When I first decided to go natural, the first thing I did was head to town to get hair products. I was ridiculously excited and I wanted my starter pack right away. There I was, entering a street full of stores with a list of brands in hand that all of the American vloggers swore by, but left with nothing. Yeah, the natural hair aisle was pretty non-existent back then. I was beyond disappointed. So when I started seeing more and more natural hair brands at Clicks, I got really excited. Finally, us natural girls don’t have to go online or order our stash from a relative who lives abroad anymore. Brands such as Cantu, Design Essentials and Aunt Jackie’s are easily available at Clicks, nationwide. I haven’t had the chance to use them all but I know this is a great selection of products on offer:
The prize:
A set of double tickets to 1 reader (that’s you + a friend).
How to enter:
In the comments box below, tell me: why did you go natural?
The rules:
- The competition will close at 4pm on Wednesday 8th March, 2017
- This competition is open to Johannesburg residents only
- One (1) winner will be chosen and announced by Thursday 9th March, 2017
- The best answer will win
- The winner will be contacted via e-mail so please be available to supply full contact details. If the winner does not respond to the email within 24 hours of contact, another winner will be chosen
***THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
Congratulations Luxolo Keyise! Thank you to all who entered.**
I decided to go natural because I hated the smell of relaxer and hated how flat my hair would be after relaxing. Convincing myself to do the the big chop wasn’t easy because I grew up in a small township were I was told that natural hair is untidy and it being described as “struggle hair” because apparently only the poor /less privileged kept their hair natural as they couldn’t afford to buy relaxer. Also because I was scared that I would look too much like ae boy with short hair.
During my first year of varsity I started seeing alot of ladies on campus from all spheres of life rocking natural hair. I started doing research on the Internet and my perception of natural hair changed! Towards the end of my first year I cut my hair and it’s the best decision I’ve made! Absolutely Love the texture and the volume of my hair how versatile it is. Definitely don’t regret going natural!
Hi everyone, I had always struggled with getting my hair bone straight as per society standards. Salons would use two jars of relaxer just to get my hair straight, this of course would result in me paying extra, burning my scalp or salons refusing to relax my hair. Now growing up in a society where bone straight hair was the ultimate “I’ve arrived” moment you can imagine how I must have felt being told by people how I have “kaffir” hair. Aside from my hair being extremely coarse, it was unmanageable because I was terrified of the comb. So I basically went through my primary and high school years with “unkempt” hair because my poor mother didn’t know how to handle my hair.
After a lot of self loathing where my hair was concerned, I decided to do the big chop. I was just tired, I felt as though I had tried everything under the sun where processed hair was concerned, and most importantly I had learnt to love myself the way that I am. I didn’t even know which products I would use, but I knew that castor oil and water were my best friend hahaha…I then became a product junkie, I bought all sorts of products in a quest to get my hair to look like that of people on social media. I didn’t know anything about curl pattern, pre-poo, 4a/b/c hair all I knew was that my hair was giving me problems. Fast forward to present day, I have my hair in a beautiful braid, I walk boldly and proudly because I love my crown.
This was back in 2013, its 2017 and I can safely say I don’t regret going back to my natural hair. I have cut my hair in frustration along the way but I have never thought of relaxing it again. I love how it looks, its rich and beautiful…I’ve gotten used to the stares and the snide remarks that come from people who simply believe my hair isn’t beautiful unless its relaxed.
All I know is that I am happy with my natural hair and have gone on to inspire other people to also go back to their natural hair
I wanted to try something different !
My then boyfriend now husband kindly suggested I stop relaxing my hair. Never looked back ❤❤ and very thankful for him
Like most people, I reached a stage in my life where I questioned everything. My beliefs, my values, my relationships and even my hair. The more I questioned myself about my hair and why it had always been in its relaxed form, the angrier I became because the answers were not good enough. Deciding to go natural was easy but having to cut off my hair was a massive challenge and what frightened me even more was my dependence on my straight longish hair. I finally made the cut, I don’t regret it at all but this road hasn’t been easy, it saddens me to think that at my current age, 29, my hair is still some what of a stranger to me.
Went natural…l don’t know what that means…For me l have always left my hair to be.To leave it in its most comfortable state.lt breathes and it’s free.lt is at it should be.
I have always loved natural even if sometimes I put on some extensions, it is on my natural hair. It feels natural to weave on natural hair. I always used coconut oil, carrot oil, avocado oil + olive oil, Jamaican castor oil, Jojoba oil. These oils kept my hairline intact and healthy, no matter how much I pulled my hair.
