Friday, March 25, 2011

Natural hair: Why I became a natural

Natural Hair: Why I became a natural, the beginning of my hair journey
I invite you to play the song below as you read...



Hello!!! Thanks for stopping by and welcome if that's your very first time here.
This post today is an introduction to some of the things I have in mind for the coming months.  I wanted to share with you my journey as a new Natural and how I got to consider undertaking this special journey.

I must say that I am not passionate about whether my hair is relaxed or not.  My decision to embark in a Natural journey has nothing to do with a special conviction like some seem to have.
I do love my hair relaxed,  it's just that I finally wanted to try something different with my hair and at this stage I am more curious than I am convicted.  Here is how my journey started:

Two years ago, I thought about going Natural but I went back to relaxing my hair because I honestly did not know what I was doing and what I was getting myself into! 
Then about 5-6months ago I contemplated once again the idea of being Natural because I kept admiring my mom's hair.



 She reverted to her natural hair about 3 years ago and  it had me thinking..." if  Maman's hair looks so pretty natural, sure mine would look fine too".

Becoming natural once again was easy for Maman (word for mommy in French) because she already had a short hair style! Her hair was very fragile and she used to think that she did not have very good hair! Silly, right?! When she decided to go natural, it was mainly because she was traveling a lot and did not have time to keep up with the maintenance of relaxing her hair, getting it professionally done etc.

She was so surprised to see how pretty her natural hair turned out that she realized how ridiculous it had been for her to relax her hair all those years! She started hinting at me that my hair would probably be nice if not nicer, should I would decided to go natural.

My twin sister has been natural for some years as well and she too used to think negatively of the quality of her hair until she went Natural.

 I was always told that from all my sisters, I was the one gifted with  " very good hair"!  I must admit that my hair has never been unhealthy! I always took great care of my hair except for the fact that I don't enjoy to brush or style it myself. I take care of my hair by having 'experts' take care of me!



 Even as a College student I did very good maintaining my hair healthy and nice! So unlike people who went natural because of bad experiences with relaxer, my decision to go natural has nothing to do with any bad experiences with relaxers nor is it an issue for me to keep up with my salon's visits! My reasons are more like..."let's try something new", "it could be good after all"!

So I finally decided to bravely embark in this journey, with my hubby's support,


Hubby & I in Charleston SC at a Gilligan's restaurant!
yeah you can laugh it's alright!!! I get it all the time! He is 6'5" and I am 4'11"

 by:
  • asking plenty of questions
  • doing lot of researches
  • &  with the advices from many to be patient, keep taking good care of my hair & getting them deep conditioned regularly.

My biggest concerns were:
 1) I did not want to cut them totally short , have a BC meaning Big Chop like the Naturals call it...


 Look at this one! She is gorgeous isn't she?!
This girl is Christina Goh. She is actually an old high school classmate with a fabulous voice and a beautiful singing career. She is known as " La Perle Noire de l'Afro-Blues"!
That style fits her so well! But a short hair style like this is not for me right now...The last time my hair was like this I was a toddler! In the Naturals lingo this would be called T.W.A  for teeny weeny Afro.

2) I wanted to have some styles that would support my active lifestyle and still look feminine and stylish. I know short like above would be ideal but I am currently embracing other options like braids or sparrow curls.




I was used to getting my hair done every week, simply because...well...I used to run every single day , until my foot injury, and I have too much pride in my hair to go out on week-ends with  my hair not looking fly! (lol)

My friend and big brother K.A we are hanging out @ the GA Aquarium in ATL

 Plus the sister loves her hair and loves having someone doing it! I don't like doing my own hair, especially shampooing! Maybe that will change. I realized lately that most naturals love doing their own hair! Like my friend Africa below that you will soon be meeting!






Anyway, since embarking in that journey, I am discovering that there is kind of a sub-culture existing. The culture of Black women who do not use relaxer in their hair, who sport braids or creative styles with their hair...the Naturals!


Ladrica, a beautiful and God fearing natural who lives her life with great purpose



Many of the Naturals I am encountering along the way have their own brand of products as they probably developed them as they were trying to find products that work best for them.


 My most fantastic observation about Naturals is that many of the Naturals I meet seem to have a higher sense of purpose in life and a lot of confidence in themselves! Some tend to be very passionate abut their hair and put that energy in all their do.






 I am certain that there are some naturals out there who are not very impressive, it's just that I have been blessed to meet some amazing ladies and they are keeping me inspired! If I am going all the way, I need to hang around the ones who are beautiful not just on the outside but on the inside as well. My goal is to bring to you some of them right here for your enjoyment, to inspire the Naturals among you, and to help us all to understand them better regardless of our hair preferences.

 That's why, being 5-6 months in my journey of transitioning, (the term apparently used in the Naturals' world to say that I no longer relax my hair but haven't cut them down to its natural roots) I decided that it's time to talk about Naturals, natural hair care and natural products! I plan on featuring a Natural every month and I will support the ones with their own brand of products by often featuring some natural products.




