Two Months and Counting

5 August 2004
2 Months Natural

I've been getting several compliments on the texture of my hair and its rate of growth. I'm beginning to realize what is meant by the shrinkage effect. My hair truly is a lot longer than it appears. It's just so frustrating at times because I look at my hair and I see no change, however, it has gotten thicker and healthier. I can see a slight difference, even from last month. I've also been getting comments about me having "good" hair and that's why it looks so pretty. Most of my co-workers know that my mother is bi-racial; therefore, they equate that with me having a nice grade of hair. Personally, I think they're just using it as a way to avoid going natural. They don't think their hair will look pretty, or as pretty as mine because I have white blood somewhere deep in my veins! I tell them all the time; I have "African American" hair. I'm not bi-racial, my mother is. They can have the same or similar results as I have had since going natural; it just takes patience, and understanding of self. Caring and wearing natural hair isn't for everyone, but if it's something desirable then one should experiment with its ideology. I'm very comfortable in my skin and my hair; it's other people who are not. For me, it's like succumbing to putting chemical straighteners in the African American beautiful; naturally curly hair is like telling God you don't trust his judgment! After all, he made our race out of his own design, and he knows what is best and what will be best, even when we don't understand his motives. As you can see, the subject of natural hair has really touched my life in such a profound way. I want to go and shake every African American woman with relaxers in their hair and tell them, "Loose yourself from Societal Prison and the Prison of Hair Relaxers". "Love yourself and the uniqueness of your hair, it is truly divine and like no other!" "Tell your black daughters that their hair is beautiful, and teach them about caring for their unique hair!" Excuse me, I'm just venting.

I put in a semi-permanent hair color (lighter brown), but it's barely noticeable. Believe it or not, but I like my natural color better! A few friends suggested I bleach my hair blonde—NO WAY! Talk about killing your hair…..I may as well put a relaxer in my hair (smile). I still have my wigs and when I'm ready for a different look, I'll just put one of them on. In the meantime, I'll still with brown hair. My hair care regiment is still the same, no alterations, nor additional hair care products added. I ran out of the Evening Primrose Oil pills, so I purchased the complete Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) needed for healthy hair, skin and nails. It contains Omega-3, Omega-6, Flaxseed Oil, Borage Oil, Gelatin and other oils. I also ran out of the GNC NourisHair Multivitamins and I decided to purchase the Hair, Skin and Nails (HSN) vitamins that they sell. The HSN contains a lot more Biotin than the NourisHair does so we'll see if my rate of growth increases.

Biotin: 5,550 mcg (increased by 1300 mcg)
MSM: 2,000 mg.
EFA Complete: 2 Daily
Pantothenic Acid (B5): 500 mg.
Hair, Skin and Nails Vitamin: 2 Daily

My one weakness that is a struggle for me is my diet. I lead a hectic lifestyle like most Western Americans, and my diet is horrible. Most times I have a SlimFast for breakfast, a snack, a can of soup for lunch or fastfood, and dinner is usually a prepared Lean Cuisine meal followed by another snack. I need more protein, fruits and vegetables. Let's face it, hair grows from within, so if your diet isn't healthy; it will show it in your hair, skin and nails! Vitamins alone aren't sufficient for healthy, long hair.