Lillian- A Story of Transition

CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
I was not a long term transitioner. I transitioned from May 2010-Sept 2010. My last perm was at the end of April 2010.

CN: When did you BC?
My BC was Sept 18, 2010

CN: What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
WOW!!!! I didn’t like it at first, but I had a friend with me who BC’ed in May 2010. It helped a lot because she schooled me on finger coils (the style she wore after her BC) and once it all came together, I loved it.

CN: How did family and friends react to the new you?
Everyone loved it. They were a bit surprised I did it, since I have always had long hair. My mom was the only negative person, but I knew what her reaction was going to be. She said “your hair is your glory, you shouldn’t cut it all off”.

CN: What was your response to them?
I was very appreciative, but their responses were not going to change how I felt. I told my mom that it is hair and it will grow back, I wasn’t going to keep it this short.

CN:What was your transition routine?
I would wash my hair once a week. After having a friend that went through this period, she told me about the no poo method and I didn’t use shampoo. I would wash and deep condition on Sundays using LeKair cholesterol.

CN: What was your staple hair style during the transition?
I alternated styles during the week. At first since there wasn’t much new growth, I would do buns or use satin rollers to have curls. Then as it progressed I alternated weeks with rods one week and two strand flat twists the next week, which I would untwist and wear for a week in different ways with headbands or pinned up.

CN: How did you moisturize your hair to prevent breakage at the new growth line?
I used my conditioner mostly and I would also apply Africa’s Best Oil.

CN: Why did you choose to go natural?
I chose to go natural because I work out 4-5 days a week and after 2 weeks of that, my perms were sweated out or non-existent. Also, after seeing my friend’s transition, it made me want to find out what my curl pattern was. I didn’t get a perm until I was 11 or 12 and that was only because my mom got tired of pressing my hair.