TWA Terror!

There are few words in the natural hair community that can simultaneously spur anxiety and liberation all at once. But three words have the power to do it: TEENY WEENY AFRO!

Over the past few weeks, I (Karissa) have run into at least 4 newly natural divas ALL with the same dilemma: they’ve Big Chopped and love their natural curls, kinks, and coils, but the thought of debuting their TWA to the world sends them running to the nearest wig shop. I’m talking running to get the best lace fronts and scarves that fear and money can buy.One even had me fooled as I raved about the joys of natural hair (and the Kinky N’ Free program of course) all the while thinking she was rocking a relaxer. Girl had that thing flowing! But at the end of the conversation she revealed that she’d BC’d a little less than a year before, but just didn’t have the courage to wear her hair “out” in it’s completely natural state. I’ve heard everything from

“MY FACE IS TOO FAT!” to

“I NEVER KNEW MY HEAD WAS SO BIG!” to 

“I JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT NOW!”

Now the thing is, I understand. Let me take you back, way back into time. To a time before YouTube beauty gurus were winning over strands to #teamnatural…before there was a movement. It was 2004, I did my first BC 2 weeks before I headed off to college and…wound up looking like Grace Jones…so not cute…in went the micro braids! 

Fast-forward to 2010 when I unintentionally transitioned for a few months because I couldn’t afford a relaxer, found YouTube, and decided to BC for the second time alone in my bathroom. I took the above pic after shingling with some EcoStlyer Gel. Don’t let the smile fool you; I was in shock. Here are a few of the ways I got over it and got on with loving my hair:

1. Arm yourself with positive affirmations. You are beautiful. I know it because we were all wonderfully and fearfully made in the image of the most beautiful being in the universe. That teeny weeny Afro is a thing that will make others stand in awe of you - own it! Try this: pick one thing you love about your natural hair and one thing it shows about you - then write it down on a sticky note and paste it to your bathroom mirror. Mine was, “I love the curves of my clumped curls, because they are a reflection of my creativity.” For some of us it’s just hair, but for many of us this movement is about accepting and loving who we were made to be. Own your TWA and own your beauty!

2. Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! A pair of fly earrings, a bold lip, and a scarf can take you from blah to bam in an instant! Don’t be afraid to try new colors and styles of accessories as you adjust to your new look. After all, this is a time of transformation - grab hold of it! I find that a pair of big earrings does the work of framing my face in a way that extra hair would. Also, people’s eyes are drawn to my fabulous sense of style and the hair just becomes an added bonus :-)

3. Spend time re-learning your hair. On the weekends I devoted time to perfecting styles that made me feel cute, sexy, funky, or just plain beautiful. I knew that a lack of styling options frustrated me the last time so I was determined to arm myself with go-to styles. YouTube videos helped and there are tons of blogs with suggestions as well. 

Look out for more on everything from more affirmations to DIY accessories and in the meantime stay FREE!

Riss