Shavonda-A Story of Transition

My name is Shavonda, im 26 and I currently reside in Sacramento, CA.

-Were you a long term or short term transitioner and why?
I actually didn’t transition at all!! I had no intentions on ever going natural, actually. It just sort of happened for me. I had micro braids in for about a month and a half, and as I was taking them out of my hair I just decided that I was going to go natural. So once I finally got them all out, I did my own BC in the bathroom mirror.

-When did you BC? What was your initial reaction to your hair?
I BC’d on Nov 20, 2008. I instantly fell in love with my hair. I loved its texture and the way it felt. I’ve always loved short hair so the length was perfect for me! I couldn’t believe that I was stiffling my beautiful curls all those years with realxers. I did have some thinning around the edges from the micros that I had just taken out as well as from the relaxers, but I know that it will grow back in eventually.

-What was your transition routine? Staple hair styles?
Well I didn’t have a transition routine and right now Im still rocking my TWA so I haven’t had very much room to experiment just yet. I’ve started wearing head wraps every once in a while. But I love the look of natural hair when its wild and free, so I cant wait until I can try chunky fro’s and twist outs. I think those will be my favs.

-How did you moisturize your hair?
Hmm, well I moisturize my hair with some homemade hair crack (as I call it) that I made. It consists of Pure Unrefined Shea Butter, Unrefined Coconut Oil, Glycerin, and Jojoba Oil. My hair and my skin really love this stuff. I’ve been really focusing on using natural products on my hair so I don’t have a lot of products and the ones that I do have are all natural or organic. I honestly use 4 products in my hair right now. My Giovanni conditioner, my hair crack, glycerin & water spritz, and olive oil deep conditioning treatment. I have found these products work for my hair at this stage.

-Why did you choose to go natural? Are you happy with your decision?
Well as I said before, I had no intention on ever going natural. I just happened to be online searching for a good at home deep conditioning treatment for once I removed the micro braids and some how I ended up finding a YouTube video about a girl’s healthy hair journey. I was completely captivated. I ended up watching about 50 other videos in about 2 hours it seemed. Seeing so many women take such a huge step in their lives was inspiring and encouraging. At that point I decided that once I got the braids out, I was going to chop mine as well. And that’s just what I did. I have never been happier with my decision. I knew before I took the scissors to my damaged ends that I would be happy. Who knew that hair could hold so much power? I walk differently now and my confidence level is so much higher. My definition of beauty has also changed. I love who I am and I wouldn’t go back to a relaxer if someone paid me to!

I have created a fotki page to document and share my journey with others. We all have a story I was inspired by so many of them. Hopefully mine can inspire too.!