The Hardest Part About Going Natural

I think that the most difficult thing for black women to overcome when trying to go natural is the acceptance of their hair as-is.

One of the biggest excuses reasons African American women have for not being natural is that their natural hair is unmanageable.  Manageable in what context?  Of course if you want it to be curly or bounce around in a ponytail like that of a typical biracial woman,  the hair is going to be unmanageable because most our hair just doesn't behave that way.   Sure the hair hard to handle if you have the expectations of a different looser hair texture for YOUR hair texture which is likely very different.

One of the wisest pieces of advice came from a poster on a natural hair care board who wrote an article about "Fearing the 'Fro."

So many black women are so afraid of their hair looking like an afro that they do everything possible to avoid it--trying to use gel to accentuate imaginary curls and trying to force the hair into styles it is just not ready for.

And no, I'm not saying that every natural should be confined to an afro all the time or avoid exploring styling options.  And I'm not even saying that being natural doesn't involve some effort.

In my opinion, this continuous fear of the afro texture is what makes going natural so hard for many black women who may want to do it. Once you accept what your hair texture is, you can find information all over about how to keep it moist and healthy.