For twelve years I was addicted to the “creamy crack” ~ it made my hair so soft and manageable, swingy and straight, absolutely beautiful. I loved the flexibility that relaxing offered ~ I could wear it straight, curly, in a bob or pulled into a sleek chignon with little jewels embedded in the braid…. I wore it long and I wore it short. I liked to think I could out Halle with that haircut.
Then one day I decided I had had enough. I needed to break the habit. I needed to get off the “stuff.” I wanted to end my dependence on the relaxer and find my natural self.
Now this may not seem like a big deal but African American women have a love~hate relationship with their hair. Some love their natural curly/kinkiness while others hate it. The one thing we all have in common is a hatred of rain! Do not get a sista’s hair wet, just sayin‘…
I am now almost 7 months into the transitioning process and there are days when I’m itching and scratching like a junkie. I have seriously considered scraping the bottom of the relaxer jar when I do my daughters’ hair to do my own. So far I’ve resisted the urge but it’s hard. Soon it will be time for me to consider the “Big Chop”, but I’m putting it off for as long as possible. Yes, I’m plagued by the dreaded dual personalities battling it out for control of my head. I never know whether I’m going to have a good hair day or bad one. Worse yet, most of the time I don’t care. I’m just trying to enjoy the process of returning to the natural, chemical free me.
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