Personal Stories about Going Natural
Every head has a story. As women of the world we have the prerogative to at least one hairstyle-gone-terribly-bad.
Most of the time we don’t even have the slightest idea what we do to our dear follicles that we adore let alone be aware that we abuse them.
So since the beginning of this community we asked members to share their story. Sharing is caring.
Some of us went natural because our hair was coming out, some just wanted a change of style and others just had enough of the whole process of relaxing.
Our reasons for going-natural may sound the same in general but every transitioning is personal and different.
To read the about the different experiences is encouraging and inspiring, so be our guest and read the stories.
LaToya Lacey I think my hair story began like most young black girls, so I won’t go through all the details, but you know what I’m talking about – tears as your mother yanks the comb through your hair and tells you to “be still”; fears of being burned by the hot comb as you […]
I have always admired women and men who wore their hair naturally. But, I spent most of my adult life trying to fit into the mainstream ideal of beauty. Long hair, fake nails, and the latest style of clothing… was what I lived for. No matter how much money I spent, what hairstyle I […]
I started my natural hair journey in the Spring of 1998, it began while I was at a house party with friends in of all places Halifax, NS. Up to this point my hair had been chemically treated for so long that all I knew about my natural hair was that it wasn’t “good hair” […]
I grew up around women who either relaxed or pressed their hair. For me, it was a bi-weekly or tri-weekly, and often times, all afternoon event to have my hair washed, dried, than pressed. Sitting on a small stool in the kitchen, between my mother or my grandmother’s legs, I remember praying my hair, my […]
It’s been around 25 years since I first saw someone with dreadlocks. It was in the mid 1980s during the hey day of the Jheri Curl (yes I had one) and MOVE Members were in the news every day because of a trial that resulted when the police dropped a bomb on Osage Avenue in […]
I accidently came to know Jana by when she emailed me after ordering the ebook Going Natural how to Fall in Love with Nappy Hair. For some technical reason, she couldn’t open the book. When I found out that she wanted the book to learn to care for the hair of her adopted Zimbabwean daughter, […]
I’ve been technically “natural” most of my life, but from elementary school until near adulthood I did not wear my true texture. Like most women in my family, I was a press and curl girl, with extensions as an acceptable alternative. I got relaxers off and on throughout my teen years. If we couldn’t afford […]
Hi Mireille, I bought your book Going Natural, a few weeks ago on Amazon.com. I’ve enjoyed reading it, and I even read some to my ten year old daughter. I definitely recommend this book to my sisters, and family. I think your book is excellent not only for women who choose to wear natural […]
Mireille pointed out something profound to me: I’d mentioned to her that it’s so hard to imagine now how much I used to hate my hair and feel cursed by it—when all along it was how I’d been taught to care for it that had made it so scary. I adore that she brought […]
I had never caught my husband openly admiring another woman in my presence until one night when we were at the movies. His eyes fixated on a sister with a perfectly coiffed Afro. He was almost mesmerized and I was too surprised to be offended. He had always told me how he would love to […]
Moe at the Harlem Book Fair 06 Moe is one of the beauties featured at the exhibit “The Pursuit of Nappiness.” Surfing nappturality.com for info, she decided to do the big chop after transitioning for four months in 2005. Twist out – BAM Gathering 2006 Ever since we met that summer at one […]
Self Reject All of my life I have been obsessed with straight hair or the illusion of straight hair. In 2003 things were bad for me I was dealing with the after effects of being in an abusive relationship. A relationship that too the casual observance was beautiful I always smiled and covered my […]
Hairspray Everyone has had issues with their hair. I, for one, have tried thing after thing to look my best and to stand out in the crowd. Hair is something that can make or break you, really – in lots of situations. You might not think it is true, but it most definitely is. Everyone […]
One day after all the confusion had settled, I was looking at the going-natural site and said to myself, you know what? I just may do it! Why not? I was lucky enough to have gone from saying, “That could be me” to “That could’ve been me.” What an eye opener! I thought about the […]
Okay, so coming this October 14, 2007, I will celebrate my 1st natural anniversary. There are several reasons why I decided to become natural, but for the sake of time, and space, I’ll just list a few. One reason is because the relaxer was making my hair extremely dry, and break off. I got sick […]
LOVE AND NAPPINESS We’ve all had that one relationship that was an emotional roller coaster ride. You may have separated and gotten back together several times. Sometimes with months or even years in between break-up and make-up. But for some reason that you couldn’t put your finger on (and maybe still can’t) you just couldn’t give it up. It definitely […]