CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
Long term, I stopped regularly relaxing probably about 15 years ago but I was still straightening my hair by blow-drying and using a really hot curling iron. I stopped regularly straightening in 2000. One day I woke up and decided that I didn’t feel like straightening my hair since it was a long and tiring process. Now, I only straighten once maybe twice a year.
CN: What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
In the beginning I didn’t like my natural hair. I always wanted a looser, (what I thought) more manageable curl with not so much texture. For the first few years, I always wore my hair in an up-do or twist outs because I didn’t like how my hair would get really big when it dried. I also wished that my curls were ringlets instead of Scurl pattern.
CN: How did family and friends react to the new you?
Everyone reacted positive. No issues there. Everyone was very supportive, I’m lucky. As an antidote, my 50 year old cousin recently went natural and did the BC. Her husband and grown kids hate it. I think she looks beautiful! She also made the decision a few years ago to let her hair go gray after years of dyeing it.
CN: What was your transition routine?
Just wash and condition using Pert shampoo/conditioner. Used this stuff called Bouncy Crème as a texturizing cream. I mostly wore up-dos and twist outs.
CN: Why did you choose to go natural?
I grew tired of spending two hours once a week doing my hair. Grew tired of being afraid of the rain and fog, of stressing out over my hair all the time. I wanted my hair to be healthier. When I stopped straightening, it grew much faster than it had in years. Not putting a lot of heat and stressing my hair out did wonders! I just let it be. I am at the point where I feel it’s okay that my hair is big, it is okay that it when it dries it shrinks up just at my shoulders (because that’s what curly hair does!), it is okay that my texture isn’t as fine as I would like it to be. My hair is beautiful the way it is.
About the story on your cousin: Sorry to be the vocab police (and go off topic), but an antidote is a remedy to something and an anecdote is a story.
Gorgeous!!! Just LOOK at your amazing hair! Wow! 😀 Either you love that hair, or you need a new mirror – well done!! 😀
Michelle…I love your honesty girl!!!
Girl, your hair is gawgeous!. I am transitioning and wish, wish, wish I had your big hair. Whatever u r doing, it's working. Lovely.
I just came across your blog and I'm a new follower. I love it and I'm glad there's a blog like yours that discusses natural hair care etc. I will be tuning in frequently. I'm also a fellow mental health professional. YAY! Oh and I will be starting my child psych fellowship training at UNC July 2011 🙂 Yippie.
Your hair is another point of my recent hair envy. I love BIG HAIR, the bigger the better. I want instant gratification and I've just told myself right this moment, what's the rush? You will get there in due time, its been almost 3 years and I'm never going back to the creamy crack, so I have the rest of my life to reach my hair goals… I can't erase a few decades of damage in 3 years… Baby steps, baby steps… Thinking about medium-chopping a lot lately… Crimson_Butterfly…
Hum your hair looks good to me, if I had that texture when it comes to the detangling of my hair at wash time. I would definitely not be complaining, you want a finer texture well I think your hair texture is gorgeous as is. From the 3 pictures that you have on here, the work that you have put into it so far has definitely paid off. Congrats on the transitioning over to natural hair, and good luck.