'I had no fears about going natural' Mane Matters with Sharon

Hi Naturalistas

How is the week going and how are you all enjoying the weather?

Meet today's naturalista, Sharon

Enjoy!

Can you tell us who you are and what you do?

My name is Sharon Dan-Jack, I am 27 years old and I’m from Bayelsa state Nigeria. I am a Medical Doctor by profession.

What are your thoughts about natural hair?

I believe that natural hair expresses the strength and freedom of the African woman.

When/why did you decide to go natural?

I took the decision to go natural in September 2013, because I was very unhappy with the state of my hair after using relaxers. My hair was basically discolored, thin and breaking. I did a search online and saw several videos by some popular natural haired women (naptural85, Eclark6, chimeedwards, glamtwinz, and naturalneiicey) and I got inspired to go natural.

Did you do a BC or you transitioned?

I stopped using chemicals on my hair in September 2013 and after that I transitioned for 8 months. I finally did the BC in May 2014 and haven’t looked back ever since.

What was the experience like?

I was excited at the thought of wearing my hair short but I was also eager to get rid of the damaged hair. I got a friend of mine to basically chop off my relaxed ends and I was amazed at how healthy my new growth looked!

What was/is your biggest fear about going Natural?

I really didn’t have any fears about going natural but I would admit that I got some really bad comments about my hair. A lot of my friends actually told me that I would go back to relaxers within 2 months, others said my natural hair looked unkempt and others still believed I was going through a phase. Lol.

Do you have a regimen you stick to? What is it like?

Yes I have a regimen. My regimen consists of deep conditioning my hair at least twice a month with a mayo, coconut oil, olive oil and JBCO mix. I also incorporate hot oil treatments especially during harmattan season using the baggy method. I style my hair in mini twists which I leave in for as long as 2 weeks (my favorite protective style!). I cowash /water-only wash my hair every other week and I hardly ever use shampoo. I’ve used tons of hair products but I found out that natural products work best for me.

What emotional struggles, if any, have you faced since going natural?

The only emotional struggle I’ve had is the difficulty in the acceptance of my natural hair in society. Wearing a weave in my country is more accepted than wearing your natural hair. People think natural hair is meant for periods when you’re running errands or lazing around at home, women see it as totally unacceptable to wear your natural hair for an event such as a wedding!

Do you think you are in it for the long haul or is it just a phase?

I’m definitely in for the long haul! My greatest fear now is the fear of getting a relaxer.

There are people that definitely have negative comments about your hair, how do you deal with that?

People said nasty things about my hair when it was really short and I always told them to get more educated about natural hair. Presently nobody has anything negative to say about my hair because they are amazed at how healthy my hair is.