Rayanne writes:
Lately I’ve been thinking about how much more resilient and healthy my hair is. I can style it much easier and my cornrows look so much neater. My question to the Curly Nikki community is:
What about your natural hair do you most appreciate?
CN Responds:
I truly appreciate the fact that no one knows when I’m having a bad hair day but me!
My natural embrace helped me to grasp ultra confidence in myself as a proud African-American Woman!
Being about to embrace my natural hair and natural beauty is an extension of loving who I am and being authentic. For me, backing down when a stylist says to me, "you can't possibly want me to cut your hair into a short Afro," or backsliding into the chemical dependency that is a relaxer is like cutting off part of my soul…it's inauthentic. Natural hair truly does reflect all the good inside coming way out.
I most appreciate the TENACITY of my curls! I got my first relaxer when I was 10 and BC'd when I was 21. That's ELEVEN years of chemicals, plus curling and flat irons!! I always wondered about the "new growth" and what it looked like underneath all those straight strands. I look at my hair now, almost a year after I BC'd, and I'm excited that they didn't sustain any damage. Now my curls and I can be freely curly and I love it!
I appreciate my natural curls because they are so cute and unique! I don't have to worry about my hair being out of place, because with curls, they can be! (: xx
I appreciate that I am no longer held hostage by my hair. Now styling sometimes just consists of looking at it and saying that will do. Lol.
the versatility
"no breakage"
*I am 9months-post
am 9months-pots and i love the thickness that i was craving for whilst relaxed!I take better care of my hair and love seeing the fruit of that in shniy and healthy hair! I love my styling options and have discovered a lot of principles i can apply to my eveyday life! I truly love my hair!:)
I also want to thank all those who work hard at creating blogs and websites and videos about haircare it wouldn't be possible without you! 😀
I appreciate the health of my hair & scalp. When I was relaxed, my hair was never not-breaking off. It was just either a little or a lot, but always breaking. My scalp was always itching and/or flaking. In 14 months of being natural, I had not breakage until recently–thanks to a dye job–but a good trim rectified it. NEVER any scalp problems.
I appreciate that it's the hair God meant for me to have!
My hair accentuates my features, it made me really stop and look at my bare face for what it is and learn to love it! it's big and thick and looks awesome blowing in the wind, it forces me to be confident and stand out from the crowd, it has a mind of its own and can handle my many sides, it stayed with me while I learned how to care for it lol, it's easy and free, and lovely, and… me.
i appreciate the individuality of all my waves, curls, coils, and corkscrews, and the fact that a bad hair day can be fixed with just water and conditioner, and if im pressed for time all i have to do is cowash, seal, shake and go!
I appreciate my sea sick waves, and how they gleam in the sunlight!!!!
And I definitely appreciate only having to use water,gel, and coconut oil.
I'm so blessed!!!!!!
I appreciate the health of my hair and that no one's hair looks like mine 🙂
I appreciate that my hair is no longer a mystery to me. LLP~OGC
I appreciate being able to style it without using heat. I don't have to slather lots of oil thinking it will help because it feels too dry. I'm happy that breakage is less.
i love it even more now that i know how to moisturize it correctly and that my flat iron has been collecting dust for at least a year
Resilient. Health issues prevented me from consistently being able to properly maintain it this summer, but it continued to thrive and grow anyway. I love my hair!
I appreciate that I can hold my head up high and know that I am chemical free and that I have a loving natural sisterhood here..O yes, I have introduced so many others to being natural…I LOVE NATURAL!!!
onelove,
jp
I appreciate the ladies that came before me which kept me motivated through my 8 months of transitioning and as of yesterday I can NOW feel and see all my beautiful natural hair and I love it!!!
I love the fact that my hair is so easy to style. No blowdryer no curling iron! The most work i have to do is detangle!after that its smooth sailing! My hair is very curly and it looks good up or down!
I am thankful that my hair and scalp not only survived 44 years of chemical relaxing, but has healed itself and continues to grow beautiful 4a/b curls and coils.
