When embarking in the wonderful world of natural hair, the journey can surprise even the most seasoned guru, and though my transitioning days as a newbie natural are far behind me, the memories alone makes me feel like a small fish in the big sea.
For years I use to be such a stickler with my hair regimen. If you had asked me would I still have the same regimen today I would have gave you an affirmative yes, with an accompanied raised brow, as if to simultaneously suggest “of course!” Why did I need to deter from a process that was working so well, especially while in the state of transition?
As regimens go, I had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and not even a typhoon could sway my process (ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration). But then one day something happened. It wasn’t a drastic, the seas parted experience, just a tweak from the my usual norm. I realized I equated change to failure because change in return highlighted my faults, opening my eyes to other possibilities.
I am definitely an advocate for change, in most cases it is the only way to grow, but some reason I couldn’t grasp this idea for my hair regimen. In many ways I believed there was only one magical routine that would transform my hair woes into a perfect recipe for success, and once I found it there could be no other. Then one day a year to date of my transition anniversary (sad but yes, I actually celebrate my hair anniversaries) I was detangling my hair and unconsciously started from the root versus the end of the strands and VIOLA! Small change, big results. After over a year of the same ritual, that moment instantaneously altered what was my “perfect” routine. At that exact moment I decided the only thing that should be set in stone is the 10 commandments.
Journey is defined as “the act of traveling from one place to another”, and adding natural to the equation does not change the fact that it’s a continuous, non-stop and on-going ride that can reveal benefits that you never imagined.
Cipriana Quann is a former model who transitioned 10 years of fashion industry experience into UrbanBushBabes.com, where she is Editor-in-Chief.