Those are divacakes cupcakes bath bombs  from Chocolashea available on Etsy

I will still write about everything health related and I will open up about my weight journey back to my slimmer me and overcoming my foot injury as I am now considering cross training instead of relying on running so much.


The thing is this : no matter who we are and what culture or subculture we belong to, we still need to be healthy and fit so I will stay true to this passion of mine. This site will never be just about hair or just about naturals, or just about one very specific thing because we are people with a common desire for healthy living and we all have many facets.

 It's just that today  I'm coming out with my Natural facet and I am inspired by the song and the attitude of the Diva in the video below.  The one and only Diana Ross!  Her daughter, Tracee Ellis Ross,  is one of the most gorgeous natural celebrities out there...




I am inviting any Natural and their fans to join in the fun, follow the Blog, leave comments, share their stories, LIKE the page Healthy can be done facebook, follow Goodhealthdiva on twitter and spread the word about the blog and all these good stuffs...

For those of you who just have no clue what in the world it is I am talking about... juts keep coming by, Follow the blog and be entertained and educated by learning more about the world of Naturals' beauty! It is a fascinating world, you will be just as amazed as I am! I am in awe each day!
Look how beautiful Naturals are...

Those are some celebrities of couuuurse, but my goal is to show you some Real people (lol)...yeah celebrities are real people too, I know...but not all of us can relate to them!
 I want to show you Naturals we can relate to like this gorgeous one right below , Ladrica, owner of http://www.chocolashea.com/ the products showed above are actually hers!






 So if you are a Natural and would like for me to feature you (& your products) please e-mail me at goodhealthdiva@gmail.com.  In April I am featuring my gorgeous friend from the U.K Africa Brown. Soon after that I hope of having the privilege of featuring Ladrica. It will be good stuff so you better come back (smiles)!

Sharing below some pictures of the hair clips I made recently for a few of my summer dresses, I love dresses, skirts and flowers so I am now having fun designing accessories including hair clips and jewelries. Since I specialize in custom gifts and cards let me know if you are interested in any hair clips and accessories customized just for you!

Dark Orange hair clip


Pink summer dress

Pink daisy hair clip

Purple Summer Dress

Purple hair clip


Are you a natural reading this? How long have you been one? What do you like most about being natural? Did you have a lot of support becoming a natural? Do you think that most naturals are very self-confident women and seem to have a higher sense of purpose?! If you are a man reading this article, do you have a special affection for Naturals or not necessarily? What's your take on it?



N'na

6 comments:

  1. Hi,

    I have been a natural non BC for now 7 months and enjoying the journey I have embarked on.
    It is challenging sometimes and I definitely believe that It does not make us more confident but underlines that we are embracing our true selves and are determined to blossom through It!

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  2. Hi, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts! You are right the natural change might not make a natural more confident! I think confidence has nothing to do with being natural or not it's a personal thing and some seem born with it and others develop it based on what they overcome!I think confidence is what makes a woman beautiful and powerful regarless of their style and her size! I have seen naturals in the past but they did not impress me, its just that I am meeting NOW some very confident women who just happen to be natural, but I know some very confident women who are not naturals. Anyway, thanks for making this observation and success in your Natural journey and all your endeavors!

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  3. Hello! I enjoyed this article. After seeing results from other naturals I was naturally inpired, such as you were with your mothers lovley hair. Ive embraced my natural hair for quite some time now, it has not been easy but worth the challenge wich I have now overcome. Thank you for having celeberty naturals and everyday woman photos of woman rocking ther natural hair, thats says allot, a wide variety of woman are loving themself naturally. Thank you for having me in your post. Embrace your journey and may you have continued success with your writting carrer. Ladrica Norfleet - Chocolashea Natural Cosmetics

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Ladrica!
    It was an honor to mention you in this article and I appreciate your willingness and your support in this project!
    I was surprised myself to see that many celebrities were naturals so it's good for others to see that some celebrities are naturals and it's important to also appreciate the beauty of those around us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi,
    I'm Christina Goh, singer.
    I love this blog. Great idea ! Happy to be mentionned. I've been a natural since 10 years, it's a way of life ! But as far as I'm concerned, I think a beautiful woman is a happy one, no matter her style...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi,

    I have been natural all my life. My parents have always told me that we are the only race on this planet with hair like this. Yes, some others may have curly hair, but nothing like ours, and that makes us unique, special, godly, etc. With having that instilled in me, I never thought about relaxing my hair (strip it of it's purpose of being different and defining). Growing up,I had alot of people (mostly black women), especially when I was in high school, say my hair was nappy and I needed to do something with it. But I think that just made me stronger and want to educate them. Now, becoming natural is getting more and more "popular", which is great!! Keep on going!

    ReplyDelete