My Journey

MY.JOURNEY....LET'S SEE...I DECIDED TO GO NATURAL ONLY 1 MONTH BEFORE MY BIG CHOP ON AUGUST 24, 2010. I WAS AT THE TIME UNEDUCATED ABOUT NATURAL HAIR, BUT WAS EXTREMELY EXHAUSTED OF SITTING IN THE HAIR SALON FOR 5 HOURS PLUS WAITING TO BE RELAXED, POSSIBLE BURNS FROM SCRATCHING MY SCALP PRIOR TO MY APPOINTMENT, THE COST, AND CHEMICALS BEING PLACED ON MY SCALP THAT COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS/FUTURE HEALTH PROBLEMS. FIRST, LETS DISCUSS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS CHEMICALS FOUND IN HAIR RELAXERS (SODIUM HYDROXIDE). SODIUM HYDROXIDE IS USED TO BREAK THE BOND IN KURLY HAIR. THE SCARY PART, IS THAT ALL CHEMICAL ACTIONS ARE IRREVERSIBLE. AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR IS FULL OF PROTEIN, AND SHOULD HAVE AN AVERAGE PH LEVEL OF 4-5. LYE RELAXERS HAVE 12-14 WHICH IS 3 TIMES AS MUCH...... OK, ANY WHO I FIRST STARTED RECEIVING PERMS AT THE AGE OF ABOUT 8. MY MOTHER WAS AGAINST PERMS, BUT A FAMILY MEMBER RELAXED MY HAIR ONE DAY WHILE MY MOTHER WAS AT WORK. THAT WAS THE WORST THING SHE COULD HAVE DONE, BEING THAT MY THICK HAIR BECAME THIN AND DAMAGED..... IN HIGH SCHOOL I WORE MOSTLY WRAPS AND BRAIDS, BUT COULDN'T AFFORD GOING TO THE SALON EVERY 4-6 WEEKS. IN COLLEGE, I KEPT WRAPS, SEW INS, AND BRAIDS, WHICH WERE PRIMARILY DONE BY COLLEGE FRIENDS.  AFTER GRADUATING IN 2008, I STILL WORE MY WRAPS. MY BFF WAS TRANSITIONING TO GO NATURAL IN 2010, BUT I WANTED TO FEEL FREE SO I CHOSE TO BC INSTEAD. I DID MORE RESEARCH ON NATURAL HAIR AND CAME TO THE REALIZATION THAT I WANTED TO BE EVEN HEALTHIER. I WILL NEVER REVERT BACK TO A PERM AND AM HAPPY WITH MY DECISION! THIS IS MY JOURNEY...