I was a slow transitioner. At the time, I was cheering in the NFL and wore a weave for the dance position. I transitioned for about 9 months. Once I took out the weave, it was another 3-4 months before I chopped off the relaxed ends.
Had you always embraced your texture?
Unfortunately, no. I was always told that my hair was too rough and needed to be straightened in order to be presentable. Once I saw other ladies going natural, and embracing their kinky textures, I decided that I wanted my hair to be free as well.
How did family and friends react to your decision to go natural? How did they react to the new you? What was your response to them?
My family and friends were supportive. I’m still trying to convince my mom and sister to go natural, but they love my hair and are slowly becoming open to going natural as well. I only received positive reactions and a lot of questions in regards to my process and how to do it. I usually just told them it starts with making the decision, being confident in it…and then watching a TON of YouTube videos.
Describe your hair (fine or coarse, thin or thick, highly porous, low, etc.)
My hair is a lot of different textures, mostly Type 4A/4B, with some sort of 3-ness on the top of my head. It’s thick, coarse and low porosity.
What’s your current hair routine? How often do you wash, condition, and style? favorite products! Deets!
My process has definitely been simplified since I went natural 4 years ago. I deep condition once a week and shampoo twice a month. The deep conditioner is a mixture of egg, mayo and olive oil. I sit under the dryer for about 30 minutes. When I’m in the shower, I add a cheapie conditioner as I detangle thoroughly.
I spray my hair daily with water and/or a black tea rinse. I usually wear it out during the day and at night, braid it up into 8 plaits with a conditioning styling product. I do work out A LOT and have found that I need to rinse my hair with water as soon as I get home from the gym. Usually during a workout, it is braided in two big braids.
How do you maintain healthy length?
I swear by the power of castor oil. For me, it’s so important to braid my hair at night. Otherwise it gets all tangled and breaks.
What’s the best thing about being curly?
All of the different styling possibilities! And the freedom to do whatever with my hair!
Where can folks find you on the web?
www.missdanetha.com, which has my social media links 🙂
