Having natural hair is not for the weak or the impatient-minded. With natural hair you are never in control of it. No matter how much you slay with a flat iron or spend on a twist-out, it can all be ruined in the blink of an eye. If you are thinking about embracing your natural hair- definitely go for it! But make sure you know all of your facts. Here are some insights that some people do not share about transitioning into your natural hair:
1. Humidity
The weather controls my life. If it is going to be raining all week I realize that I should just do a wash-and-go everyday, because anything else will just contribute to the frizz monster.
2. Nothing Is As It Seems
You can take a photo at the beginning of the day of a banging twist-out and by the afternoon your hair will look crazy and people will ask you if you are okay. Also, when you watch a video on YouTube and they explain a certain twist or a style, they will make it seem so easy. Although, in reality, it is all a lie. A twist-out takes a lot of time and preparation and it will take longer than the thirty minutes the girl on YouTube tells you it will.
3. The Constant Scare That You Will Damage Your Curl Pattern When You Straighten Your Hair
Most people who decide to go natural are born with a natural curl pattern. Natural hair is very sensitive and is controlled by the conditions around them. Each time you put heat on your hair you run the risk of damaging it if you do not know what you are doing. Every time you straighten your hair you are pulling your roots straight and are manipulating the natural curl pattern. Therefore, each time you straighten your hair it is slay material, but you run the risk of slating your curl pattern.
4. Waiting For The Curls To Appear Once Transitioning
The worst feeling is trying to transition. When you begin the natural journey you think it will be so simple with natural hair. You think you can wake up one morning and just have curls on curls. Well, that is usually not how it goes down. Usually people transition to natural hair after years of manipulating their hair with products so it takes around a year before they start to see their natural curls.
5. Not Enough Time In The World
There is never enough time to do what you need to do in the world, especially with your hair. Being natural can mean that it takes you around two hours to twist up your thick tresses. It could also mean sitting in a beauty appointment chair for two hours only to have your hair messed up by the wind. A lot of naturalistas are used to being able to wrap their hair at night, take it down in the morning, spray a little oil, and brush. They are not used to conditioning and detangling their hair for hours on end.
6. Chopping Off Precious Hair
With being natural, you sometimes you have to pay the price- especially if you previously did a lot of damage to your hair with chemicals and color. That price could mean starting from scratch and shaving off your hair or it could have a lesser sentence of just getting a couple of inches cut off. Either way, having to cut up hair that you are not sure will grow back is nerve-wrecking.
7. Finding A Protective Style That Will Not Break Off Your Hair
Hair is like the brain. Everyone has hair, but each head of hair behaves differently. What works for one naturalista may not work for another. What helps one person's hair thrive could tear someone else's completely apart. Therefore, it is hard to discover a protective style that works. Some women and men find that pulling their hair back during the harsh winter months will protect their hair while others conclude that a weave or braids could do the trick.
Being natural was one of the best decisions I ever made, but being natural is not perfect. Yes! There is a lot of freedom when it comes to all the things you can do with your hair. It is nice to have a fall-back of washing my hair and pulling my curls up when I am tired of a style or the weather is crappy. It is also nice to go from 0 to 100 real quick. Living life with natural hair creates its problems but it does reap great benefits.