After years of relaxing my hair I have finally returned back to natural and I’m in love! I love my kinky, coily hair texture. I love the versatility of my hair and most of all, I’m glad that when I look in the mirror I’m pleased with what naturally grows out of my head.
I say returning natural because, we were born natural and began life natural. So I have returned natural NOT “gone natural” although my hair is not like everyone else’s or like people on television. It is ALL mines and I LOVE it.
This is one of those questions I can never answer. I been natural on and off for 12 years. In the beginning it was forced, my mother would tell me my hair is not meant to be relaxed and because I had no choice I kept it like that. Moved out of my mother’s house and decided to relax it and it became very thin and I had a bald patch at the back of my head. So decided to chop it off and start again. So that’s what i do now, grow my hair and chop off and start again. Now that I have girl children, I can’t imagine not having natural hair and both my kids have only seen my relaxed hair in pictures. I wear my hair in its shrunken state with confidence and my girls see that and do the same.
Hi
I decided to go natural 4 years ago because i had relaxed and over processed my hair so much my scalp became so unbearably sensitive painful and raw .
It started falling and breaking which creating a bald spot in the middle of my head and i was only 21 at the time ! Which made me self concious and feeling miserable about my self inflicted bald spot .I couldn’t tolerate it any longer and started my natural hair journey
and along Iv made a few mistakes along the way one of them going to hair salon and the hair dresser/stylist advising to make hair soft I should “blow dry” it . Which is unknowingly a chemical hair processing agent and I had to start all over again but I have not regretted it ever since.
Happily Natural
☺
I went natural after my baby girl was born in 2008. I hated the thought of raising a child without self love and acceptance. I started embracing myself, my nappy, coily, nappy, (you name it) hair. I started loving everything about myself including my curves. Ever since I never looked back.
“I am woman, I am raising a nation. A nation without self love is a lost nation.”
Hi
The reason behind me going natural is my 5 year old daughter. She has very coarse hair and it is a mission to get it to behave. She always thought that her was not like the other girls she would see and wanted to relax as per usual for someone her age. I would always tell her that she has gorgeous hair and does not need to relax it. But how could I give my daughter such advice when she saw me relaxing and applying extreme heat to my own hair. Mommy was being a hipocrite. I decided to go natural and start loving my hair in front of her so she could see that she is perfect the way she is. I am still trying to get her back on track (no relaxer talk) but step by step we are getting there. I’m teaching my daughter to love herself by loving myself…and my God given hair.
In 2009 realised that although I always relaxed my hair, I would only ever wear it out for two days then immediately braid it. This opened my eyes as I noticed my hair was always hidden beneath the braids, so why not embrace my natural hair? To be honest, for a long time I had wondered if chemicals in relaxers didn’t damage my scalp and hair. So the realisation that my hair stayed hidden away 99% of the time, I decided to go natural and simply embrace my coils in their tight kinky nature. Late 2013 was a year of enlightenment where I learnt of a healthier way of growing natural hair. So that marked my healthy hair journey, which I must say, has been a great learning curve filled with astonishment, excitement and tears at times. Realising my hair likes and dislikes certain behaviours has made me even more passionate about natural kinky, coily hair. Fortunately the ‘natural hair movement’ that has recently bloomed has allowed vast opportunities for information on how to grow natural healthy hair and which products are healthier. So these days, there are less tears shed, except when having to detangle hair for 2 hours. Am still awaiting a magical product that will ‘melt’ away all knots in seconds, lol!
I transitioned to natural 3 and half years ago because I’ve always had fine hair and it was very thin when relaxed. I started by stretching my relaxers, with the help of YouTube and natural hair bloggers, then later on I transitioned for 2 years and now I’ve been fully natural for 3 and a half years. My hair is fuller, has a lot more volume and is healthier and that has always been my ultimate goal. Because having thin hair after relaxers showed me that my hair was under a lot of strain and manipulation. And despite the long length it did not look or feel strong and good. Now I am happily natural with healthy full hair!
I live in pretoria due to my studies but home is in joburg. Even though i dont qualify, i will comment because i believe in this movement.
Almost years ago, a friend of mine asked if i thought black hair can grow long. I replied with an emphatic NO, i moved on to telling her that it’s only the lucky few with good genes that can grow their hair somewhat long. She proceeded to showing me numerous videos on YouTube of black ladies growing their hair long. I was in complete disbelief, not only at the length of their hair, but for the first time in my life i thought natural (black) hair is beautiful. For my whole life up until that moment, the standard of beauty when it comes to hair was western and this is not to say that western hair is not beautiful, but it was the realisation that my hair is ALSO BEAUTIFUL. My ideologies were completely shaken but it was exciting because i knew then i was about to enter into a new journey of self discovery.
