Hi my name is Takesha Reddick. I am 38 years old. I am a mother of three children. I have a son, Aquan, age 22 and a recent college graduate. A daughter, Tynaiza, age 19 a college sophomore. She has recently "Big Chopped" this May 2013. I also have a 15 year old son, Juwan he is a high school sophomore. I am married to the man I've spent the last 23 years loving, Leroy Reddick. I work as a registered nurse in a hospital in Greenville, North Carolina. My life has basically been mother, wife, student, employee, daughter, sister, friend, etc. Needless to say my focus in life has had little to do with me. My natural hair journey has helped me find a new sense of love, confidence and pride in myself as a woman and a person.
First I want to talk about the history of my hair. I have been the victim of unhealthy hair practices for all or most of my life. I became responsible for my hair at a very young age because my mom wasn't well rehearsed in hair care. In the beginning I remember the hot comb regimen weekly or biweekly. When I was about 9 or 10 a salon was having a grand opening and my mom took me. My ultimate goal was to get that famous Jheri Curl because I was infatuated with Micheal Jackson. I had to have it, but the beautician refused saying my hair was too long. She did however decide a better choice would be the "Creamy Crack." A month later my hair started to break. I remained responsible for my hair and it continued to break. It broke off so much that I was soon able to get that Jheri curl that I longed for. My hair grew but when I stopped getting the curl the vicious cycle of hair growth followed by hair breakage haunted me for years. My hair would only grow to a certain length then it would break off again.
Fast forward to 2010 I started seeing more women wearing their natural hair with more confidence and style than I had seen in the past. At the time I was suffering from massive shedding and little growth. I wore braids weave etc always relaxing in between because I thought that's what would keep my hair strong and growing. I admired all the natural women I saw but in the back of my mind I thought I could never do it. . I worked with two women named Almetta and Tanisia. Almetta always wore protective styles like braids and twists. Tanisia came to work one day and she had a low Twa( Teenie Weenie Afro). The first thing I said to her was, "Why did you cut all your hair?" She looked at me and said with extreme confidence, "Because I wanted to." Nothing more nothing less. As time went on I watched her progress. I noticed her confidence and her pride in herself as a woman and her hair. In the back of my mind I'm thinking "I want to do that but what would people think, how would I look, my head is too big, what would my husband think, how would my children feel, what would the parents of my kids friends think?"
Meanwhile the cycle of growth and breakage continued. I talked to my husband he was supportive but not of the "big chop" he wasn't interested in me having an Afro. My children didn't seem to care. My youngest son just said he would act like he didn't know me if I had an Afro (he has since become my biggest fan). In June 2011 I started to transition from relaxed hair to natural hair. After about a month I relaxed my hair again out of frustration. In October 2011 I applied my final relaxer and in May 2012 I did my "Big Chop." I feel more confidence than I have felt in a long time. I have a new obsession though... Hair growth. Hoping to encourage, support and enlighten more women to embrace their beauty. Whether you are rocking natural kinky koily hair or relaxed hair we need to empower ourselves and each other as women to empower those around us.
