Teronda Seymore explains in Clutch magazine why her idea to go natural backfired horribly. By being afraid of "the big chop" and not cutting off her relaxer before transitioning, she ruined what was supposed to be a personal journey — and her tresses.
It craved that creamy crack. I was relieved to find some under my aunt's bathroom sink and slapped globs of it on my roots, nape and edges. My scalp tingled and I watched my kinky curls inhale, stretch and relax.
I was naïve about transitioning. Having been dependent on relaxers for nearly 25 years, I knew nothing about my natural hair other than it was coarse, itchy and lacked body when it was time for a touch-up. And despite the line of demarcation warnings, I still thought all that grease and water would prevent my thick strands from snapping.
I also thought it would be "easy" and truly versatile. But really how much texture-manipulating could I have done to chemically-straightened hair? I know a 'fro would've been more realistic had I started from scratch with all new growth but I simply couldn't bring myself to proceed with the big chop.
Read Teronda Seymore's entire piece at Clutch magazine.
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