Curls of Joy "Know Your Hair, Love Your Hair" Challenge - Week 4 Update

I'm back for my Week 4 Update for the Curls of Joy "Know Your Hair, Love Your Hair" Challenge! (http://curlsofjoy.blogspot.com)  As I stated in my last post, I'm actually participating in two hair challenges.  Along with the Curls of Joy challenge, I'm doing my own "Healthy Growth & Length Retention Challenge", which I begin in March. 

Week 1 of the Curls of Joy Challenge involved setting goals.  In my last post, I stated that my goals are to grow and maintain healthy hair, achieve/retain and increase the length of the hair I grow, learn how and why my hair responds to different methods and products, learn to love my hair again and go back to enjoying my natural hair journey.  I also listed the issues I was having with my hair...knotty/tangled ends, lack of length retention (from excessive trimming due to knotty ends), roughness/hardness of my hair, and increased difficulty managing my hair.

Some of the tools/methods I began using (in March) to achieve these goals are tips/advice I received from well-known natural hairstylist, Felicia Leatherwood of Loving Your Hair with Natural Care Workshop (http://www.lovingyourhairworkshop.com) and Jc of The Natural Haven (http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/).

After describing my issues to her, Felicia recommended that I try the following products:

• Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo
• Shea Moisture Anti-Breakage Mask
• Koils By Nature Moisturizing Shealoe Leave-In Conditioner
• Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Reconstructive Elixir

She also recommended trimming the remainder of the bad ends off.  Yikes!  (I ended up cutting quite a bit of hair off, BUT the raggedy ends are gone!)

Jc, in a post on Black Girl with Long Hair, http://blackgirllonghair.com/2011/10/5-reasons-youre-not-gaining-length/, suggested that I try finger detangling my hair, instead of combing (when I take my mini two-strand twists loose to prep for washing).  She recommended a tutorial on finger detangling by chery818 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOwuT3vzxP0).  Using this method has already made a BIG difference.  It takes a long time and a lot of patience, but the amount of hair lost has greatly decreased and I have had very little, if any, tangling and knotting on the ends.  Yippee!

 

In addition to the above regimens, I've also begun using extra virgin coconut oil as a "pre-poo" (pre-shampoo) conditioner, twisting the hair in big two-strand twists, covering with a plastic cap, and letting it (coconut oil) sit for no less than 30 minutes (sometimes overnight).   The result - very soft, detangled hair!  Whoo hoo!

 

Another method I've incorporated is twisting my hair in big twists after applying the Koils By Nature Moisturizing Shealoe Leave-In Conditioner.  So far, it hasn't necessarily made my hair softer, but by twisting the hair with the leave-in and leaving it twisted until I get ready to do my regular mini-twist style, it decreases shrinkage and prevents tangling and knotting.  This keeps me from fighting to tear my way (literally, tearing hair out) through a dry, rough, tangled, knotted, shrunken mess that used to take me a couple of days to twist (and my hair's not even long yet).  Now, I can do my hair, from start (finger detangling) to finish (mini twists), in one day!  Yeah!

I've also learned that there's a difference between moisturizing and sealing.  So, I've tweaked my regimen by moisturizing my hair, preferably with a water-based moisturizer, then sealing the moisture into the hair, particularly the ends, with natural oil(s).  I've learned the importance of paying special attention to the ends (the oldest part of the hair).  I like the way one blogger puts it, "Treat your ends like your elders."  Make sure they're well taken care of.  :-)

Week 2 - "The Anatomy and Science of Hair", http://curlsofjoy.blogspot.com/2012/04/week-two-anatomy-and-science-of-hair.html, features links to some great videos and articles breaking the subject down.  Kimmaytube does an awesome job in her video series on the structure and pH of hair! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i3MC4d-HmY).  There's also a video by LaBellaNatural that gives a great, basic explanation of the anatomy of hair:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fxg_qzHFC0.

