The Politics of It

I'm going into my third month of transitioning and I'm pleased to say that for the first time in my life I am enjoying the feel of my undergrowth. They say it can be an emotional journey. I can see why. I'm not contemplating the Big Chop (BC) though. I'm going to do a weave pretty soon instead...against the advice of many naturals. I don't see any other way to do it because I don't think very short hair suits me and I don't like braids. By the way, YouTube is great support for anyone trying to transition, I've discovered.

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When I decided to go natural, I didn't know what it would entail in terms of learning to adjust to the change. It is quite a big decision but there's too much debate as to how Black women should wear their hair, especially in North America.

I would want nothing more than to see every Black woman rock their natural hair, for relaxed hair to come to be seen as the the so-called political decision but that's not going to happen any time soon. A lot of women don't have the time to manage the transition period and they especially don't want to have to handle the often daily routine of stretching out their hair enough to style it for the next day. Not many Black women know that natural hair is the most versatile you can get. You can do anything from kinky styles to braids to straightening it (to a relaxed look) to weaves to...you name it. Those who know may be deterred by the transition period. They don't want the months/years spent growing your hair the stage where you really can do anything with it because they're all about convenience. Maybe like me, they're afraid of the BC but don't know that there are other ways to transition.

Black women should be educated on the choices available to them with natural hair. They should know that it's healthier and that many naturals will tell you they are all-round happier with their God-given hair. They also need to know the long-term effects of perms but it should be more about education than pressure.

There's the idea that wearing your natural hair means that you're about to start some kind of Black women's movement or trying to show just how BLACK you are and this may be true for many but you can show pride in your heritage in many other ways, including your clothes. So why is it becoming so politically important that Black women toss out the relaxers?

I've been told several times over that once you go natural you won't go back but if I ever did, I know it wouldn't be because I no longer want to identify myself with my people.