Looking back, i realise that this journey hasn’t just been about hair, but it has been about returning to who i really am. It has been about reclaiming my identity as a black woman and challenging society to accepting another face to beautiful. Its now knowing that i am enough in my natural state.
Within months of transitioning, i cut off all my relaxed ends and i introduced myself to the world anew. Every challenge, every setback, every failed twist out, every knot and tangles has been worthwhile. I completely love my hair, its glorious and worthy of being made a big deal about.
As a young girl I was under the impression that being beautiful meant having long straight hair (type2/3 hair)… Which I did not have… Having had friends who had that type of hair made me want it even more, so I relaxed the life out of my hair… When I got to varsity I saw girls embracing their natural hair (all types) and they looked fabulous with it… My perception of beauty than began to change and I began to realise that beauty is what you perceive it to be. I recall wondering why God had blessed me with my hair type as opposed to type 2/3 hair… So out of curiousity I decided to go natural… I have not looked back ever since, he blessed me with my hair type because it compliments me, I believe :). I have been natural for a year now and I love my natural hair, I feel so much more confident than I previously did and I love embracing my versatile hair. I am a proud natural! And I am super grateful that we have natural hair products (especially home grown ones that are affordable haha) that makes my wash days easier and helps me achieve any look I want to achieve. 🙂 and not forgetting natural hair blogs that feeds me with knowledge about our hair and inspires me to embrace my natural hair. #clickscurls #clickshairconvo
Hi Aisha
I went natural two years ago but got tired of always having to order products online because I couldnt find them readily available in stores or if i would find them they were so overpriced.I cut it all of and then last year around Nov I made a choice to start growing my hair again,after I saw the introduction of so many natural products(blackpear)-I just thought why not.Its so easy to maintain natural hair if you have the right entourage of products.Also on so many blogs I just saw how underrepresented guys are.So I wana prove that men can also grow their hair too.Thank you.
Hi Aisha,
This is not so much why I chose to go natural as I have always had natural hair; but its more why I decided after I had my daughter that I would keep her hair natural.
When my daughter now almost 8 was born, she had a full head of soft curly hair and I loved running my hands through it and she loved it when I massaged her.
As she grow in the first months the hair texture changed and it became more coarse and tightly curled, and it started tangling and it became harder to brush with those baby brushes. When I tried to brush the hair my little girl would cry so much and I ended up just leaving it.
At that point at 6 months I decided that it was best to cut the hair because it was just a knotty mess. I was told that she had very ethnic hair and it some point I would have to relax it. That scared me because I could just imagine putting relaxer on her hair and getting chemical burns.
As I cut her hair I started crying because my baby had such beautiful hair and because I didnt know how to care for it I had to cut it all off but I definitely knew I would not put chemicals on her. Although I had always been natural I didnt do anything special to my hair just wash and put hair food and comb. All I knew was if my hair was a bit wet it was managable and plaiting it grew the hair.
I decided on that day that I would never ever cut her hair and decided to grow her hair from scratch. Within a few months it had grown and I would plait it with wool. After a few months the hair had grown quite a bit and I started searching the internet on how to style little girls hair.
At that point there wasn’t as much information on natural hair and being natural was not really a thing.
I may not know all that there is to know about natural hair but I know my daughter’s hair, but most importantly she knows her hair and if it dry she will say… Mommy my hair is not happy!
Keeping my daughter’s hair natural has created a bond between us and has taught me a lot about my own hair.
We may both be natural but our hair responds differently to products and styles. Every weekend we have such fun choosing a hairstyle for the week.
My daughter loves her hair and the attention she gets when its loose because it is so big or whatever style its in because it is so versatile. As for myself Iam proud of how she responds to people who ask how her hair is so big….she simply tells them its just her hair thats how God created her. As a life long natural I always had to explain why I never relaxed my hair and my answers felt like excuses and left me feeling a little uncomfortable, but to my daughter thats just her hair and that’s just how she was created.
It’s fuller and looks healthy and bounces.
I keep my hair natural because it’s soo pretty and rich when natural. I donot imagine my hair with related.
Hello everyone my name is lindiwe masuku I decided to go natural because I needed a new start on my hair and my life on a clean slate. I had relaxed hair all my life but then it outgrew me when it was not growing anymore and it became thinner by a day decided to do dread locks amd the styles got boring for me because they almost looked the same then one day when some stylist platted my hair he broke some oy my dreads. That when I decided to undo my dreads with a needle and after that went to the salon to relax it again and I thought my hair would be fuller again because of the dreads and I was wrong it was worse the decided to do a big chop and now I have natural hair I love my crown a lot it fuller like nobody’s business never had hair like this before and I will stay natural for a long long time thank you.
