New Year, New Hair: Growing out my Natural

It’s just hair. When I’m ready for a change, I research pictures to bring to my stylist and then get it chopped off. Rock the style for a few years and then decide to repeat the process. I don’t know if I would call myself a lazy natural or just don’t want to be bothered with the different hair care products, styles, conditioning, do I shampoo or co-wash? interpreting all the scientific names of ingredients on products claimed to be natural, ugh. It’s just a lot of ideas of how to maintain a head full of natural hair and I’m yawning now just typing about it.

As much as I don’t want to grow my hair out simply due to having to get up a little bit earlier just to make sure that my hair is not going to be a hot mess when I leave out the door, or that I missed a spot and now I have a blob of cream sitting on my hair and didn’t even know, and not one passing person mentioned it.  I do miss some things about it.

What do I miss about my natural length?

• being able to just pull it up into a puff and calling it a day
• if I twist up my hair on Sunday while watching tv shows, those twists will stay in until the following week
• various styles can be achieved with longer hair than with my tapered cut
• relating to other naturals and being able to articulate what works for me and offer advice
• admiration from others when my twist or braid out is on point
• longer hair for me brings out my girly side
• my daughter enjoys playing in my hair and practicing her twists and braids

As much as I would like to say that my natural hair was so long and thick and I could do anything with it, that is far from the truth.  Yes, my hair is thick, you can see that with my tapered cuts too, but length never went past the end of my neck.  Split ends were common and taking the time to make sure that the ends were taken care of resulted in more cutting than trim.

Why am I growing my hair out again?

Because:

• it’s cold.  I appreciate the hair on my scalp keeping my head warm.
• as I become older, I need to be conscious of routine hairstyles that will either make my hair follicle weak or just doesn’t grow the way it should
• I think with all the sponging I’ve done to create easy coils, I feel like the middle of my head is thinner than the appearance.  I’m only going into my 40’s, I don’t need the head of an older woman – and I can’t blame medications since I barely like taking aspirin
• I want to use all the tools I’ve gathered over the years and see if my hair can grow past the end of my neck
• most importantly when I put my hair into a puff hairstyle, my daughter will want to mimic my style and we would be the same (as she would say) lol

What would make me change my mind about growing out my hair again?

• My patience.
• Talking to my stylist and changing my mind about revisiting this hair journey
• Signs that I’m turning into a product junkie. I currently have a past Curlbox on my table waiting for me to use and review those products
• What I think I knew about my hair before is not the case this time around because of diet, water intake, life, stress, etc…
• Creating fairy knots while playing with my hair all-day
• The weather drastically changes and I want to rock my short hairstyle again
• If I schedule an appointment to have my hair cut again, I think for my 4th decade of life, it will just remain short.

Omg I’m at the point where I want to go to a barber but I’m gonna try and get past this too short to do anything with phase. pic.twitter.com/fRJUZe3nDW

— ✨ simplykatricia ✨ (@simplykatricia) December 29, 2019

Do you think I should grow my natural hair out again?