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Dissapointments of going Natural
Posted by Nathalie on November 15, 2007I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again “I’m the type of chick who gets bored with her hairstyles…QUICK.” I’ve had several haircuts, up-do’s, colors, and in between that, I’ve even found time to fit in weaves…I’ve sampled a good array of extensions from quick weaves, jaw string ponytails, to micros, kinky-twists, sew ins, and …I hate to admit this, but I’ve had a real crusty crochet weave too.
So let’s get to my 2 year journey in the life of nappiness…. My hair was going through a loooong period of ugliness. It was as thin, stringy…and it got so bad I didn’t feel comfortable that my current methods of hair care were going to cut it. I knew, I had to do something drastic in order to “bring sexy back”. At the same time, I started to get some inspiration from women like:
Tracy Ellis Ross
Jill Scott
I also got addicted to natural hair care forums such as nappturality.com and from there, I was hooked. I knew there was no chance in hell that I was going to be cutting all of my hair off at once. NO chance!!! So, I decided to wear weaves/braids until I had enough natural hair to cut off the permed ends and still look good.
My natural hair felt so soft…so silky! I just KNEW it was gonna be fly once I debu’d my natural look. But to be quite honest…my natural hair was a big disspointment. I didn’t look ANYTHING like the women I see on tv (should have known that was gonna happen since tv/magazines are so fake)
Here’s a little picture of me when I first cut off all my permed hair aka “The Big Chop”
I rocked the afro for about two years, hoping that it would eventually transform into a “Tracy Ellis-Ross” do’. Unfortunately, that never happened, and I went ahead and got a texturizer.
I have the UTMOST respect for natural women out there. They are holding it down for us permed sisters. But I want someone to tell me. Honestly…were you disappointed when you tried to go natural? Did anyone else have a similar experience?
I thought I was the only one!!! I tried the whole natural experience and after four years I finally gave up. I initially started out with locks, which were too thin for my liking so after about a year or more I decided to take them out one by one. My mistake, it all went downhill from there. My hair was horribly dry and thin, and being someone who is usually creative with hairstyles, I found myself sporting an afro for the majority of my natural phase. My hair did eventually get back thick and healthy for the most part, but I came to the conclusion that natural hair requires way more maintenance than relaxed hair. Needless to say, I’m back to my relaxer after over a year now. I loved the change at first, but now I’m starting to want my natural hair back.I definitely will think alot about it before I decide to go down that road again, but only time will tell. Natural hair tends to give you a sense of individuality and I wouldnt mind having that back. Where I’m from, (south florida) its common to see the same hair-dos, and buying hair gets expensive. With that said, I have the same respect for naturals. Its a bold statement, and makes you unique!!
I agree. Now you have been there from the beginning with me and my hair. In two years that I have been natural it has grown a lot and I have a full head of good length.
I thought my hair was going to be curly and slightly easier to manage. Like the picture of Jill Scott that you have posted. My hair is NOTHING like that. It is thick and heavy and does not have a natural curl. I have to plan a whole day to wash and detangle and dry. I can’t let it air dry because it will look like a brillo pad on my head.
I guess I should have looked at the pictures of the celebrities with natural hair with a grain of salt. Even though their hair is natural they have stylists and artists who take he time to keep their hair up. In my fast paced life where I barely have time to think for myself, it doesn’t allow me to spend hours a week on the management of my hair.
If I wash it and braid it, once the braids are taken out it does have a cute wavy look. Unfortunately that takes a lot of time. Even with the big chop my hair has been braided more than out.
Now I love my hair natural. It is beautiful. But I do miss having my hair permed. I thought with it being natural I wouldn’t have to worry so much about my hair being wet. I would be able to go swimming because my hair would dry into a cute afro. . . .wrong. if my hair gets wet I have to worry about shrinkage even more.
Sigh. . this is a whole heck of a lot more work than a perm. I am getting weak in my natural state.
I know how you feel Lexi. I had such high hopes and things just didn’t happen as planned.
Like you said, anyone looking at celebrity hairdos for inspiration needs to take those pictures with a grain of salt…SERIOUSLY. I know genetics have a lot to do with how your natural hair looks, but STYLISTS really work some magic.
Be strong madame. Being natural is a BOLD statement and a testament to black women everywhere. Be proud and show other women of color how beautiful you are.
Hello Nathalie,
I just came across your web page which I think is cool. Before I comment let me give you a little break down of my hairstory. I have been natural for four years straight. I started with locks and maintained them well over 3 1/2 years until recently when I took them out with a sewing nettle, and a lot of patience. It has been 3mo. now, and I have to admit that it was hard to transition from shoulder length, golden blond highlighted beautiful locks, to what I considered to be a plan, kinky, and a frail natural. Since then with plenty of trial and error, experimentation, and TLC, my natural is fuller and healthier than when I started.
One thing we have to realize is that our standard for beauty is not our own. So I don’t think its anything wrong with plan, kinky, healthy hair just our perception of our selves has been impaired. So with that said I believe we try to make ourselves (our natural hair) over to be something were not according to the standards of so called beauty that are perpetuated through the media and so forth.
The question we must ask is: How will my decision to never fully deal with being in our natural state effect our children seven generations from now?
In my experience I have learned that these small decisions have a major impact on how we relate with our children, men, and ourselves. Thats why I’m determined to deal with my natural hair.
I feel the exact same way!!! All week I have been debating what to do with my hair….I’ve been natural for 4 years now and don’t feel as though my hair has grown any faster or healthier than when I had it relaxed. I’ve been wearing sew-ins for the past couple of months but, I’ve decided to get a texturizer tomorrow….I’m a bit nervous though. I too saw the natural hair of those with a curlier textured hair than mine and thought that I too could achieve that look. My hair is very difficult to manage…..I’ve been doing some research on texturizers and I think that is the way to go for me (although I feel I am selling my soul to the devil!). I am at the point were I want to wear my hair straight, but I am unable to do this unless I have chemicals in my hair……it won’t stay straight too long without it, plus I don’t want to damage my hair with excess amounts of heat.
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