A few of my favorite relaxed
ladies have announced they are going natural.
Their reasons for transitioning was not to jump on the “team natural”
wagon because “relaxers are sooooooooo bad for their hair.” But simple because they thought that is what’s
best for them. The one thing that stood
out to me was the fact they are not knocking other ladies for relaxing their
tresses.
Lately, when I see ladies without relaxers i.e. naturals, I have been in love with the curls and the styles. As a result, I’ve been having a mental battle as to whether or not I want to allow my relaxer to grow off. Some days I’m all for it and other days I’m like “nope I love my relaxed strands.” I think the reason I lean more toward the nope part is because of the manageability of relaxed strands and the ease of me creating various styles. The thought of me not looking groomed when I leave the house startles me. I, we, are God’s billboard. Therefore, we must represent our Daddy well. And to think there could be times when my hair is one big mess is discouraging me from letting the relaxer grow off. I tried once to transition and quickly gave up because I looked a hot mess, literally! I think I was damaging my hair more than growing it so I went back to relaxing.
I talk to God and my husband about it. I believe God is giving me the green light when I’m comfortable with the decision/process. And my husband is ok with whatever I want to do with the exception of cutting it all off. He’s loves my long hair. J Since I have not fully committed to transition (big chopping is not an option), I’ve decided to allow my niece to install box braids. Hopefully, this will give me the opportunity to decide while having the luxury of not dealing with my hair.
My last relaxer was April 15, which makes me 6 weeks post. I typically stretch for about 14-16 weeks. I feel like 16 weeks is my “breaking point”. I feel like my hair no longer pays attention to my direction/instructions and begins to do its own thing. Oftentimes this causes frustration and a sense of hopelessness L I found one thing that has truly helped me…reminding myself to take it one day at a time. It’s a journey, whether natural or relaxed. Along the journey I will encounter various obstacles, emotions, victories, and defeats. And with each of the experiences, I have to take something from them. Otherwise, it was pointless to go through the journey.
Lately, when I see ladies without relaxers i.e. naturals, I have been in love with the curls and the styles. As a result, I’ve been having a mental battle as to whether or not I want to allow my relaxer to grow off. Some days I’m all for it and other days I’m like “nope I love my relaxed strands.” I think the reason I lean more toward the nope part is because of the manageability of relaxed strands and the ease of me creating various styles. The thought of me not looking groomed when I leave the house startles me. I, we, are God’s billboard. Therefore, we must represent our Daddy well. And to think there could be times when my hair is one big mess is discouraging me from letting the relaxer grow off. I tried once to transition and quickly gave up because I looked a hot mess, literally! I think I was damaging my hair more than growing it so I went back to relaxing.
I talk to God and my husband about it. I believe God is giving me the green light when I’m comfortable with the decision/process. And my husband is ok with whatever I want to do with the exception of cutting it all off. He’s loves my long hair. J Since I have not fully committed to transition (big chopping is not an option), I’ve decided to allow my niece to install box braids. Hopefully, this will give me the opportunity to decide while having the luxury of not dealing with my hair.
My last relaxer was April 15, which makes me 6 weeks post. I typically stretch for about 14-16 weeks. I feel like 16 weeks is my “breaking point”. I feel like my hair no longer pays attention to my direction/instructions and begins to do its own thing. Oftentimes this causes frustration and a sense of hopelessness L I found one thing that has truly helped me…reminding myself to take it one day at a time. It’s a journey, whether natural or relaxed. Along the journey I will encounter various obstacles, emotions, victories, and defeats. And with each of the experiences, I have to take something from them. Otherwise, it was pointless to go through the journey.
I am so excited about this new hair journey! My plan is to document/capture my progress along the way. This will definitely help me remain focus.
So until the next post…Do
something For His Glory!
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