Remember in elementary school, your teacher assigned you to a “buddy”? When you went on field trips, you had to hold their hand; you worked together on art projects, etc. It taught you to the importance of teamwork, discipline, and accountability. When you have a common goal, it builds a bond or tightens one that already exists. This same concept can be applied to the natural hair journey. Whether you are a seasoned natural, a neo natural or approaching your road to transition, having an ally can help make the process as smooth as possible. It can often times provide new insight on what you thought you knew about natural hair. Although every journey has its own passage, having a natural hair buddy can be all the difference in your success. Here’s what having a natural hair buddy can do for you:
1. Share HairStories – hair testimonies are a great avenue for learning and gaining perspective. Discussing common issues and sharing ideas is always beneficial.
2. Provide encouragement and motivation – having a support system is key to most achievements.
3. Talk you off the “relaxer edge” before you jump – we all have those defeated moments where we want to give up. Your natural hair buddy can act as your sponsor in those situations.
4. Curl time – much like girl time, this is time spent to swap products, come up with new hairstyles, discuss care methods and connect. This is a good time to share resources deemed useful (blogs, written publications, meet ups, etc)
Sharing hairstories and life experiences from a curl’s perspective. Find Tammy at her blog, Curlychics, on Twitter, and Facebook.
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CN Says:
Need curly hair support and information from a vet? Want to give back to the natural community that helped you find the courage to big chop? You can become a Big or Little ‘Natural Sister’ right HERE on the CurlyNikki Forums!
– i wish i had a natural buddy . Lots of people in Brooklyn NY are going natural ; but not anyone im too close to . :/ are there any Brooklyn naturals that would love to take a misguided 16 year old girl under their wing? 😀
I def need a hair buddy !! 🙁
I didn't know to call my sis n cuzzo NHBs however that's what they are. My cuz and I did the BC around the same time, my sis about 8 months later. We are always talking our hair. What's the new product, have you tried?, how did you get your hair like that? ….
Nnobi's Natural Nack Inc. would love the host one of your events in philadelphia. 4060 Ridge ave. phila.pa 19129 Contact Nnobi at (215) -844-8680. I would love to celebrate natural hair with you.
how cute is that pic!
Jasmine Rose seems to have a great idea in cultivating FB buddies if none are within physical proximity 🙂
my cousin iz my new natural hair buddy! She's been transitioning for a few months but i just noticed a few weeks ago becuz she had stright hair but all this curly pretty baby hair! We talk about it all now and encourage each other and share product tips
I have a few friends and family members that are natural. I always go to my best buddy Joslyn for advice. We have been knowing each other since 3rd grade. Its funny because we have the same length of hair but I was the one that cut my hair short than went natural. Afterwards, she did the BC as well. It feels good to have a buddy that know what you going through with your hair!!!
Yeah none of my friends would go natural with me! So I'm pretty much in this alone here, but I do have hair blogs (such as Curly Nikki ; )) to help me!
My bestfriend/sister in law just went natural and I did her big chop I feel like we have even more in common now…it is a great bond when someone else can relate to every aspect of our life including hair.
My younger sis is my NHB.
She transitioned for several years, slowly chopping off the ragged ends. She has 4a S curls.
I saw how pretty her hair was and I began transitioning. Girl, my fine, thin hair looked a dry frizzly mess in transition styles and I cut it off after 3 months of transitioning. I found out I had 4c coils.
Having a NHB gives you someone to talk to about your fears, because they have the same point of reference and experience.
Fortunately, she's not a PJ like I am. She's more of a laissez-faire natural!
I'm blessed to have a hair buddy. We both decided to go natural around the same time, and we've both talked eachother back from the relaxer edge numerous times. She is the best hair buddy/sister in Christ a girl could ask for. We have been natural for approximately 3yrs (hit/miss) and it has almost become ritualistic for us to check in Monday mornings to see how our hair is "treating us". Having her as a support system has helped tremendously during the transition process as well as generally in life. It's all about edifying and encouraging our sisters…
*Iron sharpens Iron
My natural hair buddy is my best friend of over 10 years. We went natural within one month of each other. In January, we did our BC within two weeks at 5andahalf and 6 months. I am so glad that I have her support because honestly,I don't think it wil have been this easy emotionally if it weren't for her. We share stories, discuss tribulations, and somehow I've managed to be the one who tries the products and tells her what's good or not for me and that maybe she should try them. Anyway, as I saw this article I had just gotten off the phone with her and all I could say was "Awww"
@Afro Adie Try striking up a conversation with another natural about her hair while you're out shopping for products. Not only may this give you some good tips, but you could also begin a new friendship with a new natural hair buddy.
I have a natural hair buddy. She and I decided to go natural after attending a Natural Hair show. The only difference between us is that she did the big chop and I am transitioning. We motivate each other to keep on being natural!
-discoveringnatural.blogspot.com
I wish I could find a natural hair buddy. Nobody seems as excited about it as me. I'm even having to go to the Natural Hair show in Atl by myself. : ~( Oh well. Glad for those who have one.
I have several natural hair buddies, but my best is my twin sister. We both went natural at the same time and while we definitely appreciated the the help of our more veteran friends, there is nothing like having someone go through the process and experience the learning curve with you (and in her case acting as a style/technique guinea pig 🙂 The best thing is that I know that if it looks good on her it will look rockin on me lol.
I have a work friend that was natural before me. I asked her so many questions when I first went natural- what was that blog that you mentioned? what is a co-washing? do you have a Tangle Teezer? Ooh, how did you do that updo? It made my transition much easier. I'm sure that she was annoyed as hell though. LOL.
Same here. I'd love a natural hair buddy too!
I have one! At Dare to HAir Cafe on FB! Me and Alysa are natural hair buddies!
I'm trying to convert some of my friends, no such luck, LOL
I would love to have a natural hair buddy.