In the Beginning

It began with a twist: Taking two separate partitions of freshly washed and deep conditioned hair, adding natural beeswax and twisting them together in a clockwise fashion.

As someone who had not chemically styled my hair in many years, the decision to go completely natural (no heat straightening) was not a question of if, but rather when. I have always admired people with dreadlocks - not so much for the style, but for the commitment it signified. I understood that going from twists or braids to fully formed locks, then maintaining them was a process. If done properly, there would also be a spiritual growth that accompanied this process.

I have been styling my own hair since my teen years. It seemed that I had a natural talent for it and used this skill to support myself during my late teens and early twenties while staying home to raise my young son. Therefore, the obvious choice was that I would continue to style my own hair as I began this natural hair journey. When I initially researched the steps and methods involved, there was little clear cut information, much less photos and videos available publicly as to how to begin. Now thanks to the popularity of natural hairstyles along with social outlets such as Blogger and YouTube, there is a wealth of information and suggestions for the natural hair newbie.

So on a day, not unlike today, I decided that it was time. I began to part my hair into 3/4 inch partitions and twist. My hair gladly complied, perhaps excited for the change. It took 2 days to complete the task. After which, I nearly undid the twists and went back to straight braided extensions. I did not know the woman in the mirror looking back at me but I stared at her for a very long time and decided that she was someone worth knowing...
and so the journey begins...