Source: Courtesy of Ruth Mitchell
Source: Courtesy of Ruth Mitchell
Source: Courtesy of Ruth Mitchell
Natural Hair Don’t Care
The first thing you need to know about Ruth Mitchell is that she really believes in the beauty of natural hair. So much so that she has dedicated time to teaching women how to care for their own hair through her foundation Fabulously Far Above Rubies. While she doesn’t claim to be expert on hair, Ruth has definitely learned a thing or two about loving and styling her own natural tresses. Today she proudly wears waist length 4c hair – which beside being long, is strong and healthy. I spoke with Ruth at length about her hair journey and some of the challenges she faced and still faces as a natural.
Can you tell me about your natural hair journey?
I made the decision to go natural around 2011. After transitioning for about a year and half, I finally cut off the rest of my relaxed ends – which wasn’t a lot but to people who knew me before going natural it was a lot because my relaxed hair was actually at my waist.
What I did was as I was transitioning I just kept trimming the ends. I know some people want to hold on to their length but the length didn’t really matter to me. After I finished transitioning my hair was at shoulder length.
How long is your hair now?
It’s about the same length as it was when I had it relaxed – about waist length after flat ironing it.
Wow! Why did you decide that you were going to start all over again?
Well, people thought I was crazy (laughs). People asked me “why are you going natural?” or they would say “your hair is going to fall out” – really negative comments like that. So yes, it was hard – especially back in 2011 because the natural hair community wasn’t as big as it is now. But I made the decision because ultimately I wanted healthy hair and even though my hair was long it wasn’t healthy. Plus when my hair was relaxed I had to do much to keep it [healthy] and the longer it got, the thinner it got. I like how now when I straighten my natural hair I still have some body going on – I couldn’t get that with my relaxed hair.
Another reason I decided to go natural was because I really believed I needed to love myself just as I am. This means learning to love the hair I was born with!
You chose to transition into natural hair instead of doing the big chop, is that something you would recommend for other women trying to go natural?
To be honest I would say do whatever you feel is best for your hair. There is no one, “right way” to go natural. Although sometimes I regret not cutting it all off at once because that would have been my only chance of rocking a low-cut style ( laughs). But everybody should just do what makes them feel the most comfortable.
A couple years ago you made another transition when you moved from Florida to Alberta (Canada). How did you adapt your hair care regimen to a colder climate?
Well again, everyone thought my hair was going to fall out because of the colder climate but I just made sure that I wrapped my hair up a lot to protect it from the dry weather. I also took [Mane Choice] hair vitamins which I really believe helped me keep my hair healthy.
Aside from doing all of that I would twist my hair in about 12 jumbo sized twists after moisturizing or conditioning. The first year I did that in Alberta was the most growth I received since going natural.
What advice can you give women looking to go natural?
I always tell people products will not make your hair grow. I don’t like when people make you feel like you need to rely on something to make your hair grow. Your hair will grow because that’s what hair does – it grows! It’s up to you to retain the length and that’s where your routine comes in. Going natural also helps you learn to love your hair because it forces you to figure out how to style it. This has been especially true for me here in Edmonton where it’s been nearly impossible for me to find a stylist to do my hair!