Committed to the Coils

The journey is exactly what it sounds like. A journey; an odyssey field with its share of stress and triumphs… It is not as simple as, “One, Two, Three and your Natural!”  My journey to the natural side of things was not necessarily an easy transition, but it was the right decision. The journey was field with sharp turns, sudden stops, round abouts, and misguided directions.

I, like many other women, enjoy changing my look and evolving my style. Once upon a time, it seemed like the only way that I would be capable of accomplishing the look was to keep my hair relaxed and colored. After several years of trying to maintain my coiffeur I finally reached what I thought was my breaking point and voila! The big chop happened in the spring of 2003 and lasted for all of six months…  I was not committed at the time to allow my natural coils to stand against the pressure to straighten my hair. I found myself constantly relaxing my hair, getting braids and weaves, and sometimes cutting it low and keeping it curled. In the end, none of these options turned out to be the proper choice for me.

So eight years later I found myself facing the decision again to go natural. This time I knew for sure that I would stick with it, but I had no idea what my options were. I figured that I would consult with every friend that I had that was natural. After searching for that I discovered that I was in a small circle of natural friends.  This of course only empowered me to reach out to others and find a network of others that were similar to me, and I did. I found that I was not alone in my endeavors and I even discovered that this time around, my determination was not easily wavered.

I started by simply not applying heat to my hair. This gradually turned into braiding and twisting my hair into protective styles and getting comfortable with a curl or two that would not lie down. January 2012, I cut all the permed ends of my hair off and started going to get my natural hair coiled. This became my signature look until I had a little more length. At this point I was completely comfortable with wearing my fro. I find that I still sometimes have an itch to change my look and the best way for me to satisfy that craving is to jump into a protective style. This still keeps my hair healthy and natural, yet allows me to experiment with my look.

Now here I am, natural and Loving it. Completely and utterly committed to the coils! I have settled into a healthy regiment of maintaining and caring for my hair. I have immersed myself into the education need to care for my hair properly.  I have experimented with products and have found what works for me. In the end, that is truly what is most important; finding out what works for you…

For those just starting out, I would recommend for you to stand firm in your decision and to have a support system of those who respect and honor your choice to not be swayed by the mob. I advise all those transitioning to stand with the commitment to coil! Take pride in your hair and Love your natural locs. It is not always easy, but as I stated before, it is definitely worth it.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://www.naturalhairmag.com/wp-content/uploads/Jhericaok.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Jherica Burgess is a experienced writer who has written columns for several publications.[/author_info] [/author]