Week 3 - "Vitamins, Lifestyle, & Diet", http://curlsofjoy.blogspot.com/2012/04/week-three-vitamins-lifestyle-diet.html, includes some very informative articles on vitamins and minerals, as well as the foods that contain them, that are vital for the health of hair.  While I do eat a pretty healthy diet with foods that contain almost all, if not all, of these necessary nutrients, I know I could do better.  I've definitely got to do something about that "sweet tooth" that has been rearing its ugly head from time to time. Sugar is not my friend!

Lately, I've being hearing from a couple of different sources that since our bodies are automatically programmed for survival, the most vital organs, i.e. heart, lungs, thyroid, etc., draw from the the body's supply of vitamins and minerals first.  Then, whatever's left over is what's available for "less vital" organs, such as hair, skin, and nails.  That's why we could be eating a so-called "healthy" diet, and wonder why our hair, skin, nails, or other "less vital" organs are not functioning properly or not responding to those nutrients the way we think they should.  We're often getting the nutrients, but not enough for all of the organs that need them.  With that said, I'm going to make sure that I continue and/or increase the intake of foods necessary for healthy hair, continue taking my multivitamin, as well as add additional supplements that are vital for healthy hair.

Water and exercise are also vital for the hair.  According to one of the articles listed under Week 3, 13 Nutrients That Promote Hair Growth, "Water makes up one-fourth of the weight of a strand of hair...Eight to ten glasses of water a day are absolutely necessary to nourish healthy hair."  Lack of water is also a cause of dry hair.  Exercise increases blood flow, therefore, increasing the oxygen supply to the hair and scalp.  In addition, when we sweat, we release toxins from the body.  Thus, less toxins in the hair and scalp.  I'm getting plenty of water and exercise.  So, I'll make sure I keep it up and don't let either of those slip, and even increase both, as necessary.  As exercise increases, so does the necessity for water.

The article also lists things to avoid if you want healthy hair.  "Eating dead food can lead to lifeless hair.  These are sugars, chocolate, cakes, cookies, starches, soft drinks, snacks, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and recreational drugs...destroy important hair growing nutrients."  Omg!  Not only does sugar contribute to obesity, premature aging, joint problems, tooth decay, and all kinds of other health issues, but now I see that it's even bad for hair!  I have got to keep reminding myself...SUGAR IS NOT MY FRIEND!

Week 4 - "Learn to Analyze Your Hair & First Check In!" explains porosity and hair typing systems, as well as how to determine one's own porosity, hair type and pattern.  I'm unsure of my hair's porosity right now.  I'll do the porosity test the next time I wash my hair.  As far as my hair type and pattern goes, I've always assumed that my hair was type 4c and/or 4b, because of its "kinkiness" and the way it felt (rough).  According to the hair typing systems, type 4 has a "Z" pattern.  I'm pretty certain that my hair, for the most part, fits into that category, with an occasional corkscrew pattern (only slightly resembling type 3) here and there.  And according to the tightness of the curl and degree of shrinkage, I'm still pretty convinced of the "c" curl, maybe with a mixture of "b".  Regardless, other than the purpose of determining how the hair may or may not respond to certain products or methods, hair type is not that big of a deal to me, because essentially, what matters is having a healthy head of hair and knowing how to properly manage it.

Curls of Joy "Know Your Hair, Love Your Hair" Challenge

April 1st was the kickoff of Curls of Joy's "Know Your Hair, Love Your Hair" Challenge (http://curlsofjoy.blogspot.com) and I decided to participate. This was right on time, coinciding with my own personal challenge, which I titled my "Healthy Growth & Length Retention Challenge", which I began on March 2nd.

My overall goal is to achieve growth/length retention and overall healthy hair. I want to learn more about my hair and truly become more acquainted with it, learning what the best methods and products are for it. And last, but certainly not least, I want to go back to enjoying my natural hair journey, as I did...well, even more than I did, in the earlier days of the journey. As a part of my "dual challenge", I'll be tracking my progress through pictures, keeping a hair diary, and blogging.

