Natural hair chronicles: Alleah Moore

then

now

Alleah Moore interviewed by Briana Whiteside.

How long have you been natural?

I have been natural since January 1st of 2014

What prompted you to go natural?

I wanted to go natural since the summer of 2013. However, I was not ready to give up the frequent sew-ins that I had been receiving for about a year and a half. It was not until this past Christmas when I took my weave out and noticed the extreme damage that had resulted from the constant flat ironing of my leave out and the disregard for the maintenance of my real hair under the weave.

How would you describe your journey, thus far, in one word?

Lesson

I have cried, gotten angry, and felt so lost in the process of growing my natural hair out. It has been like no other challenge that I have come across in my life. However, the life-long benefits that I see such as not spending $200.00 for weave that will only last me a short period of time and dis-continuing the harmful actions like heat damage and reviving my curl pattern is what I look forward to.

What is one shortcoming of the natural hair community that you are aware of?

A shortcoming that I have been introduced to involving the natural hair community is that most naturals have a series of oils, moisturizers and various products that are used because their label states that the ingredients are “natural”. However, when actually researching some of the ingredients, most will find that there are in fact multiple chemically treated factors that are added to make the product serve its purpose. I have also found that when naturals transition from chemically treated hair and they do not do the “big chop”, it is a longer process for the growth of the hair because the damaged hair is still attached to the part of the hair shaft that is in fact trying to grow to its fullest potential.

How can more experienced naturals help newer naturals through their journey?

Naturals who have been progressing for some time through their journey should most importantly give encouraging words and inspiration to those who are just starting out. It is not an easy process. Like any hard task, it takes time to find a solution that can be comprehended or understood to where that specific person is able to feel comfortable with the subject or matter. A natural should always be there for another natural because every journey is not the same but it is all the same a struggle to achieve long, beautiful, but primarily healthy hair.

Related:
• The natural hair chronicles