I wanted to do a post like this because it was a big step for me to turn from having nice straight shiny relaxed hair, that was very easy for me to manage at the time, but realised that having relaxed hair had many drawbacks for me, in terms of health implications, and also the fact that the relaxer was making my hair very thin and lack of body. I had nice natural hair when I was younger, my mother used to wash and blow-dry my hair out all the time, she never straightened my hair. My hair was greased with Dax oil and then protective styled all the time. When I reached 11 I gradually learned to do my hair myself, but with great frustration due to the fact that when my hair wash washed, it would puff out so much that it became unbearable for me to manage. Boy, I dreaded blowing my hair out, I often said to my mum, how the did you do it! When my hair was blown out, it was never sectioned, all you felt was that comb attached to the dryer being dragged through your hair until my hair was completely dry and tangled free!
I was in pain but I could not complain, I had to man up and lap up the pain.
At such a young age I did not have the understanding on how to maintain natural hair, and so I decided that it would be the best option to have my hair relaxed. I had to wait until I was 16 before my mother had approved for this to be done. Anyway, my hair was relaxed and my hair felt nice and straight and much easier for me to manage and to style at the time and let me tell you the shine was unreal, people often asked me if this was my hair! The only draw back I had having relaxed hair, was me having to dodge the rain, I prevented any water from coming near my hair as I wanted to keep in the relax for a longer period as possible, so yes, swimming was a no no, the umbrella never departed from my bag by no means, it was permanently attached to me,we became like bench and batty! I did less exercise because I did not want to sweat out the perm, so my hair became my shrine! I had to keep it protected by all means.
Later on in life having relaxed the hell out of my hair, i realised that the thinness of my hair was unreal, i wasn't feeling it anymore, my style was always up in a bun, I hated my hair out because of the grease on my face that caused bumps to appear all the time, I did not like people touching my hair, and so it was easier for me to put my hair up in a ponytail. My hairline was getting thin and I just decided to chop my hair into a bob, as I knew that my hair would be free from that ponytail lifestyle.
Having a bob was a blessing when I had my first child, I just wrapped my hair at night time and in the morning, I would unwrap and I am good to go, but even that did not stop my hair from getting thinner. At times I did dread getting my hair permed, you couldn't scratch your scalp or brush or comb because the perm would burn your scalp, so if I had an itch I had to pat my hair to get rid of it....how funny is that. If the relaxer was left in it would burn your scalp, I would be in the hair dresses practically all day, why? The process alone was long, the relaxer in the hair, the waiting time, the wash out, the deep condition, the blow-dry, the cut, the press and then the style was all too much for me, not to mention the cost of it all, the cost was a lot and that did not include the hair products for your hair too!
What really pushed for me to go natural was the costing, the thinness of my hair and the health aspects of it. Hair relaxers have toxic ingredients such as sodium hydroxide known as Lye or Caustic Soda, which is a powerful alkaline that is found in products like soap, petroleum refining and in homes as drain cleaners and oven cleaners , calcium hydroxide, guanidine carbonate, guanidine hydroxide, thioglycolic acid and lithium hydroxide are the remaining ingredients found. When you got your hair relaxed, did you realise that a neutralising shampoo and conditioner had to be applied, why? If your hair is not rinsed out properly it will cause your hair to fall out, it is best practice to use a neutralising shampoo and conditioner to help prevent hair from being dry and penetrating, it helps to remove oil and chemicals in your hair which is why you could not use a standard shampoo and conditioner.
The possible health factors of relaxers and activators are scalp irritation, skin burns, permanent scarring, deep ulcerations, skin drying and cracking, dermatitis, irreversible baldness, eye damage, weak, dry, broken and damaged hair. You have to bear in mind that hair relaxers have a high PH level that is at the top of the scale, the relaxer breaks down the bonds that provide strength to your strands, but this process breaks that bond in order to allow your hair to be straightened. Does that mean that having straight hair is weaker than natural hair? I guess so, What do you think?
I took that step of going natural and boy I am glad I did, I am not following the hype at all, I did this because I did my research and found that having natural hair was the best route for me. Many may find that natural hair is not for them, but this is down to own personal choice. I wanted thick hair, I wanted healthy hair and scalp, I wanted the option of having my hair in various hairstyles, I wanted the freedom of not having to run from the rain or from swimming or from having a healthy and active lifestyle and I can. I was fed up with all those chemicals in my hair, it is bad enough that we are having to consume so much medication that comes with so much side effects, that when one side of you have recovered, the other side becomes affected and so you are constantly stuck in this cycle because of the side effects of these chemicals we keep pumping into our bodies.
Here are my reasons why you should consider going natural:
Celebrating Versatility
Isn't it great to know that you can have so much more hair styles in your hair rather than just having straight hair? We should celebrate the fact that natural hair comes in various hairstyles, and is unique in many ways when creating them. You are no longer bound!
Natural Hair Movement
Did you know that hair relaxers sales have decreased by 26% since 2008, more and more women are finally starting to accept and embrace their natural hair. The report also states that 'natural hair trend'has increased the sales of styling products for natural hair in the UK, in 2013 70 percent of black women currently wore their natural hair.
You can see that this has inspired hair salons specialising in natural hairstyles, many blogs being formed, youtube channels increasing and hair events for women of natural hair, you see there is so much more information out there now to help guide you on your natural hair journey than there was back then! Companies want to be part of the movement and you can too.
Health
I am not tarnishing relaxers as I believe that everyone should have the freedom of choice, but when I looked at the harsh chemicals used in my hair over a period of time and I knew it would affect me in the long run, I chose to make a change for the good of my health and perhaps you would consider this too.
New Birth
Someone quoted somewhere that having natural hair again is like meeting yourself all over again. How fitting is this quote, your hair has been covered for so long that you have forgotten for a long while, what you hair actually looked and felt like without the relaxer. When you have done the big chop, it is like meeting your hair all over again. Seeing your texture and watching your hair grow beautifully is the best thing that I have done. Embracing uniqueness is what I am about, my hair is different from everyone else and I have learnt to love, care and nurture my hair.
No Longer Breaking The Bank Balance
If you are not a product junkie well this will apply to you, I am not one for buying products upon products, I just buy one line of products and finish that, before I go to something else or I may buy from one line and the other and finish using that before I purchase anymore. I have saved so much money over the years and it is that money saved that I can use for something more important to pay for. I haven't seen my purse smile in such a long while, it loves me, even more, when I can buy affordable hair products, that is fitting for my hair.
Lifestyle Flexibility
Since my change in wanting to go natural, I have the freedom to go swimming, to exercise as much as I want,because natural hair allows me to wash my hair daily if I chose to and to style my hair ready for a good active lifestyle,
Paving The Way For The New Generation
Nothing feels more awarding to learn that what I do in life, has a deep reflection on my children's life. Have you heard the saying, 'Monkey see, Monkey do'! Yes, your kids do not miss a thing, but that is a good thing when it comes to learning and doing your natural hair. I have taught my two to love, to care and to cherish what God has given you, I have taught them that people will have negative comments about your hair, but you can turn that negativity into a positive, by explaining to them that uniqueness is something to embrace not to fear, fear is what gets a hold of you when you have lack of understanding about black hair. My girls copy what I do, from washing my hair , to deep conditioning, to adding moisture to styling, there is nothing they couldn't tell you what I do, and I know that I have implanted something special that they will grow up to continue with.
I hope you have been inspired from reading this post, I hope that you have decided on what route to take on your hair journey, but remember one thing, natural hair is not time-consuming, it only becomes that way if you make it that way, planning and preparing an easy routine will help you on your way!
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