If I’m being honest, I’ve been natural ever since 6th or 7th grade. I’m 23 now so you’d think that I would’ve had a lot of time to get used to and love my natural hair right? Well that’s where you’re sadly wrong. Growing up, I’ve always kept my hair straightened. I kept it straight so much that people assumed my hair was naturally straight. It’s cool if I just loved my hair like that and that was it, but it was deeper.

Around my middle school days, I really had a dislike for some of my black features. Mainly my dark skin complexion and yes my curly hair. The most I had seen my hair curly was when I sweated my hair out and when it got washed. I used to wish I had hair like Caucasians and would even get upset when people said I had white people’s hair. This wouldn’t be because someone compared my hair to a white persons hair, but because I didn’t have the hair they were comparing it to. I hated everything about it from the way it sweated out to the hair dents it easily gets from wearing a ponytail holder. Fast forward to high school and those thoughts began to subside, but now at this point, I’m used to my straight hair, it’s what I can work with, and I know I look good with it. During senior year I tried to wear it in its natural form, but it was so hard for me to work with. I hated it and because of heat damage I needed product to even get curls as an end result. Wearing my hair heatless was very rare in high school.

The older I got, the more I became in tuned with my blackness. I got so jealous of all these pictures of women with their bomb natural hair and curls and mine was just eh (this was just my thinking). So after I graduated, I made the step into going heatless and got braids for the first time ever. It has been maybe 2..possibly 3 years or almost three years now since I’ve had heat put on my hair. I’m still very lazy with my hair so as far as growth, there hasn’t been much progress, but it has finally begun to form a bit of a curl pattern. I can now go without product if I choose and I’m fine. I still have a long way to go with accepting my hair and I do wear wigs because again, I’m lazy, but I’ve come a long way.

My advice for adults with black kids or even just adults themselves…love your hair and teach your kids to love their natural hair. It’s fine if they want their hair straightened, kids like to switch it up just like adults do, but make sure they love their hair the way it is first. It’s so important, especially during this day and age.

-BPD ♥