We grow up being told that long, curly hair is beautiful hair. Length signifies health and youth. Myths surrounding hair teach us that men prefer long hair on women and that you need a certain face shape to carry off a shorter style. When we start growing our natural hair out, many of us strive for length, sometimes even checking weekly to see just how much our curls have grown. However, if your long hair isn’t healthy, than it isn’t worth it in the long run.
Michelle Thames shares her journey from chemically relaxed to naturally curly hair here . Michelle relates that her while her chemically straightened hair was long in length, it was not very healthy. Since she wasn’t committed to a big cut, she took her time over two years to transition to natural hair. This involved multiple trips to her stylist, where bits of the relaxed hair were slowly cut away to reveal healthy, natural curls.
naturallycurly.com
However, Michelle realized for her the dream of having waist length hair wasn’t currently attainable and she committed to what she calls “big chop”, and went for a new, shorter style that showcased her natural coils. She realized the way to healthier hair was to let go of those damaged curls. She had been holding on her length with the hope of finding a way to repair damage that was only being added to by postpartum hormonal changes and stress.
While she acknowledges that letting go of the length was of her curly hair was hard, especially for some of the people in her life, Michelle feels happy with her choice. While many of us hang onto our length to keep up with those ideals that have been pressed upon us, Michelle encourages us to let go of these beliefs. As she says, “it’s perfectly ok to cut your hair,” especially in the pursuit of healthier curls. Long, medium or short, every style is gorgeous, particularly if it makes you happy!