Happy Belated Loc Anniversary!

Ohmigod! I've completely broken hair loc protocol. The month of March has come and gone and I didn't even bother acknowledging my 1yr hair loc anniversary. Since I don't remember the exact date, I've designated March 25th as my official anniversary date. I know this because I was hosting my sister's bridal shower at that time and gave my hair a fresh two-strand twist 'do.

What's so important about that, you may be wondering? On the various natural hair websites I've visited over the past two years, women and a small number of men, expressed nothing but joy and exhilaration about the anniversary of the date they went natural (the big Chop, as some call it). All the way from the 1st, through the 10th, and even through the 50th and higher. Yes, it's just that significant. The date a person makes a conscience decision to go against the grain of everything they've been conditioned to believe about what's beautiful, what's sexy, what's acceptable is a BIG deal.

I'm ecstatic to be apart of that community! While the journey was long and tumultuous--some of the absurd comments from family, friends, coworkers were just unbelievable--it was so worth it. To be able to wake up every morning without having to allot at least 30 minutes to my morning regimen with trying to flatten, curl, or slick my hair into a style, which was never to my liking 100%, brings about a joy that is indescribable. To listen to those who once ridiculed me now singing praises of how pretty my hair is, how long my hair has grown brings a smile across my lips. When people pull me to the side, almost whispering, that they, too, are interested in locks, but were afraid of the process, I feel proud to sharing my story.

Although rewarding in the end, the beginning of the lock process is not easy. Physically and emotionally. First, the hair goes through a state of confusion. After years of keeping it from it's natural state via chemical or heat processing, now you want it to do what it was doing way back before you started all of that. Next, the pool of your peers may think you've lost your mind and some will even tell you so, like one of my coworkers told me. "Girl, I thought you were having some kind of mental breakdown." By far, that was the wildest comment I heard regarding my transformation. But there were definitely others. Those who had manners enough not to speak such idiocies to my face kindly waited until I was out of earshot to comment amongst their friends. Some just looked on. Then, there are the silly people who will pass their judgment in the form of jokes like, "be quiet before I send you to the beauty salon" or other forms of subtle teasing.

But the most common form of negativity I encountered was with people who can't wait to tell you that you'll have to cut all your hair off if you decide you don't want the locks anymore. That used to bother me until I became more confident with the decision I made. Then I began countering with some facts of my own: It's only hair. Hair doesn't define me, it's an extension of me. And most importantly, I've spent so much of my life enslaved to my hair that it will be several years down the line before that will even be a remote consideration. I mean, why would I remove myself so quickly from the freedom I've just begun to enjoy. The way I see it, at 33 years old, I've been fighting to make my hair something that it's not for 20 plus years. Now it's time to spend the next 20 or so letting it do what it do.


And I'm loving it! So Happy 1yr Lock Anniversary to me!