Natural Ladies, how did people feel about your hair when you first went natural?

[Blue_Berry]

Well, I am still transitioning into natural and I decide to get a rollerset. I was going to transitioning the whole year through, but my hair randomly got longer fast. I am 10 1/2 months posted. For some reason my hair didn't take the roller setting to good, but it didn't matter to me. I thought my hair looked really good. It looked like a big puffy fro. When I went out in public nobody paid any mine to my hair. Actually, some people said "hi" to me and look at me regularly. When I got back to my neighborhood people were looking at me different. Some of them had an outburst and others were laughing. I still can't wait to become natural and impress what God gave me on my head. No matter what....

What has your experience been like?

 

[Renewed1]

At first total shock and funny faces. Mind you.....this was all from my sister. But I understand, I have a big head and I BC'ed. I should have transition.

After her reaction, I wore a wig for about a year.

But now, my hair is CBL stretched. But the natural styles on me is so cute, I get compliments, everywhere I go.

Considering more and more women are wearing their hair naturally. It's not that big of a deal now.

 

[SND411]

Some hated it. Some liked it. I loved it and that's all that mattered. The End.

 

[Janet']

Because I had started heat training my hair as I transitioned...most people didn't even realize that I was completely natural...Now, since I have been wearing my hair curly this whole year...my family has said, "It's different"...My grandfather said that he didn't even recognize me...He's 80, so Imma let him have that.

 

[Truth]

Oh everyone wanted to beat my asz...LOL... I honestly didn't care.. I got looks... my coworkers didn't know how to react.. all I got was "omg you cut your hair" ... "why did u cut your hair".." ____insert name here___ i'ma kill you" ..... now everyone is use to it..and loves it...

 

[Whimsy]

The first time, when I was transitioning but BCed early my dad was the only person who had a problem with it, trying to convince me not to because my hair was long...but he came around, and even helped me during my bc trim the back bits I couldn't get.

This second time it was already old news and people were used to me switching my hair up.

 

[Ltown]

The majority love the curls, but I do have one friend that keep asking me to go get a Dominician blowout/flat iron I just keep telling her why I'm not into straight hair or burned hair.

 

[smilesarecontagious]

Almost everyone loved it. I had a lot of support from my family and friends. I feel like I received a lot of stares in public which made me feel a bit insecure. Nothing lifted my spirits like seeing another bc'ed lady.

 

[cmw45]

I think people were pretty much universally supportive or didn't really care one way or the other. However, that happened after they saw my hair texture and were like "oh, it's going to be curly." I can't say that I would have been met with the same positive response if my hair texture was not considered "acceptable" by some. However, I do have one friend (met years after being natural) that really wants me to straighten/relax my hair. She is the only person I know who wants me to do it. *Kanye shrug*

 

[GlamaDiva]

I literally just cut my hair Friday and into Saturday; such a spontaneous move. So far the family is accepting because they knew I would be going natural anyway; just didn't expect me to cut so soon. Work will be another story, but I've rarely cared what those fools thought anyway...lol.

After I cut my hair...i felt great! I don't think I've ever felt as great as I do now.

 

[FRESHstart101]

im haitian ... take a WILD guess

"your hair was so LONG, you cut it ! FOR WHAT ? "
" you didnt like taking pictures before when you were pretty, now is when you should never take a picture again "
" all that pretty hair ... wasted smh "
" how do i know you're not crazy ... "


THIS WAS ALL THEM BEING NICE, JUST IMAGINE WHAT THEY SAID WHEN I WASN'T THERE !?

but it's getting better now, my mom likes my "curly" hair
i put quotations around that because i consider it nappy
and nothing more, i wont get worked up about the texture
no matter how much anyone complements it. & my aunt was
looking at me for a long time and said " you know your pretty right ?
you can still be a model" ... i almost fell off the bed in a fit of laughter
STILL ? oh thank you auntie you mean my natural hair doesnt make me
UGLY ? ... OHHHH JOYYYYY


all in all they've grown to accept it (not understand it but accept it)
but watch when my hair grows out into a bodacious fro.

JUSTT WATCH

 

[RedVelvet310]

I was super excited when I cut it, I had NEVER had hair so short it was such a change ! My family on the other hand didn't share my excitement

Mom: *dirty stare* "What did you do?! You will regret this! It will never grow back!"

Dad: "Don't be mad that I have longer hair than you" (what he'd say anytime we got into an argument )

Brother: Didn't care

Sister: *laughs at me* "you look like a man!"

Cousin: (she cut my hair for me)... "I don't think this is going to grow back, but if you need some styling tips for short hair you know my number"

Now my hair is grazing APL so *blows raspberry*

 

[smilesarecontagious]

Congrats on your bc Glam Diva!

 

[FRESHstart101]

Dad: "Don't be mad that I have longer hair than you" (what he'd say anytime we got into an argument )

lmfaooooooooooo. did he swing around his hair and say " LONG HAIR DONT CARE " that would have been the icing on the cake

 

[laurend]

Went natural in the late 80's and and again in the early 90's. People thought I was a freak, didn't care, I'm still natural.

 

[HennaRo]

Literally no one cared...no looks, nothing! It was nice but then made me sorta feel like I was invisible!

