A HAIR STORY: “WHY I ABANDONED THE NATURAL HAIR JOURNEY.”

How many times have you heard this “I want to go natural can you give me some tips?”  Only to hear this a few weeks later :

 “Girl!! I couldn’t do it, it is just too hard”

Yeah, I know, we all have. As a natural, well let me speak for myself this constant back and forth and “giving up” has always been annoying. Mentally, I felt like the person lacked commitment, patience and courage to take such a liberating journey. But, could I be wrong? Why?  Why can’t some of our sisters make such a step…a step to their roots?

Well, let’s hear from some sisters who have either given up on the journey or never returned to the natural way of life.

In this article we look at Lashae Mascoll. A 21 year old, with processed hair who has tried her hand at the natural journey but failed.

1)     At what age did you get your first perm?

Honestly I cannot even remember, I think it was around 11.

2)     Have you tried to go natural since then?

Yes, yes I have.

3)     How many times have you tried to transition and how long did it last?

Well, I have only tried this process once and this period lasted a short time of three months.

4)     Why did you abandon the natural hair journey?

The process became too complicated and frustrating, and at that time I had a short relaxed hair cut so the “nappy” stage was not a pretty sight for me.

5)     How did you go about the transitioning process?

I switched between weaves and braids, mostly braids because it was convenient and easy to maintain.

6)     What would you say was your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge would be three things. One being that “nappy stage” when the natural hair starts to grow out and the processed ends are cut (it was so unattractive). The second challenge was that my natural hair is not soft and it was very time consuming to style. Lastly protective styling is very limited and I found braiding and weaving continuously resulted in my hair line receding a little and that was a NO !!

7)     If you had to ask a Natural Two questions for advice, what would those be?

I would definitely ask for styling tips and  products that I can use to accelerate natural hair growth.

So girls, what do you think? Can you relate to her challenges ?  What advice and motivation would you give her? Leave your comments !!

[written by Kiera]