I just reached 4 years natural this month. I big chopped August 14, 2009. While it feels like I’ve been natural forever, it simultaneously feels like no time at all. When I think about that number- 4 Years- it means something. To me, it’s the mystical, magical number that was thrown around in the healthy/natural hair community. From day one of joining my fellow hair-obsessed ladies on the Internet, I was told that 4 years is what it takes to have long, flowing, waist length hair. All you had to do was moisturize, seal, and protective style and you were guaranteed 2 feet of hanging locks. It didn’t matter if your hair had never been that long in your life. What you did before you started this journey didn’t matter either. It was all a game of averages and you will get there…to that faraway land of waist length unicorn hair.

Along the way, I held on to that idea of having waist length hair in a mere 4 years. When I was younger, my hair had been a little longer than mid-back length, so waist length was a lofty dream of mine since middle school. I wanted hair just like Aaliyah’s. When I reached 3 years natural I finally accepted that it may take me longer than 4 years to reach that goal. That number wasn’t as magical as it seemed. It took seeing many real life examples of other naturals who stopped relaxing around the same time as me. For many different reasons, their lengths vary greatly. Of course, I must mention the obligatory disclaimer- not everyone wants long hair. It’s important for me to see all of these ladies because it shows me (and you) that not mirroring some hair chart on the internet, may indeed be the standard and not the exception. This list of  Youtubers (names typed from memory and may not be exact) who have been natural for 4-5 years so just how much lengths vary- Mae Ling (NaturalChica), Safiya (Br0nzeQT), Chary Jay (160DaystoLose), Leila (FusionofCultures), Ambrosia (XOGoldn), PrettyDimples, Whitney (Naptural85), Kimmaytube.

I’ve felt the struggle of feeling like my hair grows too slow or that I’m doing something wrong. I was the long-haired girl in my neighborhood when I was growing up so I had no idea that my hair grows at a snails pace, lol. I’m happy that I can say, after 4 years, that my natural hair and I get along well. This is the healthiest it’s ever been and the longest it’s been since my freshman year of high school. I’ve enjoyed every moment of my natural hair journey and it is just that…a journey. Natural hair doesn’t mean you’ll automatically have hair down to your ankles, you still have to be patient and take good care of it.

My advice to anyone transitioning, those who’ve just done the big chop, and everyone else at any stage in their natural hair journey is be patient. Focus on your hair in the moment and don’t put too much energy into length goals or expectations. Going natural guarantees your hair is the optimal un-chemically processed state, but it doesn’t guarantee long hair in a certain amount of time. There are many more contributing factors. Take care of your hair and take care of your body and you can achieve length goals. The amount of time it takes varies. I think the natural hair journey became synonymous with the long hair journey but those two things don’t have to be the same. I’ve noticed a lot of naturals at my stage in the journey doing 2nd big chops as well. Treat your hair well and enjoy it now at any length.

I planned to add a picture gallery of my hair over the 4 years since my big chop, but this article was sitting in draft for over a week, so I’ll add that as a separate post at a later date!

Here are the pics, chosen at random from the last 4 years.