Dear Natural Hair:I Love You

From twists to braids and everything in between.

-  JASMINE ROBINSON

I vividly remember the first time I realized my natural hair was different from the other girls'.

I was 8 years old and hanging out at recess with my friends. Bored, we decided to do each other's hair. But when one of my friends went to braid mine, she couldn't work through the thick, tight curls to even start a plait.

As the only one with Afro texture, I suddenly felt like everyone around me was in a club I could never be a part of.

When my friends began experimenting with their hair, I was always stuck with a limited set of options. The products that worked for my hair were reduced to their own small section at drugstores. I had no idea what dry shampoo was, I could never try a messy bun and cute baseball caps were totally out of the question.

When I went to middle school, I was finally in a place where having natural hair was completely normal. My classmates had everything from Afros to braids. I could borrow products when staying over at a friend's house! I had someone to ask for salon recommendations! I finally had people who shared my experience with navigating natural hair.

After graduating eighth grade with confidence in my twists, I was shocked when I entered my first day of high school and saw no natural hairstyles.