Now, some of you may be wondering why I'm saying I need to get more acquainted with my hair, after all these years of being natural. (I was back and forth between natural and relaxed hair since 1999 or 2000. I've been relaxer-free since 2004 (except for that brief stint with a texturizer in '07), and publicly natural since 2007). "So, shouldn't you know your hair and how to handle it by now?" you may ask.

Well, I've discovered (and I'm sure many of you have, as well) that as our natural hair grows, much like a child, it goes through different phases, demanding different treatment, different products, and different methods in each phase, taking on its own personality, often misbehaving, not doing what you want it to do, trying to get its own way. You love it, because it's yours, but...well...sometimes, you enjoy the journey and sometimes you don't. But, the more you get to know it and what makes it tick, the better you're able to gauge exactly what you need to do to keep it in line and make it respect and obey you. And ultimately, you want to find that "happy medium", where you're both happy and have a drama-free relationship. That's what I want!

I felt I needed to do these hair challenges, because I had reached a crossroad with my hair. It was getting thicker and fuller, and that's great! I'm very grateful to have a head full of hair. But it didn't seem to be growing as long as I thought it should be. And it was becoming harder to manage.

It's interesting that I really took notice of the lack of (visible) growth when a male cousin of mine mentioned (in late 2010) that I had been wearing twists ("these things", as he called them) for a while, and that it seemed like my hair should've been alot longer by then. I say "visible" growth, because, as many of us naturals have noticed, we often experience significant shrinkage (when the hair draws up, appearing much shorter than it actually is). Anyway, I explained the shrinkage issue to my cousin, but I really had to think about it myself after that...why isn't my hair longer by now?

I'm not saying that my hair wasn't growing at all, because it was, but it just wasn't as visible or happening as fast as I thought it should have. Granted, a lot of things have happened in the past couple of years that may have affected the state and wellness of my hair...long bouts of unemployment and/or underemployment, financial difficulties, deaths in my family, minor yet relevant health issues, relocation, disappointments, etc... These things may have affected its growth...I don't know. I did have some breakage over a year ago, but only in the top/crown of my head (something I've mentioned in previous blog posts that occurred during stressful times in my life), but as I mentioned above, my hair has continued to grow thicker and fuller.

I digress. Sorry! Back to my pre-challenge issues...I cut my hair in early 2011, because of all the knotting on the ends. And for the past several months, I found myself having to trim my ends every three or four weeks, because of knotting and raggedy ends. I was also having a really hard time combing through my hair, unless it was wet. It seemed that no matter how much I trimmed my ends, they kept knotting up. Obviously, with all of that trimming, my hair didn't have much chance to show its growth. In addition to these issues, after washing my hair, when it dried, it often felt hard and rough, especially if I wore it loose, in an afro.

A couple of months ago, I sought the advice of a couple of well-known natural hair experts, as well as reading natural hair blogs regarding the issues I was having, and watching YouTube videos. I'll include the advice/new knowledge I received and details about products and methods in separate posts, as I track my progress. But, I will say, the new-found wisdom I received has made a tremendous difference and has made maintenance of my hair much less of a headache. Stay tuned! :-)

The Cycles of Damage

After wearing my hair (publically) natural for over four years now, it’s hard to even imagine not being natural.  But, I have to say, it took a lot for me to get to this point.  For several years, before I took the “natural plunge”, I often admired natural hairstyles that I saw other people (both females and males) rockin’.  I wanted to go natural, over ten years ago, but every time I planned to do it, I’d find some reason not to.

I remember, about a decade ago, a male coworker friend and I had both planned to start loc’ing our hair together.  He was growing his fro’ out and I think I was wearing braids at the time, with my natural and/or transitioning hair underneath.  We had planned on calling up a loctitian and scheduling an appointment to get our starter locs.  But, every time, we chickened out.  He’d get his fro cut down to a low fade and I’d either get my hair braided again or go back to the perm.

With all that wishy-washy stuff, eventually, the ultimate decision basically was made for me...by my own hair, through recurring cycles of hair damage.  It was as if my hair was saying, “Alright!  Enough of this madness!  No more relaxers!  I’m not putting up with this anymore!  Get off the creamy crack, Yo!”

