Black women set out to redefine and liberate their inner beauty by going natural.

Being natural has come and gone as a fad since the 70s. Today, young woman are expressing their worth with their hair. For others, going natural is easier to maintain.

For decades, women of color felt it was necessary to chemically relax their hair because it was more appealing to the eye, or it was healthier looking.

Ladies like Christina Williams, a junior accounting major, decided to go natural because she did not want to be assimilated into the typical American outlook on what beauty is or should be.

“My hair tells something about me. Obviously I don’t just assimilate and go with the flow…I feel free,” Williams said.

Williams also identifies her hair has a platform of confidence. Williams described when she cut her hair off she felt confident. It was just her and her hair.

She feels it is important to show her hair does not define who she is. Rather, to prove she does not need long straight hair to feel, or look, beautiful.

Going natural is truly a journey. Being natural can also come as a challenge.  Most women who chemically process their hair have been doing so since they were children. So, to stop a monthly trend is difficult.

There are two ways to go completely natural.

A woman has the choice of chopping most of her hair off or letting the processed hair grow off.

Delesha Davis, a junior social work major, struggled with committing to going natural. It was not until her third attempt to going natural that she finally stuck with it.

“The first time of course was way worse than the second time because I still had all my hair, and it would get matted. It was really hard to manage until I was all natural,” Davis said.

Davis then decided not to wait until her processed hair grew off. Instead, she cut it all off.

Davis is now in love with her hair and does not plan on processing it again.

“I realized that your hair doesn’t make you. In reality, it’s just hair, it will grow back. I want long beautiful hair, and my hair can flourish best when it’s natural,” Davis said.

Going natural is more than a trend to women. It is looking and feeling your best, because it’s natural beauty.