By Christina Goodman
When it comes to your hair, you can decide on how exactly you want to wear it. Perm, braids, weave or going natural — all are valid options.
From years of wear and tear, your hair can get damaged resulting in hair breaking off, going bald or chemical burns.
I actually decided in 2012 that I wanted to go natural after I had a boil in my head due to perming my hair. I had three boils in my hair within six years and each time I had a bald patch due to it.
And it took me a minute to think about going natural. I was 27 and getting perms was something I was used to.
Growing up spending hours in the salon to get my hair fried, dyed and laid to the side is something my culture is used to doing.
To be honest I feel that it’s stages to this from thinking about it and just going natural with your hair.
But I wanted to be able to embrace this rather than worry about what others are going to say when they see me.
It’s also wondering am I going to like wearing my hair natural? It wasn’t something that I wasn’t used to seeing on myself.
After the big chop I stood in the mirror and thought “this is the new me, I’m accepting it and I don’t care how others feel about it.”
Sitting in the chair while the lady cut my hair I felt so good because so much was taken from it. I felt free, liberated and so much weight was lifted.
Seeing myself with just my normal and shorter hair was so different than how I was wearing my hair.
I also felt free from being in the norm that others think that I’m supposed to have my hair look like.
There are also so many benefits that I got from going natural. For example: my hair was healthier from not getting perms anymore.
Also with natural hair you can pick from a selection of ways that you can get your hair done from wash and go to braids to locs to haircuts (fades) to afros and even wearing wave/extensions.
Wearing weave/extensions and braids — also known as protective hairstyles — can also help your hair to grow.
