The Struggle To Transition From Relaxed Long Hair To Natural Hair

I was blessed(I hear that’s what I should refer to it as) with not only long but also full hair. I wish I could say it’s soft but my natural hair is coarse and difficult to comb. In fact, I haven’t had a full head of natural hair since I was 9 when I had it relaxed. Funny thing is that a lot of people still think it’s natural and I have simply straightened my hair. I haven’t. It’s relaxed and just happens to be so full on my head that it can pass for straightened natural hair when it’s not freshly retouched.

I am currently transitioning to natural hair. When I told my friends and family about it, they gave me a quizzical look followed by an amused laugh. No one thought I was serious and if they thought I was, they didn’t think I’d actually stick it through. The remarks have generally been, “You’re hair is too much. How will you manage?”At first, it made me doubt myself but with time, it has hardened my resolve.

I’ll admit that it’s a crazy process. The big chop is not an option so I’m going the long and painful growing out the chemically processed hair. I hear it’ll take as long as two years and I should expect to want to pull my hair out as the discomfort of having chemically processed hair and natural hair on my head grows. It worries me, I’ll admit but I really want to go through with it so I’ve mentally prepared myself.

I’ve braided my hair four times in the last 10 years. Those four times have been between  last year and this year. I am currently in braids for the fourth time. When I braided last year, it was a spontaneous decision. I had been wearing my hair open for a decade. No weaves either. In fact, I’ve never rocked one. I am however, thinking of doing that as soon as I master braids. I had expected the experience to be painful and it was but not as much as I had imagined it would be. My neck was sore for days though and I itched a lot the first week. This being the fourth time I have braids on, it has been a better experience but I still have neck pains. I know I’ll have to make braiding a huge part of my hair life now that I’m transitioning. It’ll be difficult but I’ll have to power through it.

Researching on transitioning to natural hair has mostly yielded a myriad of hair products. I am not sure I want to be experimenting with new products when my hair is at this somewhat fragile stage. Well, I have two years to go. I’m sure I’ll have it figured out by then. Oh well.