A Tale of True Strands

A New Beginning with Ultimate Goal

Until nine months ago, out of 41 years of life, I could not tell you much of anything about the texture of the hair I was born with. Like most women with thick, extremely course hair (aka nappy), I have been relaxing, cutting or weaving for as long as I can remember.

It's not that I hadn't tried to take to my roots and go natural but it was like most people with weight-loss, I was too impatient to wait for results. I wanted a beautiful head of hair yesterday and it was way too easy to pick up a box of creamy crack (known to most as a relaxer) or sew in or bond a few wefts for length. 

In 2011, for my 39th birthday, I decided to stop with the "do it yourself" weave and relaxer and invest in a big girl weave. This was great because I could sweat it out in the gym and keep a stepping.  I didn't have to worry about breakage or straightening my hair because of the shrinkage from the sweat. It was extremely low maintenance.  I found my happy place.

After almost two years of weaving, I had grown a full, thick mane!  I decided it was time to get to know my hair (and give my pocketbook a break). I was extremely excited but also very nervous. It was like bringing a baby home for the first time and not being quite sure what to do with it.

My hair dresser had warned that with my athletic lifestyle it would be a challenge to manage my natural hair.  To a degree she was right. For the first few months I thought I had it all figured out. I twisted my hair into knots at night and when I trained and let it out in the mornings or when I worked. I had a beautiful head full of curls but then as it grew it began to change.  It would no longer adhere to the twist outs and I had absolutely no clue what to do with it.

Wave achieved from braiding at night.

Straightened with Flat Iron

Curls achieved by Twisting into Knots at Night

It was then that I researched and decided to go with a Keratin straightener.  From what I had been told, it was different from a relaxer as it wouldn't change the cuticle of my hair like a traditional relaxer and I would still be able to do my twist outs.  This was the answer!  NOT!  After a few months the hair that had the treatment had no resemblance to the new growth coming in. And the twist out and knots that I had enjoyed didn't have the thickness and body that it used to.  I had failed.

After Keratin and Trim
(2013 Arnold with Monica Brant)

But I had not given up on getting back to my roots.  I tried stripping the keratin out by using a clarifying shampoo but after weeks of trying I knew that ultimately cutting the treated hair off and starting over was going to be the only way to get to where I want to be. 

The photo on the top left side of the collage above is my ultimate hair goal. I keep that photo on my vision board to remind me daily of my commitment to get back to my natural roots.  I generally keep my hair twisted, pinned or in puffs to keep from having to mess with it too much.  And for events I use hairpieces and an occasional flat iron to achieve different looks, but I will never abandon my natural kinky hair again. 

Tonight was the night that I finally cut away the last bit of the processed hair. I thought I'd celebrate by sharing my journey. I look forward to posting pix when I finally reach my goal :-)

Knots with Bev Francis