CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
M: I would say I was a “mid term” transitioner. My transition lasted 7 months. I initially went into my transition not planning to do the BC till 18 months had passed. I wanted to do a long one b/c I didn’t think I would be cute with a TWA, but after a while, I loathed looking at my relaxed ends, so I grabbed the scissors and chopped them off! I figured I’d find a way to stay fly. LOL.
CN: When did you BC? What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
M: I BC’d around 11pm on 12-08-08. My initial reaction was, I can’t believe I really just did it! Then it became, oh snap what do I do now?! And then finally, it was time to put to good use all the information I had been gathering all this time! The more I looked at my face and hair in the mirror, the more I liked it and realized I looked just as good; I liked this kinky-kurly hair more actually. 15 mins after the BC, I was loving it. The very next day, I used some gel to define my kinky-kurls, did my make up and I was out on the town strutting around with my new hair.
CN: What was your transition routine? Staple Hair Styles?
M:
- Months 0 to 3: I air dried in a 2 strand twist that I pinned up and would tie the front down with a scarf. I would spice it up with flower hair accessories and decorated bird claw clips. I co-washed about 2 times a week and DC’d once a week.
- Months 4 to 5: I rocked braids. I moisturized daily, washed my braids maybe every other week, and tied a scarf around my head before bed each night.
- Months 6 to 7: I rocked half wigs daily. I co-washed once a week and DC’d once a week, air drying and sealing (w/ castor oil) every time. I moisturized and sealed daily. No matter what style I chose, I was always conscious to use a little manipulation as possible. Most times only combing my hair when it was wet and saturated with conditioner or at least damp with my fingers, a wide tooth or detangling comb.
CN: How did you moisturize your hair to prevent breakage at the new growth line?
M: When my hair wasn’t in braids, I moisturized daily with a homemade spritz of mine: water, aloe vera juice, & glycerin and sealed with avocado oil. My hair loved this! It stayed very moisturized and soft. Co-washing and DC’ing also kept my hair moisturized well so that breakage was minimal.
CN: Why did you choose to go natural? Are you happy with your decision?
M: I chose to go natural b/c I was over relaxers. No matter how well I took care of my hair, they were thinning my hair out, and why continue to pay for that? Looking at all the beautiful naturals’ fotkis and YouTube vids also got my wheels turning. We grew up with the mentality that our hair was “not manageable” and that it needed to be “fixed” but I was looking at these albums and videos of naturals with BEAUTIFUL hair that was long and healthy. They were “managing” things like a boss (!) and their hair was fly. They were sharing their techniques & tips so I felt if they can do it and look great, so can I. Another reason I chose to go natural is b/c I have been working on living a more green lifestyle and being more conscious of what I put onto and into my body. And there is nothing green about mineral oil, sodium hydroxide and whatever else is in relaxers so I knew I had to and wanted to let that go. I was curious to see what my natural hair looked like and rock the frohawks, twist outs, and curly fro’s etc.
I am so very happy with my decision to go natural! I won’t say never but I don’t feel I will go back to relaxers. I know too much about them now and too much of what I can do without them. I do not regret one minute of transitioning or BC’ing when I did. I love it! Thanks!
AGrlCanMAC
My fotki: http://members.fotki.com/
My blog: http://AGrlCanMAC.blogspot.com
Thanks. And thank you again Nikki for featuring me!
congrats! 🙂