For me, the cycles of hair damage began around 1994, when I was in my early 20’s.  In hindsight, I can tie many of the cycles of hair damage to life-changing experiences.  As my life went through transitions, so did my hair.

I began experiencing breakage in the top, or crown, of my head.  Somebody told me that was the “nerve spot”, where the hair is affected by stress.  Well, that was easy to explain.  I was extremely stressed out, working on a job I absolutely hated! 

When the breakage wouldn’t seem to stop, I had my hair cut short, to let the hair to grow out the same length all over.  Relief finally came when I changed jobs later that year.  (Whew!  Thank ya, Lord!)  The funny thing is, the new job was, literally, right across the street from the old one AND I actually took a $4,000 cut in pay just to get outta that place!  Now, I know some people might think taking that much of a pay cut is crazy, but...if I hadn’t left that job...oooohhh!!!  Let’s just say, I needed to do that to keep my sanity!  And I can honestly say, to this day, I have absolutely NO regrets about making that move.

I’m not saying that the job was THE sole source of my stress (knowing the person I was back then, there was probably something else going on with me), but making that transition definitely did some good.  Not only did my hair grow back, but my skin cleared up, my demeanor and attitude improved (I may have still been somewhat of a drama queen back then, but I was so much more pleasant to be around...well, at least I think I was.  Hmmm, might have to ask some of the people who were around me then.)  AND I lost 50 pounds!  (Being all stressed out on that other job, I had regained all but 13 of the 35 to 40 pounds I had lost a couple of years earlier.)  But, most important of all, I had PEACE OF MIND...priceless!  Now, that’s when I got a true revelation that money ain’t everything.  And on top of that, I didn’t miss a beat financially.  God had my back!

Problem solved, right?  Yeah, for a while.  Even though my hair-breakage issue did seem to go away then, I did eventually go through those cycles of damage again in later years and several times.

I shared that experience to demonstrate that although the “creamy crack” (chemical relaxer) can often be the primary culprit of hair damage, it may not always be the ONLY factor.  Stress, as well as diet, also play key roles in the health of our hair, whether natural, relaxed, or somewhere in between.  We, naturalistas and transitionistas, can be sittin’ up here with totally chemical-free hair and still experience the same type of breakage (I’m speaking from experience).

Whether we’re experiencing damage/breakage or not, I believe we should occasionally take time to evaluate our lives and ask ourselves:

• How well do I manage the stress in my life?
• What do I need to change?  What can I do to eliminate the stressors in my life?
• How is my diet?  Am I cultivating my temple (my body) with healthy life-giving foods or am I stuffing it with a bunch of junk and poisonous substances?
• Am I drinking enough water?  (Our bodies are made mostly of water, so we need to make sure we are well hydrated.  And yes, not drinking enough water can affect our hair.)

Let’s love our bodies and love our hair by not only putting healthy things in them, but also by eliminating the negativity, stress, and drama from our lives.  You know what they say, “Garbage in, garbage out!”  Let’s get the garbage out of our lives.

Let’s also try to find better ways to deal with unavoidable stress, such as not giving in to negative emotions, not caving in to emotional eating, not allowing negativity and words of “doom and gloom” to come out of our mouths, and most importantly, learning to cast our cares upon the Lord (I Peter 5:7) and PRAY!  PRAY!  PRAY! (I Thes. 5-17)

I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to comment.  Have you experienced this type of “stress damage”?

Also feel free to drop me a line via email (NaturallyYo@gmail.com) for suggestions on topics you’d like me to cover in the future.

(Contains excerpts from "TranZitions: Revelations on My Journey to Natural Hair and Freedom" by Y. T. Jones)

Accepting Our Uniqueness

As we celebrate our heritage this Black History Month, we can acknowledge that wearing our hair in its natural hair texture is definitely a part of our history, dating back to the Motherland.  Some of us celebrate our hair, while others...well...don’t...feeling that their natural hair is nothing to celebrate, but rather, something to loathe, or be ashamed of.

