Ongoing Project: Going Natural

In the last post, I mentioned that I was looking to "go natural," along with a few other keywords you might or might not recognize. So let's define those really quick.


Natural: Going "natural" generally refers to when a Black woman transitions from chemically processing her hair(relaxers) to allowing the hair to grow out, back into its original, or natural, state.

Touch Up: After someone receives their first relaxer, and salon visit after that requires using a relaxer is called a touch-up. When new hair growth comes in, it obviously looks rather different from the sleek, straightened hair, so in a period anywhere from 4-10 weeks, a person goes in to have their roots "touched up".

Tenderheaded: Oh, the bane of my existence. It is NOT easy to have kinky, wavy, curly, coarse hair yanked and combed and pulled and twisted into tight braids that dig in your scalp. Especially if you are already tenderheaded, or have a particularly sensitive scalp. *Shudders*




So now that I've gone over some things, let's cut to the chase. My plan for this summer is to grow out my relaxed hair and wear my natural texture for at least the summer. I've been getting my hair relaxed since I was 12 or so, and so I can preach firsthand that sweating out processed hair(which already tends to be hot because it retains all the heat from styling) in 90 degree, New York City Heat. I've been thinking about making the change for some time, and I feel that this is the first time I feel that I am educated enough to make the transition without damaging my hair. But first, a little background.

Going natural is a very real experience. I've only just started making the transition, and I've been all over the place. Doubt. Sadness. Confusion. But mostly, excitement. I've never had this much control over my own hair before! As a kid, my mom scrubbed, pulled, and twisted my crazy ass head of hair into submission. I never learned how to take care of it save for putting on an itchy stocking cap (literally, a stocking- we'd cut out the crotch area of a old pair of tights) before I went to sleep at night. The whole experience of braiding my hair was traumatic- it was painful, the grease was heavy and hot, and it left me lightheaded and nauseous. Not to mention, the nape of my neck would break out into painful bumps (yikes). When I started junior high school, I was determined to do whatever it took to not have to braid my hair again.

So I started relaxing, or "creamy crack," as natural hair care forums call it. It was a miracle in a tub! You know, despite the extreme 20 minutes of pain, which you could probably expect when you apply lye to your scalp. But even that miracle wore out its welcome- again, literally. My hair thinned out, broke off, fell out, grew back, broke off- crazy stuff.


Now, I'm back to square one. The basics: wash, dry and go. Some of you will find this intriguing, some of you will skip these posts. Irregardless, I think you'll find more in this series of posts than you think you will. Enjoy.

-SG