I went natural because it was something that I did not choose but it chose me. After grade 11 I stopped relaxing my hair because I was extremely lazy to do my hair every month. I did not really understand why I needed to do it every month. Soon after that I had two textures and began to research, only to find out that I was in fact actually transitioning. I chopped the relaxed ends off and it has been 3 years of afrotastic deliciousness. I have fallen in love with it and although I may have to take care of hair more than before. Learning about the true nature of my hair has been a great journey that more people should know.
I decided to go natural at a point in my life when I was trying find my identity as an African. As a child I was never given a chance between choosing to embrace my natural hair or having relaxed hair, that decision was made and enforced on me. I was brainwashed at a very young age that got me to be beautiful I need to have silky hair. I was made to believe that my natural hair was not neat, not pretty and have to straighten it in order to fit in. I battled with finding my identity as everything about me was fake and was worried that one day I will have a daughter and what will I teach her. The thought of me doing what was done to me to my kid made me go natural. I learnt to embrace my hair, damaged hairline and all
Because i wanted to stay away from chemicals and embrace my own hair
I remember I went to a saloon to relax my hair and the person who was relaxing me burned me so badly on my hairline then I decided that I want to go natural so I started checking on the internet then I came across your blog it was around October 2014 i was doing my second year in varsity believe you me, you are the one who inspired me to go natural ,since then I always check your blog and your Facebook page since I don’t have an Instagram account so that’s when I cut my hair and went natural since then I have never looked back. Now my hair looks more healthier and it’s black colour has returned. So basically I went natural because of a bad hair relaxer experience.
My hair would never sty straight after getting it relaxed, it would always puff up into a ball the day after lol. Then it started thinning, so I just decided to stop. One day my teacher from high school suspended me because I went to school in dreads, that made me feel even more rebellious with my “messy” hair
Hey Aisha, I went natural because for a very long time the hair at the back would not grow. My hair would grow to a certain length than the back part would show that there’s just no hair . After a long consideration I chopped everything off and decided to became natural, My hair now grows evenly and looks and feels health.
For me, it wasn’t so much a decision to “go” natural, just more like leaving my had to do its thing. Really curious about this event and the info they will be sharing.
Fingers crossed?
I first went natural in 2013. The only reason was that my hair was unhealthy and I needed a fresh start however I wasn’t ready for the comments I recieved. “When are you doing your hair” etc. I also followed wrong advice. Blow drying it, plaiting it always cuz it will grown. I lost it however and relaxed again. However in 2015 I had enough with having my hair in a texture that’s not it’s natural state I cut it all off and stuck through all the comments I received about me looking poor or unprofessional. In owning my look I felt beautiful. My confidence exuded with all those around me too. It’s become my look now and there is times when I don’t understand my own hair but following blogs I have found a way of educating myself and it’s never felt better knowing myself like this.
Aaaw man.Joburgers get all the nice things in life 😔 oh well. Maybe some other time. Is it okay if I answer anyways?
I went natural because all my life having your hair exactly as it is, exactly as it grows ang coils was seen as problematic. As if its incomplete. Something should be done to to it and i believed that. I wanted to challenge that fir myself. And also to get to know my hair hey.
Hope you have a great day at the event🙋🙋
Mvumikazi | Urban Mnguni
My name is Akhona and ive been natural for a year now I was inspired by my sister who cut her dreadlocks and went natural when she was expecting her daughter I saw a different beauty she was glowing I loved how she embraced both her pregnancy and her natural journey. I said to myself I also wanna experience this I took the protective styling route plait,wash untie and plait again in December 2015 when I unplaited my hair it was a full grown afro I was so excited😊😊😊💃💃💃 And I have never turned back since then I feel so beautiful I’ve never looked so younger 😍😍😍 I’m a Naturalista and I lurrrrrrrrrv my hair
I went natural 2 years ago, after using different kind if chemicals my scalp got damaged, i didn’t enjoy my relaxed her anymore, i started gooling woman with natural hair i came across a website”My afro and I” believe it or not aisha is the reason i decided to cut all my relaxed her, and go Natural, i learnt tips on how to treat my hair, how to take care of my fro and how to listen to my fro. I felt so betrayed when i saw you cut all that beautiful her:), but as a mother, wife and woman i completely understand the changes that we go through as woman, new chapters in our lives, new experience, self discoveries. Today my hair and i have a serious happy love affair, I’m enjoying every moment of being natural and exploring new styles, my confidence in myself has improved because I’m comfortable in my own skin.
I’m happy 🙂