That its okay to appreciate having type 4 hair, because you can do so much with it. Also for those with 4B/4C hair including myself here is a site that has pictures for us. So many of us are still seeing only type 3a/b/c and 4a types but we need to see a diverse of hair types.
http:www.hairlikeme.tumblr.com
Highlighting the beauty of type 4b/4c/tightly coiled porous hair 🙂
I love that I can do my hair anyway that I choose to do it without having to pay someone and that if my style doesn't come out quite right, I can fix it myself.
I appreciate how well natural hair is able to hold a pretty style for longer than relaxed hair. I also appreciate the volume as I am a fine haired lady.
im like honeybrown1976…..i appreciate that it is all mine!!!i appreciate that it blows in the wind and I now can see the real me… I love how everyday, it is a new adventure with my hair.. i love the curls, i love the fact that I feel more and more beautiful everyday.
Cutting my hair 2 1/2 years ago was the best thing I ever did, and watching the real me come alive everyday is a great sight to see, and for that i am truly thankful. ~ Micaiahty~
I appreciate sweating out my hair…anytime I want and STILL look good!
I appreciate how BIG it is. I am currently transitioning and I love to salsa dance. Now, instead of being concerned that it will get messed up, I'm thrilled at how big, fluffy, and out of control it gets. Whipping my hair when I spin is so much more fun now…
Oh… and the dudes apparently love it too. They just stare 🙂
That it's mine. All mine!
I appreciate the versatility–even though I'm going thru a styling challenge right now. I can turn a "bad" hair day into something cute with a little water & moisturizer. My day can't be ruined by rain or "sloppy sleeping" b/c I can always get my curls to bounce back w/little time or effort.
I love how soft my hair is & how it looks when it curls.
I love how my hair grows OUT & not down now that I am relaxer-free. It suits my personality better lol
I appreciate the abundance of knowledge I've gained that I would never had been privy to had I remained relaxed.
I apreciate the fact that my boyfriend can run his fingers through my twa, and smile at me without feeling any glue, tracks nada. It's all me, baby.
Oh, and I love that fact that if I choose to, when it grows out, wear it sleek and straight, big and gloriously fro-y, or wavy and pretty. I love my hair.
Knowing that even if my hair doesn't look exactly like it did when I left the house…a lil water, shea and a few bobby pins makes it all better. OOoooh…and it is so healthy and vibrant. Cheers ladies!
~CurlyBlasian
I am with April (post #2) for the most part my hair does not look like everyone else's hair. On good hair days, my hair rocks and I stand out in a crowd! And since I have been natural I can say w/o hesitation no hairstylist knows my hair better than me.
how many styles i can do with my hair
I appreciate that a flat iron is not needed 🙂
I appreciate its ability to be big, curly and out of control and then sleek, straight, and tamed.
I appreciate the fact I can run product through my hair with my fingers, shake and GO…with no concern about every hair in place! 😉
I appreciate my natural hair as it has helped me to discover who I am and all that is me. And for that I am grateful.com
I appreciate having a HEALTHY SCALP…it was soooo irritated due to the chemicals from relaxing it…. I loooove my scalp 🙂
I appreciate the curls and the fact that water is indeed my friend, and not my enemy
I appreciate that I am going on 15 years of being natural. I big chopped several times (like 4-5) and it always grows back pretty fast. I appreciate my curls, the length, and I now know that I appreciated the thickness since it has now begun to thin a little (I think it was breaking off due to stress) but it's getting better now. And I appreciate the fact that I am now taking better care of my hair, keeping it better moisturized on a regular basis (in fact I am doing a DT today). Most of all I appreciate that I even HAVE hair!!! LOL
I appreciate the self-discovery I made after going natural. Truly made turning thirty a significant milestone in my life. I have found a brand new me, and have more confidence in myself than I ever had.
I also appreciate those who invest their time & money creating tutorials trying out numerous products, and even creating products (that work way better than the commercial lines) so that we may master the art of natural hair.
I appreciate the volume. For the longest time, I had been trying to get more volume from my relaxed hair. I honestly thought it was over. I after 8b months of transitioning, I am seeing plenty of volume and I love how youthful it looks!
I appreciate that water is a fix and not a detriment anymore.
I appreciate that no one's hair looks like mine or has my curls!
I appreciate that it's healthy and it's a reflection of me.