Transitioning . . . Again

Perhaps my post about Garnier Fructis was a clue, but I am transitioning back to my natural hair again. It seems that the combination of summer and unemployment makes me crave curlier locks. I've always hated relaxing my own hair and salon visits are not something I want to spend money on.

One of the biggest issues is that I want natural hair, but I know that ABM worries about it looking wild and nappy (I wrote about the importance of hair in the black community here). ABM has mellowed to the point that he doesn't care how I style my hair as long as it is neat and presentable. His preference is long, bone-straight hair; however, I'm hoping that he will accept my natural waves if they don't look dry or tangled. Some women would say that I shouldn't care what he thinks, but this is one of those marital hills that I've chosen not to die on.

The first few times I tried to transition, it was before the internet and I wasn't sure what to do. I never lasted longer than a few weeks before one of my relatives would convince me to get another relaxer. In 2000 I cut my hair off and managed to stay natural for about two years, but it wasn't exactly pretty. I had internet access at the time, but the forums I found had so many "don'ts" when it came to natural hair that I walked around with a crispy-looking afro and wishing that I could make the waves I felt at the roots more prominent. Finally, I gave in and started relaxing again.

Thanks to DPrincess28 and her YouTube channel, I think that I have a better shot at sticking with natural hair this time. She, along with other women who do natural hair videos on YouTube, seems to be a different type of natural hair gal. In the past, the message I got from natural hair forums was that the only way to be natural was to go to a salon regularly and use expensive organic products. DPrincess28 has video tutorials on different styles and the products she uses come from a variety of sources, including places within my budget like Walgreen's. She even uses falls and flat-irons her hair from time to time because she doesn't see anything wrong with wanting straight hair occasionally. She embraces the fact that black women have a hair texture that gives us options instead of insisting that we are betraying our race if we don't stick with the natural texture all the time. By using her suggestions, I may be able to stick with this for the long haul.