by Tyra of Indigenous Curls
Hope I Look this Good at 70!
Almost 3 Years ago, my grandmother, Jen, unintentionally went natural. For years, she would sit at the edge of her bed with grease, a wide tooth comb and magnetic rollers. She would roll her relaxed, ginger-colored hair in perfectly uniformed sections and place a silk scarf over her head. In the morning, she would unroll her hair and shape her cropped cut. This nightly ritual and her short crop were her staples as she conquered the real estate industry.
Today, she is retired, living a holistic life, using herbal remedies and an exercise regimen to stay fit. Since she spends most of her days doing community service and thrifting, she has little time to deal with the rigors of at home hair care. She began wearing a series of protective braided and weaved styles. She stopped getting relaxers and started taking multivitamins for hair and nails.
At 67 she began transitioning, trimming off a little bit of relaxed hair each time she changed protective styles. She was skeptical of how natural hair would look on her. However, today, she is 100% sold! She says, “Making a few changes to your lifestyle can make a big difference.” After spending nearly 3 years in protective styles and caring for her hair in-between each style, Jen was finally able to take a good look at her hair for the first time last week!
She only co-washes, and uses aloe juice to moisturize her hair underneath her protective styles. She uses protein-based deep conditioners in between styles. She also avoids heat and drinks plenty of water daily.
Jen’s First Twistout!!!
As my grandmother’s 70th birthday approaches, she can’t believe how long, thick and healthy her hair has grown.
“I am excited about this journey I stumbled upon, and I look forward to whatever it brings”.
Jen is my Boo, and Nana/grandma, Say Hi!
Tyra is a trained cosmetologist, curly hair enthusiast, recruiter, and writer. She big chopped over 3 years ago, & documents her hair journey, while giving 4c hair care tips on her blog Indigenous Curls. You can follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
