Shrinkage

I’m convinced you can’t really love your natural hair until you can embrace the shrinkage, until you love the ’fro. Isn’t that what a lot of us fight when we first go natural? I read blog after blog and watched video after video on ways to keep my curls from tightening up, and how to keep them stretched and defined.

It occurred to me what I was really coveting was that 3b curl, not the tight, fuzzy 4a-4b hair that is on my head. That I was born with. That God gave me.

But I’m getting over it.

Last time I was at the hairdresser, I had her blow-dry and flat iron my hair so I could see how long it has gotten. When she finished, we could both see the frayed and damaged ends, so I let her snip them off. Since it was straighten, the cut didn’t seem dramatic. But a week later when I washed my hair and styled it curly with MJ's Curly Pudding, I could see the difference. Free from those dead ends, my curls sprang up, and up and up.

But rather than grabbing the blow dryer and blasting the roots, I let it just be. It was still soft and the coils still wrapped lovingly around my fingers. A big part of accepting your natural hair is getting used to it.

But as the curl definition got fainter and fainter each day, I succumbed. I didn’t do another co-wash, though. This time I did dry twists with MJ’s Buttercream. I kept the twists in for almost three days. That also was something new for me. I had thought I didn’t look good with my hair in twists, but I liked these.

And now, after taking them out I have a fabulous twist out of stretched, defined curls.

   

      Like I said, I’m still trying to love the ’fro, but I’ not there yet.