Bye-Bye Processed Ends! February 2001
Well, I had signed up with many natural hair discussion forums and I kept reading about women cutting off the relaxed hair and sporting a TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro). HA! Not me! I was NOT going to walk around looking like a bald-headed man. Those were my thoughts at that time. Plus, my husband was a long-hair FREAK! I mean, he loved my hair long and I grew to do the same.
But, once I took those twists down after wearing them for over a month, I shampooed, conditioned and tried that apple cider vinegar rinse everyone was raving about. I had no idea what it would do to my relaxed hair, but I had began to grow de-tached from that hair anyways.
So, after the rinse, I pulled out the comb. The comb glided through my nappy roots like a hot knife into butter but once it passed the line of demarcation (where the naps end and the permed hair begins) it was a MESS! I was so upset at that relaxed hair that I went to my husband and told him that it had to go. He knew my ultimate goal was natural hair and once I explained to him that my hair would thrive much better without the hindrance of the processed ends, he agreed with me that I should cut.
I ran upstairs, pulled out my cutting shears and went to work. I got more and more frightened but also relieved as I cut. I was still a little scared of wearing it in a TWA, so I left about a good 2 to 3 extra inches of permed hair on so I could have enough hair to braid. But the natural hair overpowered the little bit of processed hair and it all looked like an afro. My kids stood there in the hallway watching and giggling. My son said I looked like Macy Gray. My little one looked at me and said, "Mama pretty?" I said, "Yeah baby, Mama pretty".
But, I still pulled out that extension hair and braided it up into cornrows after I shampooed it. I wore the cornrows for about 2 weeks until they began to look unattractive to me. I took them out, washed my hair and did NOT feel like braiding it up again.
So, I said, enough is enough...pulled out my clippers, my guards and went to town on my TWA. I just told myself that this is ME and everyone would have to accept it and deal with it. Once I finished, I LOVED it. It looked good. I did not look like a man, I looked GOOD, doggone it!
I played around with it after a few days and put some finger coils in the front of it. I went to church that Sunday morning with my head held high and dared anyone to comment negatively. I got a lot of compliments and a lot of silent stares. But I didn't care. I was HOME!
This is me...FREE! No more relaxer, no more chemically damaged hair. THIS is the hair that I was destined to have. I LOVE it! I can't keep my hands out of it. I love the feel of my natural hair...my NAPS! I used to hate that feeling while I was trying to keep it straight, but now, it's a great feeling.
Photos of my fro taken in March 2001
Even when I had relaxed hair, I used to get bored wearing one particular style for a long period of time. Well, that hasn't changed! :-) I got a little bored with just my short fro, so I began experimenting. I liked what I came up with!
I don't have the following styles pictured here, but here is a short list of some other things I did with my fro:
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Flat twists in the front and picked out in the crown and back (my sides and back tapered and lightly faded)
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Flat twists in the front and either finger coils or two-strand twists in the crown/back. When I do twists all over my head, the very short parts of my hair usually end up getting finger-coiled.