“We’ll call you…Pocahontas,” a girl said as we all sat in a circle. A group of girls from my dance team were gathered together, attempting to come up nicknames for each team member. I knew they were only trying to bond with me, because they had previously gotten in a lot of trouble for bullying me and my sister. “Okay…” I thought, How original. As a homeschooled black girl with terrible acne (oh, puberty and those lovely raging hormones…) and long, black hair that came down to my waist, I stood out among my competition team. (If you don’t know what competitive dancing is like, watch Dance Moms.) My hair has always been my defining feature. You know that feature that you’re just known by? Who’s Taylor? Oh! The dark skinned girl with the long hair!
People were always skeptical about whether or not my hair was real. It was considered unusual for black girls to have long hair. I literally had a security guard stop me and ask if my hair was real. She actually looked at my scalp to check. And, yes, it was awkward. The other day my sister told me she missed my hair being long and straight. To be completely honest, I miss it too. But it wasn’t healthy. Because my hair was so long, I always wanted to straighten it. Correction: I was downright obsessed with straightening my hair. As I grew up, my hair became shorter from the heat damage and relaxers. I tried different chemicals, but all of them were harmful to my hair. Although it was still considered long to many people, it has never been as long as it was in my beginning of my junior year in college.
Hair Bathroom Selfie on Fourth of July, 2014 (Incoming Junior)
Halloween, 2014 (Someone took too many bathroom selfies…)
In my junior year, I transferred from a community college to a 4-year institution. I wasn’t prepared for the rigor of the courses I was taking. In organic chemistry, we had a lab report due every week and quizzes at the beginning of every class, which was very different from my usual, “just show up to lecture and study the book.” I stopped caring for my hair as I should have been, and my hair ended up breaking off a lot. By graduation, I lost about 8 inches off of my length. My hair was no longer to my waist but to my mid-back instead.
Graduation, 2016
After graduation, I maintained my length pretty well until I started using a lot of heat again during the summer. I started organic chemistry again and ended not caring for it as well. I did better than the first time, but it wasn’t enough to stop my ends from becoming thin. Due to the damage and poor condition of my hair, I decided that going natural would be best for my hair.
I started transitioning from chemically treated hair to natural hair, a year after graduating. I didn’t want to do the “big chop,” so I waited until my hair grew out. I ended up getting braids when I started grad school. I might do it again, because man, was it a lifesaver! I never had to worry about doing anything except keeping it moisturized. The braids sped up my growth and about 4-5 months after getting them out, I decided I wanted to chop off the “straight” pieces. In those few months, dealing with transitioning hair was difficult. The main reason I cut my hair was the frustration of maintaining two different hair types: curly and straight. The straight pieces broke off to the point I thought, Might as well chop it off! So I did! And I have loved it ever since!
All Natural!
After a “Wash and Go” today
Since becoming natural my hair has been so much healthier! I have noticed a difference in the texture and growth. It’s a lot thicker and stronger than my chemically treated hair. My edges were always damaged and non-existent. I had a receding hairline and short pieces in the front. My edges are now growing back without any growth products! (I constantly used them when I wasn’t natural in hopes they would grow back.) I am so happy with the results and plan to grow my natural hair down my back. I may straighten every blue moon, but I definitely won’t be anytime soon.
In the end, I do miss my long, straight hair. I wish I had taken better care off it and gone natural years ago. However, I hope to regain my length and keep my hair healthy in the future.
Thanks for visiting my blog! Be sure to check out my other posts. There is more to come on my natural hair journey! I will make a post soon about the products I use. Until then be kind and remember tomorrow depends on what you do today. Hope you enjoyed reading! — Taylor ❤
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