Have you ever came home from work, school or some other event that required being outside but just want to lay in your bed with your hair still out?
photo courtesy of @thoughtscaughtinmyfro
Do you find that your fingers and hands are too lazy to twist, braid, and put your hair away? Do you find yourself just lazily throwing a scarf or bonnet over your tresses from the day and calling it a night? Does the thought of picking a proper hairstyle or product feel you with crippling anxiety?
Is this you?
Then you have experienced a very common feeling among all naturals… everywhere.
You, my friend, were being a Procrastinatural.
Cue violin horror music.
While being a “procrastinatural” may seem like a daunting instance among any curly girl anywhere, it is nothing to be ashamed of or intimidated by. Just ask fellow naturalista Nyla Spooner, founder of the blog, Thoughts Caught in My Fro. She’s also the person who happened to coin the term.
Who — or what — is a Procrastinatural?
“A procrastinatural is someone who either went natural by accident, leaves their weave in too long, or gets overwhelmed with the maintenance of having natural hair and in doing so, tends to avoid all the things they should really do for hair upkeep,” says Nyla. “They’re not lazy, but more so anxious about the process itself.”
How the term came to be
“I was actively procrastinating washing my hair and waited 3 weeks. I don’t like spending too much time on my natural hair, and any style that takes longer than 30 to 45 minutes I just don’t have the patience for. I stay in a wig. The anxiety surrounding styling natural hair just forces me to procrastinate, hence the term procrastinatural.
Generally, when I am stressed out or I’ve had a long day. Also, if I have a protective style and I think it’s cute, I’m gonna ride that wave for as long as I can *laughs*. You’re afraid to do anything to damage your own hair. I’ve never really found a style that keeps my hair moisturized or any combination of products that I really love, so that adds to my anxiety around my hair. I procrastinate in every part of being natural. I just don’t like the feeling of hair stressing me out because it’s lower on my list of priorities.”
How to combat that feeling
“I find a good stylist that understands that I’m a procrastinatural,” says Nyla. “She’s going to help with upkeep and maintenance, and find a protective style that works for me. Once you commit to the maintenance, you must commit to taking it out when the time comes. I do feel better when I actually get my hair done. I think a big part of procrastination is building up all this anxiety around doing it, but doing it is what makes you feel better. Procrastinators use circular logical to defend the fact that they’re procrastinating, but as long as you just do it, you feel good.”
Don’t feel ashamed.
“Don’t feel any shame in being a procrastinatural, even if you can’t execute a style you’ve seen on YouTube or from other naturals. What is for you is for you, and you have to do what’s best for you. So don’t be shamed into trying something you’re not comfortable with.”
Ladies, weigh in in the comments.
Are YOU a procrastinatural? Does your natural hair give you anxiety?
Follow Nyla on Instagram @thoughtscaughtinmyfro
