Just shy of two months after my big chop, I am pleased with the results for the most part.  I am a bit taken aback by the amount of shrinkage I experience after my hair dries, but overall I am ecstatic about the health of my scalp and hair.   It was not uncommon for me to have breaking edges, and awful dandruff particularly right after a touch-up.  But now, my edges have grown in fuller than I ever imagined.

My goal is to definitely grow my hair out until June.  I’m a bit anxious about what the humid months will bring.  I, at times, miss my sleek, straight hair; it was very trendy and now I feel like I’m fighting to fit in.  Oh well, maybe I can be a trendsetter in my circle of friends.

I would really like to learn how to combat some of my shrinkage without using chemicals.  I fear that may be my only alternative.  Curly pudding has been effective in helping define my curls, which I thought were a bit more s-patterned than they are turning out to be.  Any suggestions? 

P.S.  Sorry I haven’t written in a while.  I’ve been traveling for work quite a bit.  But I did win December's contest... woo hoo!  I just got my products a few days ago and the Curly Buttercream is a dream for my scalp... lovin' that peppermint, tingling feeling!

Last week, my colleague and I had a wonderful conversation over lunch. We started talking about hair and I mentioned to that the reactions I get about my hair from other people are mixed, and at times I’m not sure how I feel about my natural hair. I started talking about how some black people have definite negative feelings toward their natural hair. And she, a Jewish woman, shared her negative feelings toward her hair too. She told me that she actually has wavy, curly hair and that not even her closest friends since college have seen her natural hair because she blow dries it straight every single day! I certainly was shocked to hear it.

It was interesting. We talked about how neither of us actually knows how to take care of hair in its natural state because it’s been altered for so long. She said, “I wouldn’t even know what products to use!?” I thought precisely the same thing before I did the chop; and I’m still confused at times. If it hadn’t been for the Internet and the many blogs and vlogs I found from other women like me, I probably would have chickened out long before I even started.

She and I were both amazed as we shared stories about our hair and the social conditioning around what is good and what is bad hair. To look at us we are nothing alike. Our hair textures are worlds apart. But we concluded one simple thing: Many of us want hair that is different from what we were born with – we try to make our hair do things that it naturally was not designed to do. Our goal should be to learn to work with what we have been given, and highlight our best features.