I recently had a conversation with a woman who wears her hair braided in extensions.  Her braids were gorgeous!  I complimented her on her braids.  At the same time, she complimented me on my natural hair, which I usually wear in two-strand twists.  She’s wearing braids while in transition to completely natural hair.  She said she wanted to give her hair a break from the braids and was trying to decide what to do with her hair next.  I made a few suggestions of transitional hairstyles she could try.  I like talking about hair, so the conversation continued for a couple of minutes, mainly about the “transition” process, etc.  But, I had to make my exit when she said that she had asked God why she couldn’t have the “good stuff”, the type of hair that she could just “wet and go” (I’m paraphrasing, because I don’t remember her exact words).  But, the bottom line is that she wished that she had what she considered “good hair”.

I’m not judging...because for a large part of my life, I felt the same way.  I remember, especially, as a child and even into young adulthood, wishing (and even praying) that my hair wasn’t so nappy, that my skin wasn’t so dark, that my nose wasn’t so wide, that my lips weren’t so full, that my thighs weren’t so big, etc., etc.  So, I’ve been there, and it’s sad...to be so “unaccepting” of oneself.

I mean, sure, who doesn’t want “no fuss” hair.  But, I have to say, I was disappointed and even slightly annoyed, to hear her say those things.  I had to make an exit, because I just didn’t want to hear that negativity.  I will tell you now, I absolutely HATE the terms “good hair” and “bad hair”, when they’re used in their traditional context, referring to hair that more closely resembles European hair as “good hair”, while the closer the hair resembles what we consider African or afro-textured hair, it is referred to as “bad hair”.  Well, who told us our hair was bad, huh?  (I think we all know the answer to that question...anyway...that question reminds me of the Bible, in Genesis, when God asked Adam and Eve, after they ate the forbidden fruit and hid their nakedness, “Who told you that you were naked?”).  What forbidden fruit (mindset, standard of beauty, etc.) have we allowed ourselves to partake of?

After so much conditioning of our minds to hate our African features (hair texture, skin color, wide noses, etc.), nobody (other races) even has to tell us that anymore.  We tell ourselves and each other...by setting standards of beauty within our own race.  (Thank God, that’s turning around, particularly, with more acceptance of our natural hair, but we’ve still got a long way to go).  The Bible says in Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”  God made us, including our hair.  So, if it’s good enough for God, the Creator of all things, it’s should certainly be good enough for us.

What I consider good hair is hair that is healthy, manageable, styleable.  To me, bad hair is unhealthy, damaged, unmanageable, unstyleable...consistently.  (I’m not talking about those occasional “bad hair days”, that most, if not all of us, have experienced from time to time, even with healthy hair).  My point is, I don’t care how straight or soft and wavy a person’s natural hair texture is, if it’s unhealthy, stringy, thinning, lifeless, has a bunch of split ends, etc., that’s bad hair!  Even if someone’s hair is what society considers “kinky” or “nappy”, if it’s healthy and full, and styleable (even if it’s a “nontraditional” style or even styled on the “wild” side), that’s good hair!

Yes, I’ve definitely had my share of struggles trying to maintain and style my natural hair, particularly in the earlier days of my natural hair journey.  And yes, I still go through hair struggles, but, my hair, which many may consider “nappy” or “very kinky” (I prefer the terms, “very coily” or “very curly”...wink, wink), is much healthier, thicker, fuller now, than it was during those recurring cycles of perm damage, particularly during my latter phase of straightening, when I was embarrassed, because it was breaking and thinning; when I was doing a “comb-over”, to hide the “hole” in my hair; when I didn’t want anybody to stand, walk, or sit behind me and see the back of my head.

The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7, that as a man thinks in his heart, so he is (or becomes).  We must choose to think and say positive things about ourselves and about our hair.  As I hinted above, just as a personal choice, I no longer refer to my hair as “nappy” or “kinky”, but rather “very coily” or “very curly”.  I thank God for its thickness, and that it’s healthy and strong.  I speak life and wholeness, “shalom” (a Hebrew word, meaning peace, prosperity, wholeness, soundness, nothing missing and nothing broken), not death, destruction, and weakness over my hair.

Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”  We should thank God that He fearfully and wonderfully made us.  Each of us is one of His marvelous works.  We are God’s masterpieces (Ephesians 2:10).  Because our hair, whatever the texture, is a part of each of us, that means that our hair is fearfully and wonderfully made and a marvelous work of God!  And God doesn’t make mistakes!  He custom-designed our hair and made it specifically for each of us.  Our souls (our minds, our wills, and our emotions) must come to know (and accept) that very well.

So, whatever your hair texture is, don’t curse it.  It is what it is!  Accept it, thank God for it, do your best with it, take good care of it, love it, pamper it, enjoy it!  Do what’s best for you!  Do you!  Whether it’s braided, faded, loc’ed, twisted, in a curly ‘fro, a ‘fro hawk, afro puffs, relaxed, pressed, weaved, in a ponytail, under a wig, “fried, dyed, and laid to the side”, or whatever.  And if you don’t know what to do with it, ask God.  The Bible tells us in James 1:5, that if anyone lacks wisdom, we should ask God, who will give us a liberal supply of wisdom.

No matter how you choose to wear your hair, whether others choose to love it, like it, or hate it (just make sure you don’t hate it), it is what it is!  We are not our hair (and our hair should not define us), but our hair is a unique part of the masterpiece that God created each of us to be.  Embrace your uniqueness!  Love your hair (whatever the texture) and love yourself...the marvelous work of God that you are!

(Contains excerpts from "TranZitions: Revelations on My Journey to Natural Hair and Freedom" by Yolanda T. Jones)

TRANSITION

Transition, both good and bad, is inevitable, an unavoidable part of our lives.  Oftentimes, one transition leads to a whole series of transitions, which can bring about a variety of emotions and thoughts, often shaping our lives, in one aspect or another. 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of transition is “passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another; a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another”, or more simply put, “CHANGE.”

Having made a recent transition, relocating from one region of the country (Midwest) to another (South), I have found myself in a whirlwind of transitions (before, during, and after the move).  Unlike my transition to natural hair, the “during” part of this transition was the easiest…just pack up the moving truck and go!

On the contrary, as many of us naturalistas can attest, particularly those who are right in the midst of transitioning, the “during” phase of transitioning to natural hair is often accompanied by some hair drama…well…my transition was.

Transition, particularly voluntary transitions, can make us question ourselves.  But we must believe, that somehow, with God directing our steps, it’ll all work out for our good…and for the good of others whose lives we touch.

The transition of relocating from one state to another has brought about other transitions, adjustments/adaptations for me…a different climate, different environment/surroundings, different people, different demographics, different living conditions.  Not only was it a physical transition, but it was (and continues to be) a time of spiritual, social, emotional, financial, and professional transition for me…not to mention the impact on other people in my life, who have been directly affected by and/or have had to make adjustments, as a result of my transition.

Even though my hair is already natural, since relocating, I’m also experiencing a hair transition…from having a natural hair stylist and a colorist doing my hair on a regular basis to doing it all myself, in addition to my hair having to adjust to a more humid climate…shrinkage!  I'm a native Southerner, but when I left the South many years ago, shrinkage wasn't really an issue for me, because I was hooked on that "creamy crack" (relaxer) back then.

You may wonder what relocating from one state to another has to do with the natural hair journey.  Well, just as relocation involves transition (passage from one place to another; movement; change), bringing about big change in life, so does making the transition (evolution from one form, stage, or style to another) from chemically-processed hair to natural hair.

Although the “before” and “after” phases of my natural hair journey weren’t as difficult as the actual “in between”/transition period itself, they were, by no means, easy.  “Pre-transition”, there was a lot of “hemming” and “hawing” about whether and when to go natural.  There were a lot of questions in my mind…How long will it take to grow out my perm?  Will I have to get all my hair cut off?  What will my natural texture look like?  What will others think about it?  Will I be able to get another job with natural hair?  Will men find me attractive with natural hair?

