Living Outside the Stacks

When I decided to transition from relaxed to natural hair, I knew I’d have bad hair days. I had them when my hair was chemically treated so why not now? When I had bad hair days with my relaxed hair, I’d just pull it into a pony tail and go. Now I’m dealing with wavy hair at the crown and near the scalp with bushy hair at the ends, not so easy to pull into a pony tail. So I had to come up with something quick and easy that would minimize damage, temper frustration and still leave me looking simply mah-velous.

I decided to start wearing a braid out with a headband. I also decided to go online and seek out support from other sistas who are in the process of transitioning or who have already transitioned. This is a long, hard process and each day I’m faced with the “do I just break down and buy a relaxer” or “do I suck it up and press on” dilemmas. I’m grateful that there are resources for African American women who want to make that change because if they weren’t available, I don’t know what I’d do.

I’m learning how to take care of my natural hair through the use of natural hair care products. They’re also talking about natural and protective hairstyles….things I wouldn’t know about without the assistance of the interwebs. So to you ladies out there who are rocking the natural looks and telling the tales – Thank you!

I have the research skills of a librarian, the preservation skills of an archivist, the organizational skills of a mother and the domestic skills of a Stepford wife. I have the research skills of a librarian, the preservation skills of an archivist, the organizational skills of a mother and the domestic skills of a Stepford wife. Read more from this author