Going Natural: Falling In Love With "You"

One of my blog readers recently wrote to me about her recent transition to going natural. She admitted that even though she was happy about going natural, she didn't feel "as pretty" at first. This reminded me of my personal hair journey and made me think about the feelings that go along with such a drastic change. Like this young lady, I too, often felt extremely vulnerable after my big chop. It took some time not to feel as self-conscious as I initially did. This temporary feeling of self-doubt and insecurity will have you tempted to go back to the "creamy crack" in the blink of an eye. But don't do it, girl! Don't do it! Put your hands up and step away from the creamy crack! I repeat, step away from the creamy crack! I'm here to save the day and spread the good word that these feelings of weakness are only temporary and that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Think about how much time we, as women, spend on our hair in order to look our best. Women are taught that our hair is our "crown and glory", so we often become preoccupied or even obsessed with it! When we go natural or go for the "big chop", we strip ourselves of this preoccupation. There is less hair to hide behind so, for the first time, we are forced to really look at ourselves. The truth is, we don't always like what we see.

Going natural is a time to fall in love with "you" again. Without all that hair in the way, you can really see those pretty doe eyes, your full lips, your chocolate-dipped skin... You'll notice things about yourself that in all your years of life you've never even given a second thought. It may take some time to get used to but I promise you this. You, my friend, are truly a beautiful, magnificent work of art! And if you can learn to appreciate and love yourself now with 1 inch of natural hair, imagine how fly you'll be with 12 inches! You'll appreciate it more because you'll know the commitment, the dedication, and the emotional cleansing you had to endure to get those results. This hair journey is an important one. You'll come to understand that while you do care for your hair, you ARE NOT your hair. You are fly, fierce, and fabulous for so many other reasons! With or without hair, you are still THAT CHICK! And in the words of my homeboy Biggie Smalls, "If you don't know, now you know"!