Ok, tomorrow is the day. I'm so excited!!! I loaded my before picture. Actually I should have waited until morning but that would probaby be too scary. Tomorrow will also be the last day I use a comb or brush. Wow! That is scary. :-)
Monday, June 30, 2008
Day before Sisterlocks
Ok, tomorrow is the day. I'm so excited!!! I loaded my before picture. Actually I should have waited until morning but that would probaby be too scary. Tomorrow will also be the last day I use a comb or brush. Wow! That is scary. :-)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Natural Journey
On Tue, July 1st I'll be 8 months natural. I still notice people doing a double take when I pass by but I smile and keep strutting. In my neighborhood beauty salons are a dime a dozen and everybody is all about their hair. So I know their surprise when I pass but it's fine. It's not about them, this is my journey. It took me 51 years to get here and I intend to see it through.
I've always known that chemicals didn't work with my hair. I just didn't know why. I thought the problems were because I was tender headed, or allergic to everything or just had the wrong hairdresser. I've always resisted going to the salon because all they ever wanted to do was cut my hair and tell me to wear makeup and visit more often. This is of course after I'd been there waiting all day. Yeah right.
I started researching black hair after my daughter went through a cosmetology program at the local junior college. I wanted to know more about my hair and why I've always struggled with it and why I kept going through this endless cycle of growing and breaking off. Little did I know that the very industry I turned to for help was creating and feeding the problem all the while I financed it. I felt used and abused. I was angry.
So in the Summer of 2007 I said 'no more chemicals' and went cold turkey. It wasn't easy. I slipped, tripped and fell when I succumbed to a texturizer in the Fall. The my forehead broke out from the crap I was putting in my hair to maintain the curl, not to mention all the hair that came out in my hands everytime I combed it. I felt like an idiot for even trying it again. I decided this time with conviction 'no more chemicals' and I haven't looked back. It will be 8 months on Tue.
So much has changed since I made that decision. My hair has completely changed. It's softer now where it was always dry and brittle. It's not shiney but my scalp is healthy. I spend more time on my hair now than I ever did but it's quality time, not useless grooming. I use all natural products, most of which I make myself. I have serious 'hand in hair' syndrome but I love the feel of it. My family doesn't know what to make of this journey but even they're surprised at how soft my hair is. I never stress anymore over what to do with my hair in the morning. I have an entire collection of headbands, scarfs and all sorts of hair paraphenalia. Oddly enough, I have even more options for hairstyles now than I ever did when it was permed or curled. It's not long, probably about 5-6 inches but considering the state it was in when I started this journey, that is an accomplishment.
On Tue, my 8 month natural anniversary, I'm scheduled to have Sisterlocks installed. I've been debating this for some time now. I'm still asking myself if this is really what I want to do. I know it's a whole other journey and Sisterlocks will take even more work to maintain. But I like the idea of locks. Moving this journey to another level. Becoming more in touch with who I am and what defines me. Finding world peace within myself. :=)
I expect I'll go right up to Tue still waging this internal debate or Sisterlocks. That's my style, to always fight with myself on major decisions right up to the end. But that's usually when I know which direction I'm going anyway. If I really don't want to do something, I'll come to that decision pretty quickly and then move on. If I keep the debate going, it's because the pros have seriously outweighed the cons. I need to take some pictures so I can have before and after shots. I'm actually very excited now.
I've always known that chemicals didn't work with my hair. I just didn't know why. I thought the problems were because I was tender headed, or allergic to everything or just had the wrong hairdresser. I've always resisted going to the salon because all they ever wanted to do was cut my hair and tell me to wear makeup and visit more often. This is of course after I'd been there waiting all day. Yeah right.
I started researching black hair after my daughter went through a cosmetology program at the local junior college. I wanted to know more about my hair and why I've always struggled with it and why I kept going through this endless cycle of growing and breaking off. Little did I know that the very industry I turned to for help was creating and feeding the problem all the while I financed it. I felt used and abused. I was angry.
So in the Summer of 2007 I said 'no more chemicals' and went cold turkey. It wasn't easy. I slipped, tripped and fell when I succumbed to a texturizer in the Fall. The my forehead broke out from the crap I was putting in my hair to maintain the curl, not to mention all the hair that came out in my hands everytime I combed it. I felt like an idiot for even trying it again. I decided this time with conviction 'no more chemicals' and I haven't looked back. It will be 8 months on Tue.
So much has changed since I made that decision. My hair has completely changed. It's softer now where it was always dry and brittle. It's not shiney but my scalp is healthy. I spend more time on my hair now than I ever did but it's quality time, not useless grooming. I use all natural products, most of which I make myself. I have serious 'hand in hair' syndrome but I love the feel of it. My family doesn't know what to make of this journey but even they're surprised at how soft my hair is. I never stress anymore over what to do with my hair in the morning. I have an entire collection of headbands, scarfs and all sorts of hair paraphenalia. Oddly enough, I have even more options for hairstyles now than I ever did when it was permed or curled. It's not long, probably about 5-6 inches but considering the state it was in when I started this journey, that is an accomplishment.
On Tue, my 8 month natural anniversary, I'm scheduled to have Sisterlocks installed. I've been debating this for some time now. I'm still asking myself if this is really what I want to do. I know it's a whole other journey and Sisterlocks will take even more work to maintain. But I like the idea of locks. Moving this journey to another level. Becoming more in touch with who I am and what defines me. Finding world peace within myself. :=)
I expect I'll go right up to Tue still waging this internal debate or Sisterlocks. That's my style, to always fight with myself on major decisions right up to the end. But that's usually when I know which direction I'm going anyway. If I really don't want to do something, I'll come to that decision pretty quickly and then move on. If I keep the debate going, it's because the pros have seriously outweighed the cons. I need to take some pictures so I can have before and after shots. I'm actually very excited now.
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