Going Natural Is It Really For you

Going Natural, Is it really for you?

It might sound like a weird question, but it’s really important you take the time to think about it. Some women decide to go natural or start transitioning impulsively. They do it just because they see beautiful pictures of natural hair without really thinking it through. But they quickly revert back to their relaxer once the going gets rough. Are you asking yourself the question yet? Is going natural really for you?

Please keep in mind that I am not bashing natural hair.  That’s not what this post is about. I am a natural woman and I wear my natural hair with pride. I just would like to bring awareness to certain aspects of going natural.

[ctt template=”8″ link=”9ruk5″ via=”yes” ]Going natural is not just a physical process, it also is mental and emotional. misscoily[/ctt]

Let’s talk about the mental and emotional aspect of going natural

We all know that once you change your hair, your appearance changes as well.I was pushed to do some soul searching when I started my transition to natural hair. Sometimes I hit roadblocks, then I can’t help but question myself. I ask myself “Why do you want to do this?” “Why do you want to go natural?” I even got the question from my fiancé a few days ago when he saw me moping around all day. I admitted to him that I was a bit unhappy with my hair and didn’t know what to do. So he took it upon himself to ask me what was my reason for going natural? It prompted me to dig deep inside me.

I am now asking you the same question: Why do you want to go natural? 

Are you going natural for you, or are you going natural to please someone else? Is it because you think it’s cool, or is it because you need to make a change? Are you going natural to follow a trend, or are you going to natural to solve hair issues that you are dealing with? Ask yourself that question before you start the process of going natural.

I came to the realization that before you start a natural hair journey or any journey for that matter, you need a “WHY”. Besides having a why, you should be certain that you are on your journey for the right reasons. A friend of mine decided to go natural and transitioned for 10 months, only to revert back to relaxing her hair. Her decision to go natural was to please the guy she was dating. The guy had a preference for women with natural hair. She was doing it for all the wrong reasons. Once the relationship ended, she realized that natural hair wasn’t really what she wanted.

There is nothing wrong with relaxing your hair after being natural.

People go natural for different reasons. Some might decide to be natural short term just to help grow stronger healthier hair. Or some pregnant ladies wanting to avoid putting harsh chemicals in their bodies might refrain from relaxing their hair during their pregnancy. Either way, there’s nothing wrong with it.

My point to you is before you start the process of going natural, give it some thought and make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.

You have to keep in mind the negative that will come your way once you no longer look like everyone else with straight hair. As open minded as people like to say they are, some will still look at you the wrong way, ask you why you stopped relaxing your hair, what’s wrong with your hair etc… There is also the back ended compliments that sometimes you get to deal with, and even discrimination. These are all things you need to be aware of once you step outside of your comfort zone and go against society’s standard of beauty.

Are you mentally and emotionally ready for it all?

Are you strong enough to deal with the discrimination and the naysayers? Having a WHY really helps when you get hit with the stupid questions and ignorant comments about your natural hair. We’ve all heard of women being discriminated against in the workplace. In some cases being natural even affects relationships. One of our natural hair feature spoke about it when telling her natural hair journey story.

When I decided to go natural, I knew my Why. My why was to stop the never ending cycle of damaged hair. I grew tired of seeing the mess that my hair had become over the years. Nothing I tried was helping, and I just could not handle it anymore. I had enough of seeing my hair all over the bathroom floor. I knew I needed to do something drastic in order to regain control of the health of my hair. So I decided going natural was the answer.

When I shared my thoughts on going natural with my friends, the responses were all negative. Everyone proceeded to tell me how much of a mistake I would be making if I were to move forward with my decision to go natural (even the naturalista of the group). Needless to say that I felt a bit discouraged by their responses which led me to hold on to my relaxed hair a bit longer than I needed to. But I quickly shook it off and continued my journey.

At the end of the day, there will be naysayers, there will be criticism and there will be discrimination. If your choice to go natural is deeply rooted, no one can break you. But if going natural is just cool to you or you just want to please someone, you will most likely revert back to your relaxer once the first negative comment comes your way.

Just remember, going natural should be for you and no one else, and without a why you will not succeed on this wonderful journey that is the journey to natural hair.

What is your reason for going natural? Share with us in the comments below ⇓

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