The past few days, I think I was going through my first slump. Which is okay, as it happens every so often. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon after going natural. But hey, it has and there will be more slumps just as there’ll be highs. Being natural doesn’t change that. I’m a girl. And that’s just what happens, natural or relaxed, weaved or braided, there are gonna be days I don’t feel so hot. So I’ve realised I shouldn’t be “blaming” my funk on my natural hair. I’m better now, I’m seeing that my hair is growing…no it’s not going to grow to shoulder length overnight so I just have to work with what I have now. It will grow. And it will grow when it wants to. I can help it, but maybe my hair has her own mind. I used to read stuff like that and thought that person was crazy but seriously though, “she” did tell me she didn’t want to get relaxed anymore. That was very very clear. She’d had enough and I listened. So maybe that’s what people mean by listening to your hair. If it’s limp, it’s telling me it’s damaged. If it’s dry, she’s thirsty. If my scalp is itchy, I need to put some oil treatment (learnt that yesterday!). I think the best way to get to know my hair is by trying different things and seeing how it’ll react to the different things. If it’s softer after shampoo X then, she likes shampoo X. Is it’s dry and itchy after conditioner Y then she doesn’t like conditioner Y. I shouldn’t force things, but give everything I can a chance, and compare.
And about the whole feeling like I’m doing too many things to my hair, only I can control that. I know my schedule and how much time and energy is the maximum I can put into my hair…not those girls on blogs. They have different lives, some busier, some less busy. So I need to do what I want to do along with what my hair wants me to do. It is still new, so I need to pay even more attention now. I need to learn her habits and eventually be able to predict when she’ll start feeling dry or dirty etc. It’s like a baby really. In the beginning, you don’t know its personality. How often he or she will want to feed. But that baby will cry…them scream til you give it what it wants. And eventually, you get the hang of it and know that baby usually gets hungry between 3 and 4 am or baby usually goes through 8 nappies a day or no matter what I do, baby won’t be sleepy at 11pm. So I think that’s how I’m gonna have to do it. Try a product and see…try a regimen and see…and adjust it accordingly.
I woke up this morning thinking, “what are you getting so impatient about?? You knew your hair was gonna be short and it’s not gonna magically grow to shoulder length in a week.” I was so itchy to BC, and loved the first couple weeks, I just realised I have to take it as it comes. There are gonna be bad days, as with all hairstyles and I need to focus more on the reasons why I decided to chop now rather than later and enjoy my new “privileges” like wearing bold make up and earrings etc. Like I said, I knew I’d have a slump, just didn’t expect it this soon, I’m not even a month in yet! There will be a day when I can finally wear my hair flowers and accessories with confidence, the headbands too and can finally do twist outs etc! Until then, I’m gonna embrace it all. The good, the bad and the not so hot days 🙂
