embracing your natural hair is not just a physical transformation; it's a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance.

although the journey is centered around self, you don’t have to journey alone. 

moving to a place where other black women are embracing their hair played a major role in my journey. finding a supportive community (online +IRL) and stylist helped me gain the confidence to fully embrace my natural hair. simply seeing other women wear their hair and explore different hairstyles, gives us the courage to the same. 

so really, finding stylists, not just anybody that specializes in for type four hair was a lifesaver.

when on your journey, you go through some growing pains and mindset changes. 

for so long, we have heard the world tell us to straighten and manipulate our coils. we stay away from water because we don’t want to mess up our relaxer. even though water is actually ya best fren! 

I was still operating from the space of having a relaxer… so I had to transition from that mindset.

in recent years, there has been a significant shift in mindset and a collective effort to unlearn the damaging practices we've inherited and re-educate ourselves about the proper care for our beautiful kinks.

the journey of embracing our natural hair has involved undoing the generations of misinformation we've been taught. however, as more and more black women proudly embrace their natural hair textures, the need for education and representation has become increasingly apparent. 

we have to learn to give our hair the love and care it needs to fully blossom, because when you love your hair, it loves you back.

take a listen to how Ashley’s journey of learning to love her hair undefined: