Natural Ladies, what is your natural story/ experience ?

[Raava]

1.Why did you really go natural?

2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of of your hair before?

3. Have you ever backslid?

4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you?

5. Would you ever get a perm again?

6. Regrets?

1. I just did, there wasn't some big revelation or on some problack steez. Even in school I had wished my mom just pressed my hair but it was too late (or so I thought). I have always like "natural things" things too. My best friend started while away at college. It’s really sad the concept never occurred to me. Most every one I knew got them. If they didn't they had "mixed hair" My perms were already spaced out, then I stopped going to the salon () and using store boxes which weren’t as strong. Then I just stopped. ( started in 2007/2008 btw)

2. I never wore weave except for braids even when I had a perm. I was always big on my own hair. I never really liked perms. My mom took me to get one when I was 5 I think I was really young, traumatizing. It burned I cried made them wash it out before time. I refused to let them finish my hair. Then I refused to go back. But I needed to, permed hair needed to be taken care of and my damaged hair began to fall out. It did recover and I started getting my hair done again. It was still wavy with the perm but when I was younger I wanted it straight. Probably because of barbie and my moms hair. Its really crazy having no idea what your texture really is. I remember talking about how my hair use to look in pictures and thinking it could never look like that again.

3. When I first went natural, I only lasted 3 or 4 months. I permed my hair and immediately regretted it. Then about a year and ½ in I put a texturizer on it

4. Not really, nothing but all the work and having to be on top of it. Can’t be lazy with natural hair IMO and I am

5. I use to say I would when I was starting out. Its temping to see your shrinkage and wonder how it would be permed. But these days when I am sick of it I lean toward cutting all off. Was so close a few weeks ago

6. That my mother never had me get a perm, ever.

 

[Arishok]

1.Why did you really go natural?

Mine was honest curiosity. I saw a couple of natural tumblr girls and wondered what my natural hair texture was.

2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of of your hair before?

I had medium length hair, up to my shoulders like most of the women in my family. I didn't really think about natural vs. Relaxed because we didn't have that dynamic. The only thing that was prevalent with me growing up was weaves vs. Natural but not natural hair texture, the natural hair that grows out of your head relaxed or not.

3. Have you ever backslid?

Nope, never. I do NOT miss burning my head up every six weeks. Then spending 6 hours in the hair salon on a Friday/Saturday? No thanks.

4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you?

Not that I can think of. I've heard guys says they don't like that happy shyt before I went natural but no ones ever said anything bad to my face while I've been natural. The worst that was said to me was during the big chop when folks would ask why I cut off my long pretty hair.


5. Would you ever get a perm again?

Nope.

6. Regrets?

Just that my hair seems to have stopped growing. I wanted it to be Naturally Candis length (before she cut it all off) but I think its pretty much reached its peak so I'll be wearing extensions for a long time. Other than that, I also hate the shrinkage that comes with it.

 

[KOOL-AID]

1.Why did you really go natural?
Was always a natural, however i didn't use natural products and decided to switch so i cld give my hair the best love and care it deserved; wanted more manageable, smoother, softer, shinier hair.

2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of of your hair before?
Hair was extremely dry and unkept, harder to maintain waves or hair looked stiff when it was in a fro.

3. Have you ever backslid?
naw if its not natural it dnt touch my head; never used a scurl or shyt like dat and never will

4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you?
no not really,

5. Would you ever get a perm again?
never have

6. Regrets?
not strtin sooner, breakage and shrinkage

 

[Elle Driver]

1.Why did you really go natural?

2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of of your hair before?

3. Have you ever backslid?

4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you?

