Alexis- A Story of Transition

CN: Were you a long term or short term transitioner, and why?
I was a short term transitoner, I transitioned for 6 months. My last relaxer was on December 21, 2009 and I big chopped on June 24, 2010. Originally I planned to transition for a year, but after I took my last sew-in out, I was overwhelmed with the two different textures. So the next day I decided to head to my local Walmart to get my locks chopped off!

CN: When did you BC? What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
I big chopped on June 24, 2010 and I was conflicted with my feelings at first. I was happy to be free from the relaxed ends, but at the same time I was scared of how people would react to my new hair. In addition, I had never experienced having short hair before so I was a little overwhelmed with my new look. Now that it has been six months, I’m in love with my hair and embrace it everyday!

CN: How did family and friends react to the new you? What was your response to them?
My mother and siblings actually went with me to go do my big chop, so they witnessed my transformation before everyone else did. As my relaxed ends were being snipped away, my younger siblings questioned why I was cutting off my long hair. But now that they have seen how much my hair has grown, my siblings have begun to understand and appreciate my hair. My mother was very supportive from the beginning, she was my number one fan (BTW, she went natural 2 months after I did!). As for my father, he really didn’t understand why I went natural either, but he is slowly but surely beginning to comprehend why natural hair is a great option for women. My friends were very supportive and cheered me on each month as my TWA grew.

CN: What was your transition routine?
I rocked sew-ins for the majority of my six months of transition. I like how my hair was protected and that I didn’t have to worry as much about blending the two textures together. While I wore sew-ins, I would wash my hair once a week with Creme of Nature Shampoo and Conditioner. I also would co-wash my hair once a week with Tresemme Naturals Conditioner. After washing or conditioning my hair, I would let it air dry then flat iron the little hair I had left out on a low setting. When I wasn’t wearing sew-ins, I would wear roller sets, buns, and pony-tails. I made sure to moisturize my hair and scalp with some type of oil and water based moisturizer.

CN: How did you moisturize your hair to prevent breakage at the new growth line?
I would deep condition my hair on wash days and made sure to apply my leave-in conditioner mornings and night.

CN: Why did you choose to go natural?
I was tired of having long, thin, lifeless hair that only looked great the first week of a fresh perm. So I decided to start researching ways to make my hair healthier and thicker, which is when I stumbled upon natural blogs and YouTube videos. After seeing dozens of girls going from short hair to beautiful long, full curls, I made the decision that I would embark on my own natural hair journey. Besides, I always longed for curly hair and I’m so happy that I finally have it now! 🙂