~Introduce yourself!

Hi! I’m Jasmine… wife, mom, friend, child of God, all the things.. lol. Out here just trying to live life to its fullest and make a difference where I can. 

 

~When did you go natural?

I went natural in 2011. My last relaxer was I around Feb of that year, I think.

 

~Why did you go natural?

I went natural very haphazardly. It was not a thought out decision at all lol. I just didn’t get a relaxer for a long time. I was living in a new place, South Florida. And I didn’t know anyone. I had no hair referrals. And to make matters worse, I’m tender headed so I’m very apprehensive about going to a salon.

 

~What have you learned about your hair since going natural?

I learned so much about my hair since going natural! Still learning actual. My hair likes a very moisturizing shampoo. Trims are super important to keep single strand knots at bay. I need to thoroughly detangle my hair WITH the deep conditioner in sections. Speaking of sections… my hair has to be washed in 6 sections if I want to detangle in a timely manner. My hair cannot be altogether, those strands do not need to meet each other.

 

~What was your view of your hair…Your kinky, coily, curly hair in general when growing up and then as an adult (before going natural)

I can honestly say, I didn’t know much about my natural hair growing up. I just knew that getting my hair combed was painful. And that has been the case regardless of what state my hair is in, natural or relaxed. I had my first relaxer around 5 or 6 because I was told it wouldn’t hurt as bad to get my hair done… which was partially correct. It did help.

As an adult, I had no problems with my relaxed hair. I was always told I had a lot of hair. At every single salon. So I didn’t go often and I mostly did my own hair. My goal was to keep it long enough to wear in a ponytail. I found that a lot of extra heat and manipulation caused breakage. My hair is pretty thick but also fragile at the same time. And I’m still tender headed after all these years. So I try to keep things low maintenance. Which means my hair isn’t always cute or done but… it is what it is sometimes.

 

~What has been your biggest challenge having natural hair?

I can’t decide which is bigger but my biggest challenges have been finding the right products to detangle my hair, whether it’s a deep conditioner or leave-in, and finding the right styling products to add some predictability to my wash day.

~What is your hope for women of color and the natural hair movement that we’re currently in?

I hope that we can embrace each other and not let natural hair vs. relaxed hair cause any division. We already have enough of that.

 

~What would you say to someone wanting to go natural but is on the fence about it?

I say just do it! If you’re on the fence, that means you’re open to it, so you should just try it. At the end of the day, you could always go back to what you were doing before.

 

~What advice would you give a person that has just started their natural hair journey?

Find what works for you and stick to it. There are so many products for hair, just like any other industry… makeup, skin, etc… Play around. See what works for other people that may have hair similar to yours. Try it out. Usually it takes a few applications to nail down whether or not you really like a product. But once you find something, don’t feel pressured to always try the latest and greatest. Unless you run out of something and you’re looking for a replacement. Also, natural hair salons are popping up everywhere, don’t feel like you’re alone in this journey. See a specialist 🙂

 

~If you could go back what would you do different?

Not a thing! Lol I say that because I’ve already gone back. Kinda. I’ve already cut my hair substantially at least once or twice so that’s almost like starting over. I will say, I did go through this period while transitioning where I couldn’t comb my hair… for WEEKS. I know. Sounds crazy. Instead of struggling, I probably should have just cut it then instead of waiting.

~Any last remarks, advice, comments?

Feel free to do whatever you want with your hair, it’s yours. And if you are fortunate enough to have hair growing out of your scalp, nothing is permanent and your hair grows. If you mess it up, it will grow again 🙂

Thank you!

-Jasmine Morrow 💜