It’s precisely 7 months since I picked up a scissors and chopped off my hair in frustration. I don’t quite remember what led to what, but I’m extremely sure the dominant emotion was that “I’d had enough”. It was bad enough that I had to constantly spend money on relaxing solutions and hair style renewals, it was even more annoying that breakage had ultimately become my second name. One slide of the comb through my scalp and the floor would unwittingly become strewn with escaped strands from my thick black mane. The reckless way they landed on the floor showed me how happy they were to leave and I couldn’t blame them. What was the point? Even hair strands don’t want to be part of an unsuccessful venture. It was all money and time being pumped into this scalp of mine with no sign of growth and advancement.

When I finally saw the light, it was because I went broke. Despite all I had gone through, you would think my story of enlightenment would have more to do with  wanting healthy hair or wanting to connect with my roots…well I could care less. The more pressing issue for me was the need to be less frugal in my spending as a college student. Yes, the monthly hair products and hairstyle changes were reducing my wallet by the minute.

Myth

Chopping off my entire hair elicited drastic reactions. My aunt screamed, my cousin laughed, my sisters feared that the cost of natural hair maintenance would be overwhelming, my friends thought I couldn’t pull it off. In that moment, I felt the entire confidence with which I had picked up that scissors begin to wane. The what if’s unnervingly began to cloud my judgement. What if this was a mistake? What if people now think of me as ugly.

Debunking the Myth

The most gratifying thing about the big chop was the satisfaction that came with running  water down my hair during each shower. Words cannot describe the sensation that rummaged my scalp in those precious moments. My hair budget has reduced considerably as well. I don’t spend monthly on new hairstyles and recurring hair products. I basically depend on wash and go daily which is literally warm water on the hair while I bathe, towel dry and then application of “dark and lovely au natural anti-breakage”. On some weeks when I want to be fancy, I’d patronize the weaves but I find that I miss my natural hair pretty quickly so I just depend on wigs now.

We Should all go Natural

Natural hair is the most beautiful thing to happen to women. Each one irrespective of his or her race embodies a personal connection to beauty and strength, individualization that is reflected with your hair.

The truth is, I’ve never felt more beautiful.  True I’ve gotten numerous compliments from different people including the one that’d run hands through my fro and say “I fucking love your hair” but the real feeling, realization and understanding that I truly am beautiful goes way beyond that. It’s a sense of confidence, the one that makes me walk gallantly with my head held high whenever I enter a room. The one that reminds me that only I and not the world can truly define who I am. The one that tells me that “its okay to go out with little or no make up sometimes because with that fro I’d always be a stunna”. That one, that feeling, I can only say, came to me after the big chop.

Is anyone as weary as I was about going natural?

Or are you already natural but your journey isn’t going as easy as expected?

Or do you just have random question?

Leave comments below, I absolutely love reading and responding to them :D.