Natural Hair...

I have worn my hair natural for going on 4 years now, but I have a cousin who recently decided to go natural. And she recently did what some would call the big chop. Basically, she cut of the part of her hair that was still permed, so her hair is completely natural now. Well, she doesn't like short hair, and she's having a hard time finding a style that she likes, and finding a product local to her that works well on her hair. I talked to her yesterday, and she was telling me how people that she knows were asking her why she cut her hair, saying they didn't like it, and on and on. I'm thinking in my mind, those people suck, and I hope this doesn't make her feel like she wants to get a relaxer again. Well, after she told me about those fools, she said that all of their comments wanted to make her wear her hair natural more. I was so happy, not because she is going against the grain, but because she is going against the mainstream. Why are black women expected to but harmful chemicals in their every 6 - 8 weeks, and wearing our hair without all of that makes us different, or that we have something to prove. It's really ridiculous when you think about it.

Let me make this clear, I have nothing against relaxers (actually I do, because they are harmful), but I have nothing against women who choose to get relaxers. Hell, I got relaxers for the better part of 12 - 14 years. Almost all of the women in my family get relaxers. All I'm saying is, don't look at me crazy because I choose to wear my hair the way that it grows out of my head. Please and Thank You...