As a teenager my main goal in life was to blend in.
Thesegirls had a sense of stylethat was beyond anything Id seen in my Georgia hometown or even on TV.
A style that set them apart in some way.
I went natural as gradually as I could.
Instead of doing the big chop and going bald, I cut my armpit-length hair up to my chin.
I didnt dare go bald for fear of looking like a boy.
My hair was innately connected to my idea of femininity and prettiness.
Eventually it had grown out enough that my entire head was kinky.
At that point, I started wearing my natural curls out.
(Freshman year is a fragile time for self identitysmall fish, meet big pond.)
My family was so confused at my choice to go natural.
Was I a lesbian now?
Was this some sort of rebellion?
Were the 70s cool again?
Thats when I realized that some people werent going to like my new hairstyle.
Prospective boyfriends, family members, followers on Instagrameveryone would have an opinion.
If I love my hairstyle, is there really any other opinion that matters?
Looking back, it was a pivotal moment in my personal development.
In the following years, I made a lot of decisions for myself that other people would question.
Traveling to Bolivia solo.
Moving to NYC without a job.
Shacking up with a boyfriend after only a few months of dating.
Just like with my natural hair, my attitude became: Dont like it?
The bigger my hair got, the bigger my personality got.
With my natural hair, I became more noticeable, and I started to embrace that.
I became the girl with the big hair, bold glasses, and bright smile.
I was proud to walk into a room and be noticed.
When I went natural in 2007, I had two friends who also had Afro hair.
(Now, all of my girlfriends except one is natural.
The trend really took off!)
In the beginning, information was sparse.
(I should have started my YouTube channel back thenbig regrets.)
The journey offinding the right productsled me to love beauty.
I wanted to bring more women of color and Afro-hair ladies to national magazines, changing the beauty standard.
These days I often give advice to womentransitioning from relaxed to natural hair.
There are so many products and tips that Ive learned over the years to make the process easier.
But I also tell women that the journeythe struggleis one of the most important parts of going natural.
My personal journey helped shape me into the confident, loud, driven, beauty-editing woman I am today.