5. Would you ever get a perm again?

6. Regrets?

1. I just did, there wasn't some big revelation or on some problack steez. Even in school I had wished my mom just pressed my hair but it was too late (or so I thought). I have always like "natural things" things too. My best friend started while away at college. It’s really sad the concept never occurred to me. Most every one I knew got them. If they didn't they had "mixed hair" My perms were already spaced out, then I stopped going to the salon () and using stopper boxes which weren’t as strong. Then I just stopped. ( started in 2007/2008 btw)

2. I never wore weave except for braids even when I had a perm. I was always big on my own hair. I never really liked perms. My mom took me to get one when I was 5 I think I was really young, traumatizing. It burned I cried made them wash it out before time. I refused to let them finish my hair. Then I refused to go back. But I needed to, permed hair needed to be taken care of and my damaged hair began to fall out. It did recover and I started getting my hair done again. It was still wavy with the perm but when I was younger I wanted it straight. Probably because of barbie and my moms hair. Its really crazy having no idea what your texture really is. I remember talking about how my hair use to look in pictures and thinking it could never look like that again.

3. When I first went natural, I only lasted 3 or 4 months. I permed my hair and immediately regretted it. Then about a year and ½ in I put a texturizer on it

4. Not really, nothing but all the work and having to be on top of it. Can’t be lazy with natural hair IMO and I am

5. I use to say I would when I was starting out. Its temping to see your shrinkage and wonder how it would be permed. But these days when I am sick of it I lean toward cutting all off. Was so close a few weeks ago

6. That my mother never had me get a perm, ever.

1. I was pretty much natural from jump even though my mom wanted me to get a perm my dad said absolutely not. She has really silky naturally wavy close to straight hair and so she didn't know what to do with my hair. So my other female family members kind of stepped in and did my hair. I was my father's only daughter and the only resemblance I had to him was my big curly ass fro so he wanted to preserve that. That was great because I always knew how to deal with my own hair.

2. I always thought my hair had character, it never really cooperates, some days it's poofy some days it's weighed down, sometimes it's a big tangled mess.

3. I back slid yes, I did a keratin treatment just to see what it was like and it completely fukked up my hair. Like my roots came out curly but my ends were straight and I had no choice but to do a big chop. So I thought, I'd shave my hair. I ended up doing that while I was in Africa though. It's been about 7 years now. But I do straighten my hair here and there as you know rae.

4. I haven't gotten discouraged, not by boyfriends at least because all I date are black men lol, I have however felt like going completely straight for a while because people tend to treat me like I'm a circus act with all the stares I get. But like I said in a earlier post, my hair has character so at the same time I love it.

5. I've never had a perm and I also hate the smell.

6. My regret has been doing a keratin treatment, please ladies NEVER EVER DO THAT shyt.

 

[Rusty Kuntz]

1.Why did you really go natural?
Was too lazy to get a relaxer, wasn't about to pay someone to do it.

2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of your hair before?
I looked/look at it as simply hair; I didn't/don't assign any other significance to it.

3. Have you ever backslid?
Have I gone natural and then gotten a relaxer? Numerous times, then I'd cut off the relaxer and go natural again.

4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you?
In regards to my hair? No.

5. Would you ever get a perm again?
Sure, if the urge struck me.

6. Regrets?
No. Like I said, hair is just hair to me. My hair is pretty tough, so it flourished while I was relaxed and now that I'm natural.

I understand the history and politicization of black women's hair, but what someone else thinks of my hair doesn't really faze me. I wear it the way I like, and fukk anyone else's opinion, really

 

[Raava]

No was was gonna tell me about that title typo

 

[bcrusaderw]

.Why did you really go natural?
My permed hair looked terrible, so one day I just cut it all off.
2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of of your hair before?
I thought y hair was curly because I used to go long periods of time without perming my hair. I had no concept of what the idea of natural was (that sounds so sad).
3. Have you ever backslid?
Like gotten a perm? Nope.
4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you?
Some family members have ignorant things about natural hair, but that doesn't affect me.
5. Would you ever get a perm again?
Never.
6. Regrets?
My only regret is that I didn't take better care of my natural hair. It could be a lot healthier now if I was semi-talented in doing hair and not lazy.

 

[KOOL-AID]

No was was gonna tell me about that title typo

At first i was, but then i thot to myself "If i help her, how will she ever learn?"

 

[CinnaSlim]

1.Why did you really go natural?
I've always been. My mom never wanted to give me a perm.

2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of of your hair before?
I loved it but I never really thought about it. It's just hair.