Unfortunately, unless you do “The Big Chop” (B.C.), the transition from chemically-relaxed hair to natural hair can be a lonnnngggggggg and/or difficult process (unless you’re really creative...and patient), not just physically, but emotionally, socially, mentally, spiritually, and financially.  Even after the B.C., the transition from the “Teeny Weeny Afro” (TWA) to longer natural hair, can be quite the experience itself…well...mine was.

In hindsight, just doing the B.C. from the beginning (instead of putting it off and continuing to go through all the hair drama…partially relaxed, partially pressed, partially natural, all at the same time), woulda killed all that noise.  It would’ve been better for me to just “chop it off & roll wit’ it”!  But like other life transitions, sometimes, we need to go through the longer journey.  We may only see the outward transformation, or drama, but all the while, God is working out a plan, working out some things within us (and out of us)…something much deeper than just growing out of a perm or moving to another state.  In the end, we realize that the transition was necessary, to get us to the other side, to the next phase, to a victorious outcome!

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  Another version of the Bible says, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT)

We’re down here on Earth agonizing over our hair, relocating, jobs, relationships, the future, the past, etc., and God is up in Heaven probably saying, “Oh, my child, my child…if you only knew the things I have in store for you.  If you only knew the doors this transition will open up for you!  Be patient (steadfast, unmovable, consistent, constant)!”  In other words, “Stop trippin’!”  (I’m preachin’ to myself, if anybody, as I write this.)

Isaiah 40:28 says of God, “…There is no searching of His understanding.”  Other versions of the Bible state that “…No one can measure the depths of His understanding” (NLT) and “…He knows everything, inside and out” (MSG).  Wow!  What an awesome God!

Whether we’re making transitions with our hair, jobs, geographic locations, relationship/marital status, parenthood, finances, our spiritual lives, etc., we all go through transitions.  But it’s up to us to develop and maintain the right attitude about it and just trust God.  Our times are in God’s hands.  We must pray and allow God to guide us through the necessary steps to get “to the other side”.

When we do Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.  Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track” (MSG), we can avoid many of the obstacles and the DRAMA that often comes with transition.

Many of our transitional periods could be shorter and less painful, if we just TRUST HIM and BELIEVE!  Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “…all things are possible to him who believes” and in Mark 10:27, “…with God all things are possible.”

THE BOTTOM LINE:  as you make your transition to natural hair or to the next phase of your natural hair journey (or whatever transition you may be experiencing), BELIEVE for better results!  BELIEVE for a smooth transition!  BELIEVE for a great outcome!

(Contains excerpts from "TranZitions: Revelations on My Journey to Natural Hair and Freedom" by Yolanda T. Jones)

It's Black History Month: Are We Celebrating Our Hair?

Black History Month is coming to a close in just a couple of days.  (By the way, why do we get the shortest month of the year…hmm?)  Anywho…I recently saw a local TV news feature on “The History of Black Women and Their Hair”, celebrating all of the different ways African-American women express themselves through their hair, whether it’s a press-n-curl, perm/relaxer, braids, locs, afros, weaves, wigs, etc.

I am definitely an advocate of variety.  I’m glad we have so many choices as to how we want to wear our hair.  But the question popped in my mind…how many of us, as African-Americans, truly love and celebrate OUR OWN hair…in its natural, God-given state or texture?

The news feature stated that the hair industry is a multi-billion dollar business and that human hair is the second largest import from India.  I’m not at all surprised.  A few years back, I personally spent several hundreds of dollars at Eastern Wig and other beauty supply stores in Detroit, just to have those beautiful braids and weaves.  And living in a predominately black city, it is VERY common to see other sistas wearing weaves, wigs, braids, ponytails, etc.

What happened to that “Black Pride” of the ‘70’s, when so many people donned those big afros (and the afro picks with the fist on the end) with pleasure?