 

[Nonie]

^^I'm with HennaRo, I have no idea. I am so self-centered that when I'm doing stuff TO MYSELF I hardly give thought to how it affects other folks. I transitioned in braids and had long hair by the time I took the braids out, so the person whose opinion I would've noticed (hubby-mine) didn't mind my hair coz it was long (He hates short hair). My family is all natural, except for my baby sis. I was natural most of my life. So going natural was like wearing my black panties instead of the cream ones. I don't think anyone even knew, and if they did, I didn't have a clue or care.

The only time I get a reaction from my coworkers is when I change my hair. They admire it and give me kudos. Otherwise, I think I look good everyday even when they're bored of the same do, so meh!

 

[Sianna]

My mother: She's supportive, but at the same time she was kinda like "Riiiight." I don't blame her at all because I've gone through many different phases with my hair and she thinks that this is just one of them. She was also curious as to how I was going to wear my hair.

Brothers: Don't care, though recently my youngest brother made a comment about my curls. He's seen me wear WNG's before, so when I was wearing my hair fluffed out, he wondered why I wasn't wearing it curly instead.

Grandmother: Was pretty much overjoyed! She was even happier to see that my natural hair had returned to its pre-relaxed, curly state.

DH: He's extremely supportive, though he kinda gives the side eye to my PJ-ism. He loves natural hair but I think he thinks its a phase too. Ironically, I think he's the only person besides me who likes it when I fluff my hair out as apposed to wearing it curly.

Kids: Love it!!

Best Friend: Supportive and slightly curious.

Strangers, passers-by and co-workers: Don't seem to care. Not that it would matter anyway.

ME: I LOVE IT and it never would have mattered what anyone else thought anyway!!

 

[DrC]

When i first went natural in 2002 all i got was:

'GASP! What happened to your long beautiful STRAIGHT hair?? Why? But Why?'

Well d*mn. I have to have straight hair all the time to look beautiful...ne ways lol

I loved the hell out of my blonde BC nobody could tell me anything lol.

 

[Ronnieaj]

BF loved it, grandmother still hates it (she just wants it to be pretty--but she's 82, so I leave that be), mom accepted it after repeatedly asking me if I wanted a Jheri curl--um, HE** NO!! Work didn't notice for a month.

Two years later, BF still loves it, mom loves it, grandma still hates it, work loves the versatility of it, and I love it, which is really all that matters .

 

[lilsparkle825]

My mom and sister already knew I was transitioning, because they were doing it with me....my sister was helping me put in two-strand twists right before I screamed bloody murder, gave up, and grabbed the scissors. My mom helped me BC.

My cousins were shocked, but tried to play it off by saying "you have good hair, so it'll grow back soon. You can wear your hair curly like that, unlike US." My aunt gave me the thumbs-up and now she is natural too, but wears it short....her daughters don't mind that either because she has "good hair".

My friends at school were SHOCKED because I BC'd over the summer...I went to go visit one friend at summer school, but I had in kinky twists....their jaws come August when they saw that I had cut my hair, but they loved it, guys and girls. I straightened it and they actually got scared, thinking I had re-relaxed....then I heard a collective sigh of relief when I showed up a week later in a WNG. One of them is transitioning now, even though I don't know how long it will last since she has certain "expectations" for her hair.

Although my hair had never been that "short" (even though I transitioned 12 months and it was grazing SL straight, it was REALLY short curly), I loved it. It was summertime, it was HOT, and I could just wet it and condition it and roll. Experimenting to see what products/methods it liked was the best. Can't say I would do short hair again....LOL....but at the time it was absolutely perfect.

 

[BostonMaria]

Close friends and family knew I was going to cut it eventually so it wasn't that big of a shock. For those that didn't know what I was doing or my intentions were SHOCKED. I cut my SL hair on a Sunday and Monday morning I came into work with barely nape length hair. I got everything from "are you crazy?" to "Oh I didn't know you had curly hair" I even found out that the HR manager told people I got a "curly perm" LOL

I was so happy tho! You couldn't tell me nuthin back in 2007! The comments didn't matter because I was going to only take how I felt into consideration.

 

[jayjaycurlz]

I've been transitioning for 51 weeks now. I usually wear Wash n Go's or braid outs and my husband really hates these styles. He actually said that he liked it when I used get my hair done @ the salon better. Well, I schooled him and let him know that my hair was very unhealthy because she was burning my hair straight with bad chemicals and heat. I told him him that I loved my curly texture and he'd have to deal with it 'cuz I'm not perming my hair!

I'll BC next year and have a head of full, natural hair - I can't wait! I've never seen my natural texture before.

 

[GreenEyedJen]

Well, my mom loved it. She's been natural her whole life, and when I was natural as a child my hair was sooo beautiful, thanks to her. I begged and begged her to let me get a relaxer when I did and I'm sure she's happy that I finally realized what I have naturally is better than what the relaxer can do (even if it happened fifteen years after the fact, haha). I haven't seen my brother or dad since I cut back in March (I don't live near my family) but I update them with pictures and they have positive responses too.

The worst responses, unfortunately, were from my Black friends. I showed up at my close friends mother's birthday party and I got the worst looks and comments. The best part about that is I realized I really didn't care! My hair has def. given me confidence.

The most SURPRISING response was from my coworkers. I manage a QA department in the federal government, and not only am I the only black female manager in my office, I'm the youngest manager, period (the next youngest one is twice my age, literally). People love to call me out, whisper about me, whatever. I was sure I was going to get looks and snickers. Imagine my surprise when I got smiles and high fives! It was very well received, and even now, almost six months later, someone comments at least once a week on the versatility or how quickly it's growing. I love it!

Sorry if I was a little long-winded