~”The freedom I felt the day I decided to cut my perm out was amazing.”

 

 

“Jeesh her hair looks Cayuuuuute, but my hair won’t look like that if I try to go natural”.
I said this every time I saw someone’s natural Cayuuuuute hairstyle.  All of a sudden going natural started to be everywhere I was, it was like the idea was haunting me. Until one day I decided to go to a high profile chain salon school to get a wash and set, done by a student. Natural hair care professional Abena (IG @embrace_natural_beauty), who wasn’t doing my hair, walked over to me and said you should go natural. She took the time to show me that the fullness of my hair was being robbed because the perm was destroying my hair strand by strand. The breakage I was experiencing was due to the fact that my hair was over processed. I had a perm since I was in elementary school and it seemed like my hair just wouldn’t grow any longer. I had nothing to loose so… from that day in November 2012 to this I never permed my hair again.

I decided to let it grow out, meaning I did not cut the perm out until my natural hair was long enough and to my liking. I only did this because my male friend knowing I was single, said most men didn’t want a bald headed woman LOL. I must confess it took many try’s, many fails, but I enjoyed them all, even when I looked crazy.  The beginning stages of being natural was tough, but I did not miss the pain of the creamy crack leaving scabs on my scalp. I also didn’t miss the extra long hours under the hair dryer. Now my time and money is spent on natural hair care products (that I am totally addicted to buying). I enjoy watching all of the YouTube tutorials and experimenting with various styles for my curl pattern. The sounds of my girl friends mocking me saying I didn’t have the patience to maintain it still makes me laugh, well HAHA… Look at me know!
Going natural has been very necessary and invigorating during that period in my life. I was going through a separation and the process helped me to focus on healing and loving myself. The freedom I felt the day I decided to cut my perm out was amazing.  Reclaiming my curls, returning to the natural state of who I am… learning about who Vanessa really was and I am still learning. I thank God for my hair stylist, Goldeloccs (IG @kinaloveshair) who gave me styles that got me through the weird stages. Now I look in the mirror and I’m like ooooh my hair is Cayuuuuute😬

 

 

~Vanessa

Follow Vanessa @1queensgal