3 Traumatizing Natural Hair Experiences That Proves That A Natural Hair Journey Isn’t Alwa

I’ve been natural for around 3 ½ years. I enjoy my natural hair and my overall natural hair journey, but it hasn’t been all coconut oil* and smiles.

I’ve had some pretty horrifying experiences that I can look back on and sigh, sometimes even laugh. I’ve made a lot of dumb natural hair decisions and wanted to share my experiences to help you guys realize that being natural is also a learning process. Always remember to be patient with yourself and your hair. Here are my top three most traumatic natural hair experiences:

Clipper Happy

When I first went natural, I wore my hair in a Mohawk type style, meaning it was cut low on the sides and long down the middle. I would dye the sides of my hair light brown and the middle platinum blonde. Looking back, it wasn’t the cutest thing on me, but I was really feeling it at the time.

Anyways, I would go to the barbershop every couple of weeks to get my sides tapered when they started to grow out. But this particular time, I didn’t have money to go to the barbershop and my sides were looking rough. I wasn’t sure what to do. I wouldn’t have the money to get my hair cut for another few weeks.

Then I remembered my mother cut my brother’s hair when I was growing up and she occasionally still does. I thought, why not ask her to cut down my sides. I wouldn’t have to wait a few more weeks and I would save myself the money. Sounds like a good idea, right? I asked her and she agreed.

So, I went home to get my hair cut. Everything started off normal. We shampooed and conditioned my hair; she placed a guard on the clippers (so as not to cut my hair too low) and proceeded to cut my hair. The setting was pretty relaxed so we started having conversations about my life in college and I guess she got a little clipper happy. The guard popped off the clippers but my mom didn’t notice and continued cutting into the longer portion hair.

By the time she noticed, I already had a bald patch in the middle of my head and there was nothing we could do about it. I was immediately overwhelmed and started to cry. My mom tried to console me and then began to cry herself. My brothers came to the kitchen wondering what on earth we were crying about. “It can’t be that bad, let me see,” they said.

I remember showing them and seeing the shocked look on their faces like “yep, it’s pretty bad.” The next day was Thanksgiving, and I was fortunately able to get in touch with a childhood beautician before family and friends came over. She advised that we just shave my entire head. That’s right, I went completely bald! Although it took some getting used to, I eventually adored my shaved head and I wore it that way for a while.

Hair Straightening Nightmare

About eight months after deciding to grow my hair out, my hair was now much longer and fuller. I was interested in seeing how my hair would look flat ironed.

However, I wanted to wear it straight for at least a couple of weeks and I had read and heard stories of naturalistas spending hours straightening their hair only for it to frizz up later that day. I wanted to prevent this from happening and after much research I came to the conclusion that I would either have to (a) use a very hot flat iron* (450 degrees +) or (b) try a straightening treatment.

I decided to go with a keratin straightening treatment. Being a broke college student, I bought an over the counter straightening treatment without researching the brand or product (dumb, dumb, dumb). The treatment claimed to not have a permanent effect on the hair and that the natural hair would revert back to its curly state after a few washes. I applied the treatment and followed the directions closely.

Once I finished the entire process, I had a deep feeling that something was terribly wrong. My hair was very coarse, flat, and looked extremely processed. I immediately washed my hair several times hoping it would revert but it didn’t. My heart began to race and pound.

I gazed in the mirror at what appeared to be my permanently straightened and damaged hair. I immediately surfed the web to see what people had to say about the product. I was shocked to see that many women had the same experience and broke down in tears when I read that their hair never reverted back to its natural state.

They compared the product to a relaxer and pointed out that it contained some of the same ingredients as a relaxer. I was completely devastated.

I never planned on permanently straightening my hair; I loved my natural hair. After a week of washing my hair repeatedly, I realized that my hair was permanently straightened and my only option was to shave my hair, AGAIN. I was definitely disappointed with myself for making such a stupid decision but happy to rid myself of the bone straight damaged mess on my head.

Texturizer Letdown

About nine months after having to shave off my hair yet again, my hair had grown back thicker than ever. I was having a hard time maintaining my 4C natural hair and an even harder time finding some helpful information online. I came to the very wrong assumption that my hair was hard to maintain because of my hair texture. I figured if I could loosen its texture, doing my hair would be super easy.

I did some research on texturizers or texlaxers. I thought, “Wow, this sounds like something I should try” but I was a little hesitant because I had just recovered from two previous traumatic hair experiences. After much deliberation, I decided to go for it.

I bought an over the counter hair texturizer, and applied it to my hair. Everything seemed to be going fine until I rinsed my hair and saw it in the sink. That’s right, my hair was falling out! I immediately panicked but managed to finish rinsing out the rest of the solution.

I applied deep conditioner*, placed a processing cap on, and decided to condition my hair overnight. I re-read the directions to make sure I followed them accurately. I also researched the product without finding many negative reviews. I gathered that maybe my hair just had a negative reaction to the product.

I continued conditioning my hair over the next few days until the hair loss ceased. I was left with uneven, stringy, thin hair but, thankfully, no bald patches. I decided to cut off the inches of damaged hair so my hair would appear healthier. It took a little while for my hair to snap back, but after much TLC, it began to return to its healthier state and I learned to appreciate my natural 4C kinks.

Well, that’s it for me, what are some of your natural hair horror stories?