One of the women interviewed in the news feature, who wears her hair in locs said that “being in America, the European standard is the standard of beauty.”  Of course, this is nothing new to us.  We’ve seen this in corporate america, in Hollywood, all around us, even within the African-American community.  Why are we criticized and/or not accepted for going along with what God gave us?

Two other women interviewed in that same news features said they like wearing weaves because it makes them fabulous, feel good, and look good.  I’m not gonna say much about their comments (to each her own), but we, as African-American women, can be and are just as fabulous, and can and do feel and look good wearing our own natural hair.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not at all knocking those who choose to wear weaves, wigs, etc.  I’ve been there.  We all are at different phases in our lives and we do what we feel we need to do at various stages in our lives.  Although I wear my hair natural now, it took several years for me take that “brave” step to come out from under the relaxed, pressed, braided, and weaved hair to reveal my God-given hair texture to the world, even though I had admired and contemplated wearing natural hair for years beforehand.

Many black women (myself included) grew up hiding or camouflaging and still do hide their natural hair texture (through relaxing, pressing, weaves, wigs, etc.).  Why?  I dare say, often because of embarrassment.  How many times have you heard a sista (or yourself) say, “Girl, my hair is so nappy!” 

All I knew, for most of my life, was getting my hair relaxed every six (or four or five) weeks, “sleeping pretty” to avoid messing up my hair, trying to avoid sweating, and hiding my “nappy roots”.  And even after I went natural, I still kept my hair hidden under bought hair.

It wasn’t until I took a leap of faith and did my second (or was it my third?) “Big Chop” (B.C.) and just put it out there, sporting a teeny-weeny afro (TWA), that I realized, “Hey!  Like it, love it, or hate it.  It is what it is!  This is who I am!”  And I decided to rock it!

I like what the ladies who commented on my last blog post said.  “…I didn't need a billion dollar industry to make me beautiful.”  Another young lady, who decided this month, Black History Month, to begin her transition to natural hair, commented, “…I was tired of the compliments I'd be getting on my sewn in hair because it wasn't my own... I'd question if I'd get as much "attention" without these long locks of someone else’s mane… I want to express the Genuine Beauty I was given.”  Kudos to you, my sister!  What a way to celebrate Black History Month!

I say this, mainly to natural “newbies” and to those in transition to natural hair...don’t ever let anybody tell you that you’re no longer attractive, because you “dare” to wear your hair in the texture that God, Himself, gave you!

Thankfully, we’re moving back into the direction of being “happy to be nappy”, unashamed of wearing what God gave us and into a day of greater acceptance of our God-given beauty.

I love hearing what you all have to say.  Let me hear from ya!

(Contains excerpts from "TranZitions: Revelations on My Journey to Natural Hair and Freedom" by Yolanda T. Jones)

The Decision To Go Natural

My decision to go natural (wear my hair without chemical relaxers) was the result of a long and frustrating journey, or shall I say, struggle, with my hair. The first step in my natural journey began when I decided to get my hair braided in "zillions". Depending on your geographic location, how you refer to them may vary from zillions to tie-zillions to extensions to individual braids to micros, etc.

When I first had my hair braided, in 1999, I thought it was a brave, bold decision. Depending on where you are in life, it may be a big deal or it may just be the "hairstyle of the week" for you. Though it's not a big deal for me now, back then, it was a bold, but necessary step.

I had become a victim of what seemed to be a never-ending cycle of hair breakage, which occurred off and on, for five years. It seemed that the prime suspect was the perm/relaxer, or as some in the natural hair community deem it, "THE CREAMY CRACK".

By no means was getting those braids my one and only action that ushered me into the world of natural hair. It would be several years later before I actually went and stayed natural, but that one decision was the seed sown to change my life forever.

I'd like to hear from other naturalistas out there! Why did you decide to go natural? What were some of your experiences or influences in your decision to go natural? Or if you're not yet natural, but considering it, why are you considering going natural?

(Contains excerpts from "TranZitions: Revelations on My Journey to Natural Hair and Freedom" by Yolanda T. Jones)