Embracing My Black Identity

I totally believe that in order to have a successful natural hair journey one must completely obtain a full understanding on what natural hair is and the meaning behind it. Being natural means that you have chosen not to permanently alter with chemicals (Relaxer). The sole purpose of going natural is to completely embrace your natural hair and beauty as a black woman. So often our hair is labeled as "nappy" that needs to be tamed with a relaxer, when in reality, our hair was never meant to be straight. About six to eight months ago, it crossed my mind to become natural. " What in the world am I thinking, I could never go natural, my hair is way too nappy" Is what crossed my mind immediately after the thought. Well I completely ignored myself, "I am not going natural, and that is the end of that," is what I told myself. So, every two weeks I set up a new appointment to get weave. Well, because my hair wasn't out I figured it was no need to get a relaxer. Well, before I knew it, months had went by and I had NOT gotten a relaxer- I could NOT believe it. So I figured since I've made it this far, it shouldn't be too hard to continue. Well, let me be the first to tell you, I have never on God's green earth seen anyone's hair as thick and coarse as mine. I mean it is thick and when I say thick, I mean thick, thick. Often times it can become a major pain due to the fact that I am still in the transitioning stage. My roots are natural, however my ends are very straight. It gets so hard and irritating when my hair does not cooperate. During this journey I've been told that going natural wasn't for everybody and I was included in that percentage.(TRIED IT)! This causes me to get in moods where I totally want to give up on becoming natural and get a relaxer. I often tell my family and peers that if someone does not help me figure out what to do with my hair I'm going to get a relaxer.!I often get discouraged because my hair doesn't always look the way I feel that it should, however my journey is just beginning. Being a part of the natural hair journey family is embracing your natural beauty and culture. I am so proud to be an African American women, and if being natural is going to help me embrace that then I am all for it. However, let's not get it twisted, I am all for a head full of weave and a beat face *two snaps* - I LIVE for a good highlight and contour. For so many years, whites have made our black culture feel unwanted, ugly and useless. Society has deemed straight hair as the norm. Little do they know, natural is the NEW pretty! It is now time that we take a stand, and we let it be known that we are NOT going anywhere, so get use to it. We are here and we WILL embrace our black identity.