Danielle’s Submission Letter
My name is Danielle McGhee, and I am a BLACK woman.
Being a black woman comes with many GIFTS and equally as many CURSES. But the one thing that is on both of those lists is my NAPPY ROOTS…
At the age of 9 or 10, my mom gave me my first relaxer. She was tired of tugging and pulling just keep my thick, long hair tamed. I was excited! My ponytail actually moved when I swayed my head from side to side. When I wore my hair down, I felt so BEAUTIFUL… Shoot! I thought I had white girl hair.
Throughout the years I struggled to keep my hair healthy and grow it longer than right above my shoulders. I just thought GENETICALLY my hair would never grow that long.
Five years ago my best friend decided to go natural and as I observed her progress, I was amazed at the rate of GROWTH she had. I wanted that! It took a few years, but finally, exactly one year ago, I decided I would transition from relaxed to NATURAL.
At first, I survived on the Dominicans to keep my hair looking right. Man, they are good! But the process was grueling because as my hair got THICKER, the harder it was for them to comb my hair out. So my next move: The Weave Shop. Here in Atlanta, they throwing in weaves for $50!! You can’t beat that. I knew a SEW-IN would give me the FREEDOM I wanted…
But after 5 months of that, it got old. I wanted to feel my scalp again! My boyfriend is also not a fan of the weave so I thought I’d try to see how I could manage my own hair. Last week, I took my hair out and to my amazement, my hair hung below my shoulder. WORD!! That alone was the motivation I needed not to EVER get another relaxer.
Being that it’s been two weeks without my weave and with almost 5 inches of new growth, I still do not know what to do.
Here are my questions:
1. Is it possible for me to wear the wet and wavy (curly) look? If so, what products do I need?
2. What’s the best way to comb out natural hair? I’m always afraid I’m doing more damage than good.
3. When wearing my hair straight, what techniques can I use to keep the edges and roots in tact while I’m working out?
4. And my edges look thin to me, how do I stimulate more growth in that area?
5. I wear a ponytail everyday, what are some other styles I can wear during these hot summer days?
I would like to thank Alumni Roundup for this opportunity.
Naturally Yours,
Danielle