If you Google the word “naturalversary”, you’ll see plenty of results. There’s a plethora of naturalistas discussing their hair journeys, reminiscing about when they visited salons to cut the remainder of their perms, doing length checks, the list goes on. December 27, 2012 is my naturalversary, or the anniversary of the day I returned to the natural state of my hair. That was the day I walked into a natural hair salon and told my stylist that I was ready to cut off every bit of my relaxed ends. It was time for the Big Chop. “You ready?” my stylist asked me, smiling and waiting with her scissors. “Ready!” I’ve remembered that date every year since then and I don’t allow it to pass by without commemorating it somehow. Let me tell you why.

My naturalversary is a reminder that my decision was about more than just hair.

Prior to returning to natural, I would stare at my relaxed hair and try to remember what it felt like before the relaxer. And I couldn’t. Pictures of me before the age of 11 (when the perming began) showed a grinning girl with her usual plaits and braids, but I really wanted to remember what those roots felt like. And I couldn’t. I also connected the desire to feel my roots to my actual roots; being Africa-born, of African parentage, and being partially raised there, there was a feeling of home connected to my natural hair. Seeing the cornrows and Bantu knots and tiny fros all around me and a being part of my little community. All those factors–and seeing the gorgeous TWAs (Teeny Weeny Afros) of ladies I adored like Solange Knowles and Jill Scott–ultimately led to my decision to do the big chop. It was about hair, yes, but it also felt so much deeper. When December 27 comes around, I think about all those things. It’s nice to remember.

My naturalversary means I made a goal and I achieved it, despite the reality of “I’m chopping off my hair!”

I own about a thousand half-used journals that I’ve purchased with the intent to fill them with words, from beginning to end. Still hasn’t happened. In other words, I freely describe myself as someone who makes plans and goals and doesn’t always follow through. When I decided that it was time for the big chop, the second-guessing and reservations began. Would my head look enormous? What would my TWA actually look like?

I remember staring at a photo of Jill Scott’s lovely TWA and laughing to myself that I probably wouldn’t resemble Jilly from Philly.

In other words, I was slowly backing away from my plans. Running away from my goal. And then my little sister said the following: “Calm down, you’ll look fine.” Simple words, right? But I needed to hear them. I just did. Hair is so public, open and visible to all. As women, we want to look good. There’s really no other way to say it. To hear those few words was necessary. Well, I took those words and ran with it! I made my appointment moments later that simple piece of advice. December 27 reminds me that this wasn’t another half-used journal lying in my apartment: I did what I said I’d do!

My naturalversary is just fun!

Who doesn’t like fun days where the focus is self care? I certainly do. And I take full advantage of my naturalversary. Over the past few years, I’ve chosen that day to do something different with my hair: a new cut, a brand new color, a new style. For me, hair is also an accessory that I love playing with! How awesome is it to play on the day I made such a big change? Maybe for this year, I’ll buy myself some balloons and do a natural hair photoshoot for myself. You never know…but the sky is (and my hair) is the limit. Others may not understand why that day is so important for some of us. To me though, life is about journeys, moments in time, decisions we made and don’t regret. And if those moments felt amazing for you, why not go back and remember each year?

“Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself – what you’re wearing, who you’re around, what you’re doing. Recreate and repeat.” – Warsan Shire

Thanks for stopping by! What about you? Do you celebrate your naturalversary? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! For more of my writing, check out my lifestyle blog at www.okyerewa.com. You can also find me on the ‘Gram at @frowriter.

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Shirley Davis

Shirley Davis is a Ghanaian-American fictionista, blogger, and natural hair enthusiast who pretends not to be competitive when playing board games. You can find her on Instagram (@frowriter), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MondayGrrl), and Twitter (@shebeingme).

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