New Year / New Hair

Since embarking on my fertility journey I have become very conscious of what and how I eat.  I’ve made various changes to my diet mainly cutting out caffeine, reducing my dairy intake, eating wheat and gluten free as much as possible and by drinking a Herbalife shake every morning.  I also ensure I cook all my meals from scratch and at lunch times where I used to buy readymade soups and things I have stopped.  If I make soup at home it will last less than a week in the fridge so why would I buy a fresh soup from the supermarket that expires after a month?  I’m very wary of all the  added extra’s in the food we eat especially in the food labelled as healthy.  I’m not a complete health nut – everything in moderation is key and I never restrict or deny myself.  I eat what I like I’m just more aware what it is I am eating.

This new way of eating has led me to thinking about my hair.  For the last 10 years or so, I have worn my hair relaxed but as with eating rubbish, this phase is also coming to an end.  As I’ve grown so conscious of what I put inside my body I am also becoming conscious of what I am subliminally putting in my body via my scalp. I was asked a year or so ago why I relaxed my hair and to this day I still do not have an answer.  It’s just something I do – by why do I do it?  For what purpose?   I usually relax my hair myself, applying Vaseline as barrier all around my hairline and scalp.  I know of course the cardinal rules of relaxing - not to scratch your scalp in the days leading up to relaxing and to never ever relax clean hair.  These rules and also doing it myself in my own environment, has meant that I have not suffered burns like some people have experienced. 

I’m highly aware of all the natural hair blogs and all the talk of natural hair journeys, and I can’t lie, I’ve often rolled my eyes at these sentiments and terms of endearments.  I completely understand that for some making the decision to go natural after many adult years spent weaving or relaxing or anything else is a big deal and so I’m glad that support is there where needed.  As a relaxed hair wearer I couldn’t help but sense the air of superiority from the naturals around me.  And why not – in these times of conflicting beauty ideals and body dysmorphic disorders it’s high time we are confirmable not only in our skin but also in our hair.  As a black woman who is comfortable in the skin and body I’m in, it means that it’s high time I get back to be being comfortable in my natural hair the way it grows naturally from my scalp. 

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