‘Ello Mates,
So, I’ve already discussed the first time I wore my natural hair out in this post here in Natural Hair Anxiety Part 2, and Natural Hair Anxiety Part 3 but this post goes into far more detail about my “coming out the closet” so to speak.
My Failed Rollerset on Natural Hair
So, Saturday I decided to do a roller set with the new magnetic rollers that I mentioned in my last post but I got really frustrated and give up because I believe the rollers I got were too big for the length of my hair (boo). So instead of doing all of my hair, I decided to do a test roller set on only one piece of my hair to see what it was would look like if I did a roller set on my entire head.
Since I decided not to do a roller set, I instead decided to do a twist out. The first twist out I did, I hated it!!!! I completely used the wrong products and it was disastrous. So needless to say, I was very reluctant to do another one because of how bad the first one turned out. But I decided to do it anyway hoping for better results.
It took me seemingly forever to do it, partly because I don’t have much experience with doing them and partially because I was being experimental in the process (read “Diagnostic Hair Testing” to find out the hair experiment I did during my twist out). I finished it and left the rest to the hair gods and went to bed shortly after.
The Results of My Twist Out
When I work up the next morning, I could feel that my twists felt a LOT softer this time and so I was very optimistic about the results and couldn’t wait to take them out and see what they looked like. I take all of the twists out, being sure not to impatiently yank them apart at the ends as I’m going through. However, once all the twists are out, I am always a bit unsure of what to do next so I just gently start finger combing them and separating them. Keep in mind that I’m doing this without a mirror. Then I realize that I am not skilled enough to do this without a mirror and when I get to the mirror and I am slightly freaked out that I finger combed to much and it was starting to get frizzy.
Now, I’m debating whether I should even wear my hair out or if I should just wear a hat over like I did with my last twist out. But in my new bout of confidence I say screw it and decide to wear it out anyway. If I get strange looks and comments then i will try again another time and hope for a better turn out. You know…..whatever.
The Reaction To My Twist Out
Well, let me just tell you. I got so many compliments that day. I may not have mentioned where i was going but it was Sunday and I was going to church and keep in mind that I go to a about 95% white church with a few minorities sprinkled in, here and there. I got compliments from white and black members. One of my friends (white) saw me walking by and her eyes got really big and she said almost in an awestruck voice “I love your hair”. Then another friend (black) came up to me and she said she was trying to figure out who I was from the back because she didn’t recognize me. She said I was really stylish and my hair was very cute. Then another woman (white) told me how pretty I looked. Then another woman(white) said she loved my hair and asked if I was going natural (which I must say shocked me that she would even know to call it that…I thought what does she know about “going natural” lol). And my mom really liked it too which as many of ya’ll know, your family is going to keep it the realest with you and not bs in the least so i know it must have looked good if she said so.
So all in all it was a great experience and I can’t really believe it took me so long to get the confidence to wear my natural hair out. The complete and honest truth is that my natural hair looks better than my relaxed hair did most of the time and I wore that out all the time. Can you believe the fuss we sometimes make with our hair? Here I was debating whether or not I should even twist out my hair and there were a million people waiting to give me compliments about it once they saw it.
Something else to think about. These are just the people who said something to me verbally. There may have been lots more who just admired it from afar but didn’t get a chance to say something or felt too shy to mention it.
Final Thoughts On Wearing Your Natural Hair
I know this post was long but I hope that this will help someone who is thinking about transitioning to natural hair but is afraid of what people might think. Or maybe you have already started transitioning or are already natural but you don’t really wear your hair out in a noticeable way because you still feel self-conscious about it. I get it totally. It took me a long time to even get here.
I wanted to take you through the mental process that I go through sometimes when I’m fighting those natural hair demons. They can be tough to get through but I am so glad I transitioned. At this point, I can’t ever imagine going back to a relaxer. Even though some black women have beautiful relaxed hair, I was not one of them and it wasn’t for me. If you feel like a relaxer isn’t for you but you are just doing it because everyone else is or because you don’t think anyone will accept it, you may be surprised. You may find compliments in the strangest of places. I just hate the thought of someone not going natural because they are unsure of how other people will take it. Just do it for you. If you hate it you can always go back and your hair will have been given a break from the chemicals and that can only help your hair. So please give it a shot if that is what you feel like is in your heart.
Do some of ya’ll have some inspirational hair stories to share? Was it hard for you to wear your natural hair out the first time in public? Did you receive compliments or insults? I can’t wait to hear your stories!
Until then,
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