Dear Natural Hair Community, We need to talk.

Author: Jaelyn Nealy

To the Queens and Kings re-entering the natural hair community,

First and foremost, welcome back! While it is not easy, truly embrace the journey of reconnecting with a beautifully challenging part of yourself and what makes you unique. For many others and I, re-engaging with the natural hair community has and can be very intimidating. The unrealistic expectation of the shape of your hair, the products you utilize, the number of steps involved in your routine, etc. has created detrimental self-views for individuals who were never truly thought how to love their hair for the form they were born rather than the form others expect them to create. The journey of reconnecting is all about finding out what works for you and what makes your hair feel and look the way you desire. Take your time. Do the work. Enjoy the results.

Now, to my lovely Kings and Queens educating the natural hair community,

Take pride in the process that works for your hair. Share the ideas and creations that have provided you with the results you desired, because for many hoping to do the same, you can be a steppingstone for their education process. However, do not forget that teaching comes with responsibility. We are responsible for teaching our ways while not discrediting the personal choices of others. Remember that all our curly crowns are beautiful, and society does a well-enough job of telling us what our hair is supposed to look like. So, we must build upon each other’s ideas and concepts while staying true to the meaning of what embracing your natural hair truly means. The hard work begins in-house before we can begin demanding the world to see us for our unique self-expressions through our hair.

I love being apart of the community, and as I learn from my fellow curly queens and kings, I reminded to stay true to my needs as well. I hope this form of self-care eventually exudes through us all.

With Love,

Jaylen Nealy

P.S. I wanted to incorporate a video that provided me the reassurance I needed at the time that It was okay to do it my way when I began my journey. So, I hope for some of you it does the same as well. 😊 Enjoy!