My new 'do
For as long as I can remember, I've had a perm. Every five weeks I made a bee line to the salon to get a touch-up and I didn't realize until recently that it was such a restricting, trapped feeling. Don't get me wrong, sitting in a salon chair can be theraputic. I got to listen to this hilarious gay black man that did wonders with a flat iron talk about every celebrity known to man. I never was one to unleash my personal problems on my stylist, but I did get to listen to other women let it all hang out...I've always enjoyed that (talking with people about their problems, that is). But still, it seemed I planned my life around trips to the shampoo bowl.So about a month after moving to the Big Apple a novel idea struck me...I could wear my hair natural. It sounds obvious, but in reality I had never really even considered it an option for me. Going to the salon was like breathing. The big mental overhaul happened one day at the office when I was on my hunt for NYC hair salon. I found a few choices online and was trying to base my decision off of the opinions of strangers at Web sites like citysearch.com.
The idea came out of nowhere but somehow made so much sense. It seemed like the absolute right thing to do...I was going to grow my hair out natural. So my on-the-job-hair-salon-research took a slight turn and I was now scouting out salons that specialized in natural hair. I found a dandy little place in Tribeca called Khamit Kinks. I did some research on the Web site and also realized that the best way to keep my hands out of my hair while it grows out is to get it braided....as in cornrows (ya never know who's reading). I must say they did an EXCELLENT job. I was so impressed with how neat they turned out and for the first time I felt really attractive in a different way. My head hurt like hell, but I felt pretty none-the-less.
I rocked the braids for a couple of months until I realized that $300 every month was not fitting smoothly into my budget. So I'm on a beach vaca with my *honey* and he decides on a whim that the braids must go and the natural hair must rock. So in a matter of minutes I was braidless....and nearly bald (just kidding....sorta). But I like it. A lot. It took some getting used to (having weave halfway down my back for the first time ever was kind of a treat with the cornrows), but the short hair is really starting to grow on me. Originally, I was supposed to keep the braids much longer and cut them out once my natural hair was a bigger, blacker 'fro. But *honey* couldn't wait that long.
So thanks to him I can now add all-natural to my long list of attributes sooner than I ever thought I would. And it feels really good.
posted by Your Girl @ 10:17 PM
8 souls spinning:
congrats on being au naturel!
how fun!
in regards to perhaps missing the salon experience, i reccommend going to the nail salon. not as expensive as the hair salon and you get to sit in a massage chair...talk a/b relaxing!
Thanks for sharing...I too am starting to grow my hair out natural but it's sometimes hard. I have been without a perm for three months going on four. I have yet to cut off the perm hair at the ends...I'm getting there...girl I salute you because cutting off your hair is freedom and and a money saver! Women spend so much money on our hair, hair products, curling iron and hair color, etc. it's ridiculous!
i totally understand that cutting all of your hair off is no small feat! when i decided to go natural i felt like my hair was part of what made me feminine. the shortest i'd ever worn my hair was in a bob around my ear...so having this short 'fro was foreign to me but once i decided to make it happen it felt GREAT! the straight hair was becoming boring and i wanted more options...i also wanted my hair to be really healthy and as we all know, that's hard to accomplish with chemicals. with natural hair you can go wild and free OR straight...depending on your mood (and the weather)! i feel like i'm no longer a slave to the relaxer or a slave to the SALON (you're so NOT going to miss those 3-5 hour salon visits) AND i can experiment with all of the color i want to knowing that my hair is strong enough to handle it. trust me, i know how big of a deal this is and commend you for taking the plunge. tell *honey* that his homie from the CHI said NICE MOVE and that he did a great job at making you look even more beautiful than you already were! ;)
Now that I've seen a pic of the new you, I say congrats! You look beautiful. I'm sure you are experiencing a lot more free time and money. I would love to cut my hair off that short but I'm not quite sure that it would look too cute. We'll see...
When I saw the beach pics from the holiday w/your honey, I was in awe! I thought you were so regal before with hair and now, you're even more beautiful. You’re stepping out of the box and doing your thing. NYC fits you well! I applaud you for being a bad chic! Love ya, T
Thanks so much, girls! I really appreciate the support because sometimes I question what I did...although that's happening less and less with every day. I'm really looking forward to having long natural hair...whatever that looks like!
xoxo
Being natural feels amazing. I care more about my hair now than I ever did before. Its wonderful to discover your blog, and I'm going to add you to my link page, if that's cool. Hope you like my page, and feel free to link me if you want to!
AfroBella
afrobella: yes! i will definitely link to your page. and i have to agree that i take better care of my hair and really love it in a way i never have.
serenityonstyle: thanks! being napptural is fabulous!
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