a wash and go but I can most certainly do a wash and FRO.
As much as we find relaxing our hair to be much easier, I love knowing my true texture and the thickness of my hair. It truly is my crown and I feel empowered when I wear it. I'm not going to front like wearing my hair natural is a breeze because it most certainly is not, but what is life without struggle? In order for us to become the best versions of ourselves, there are obstacles that we must face and challenges to overcome. You begin to learn yourself and know what your hair needs and that is the true accomplishment. I can go on and on but I just wanted to share my point of view. Some may agree and some may not, but if I could get one message across, it would be to practice loving and getting to know yourself. It is the key to love and true happiness. <3
Until we meet again... XOXOXO
-Chemille
