This post is in dedication to my mother.

One of the most remarkable things that I have done in my life has been the most controversial. In 2012, I decided that it would be fitting to chop off my precious strands and start anew.

This was an internal struggle for me because although I was tired of waking up early on Saturday mornings just to spend all day in the hair dresser or trying not to scratch my hair days before a relaxer so I wouldn’t burn, changing what is commonplace can be quite horrifying.

When I began to think about my life, I could see a pattern. In that pattern, I saw complacency. I realized that I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I wanted to do something that would stir up conversation or create a place for discussion. In that instance, I chose a path that wasn’t written on my everyday checklist.

I walked into the salon and looked back at my reflection in the mirror. As I waved goodbye to a piece of me, I gained a new element of myself. This was a higher level of courage. It was the courage to do something that I had wanted to do for a while. It was courage to, despite opposing views, stand strong in what I believed. It was the courage to strip down all ties to a security blanket and become vulnerable as I was during infancy. It was the courage to be me.

In all of this, I haven’t once regretted my decision to go “natural.” By taking that first step, I have been able to open myself up to an entire community of women who love who they are and what God has given them. I have been able to have meaningful conversations with many people about this topic and gain further insight in doing so. Being natural is a part of who I am, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

-Jas