Check out the beautiful Marlo...she's natural and loving it. Love the curls!
My Natural Hair Journey:
I had been getting relaxers since I was 4 or 5. My earliest memories of my hair was it always being super thick unmanageable and my mother always wanting to keep it braided up and not deal with it. I hated getting my hair done. The sitting, the pulling, and the burning! I hated it! She on the other hand had beautiful natural hair. So easy and free. Most of the women of the women in family had beautiful natural hair. My mother kept her hair short and colored but she never wore it relaxed. I loved her hair. I always wished I had hair like hers, but I was convinced that I had "bad hair" so I never thought I could be natural. My relaxed hair was never severely damaged or anything, but It never really grew longer than my shoulders, and I always had a dry and itchy scalp, especially during the winter.
How long have you been natural, and what made you decide to go natural?
My stylist in Houston took awesome care of my relaxed hair, but I spent hours in the salon, and avoided all extracurricular activities to keep it beautiful. When I moved to the Dallas area, I started to go to a new stylist and she kept telling me I didn't really need a relaxer if I wanted to transition out of it. Every time I would come in to get my hair done she would ask me when I would be ready to take it out. I knew that my relaxer was keeping me from doing things that I needed to do, or wanted to do so, finally I told her when I turned thirty, and I would do it. And I did just that. I did the Big Chop in Jan. of 2008!
Were your friends/family supportive? If not, how did you overcome the negativity?
The first day was kind of crazy! My twin boys burst out in tears as soon as they saw me. They said I looked like a boy, and were truly upset with me. One of my boys was begging me to wear a wig, because he didn't want anyone to see me! I was hurt! My husband was a little shocked, but more curious of what I was going to do with it. Most of my friends and family were supportive, but you always get someone that is old school and thinks it’s just nappy! Which is fine, not everyone will like it or understand it? My twins love my hair now and they always want to touch it and play in it. I guess it has the same effect on my hubby too. Come to think of it, it has the same effect on strangers too!!!
What is your current hair routine?
In the winter months I wear a lot of two stand twists and twist outs using vegetable glycerin, Shea butter, and IC fantasia gel. Now that it is warm I will do a wash and go with Kinky Curly products or Curly Magic by Uncle Funky's Daughter Products. I refresh my curls with Taliah Waajid Bodifier Mist. I wash my hair with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration once a month and co wash bi weekly with Knot today.
Do you have any hair goals?
I had a hair goal in the beginning, which was to grow it past my shoulders. My hair surpassed that goal within the first year. Now it is to just keep it as healthy as I can. Learn as much as I can about my hair and find new ways to manipulate my curls.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
The one thing I would like people to know about natural hair is that it is so versatile! It can do so much, if you just take the time to learn what it can do. Some ladies might try it and give up within a few month of going natural, but I encourage these ladies to be patient! Give yourself time to grow! Give your hair time to grow! This is a true journey and you have to respect it! Learn to love the real you!
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