Comments on: Five Steps to the Emotional Side of Going Natural

By: ValM

ValM — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:06:36 +0000

I never did a big chop either … don’t see it as absolutely necessary for everyone. I get my hair trimmed religiously at least every 8-10 weeks and it only took 7/8 month for my relaxer to grow out, but the stylist who trims my hair says that’s pretty fast for most.

I like being versatile and I wear my hair in straight styles most of the time, but flip back and forth between naturally curly and straight, depending on my mood. My hair has never been healthier since puttin the brakes on the chemicals. My 19-yr old daughter did it along with me and LOVES it too! She’s in college and always gets girls asking about her hair regimine.

To each her own …

By: A the Great

A the Great — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:50:09 +0000

@df @alyssa Anon is talking about the Chris rock film Good Hair.
You can’t tell by my avi but I started my natural transition Last year. I just did the big chop in Dec myself. I was trying to do the whole let the relaxer grow out thing but I’m impatient and said F it! Let me chop it off and get it over with! The only time I was emotional is when I saw the big ass bald spot from the relaxer back in May of 2011. I cried all the way from the hair salon in Queens to my house in Brooklyn. Gladly my hair grew back since I transitioned. While these steps are helpful for some, My only steps would be to be confident and like someone stated earlier Just do it! oh and I totally agree with step five! I couldn’t mess with some of these natural hair forums because of that mess. It felt the movie “school daze” up it that jawn #ruinslives

By: Nina

Nina — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 18:48:52 +0000

Cutting my hair down to less than half an inch was one of the most liberating choices I’ve made thus far. I don’t worry about sweat, humidity, or rain, nor do I have to “do” my hair in the morning. I don’t even call myself “natural”–I’m just me, wearing the hair the grows out of my head. Having recently dyed it red, I’m loving it even more!

By: tina

tina — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 16:54:17 +0000

Really the big chop??? How about just cutting your hair just because you want to? Just because of the damage done to your hair by man made products? How about because you just want the hair that you were born with? Why is this big chop / transitioning thing so glorified just do it because you want to. And has anyone really listened to this NYTimes Blog piece to hear the director say : Am I ready to look ugly yet? or heard her say Am I gorgeous yet/ When did we become hateful of ourselves that we needed a website craziness to make us feel like it was okay to love our natural born hair??it is because I am 53 and as a child my mother wouldnot relaxed/perm my hair until I was 18, and that ended at 22. And its’s been cornrows without extentions, high top fades, and now dreadlocks for 20 years ever since. I love my natural born hair Do you?

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 14:51:47 +0000

what movie?

By: df

df — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 04:28:47 +0000

what do you mean?

By: girlformerlyknownasgrace

girlformerlyknownasgrace — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 23:39:45 +0000

@ everyone, okay, that makes sense. I dont think I have the head shape for cutting everything off!

@Anon, well that kind of goes back to Number 5 as I said before. The natural hair stuff (at least to me) is just about learning from others through the process. Even in the Wiwa documentary, she notes that it is more about helping other naturals see more natural images when mainstream media does not have those images. It was not about shame, just encouragement. Not everyone has the same experiences.

By: Sue

Sue — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:22:51 +0000

@Anonymous, Transition is a short documentary by Zina Saro-Wiwa on the NY Times site:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/opinion/black-women-and-natural-hair.html?_r=1#commentsContainer

By: Chica

Chica — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:30:26 +0000

Loved this piece. I just went “natural” a couple days go but it didn’t involve a big chop or anything like that. I’ve worn braids, weaves, and pressed my hair all my life. I’ve never had a perm. So I guess you could say I was already natural although I haven’t rocked my fro since I was itty bitty. My big chop basically consisted of me wetting my hair in the shower, lol. So I guess I said all this to point out that going natural doesn’t always start with chopping off or growing out a perm.

-1

By: May

May — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:04:41 +0000

It was easier for me to chop it all off. I had so much breakage when I attempted transitioning. Of course, I didn’t have access to transitioning bloggers/YouTube channels at the time.