20 Things I Wished I Knew Before I Went Natural

This is reposted from Nappturaliry, I know we all can relate:

1. That I would love my hair so much that I would protect it like a mother Lioness over her newborn cubs
2. That my boyfriend and now fiancé would love it and be protective of my hair like a Lion over his Lioness
3. That my mother would apologize for putting chemicals in my hair and say while touching my hair “I never knew it could look like this” and become completely natural cutting out her texturizer
4. That I would no longer be jealous or envious of body else’s hair. I love mine so much I can appreciate theirs for what it is HAIR. Not a symbol of beauty

that I could never live up to. Not that some days I wouldn’t prowl the hair galleries and get lost in all the other textures until I would find some one with texture like mine who had grown it out 12 INCHES and I thought I can have hair like that!
5. That I would be someone that other women looked to for hair advice…I had a co-worker whose huge puff I ADORED. She has gone on to another company and now people tell me they ADORE my hair
6. That people would tell me they wanted my hair texture! Me the girl who relaxed her 4c kinky short hair incessantly (with probably explains what it was always short, besides the fact that relaxer is a acid)
7. I would feel sexy, confident and free and people would want to touch my kinky hair
8. That I would have so many hair style options
9. That I would have a 5 min morning maintaince routine (Like a white girl)
10. That my hands would stay in my hair and I would have to chant “ I will not touch my hair, I will not touch my hair”
11. That my natural hair looks like me and fits my features
12. That my fiancé loves to stick is hands in it and hold on for dear life!
13. That my hair would teach me how to care for it if I would listen to it and respect it
14. That my hair styling techniques would get better with time. I would have some rough spots (trying to wear a puff on 1 inch of natural kinky hair, having grease all down my forehead, being up late doing my twists, using too much product and noticing in a meeting that my hair had dirty product balls all through my head, I would get headband headaches for wearing mine too tight,
15. That I would devote 1/2 of my dresser to hair care products, I would spend obscene amounts of money that claim to turn kinky to curls and my kinks would win)
16. That it would take hours to two strand twist my kinky hair and that I would have toned and strong arms because of it and lots of patience
17. That I would keep an emergency relaxer under the sink in a bag in the bathroom for months (for emergencies) and never use it.
18. That I would by an electric hot comb, use it once to straighten one section and have my fiancé act like I was burning him saying almost to tears “ You are messing it up, You are messing up the fro!
19. That I regret not doing it sooner
20. That I would feel a kinship with other naturals I see, meet and know. All of my close friends went natural a year before me and I know that my hair could be longer.
21. That I would be at peace with God and know that he didn’t give me bad hair. He gave me good healthy hair (yes even short kinky off black 4c hair! Can be good hair)
22. That I would get more complements on my hair than ever
23. That men YES even black men love it and find it strangely exotic and as natural as rain
24. That my hair is completely unique and completely mine.
25. That I was fearfully and wonderfully made. From the top of my Fro to the bottom of my feet. And I’ juslovinit

~Author: tamikalee312
Published: 2007/2/14