Monday, May 13, 2013

Tea Talk - My Hair Story


Oh, hello!

I wanted to start my first session of Tea Talk with the story of my hair and how I made the decision to "go natural". My tea of choice for this segment is Kombucha Green Tea. It helps strengthen the immune system, especially now that we are in the rainy months. Now go grab a cup of your favorite tea and let's get to talking! 

My first memory of hair was when I was a little girl. My mom always put it up in twists with beads or hair clips at the end, like most black mothers did in the 90's. I do not remember my first perm but I do remember being in elementary school when I saw a girl in my class with her hair in super cute afro puffs. I had to have them! I asked my mom if she could do my hair like that but she said I would have to grow my hair out. I was too young to understand that at the time but ultimately she never grew out my hair.



I was regularly getting relaxers up until I was 20 years old. I used to put my hair in braided or twisted extensions and sew-ins weaves every now and then. It never occurred to me that I could go natural. It wasn't until I became conscious of the things that I eat and use on my body that I realized the true horror of the relaxer....dun dun dun!! I asked myself why. Why was I subjecting myself to harsh chemical exposure? Why was I allowing myself to sit with the relaxer on my hair as it burned scabs on my scalp hair line? I had made my decision.

In 2010 I went to my usual sew-in weave girl and told her that I wanted kinky twists. I hadn't put a relaxer in my hair in a couple months so I had a decent amount of peek-a-boo new-growth. The time had come and my impatient nature was growing...I told her to cut off all of my relaxed hair and leave just the small bit of new growth. She was hesitant but went along with my request when she saw how earnest I was. I watched all my hair fall to the floor. When I lifted my hands to feel the hair that remained it was soft and very...very short. Fortunately enough the hair was long enough for her to grab to do the kinky twist style I originally wanted. 

It took me a while to get used to the length. I felt the need to change up my wardrobe from the constant jeans and tee shirt to more girly things. I felt as if the short hair made me look like a boy and it drove me crazy. At first it took a long time to see any length although I knew it was growing. I continued to take good care of it by eating well, drinking lots of water, moisturizing daily, keeping the scalp clean. Before I knew it my hair is reaching down my back when I pull it. It's incredible!



My advice to those still deciding to go natural is to take your time. Do not allow anything or any one to pressure you into doing it. You have to do it for the right reasons and do it for yourself. Once you have that foundational mindset your natural hair journey will be a little less stressful.

I hope this helps,
Ciao!

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