HAPPY 3rd "NAPPIVERSARY" TO ME!!!!

This past Wednesday (May 7) marked three years since I did the big chop and became, from then on, fully natural. May 7 is my nappiversary (combination of the word nappy with anniversary to mark the day you big chop and become au naturale) and on this day I like to take pictures, look at old pictures of my hair, and reflect on my natural hair journey so far.
To most people, cutting your hair is not really a big deal, but something like this in the black community, to go against the grain and accept your natural hair texture that isn't particularly seen as beautiful in society, is a big deal. Besides, it's just fun to see how far you have come and how your hair has grown.


Here is a collage I posted on my Instagram (link under About Me tab). In the first row are some pictures during my first year of being natural after the big chop. The second row is the second year. The third row is the third. What I love about this collage is not only does it show my progress so far, but it shows me enjoying my hair and texture and experimenting through the years.

Nappiversary 2013 VS. Nappiversary 2014

However, I must admit I do love it when I can see how much my hair has grown.


So what have I learned this year about my hair? This year I just learned to enjoy my hair more. The second year I did a lot of protective styles and of course, I saw a lot of growth, but this year around, I didn't want to take my hair too seriously. Sometimes I had let my hair go extra days without washing or allowed my hair to become a tangled dry mess, but I had FUN with it. It's not as much growth that I am used to but c'est la vie (that's life in French).

Are you natural? Are you transitioning? Tell me about what you're experiencing in the comments below.