Shantrice– A Story of Transition

CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
I guess you could say that I was a short term transitioner. I transitioned 2 days short of 6 months because I simply couldn’t tolerate the relaxed ends taking more than a whole day to dry when doing my wet sets. NO MA’AM PAM! lol They had to GO! I originally wanted to go anywhere between 8 and 10 months so that I could have enough hair to start twisting and trying new styles, but it didn’t quite work out that way. lol

CN: When did you BC? What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
I BC’d June 6, 2009 AND June 7, 2009. I can’t lie….I hated it. I guess because the lady that did it, didn’t give me an experience to remember. She got the clippers and went to work on it, so I was scared in the chair. Then she took globs of IC fantasia gel (which my hair hates) and piled it in my hair. I went home to see if I could fix it, and that’s when I noticed something. In several places, I had permanently straight pieces of hair from the last time I flat ironed! *Transitioners beware of the heat* I was devastated because 6 months of growth was gone down the drain. My boyfriend got the clippers on June 7th and he cut all of the straight pieces off, hence my second BC. He got tired of me complaining about the straight pieces, lol! I was in love once I saw that I was free.

CN: What was your transition routine ?
I played around with whatever I could find on Nappturality.com. I stopped using sulfate shampoos and started using Dr. Bronner’s diluted with water and a little baking soda. I clarified once every week since I worked out a lot. I co-washed with VO5 Passion Fruit Smoothie whenever my transitioning styles weren’t presentable anymore. I deep conditioned with olive oil and honey with a little bit of conditioner added, which is what I still use as a natural sometimes.

CN: What was your staple hair style during the transition?
Braidouts and french braid ponytails <<< href="http://fotki.com/NaturallySweet09" target="_blank">fotki.com/NaturallySweet09. I would shampoo on Sundays, then put in the french braid ponytail and it would last until Friday. I would co-wash and do a braid-out for the weekend. Sunday, I would start all over again.

CN: How did you moisturize your hair to prevent breakage at the new growth line?
I was using cantu shea butter conditioning repair cream but then I realized that it didn’t play well with other products and that cones sadly dried my new growth hair to no end. 🙁 I bought shea butter and coconut oil, mixed them together and now it’s still a staple for me.

CN: Why did you choose to go natural?
I was tired of the itchy, flaky, and dry scalp that couldn’t be healed. The flakes in my head were ridiculous sizes and embarrassing. I had tried everything under the sun. Selson blue, sulfur 8….you name it, I tried it. Scratching my scalp at all times was not a good look, so I finally went to a dermatologist (who is a beautiful natural) and she stated that I may have had an adverse allergic reaction to one of the many harmful chemicals in relaxers. Once she suggested to stretch the length of time between relaxers and see how I liked it, I took the plunge. I had already been 2 1/2 months without one so I was down. The itchies stopped almost immediately and the hair that was continuously shedding had completely stopped. I love my hair and it has made me appreciate and find what self love was all about. My hair is the most beautiful accessory I have! I walk around with a crown of glory and I have God to thank for it! 🙂

My fotki: fotki.com/NaturallySweet09

Pic 1: Relaxed hair
Pic 2: BC #1
Pic 3: BC #2 the next day
Pic 4: 7 months in! An old twist out that I jazzed up a bit.