Christ-Marthe- A Story of Transition

CN: Were you a long-term or short-term transitioner, and why?
C: I would say I was an average transitioner. I transitioned for about 7 months. I was so tired of my hair getting knotted. One day, I got up and told my sister I wanted to cut my hair. So, I did. My sister and cousin came with me for support.

CN: When did you BC? What was your initial reaction to your natural hair?
C: I BC’d on February 19, 2010. I was both really nervous and excited at the same time. I told the barber I didn’t want to see my hair until it was all cut off. After I saw my hair, I was in shock for two days. Then I fell in love with it. I started taking pictures of my hair every day.

CN: How did family and friends react to the new you? What was your response to them?
C: Oh man, the only support I had was really from my sister and some friends. My family hated it, especially my dad. Every time he saw me, he would make some type of joke. I didn’t care what my family or anyone else said about my hair. I was so happy with my decision that it didn’t bother me. I told them in a few months they were going to give me a lot of compliments.

CN: What was your transition routine?
C: During my transition, I washed my hair once a week with Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo. Then, I would deep condition with Aubrey Organic Conditioner Honeysuckle Rose. After I washed my hair, I would put rods in my hair. The style would last for a whole week, and I would repeat the same thing the following week. I bought some essential oils like rosemary, tea tree, jojoba oil, castor oil, and coconut oil. I would make a spray bottle with some of these oils and spray my hair with it when I wore braids.

CN: What was your staple hair style during the transition?
C: Rod sets were my favorite hairstyle to do when I was transitioning. I received lots of compliments when I used to do that style. I started to wear braids and twists when I was getting tired of doing my hair.

CN: How did you moisturize your hair to prevent breakage at the new growth line?
C: I learned how to moisturize by doing research. I watched a whole bunch of YouTube videos, and read a lot of blogs, especially Curlynikki.com. I started to co-wash my hair more and tried to use more natural products on my hair. I used oils like olive oil, coconut oil, and castor oil in my hair. I mixed castor, jojoba, rosemary, and lavender to massage my scalp 2 to 3 times a week. I made sure that I used a deep conditioner in my hair every week. I also did protein treatments as well to keep my new growth strong.

CN: Why did you choose to go natural?
C: I decided to go natural because I was getting tired of my straight hair. I was bored with my hair. The only style I wore was either straight down or in a ponytail. One summer I discovered rods, and the whole summer, that’s what I did. I loved the whole curly look. I always used to say I wish I had curly hair. Little did I know I had some type of curls in my hair, I just didn’t know that. So I stopped putting perms in my hair after this stylist told me that I had beautiful curls. It was a white guy. Plus, I loved the waves I was seeing in my hair because I didn’t perm it for 3 months. Well this is my story. I hope it encourages anyone that is transitioning or thinking about going natural. My hair is growing and is very healthy. Since my friends noticed, 3 of them went natural, including my sister. I love having natural hair, and I don’t regret this decision at all. I wish I had made this decision years ago.

after