My Kinky Crown

When I hear “Black Is Beautiful,” I often think about my hair and how growing up as a child, I didn’t think my natural hair was. It all started in elementary school. My mother didn't have the patience to do my hair because it was hard to maintain. So instead, she would take me to the hair salon once a month to get cornrows with the beads on the end.

It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I decided to ditch the braids and get a relaxer (perm). I remember being amazed at how a perm totally manipulated the texture of my hair and, ultimately, my self-confidence. I remember thinking, “wow, this stuff is powerful!”

So powerful that when the thought of going natural crossed my mind in 2018, I  was horrified. I kept wondering what I would look  like if I chopped all my hair off. How will the world see me? Will my natural hair be deemed professional?

After watching countless natural hair vlogs on YouTube, I finally mustered the courage to do it. On November 17, 2019, I walked into the hair salon and asked my hairstylist to chop it off! "Are you sure?" asked Madonna. "Yes! I am not my hair," I said with a smile. 

After she finished, she handed me the mirror. I remember staring at my reflection, not recognizing myself. My scalp was showing, and so were my kinks– something that I wasn't used to because society still tells us that beautiful hair is long and straight. That was the opposite of what I was looking at.

I've now been natural for two years, and it's one of the best decisions that I've ever made. My hair takes me on a more profound self-love and acceptance journey every day. I no longer hold myself to society's beauty standards.  I wear my beautiful, kinky crown with a smile because my hair is indeed beautiful.