I transitioned for over a year, before I finally decided to do the “Big Chop”. I don’t regret any of the time spent crossing over, and I would spend the same amount of time, if I had it to do over again.
Why? Well, again, I’m very much into doing what’s best for me, instead of what’s best for everybody else — when it comes to decisions that only affect me. Sometimes we can be a little too…pushy, when it comes to helping others transition from relaxed to nappy hair. I got a lot of, “Girl, why don’t you just go ahead and cut off those straight ends, and quit playin’” type comments from nappies, that seemed to resonate from a place of frustration with my hair. Whuh? I mean my hair was not raggedy looking, during my transition. I wore braids most of the time, and sleek, stylish chignons the rest of the time.
Plus, I’m very tall and I have a narrow face. A twa (teeny-weeny afro) was not about to happen, for me. I totally believe in nappy hair, when it’s worn in a way that compliments the wearer. Everything does not look good on everybody, and nappy hair is not stylish, simply because it’s nappy. Good looking hair is good looking hair, regardless of which side of the napps you happen to fall on.
It’s okay to take some time crossing over. I kept the manipulation down to a minimum and I didn’t get too concerned about breakage. Breakage is inevitable, because of the extreme differences in texture. The relaxed hair simply does not wanna share space with the napps. So, let the relaxed hair go. That’s the goal anyway, right? Braids, sew-in weaves and wigs are great, because they allow you to look good, while you transition. Yeah, it’s “fake” hair. And? If you have a problem with fake hair, then okay. But don’t take on other people’s issues.
Just be careful about too-tight braids, and weak, damaged hairlines. I wore braids for years, and I still have a full hairline. It’s possible. So, do your research and get a balanced viewpoint. Learn to discern. Folks often leave out key details regarding why certain style techniques didn’t work for them. Everybody’s hair is different. Everybody’s understanding of basic haircare is different.
A Nappy Girl