3. Have you ever backslid?
See 1.

4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you?
No, it was just annoying hearing the same comments everytime I meet someone new.

5. Would you ever get a perm again?
I thought about it, only to transition so I can get the extra length. But my hair is naturally medium-thin density

6. Regrets?
Not learning about natural hair care earlier. I wouldve probably went with loose hair earlier and played around with it. (I had locs from age 6-17).

 

[wet landscapes]

1. my mom made me do it in like 7th grade years before any other girls did, so naturally I was devastated

2. I wanted anime hair lol

3. recovering from being bald bleached white blonde

4. my headshape looks better bald, and I think tiny afros are aesthetically displeasing

5. naah

6. not growing my hair out from birth

 

[MoonGoddess]

Why did you really go natural?
I was sick for a couple of weeks. Had bronchitis and when I started to feel better went to wash my hair and it was a matted mess. I was to weak to deal with it and the fact that I used to stretch my perms and hadn't gotten one in about two months made my hair very difficult to deal with. So, I picked up the scissors and chopped chopped away.

2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of of your hair before?
It's always just been hair to me. I mean it was long my hair grows fast and I didn't perm it every month like some. Sometimes I would perm it 2-3 times a year only.

3. Have you ever backslid?
This is actually my third time letting my hair grow natural.

4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you?
Of course. Wash days, detangling, friends, family, people I didn't know. I had someone ask me if I had cancer. Had a dude tell me to perm that nappy shyt on top of my head.

5. Would you ever get a perm again?
lol, sometimes I'm so tempted. My hair is the worst. Fine, and densely pack. I envy the girls that can actually put their hair into just four braids on wash day. I have to put mine in 12 sections and even then I have to split that in two.

6. Regrets?
Just not doing what I knew was necessary to grow healthy hair. Although my hair grows fast I'm always having to trim it because I didn't take care of it the way I was supposed to when I first cut it.

 

[September]

1.Why did you really go natural? I had always permed it. I went blonde, my hair fell out, had to cut it all off. Decided to just let it be when it grew back because I hadn't seen my hair curl like that since I was a child.

2. What was your experience with/ thoughts of of your hair before? I hated it. Same ol' story. Straight to medium curly hair = good. Kinky curly hair = bad.

3. Have you ever backslid? Nope. I don't even dye it.

4. Did something discourage/has someone or something either discouraged you? No, but I've encouraged a lot of people to embrace their natural hair and that makes me happy.

5. Would you ever get a perm again? Never. Ever. Everrrrrrrrr.

6. Regrets? Nope. Not one. Going through all that perming and mistreating my hair made me appreciate it much more now. Also made me appreciate my blackness much more too.

 

[miranda]

1. Once it was cut due to damage around 6th grade my permed hair would not grow past my shoulders, literally years and no discernable growth due to constant breakage.I have zero styling skills so one day in 1994 after school I shaved it all off

2. When I had long flowing permed hair from around 6? To 12 years old all I got were compliments

3. I had a texturizer in 2002 but I big chopped all that hair again in maybe 2004?

4. My mother's side of the family are all high yellow with straight or wavy Caucasian textured hair and they would always ask me some variation of "when am I gonna get my hair did".

I have had strangers yell at me in public to "comb my hair" ect

Everyone always wants to know "how long is it when you straighten it" and a supposed friend said she would straighten it for me and "it would look so pretty"

Sigh

5. I was planning on getting Japanese straightening around a year ago, but was thankfully talked out of it

6. I wished I hadn't cut it all off so many times over the years when it got to that frustrating midlength stage and I hate when I've been too lazy to detangle and it transforms into a matted mess

 

[Raava]

At first i was, but then i thot to myself "If i help her, how will she ever learn?"

I actually laughed out loud

 

[Heretic]

my headshape looks better bald, and I think tiny afros are aesthetically displeasing

You're bald?

Also I think the whole natural wave is but I think I'm one of the few that will admit that I have no problem with weaves. There's this girl I work with that's natural and she's had the baby fro since I've been there, her shyt just won't grow and it looks terrible on her.