Relaxed to Au Natural - Part 1

Take it all off, Baby! There is nothing in the world like being naked! Ah, what a feeling of total euphoria… that is what I wanted for my hair about three years ago - to take it back to its natural state. At first, I was very apprehensive. I didn’t know what would happen to my hair when I let go; I didn’t want to cut it all off, yet I didn’t want to continue to relax it.

I began relaxing my hair at age 12. Although I only relaxed it every 3-4 months as opposed to every 6-8 weeks, I was still applying harmful chemicals to my hair. I started to wonder… What were all these chemicals doing to my hair and scalp? I was diagnosed with Psoriasis as a child. Certain times of the year I would flake more than others, but when it was time for a touch up, my scalp would fake excessively. This was quite embarrassing. Over the years, I have tried many shampoos, especially the ones targeted at a dry flaking scalp. I was even prescribed shampoos and creams for the flaking. Well, those just seemed to at first cover up the flaking, then, the more I would use these shampoos, the more I would flake. Talk about adding fuel to the fire! Older members of my family would say, “Oil your scalp, that’s what you need!” I would do so, and it would seem to clear the problem for a day or two, but then the flaking would return. Ugh! During the process of letting go of relaxer, my hair lost its luster and sheen. The body I had was gone. I continued to switch shampoos, but nothing seemed to work. As a woman, I became depressed. I wanted my tresses to shine, have body and be healthy. It’s almost like my hair and scalp went through PERM withdrawal. I stumbled upon an article that detailed the harmful effects of Laurel Sulfates and other chemicals found in regular shampoos. I could not believe what I was putting on my hair and scalp. No wonder the results were so unfavorable! My mom, a cosmetologist, told me: Your scalp is like the soil of the Earth. It must be healthy in order to produce healthy growing hair. Thus, I began my quest for products that were not only good for my hair, but products that were 100% natural.