Donita- A Story of Transition

CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
D: I transitioned for 10 months and I would definitely consider that long term. It got to the point that my new growth was actually eating away at the super stringy permed ends. By 10 months, I had no choice but to chop it off!

CN: When did you BC? What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
D: I BC’d on the first Saturday in April of 2009. Initially, I was in a complete state of shock and I immediately began to wonder how I was going to face my co-workers on Monday morning with my new hair status:) I was terrified. At the same time, I was super proud of myself for having the courage to make this change and I felt the freedom that many naturals speak about.

CN: What was your transition routine?
D: I didn’t really have a transition routine. I actually took pretty poor care of my hair at the time and it began to break off tremendously around month 7. In the beginning, due to lack of knowledge, I was flat ironing my hair almost daily. During the later months, I began wearing braids, seneglese twist, and kinky twist to buy time as I prepared to BC.

CN: What was your staple hair style during the transition?
D: flat ironing, braids

CN: Why did you choose to go natural?
D: I always liked big hair, and I loved the natural hair of Erika Badu, Lauren Hill, and Kelis. I was also inspired by various people I would see on the street rocking their natural hair. Furthermore, I knew that the constant perming would eventually damage my hair. I really just wanted to get to know the REAL me. I think I’m on my way!