I get asked a lot about my natural hair so I wanted to share my transitioning journey with you as a Flashback Monday since it’s been five whole years since I’ve been natural! Wow, throwback!! Plus, get into a few of my hair care tips and current product recommendations.
Sooooo, I was always curious about my natural hair and what it looked like. Since, as far as I can remember, I only knew my hair being relaxed/having a perm. I probably said I was going to go natural three different times and it wasn’t until that third time around that I decided to transition from relaxed hair to my natural curly hair and it has been such a journey! One that I am sooo proud and happy that I did. It’s legit an accomplishment to make it through to the end ya’ll. I know all my curly girls reading this are saying preachhh, sis!!!!
The Transition
I started transitioning in September 2013 for a little over a year. Yes, it was the longest year of my life. I had convinced myself to not do the big chop because I thought I would look like my brother (ew, right? lol jk love you bro). But seriously, I wasn’t about to do that to myself. Nooo waayyy hunty.
Transitioning meant having curly a$$ roots and straight a$$ ends. It also meant getting trims more often than normal to continuously trim off the relaxed ends because it will cause breakage and more damage, and that’s a no no.
During this period, I had ONE hairstyle, which was a bun. I kid you not, I wore a bun EVERYWHERE. I got so sick of that bun, but it worked for me. On very rare days I felt like being experimentative and tried out different styles like chiney bump/bantu knot and twist outs. These would either come out looking really bad or just okay…I’m just being real! But hey, I pushed through nonetheless.
There were times I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the finish line though. I thought I would’ve went to the salon screaming to put the whole bucket of relaxer in my hair, NOW!!! I even had close friends and family telling me I wasn’t going to stick to it or if I’m sure I want to do this…but we shut out the noise and PUSH THROUGH, right?! In all honesty, they helped me to keep going since I wanted to prove that I can be consistent with something. They made me want to stay strong and continue on this journey even more. And that I did! So thank you friends and fam ;).
The Big Chop
Ofcourse through pure excitement in the beginning, I had snipped one and two areas of my hair that wasn’t noticeable just so I can try to imagine what my whole head would look like. Then, I remember vividly, I had freshly washed my hair and all I saw was a small amount of straggly relaxed ends barely hanging on to a full head of curls, I got scissor happy and decided to do the chop. ALL BY MYSELF.
To my surprise I didn’t hate it…until a couple days later I was like WHAT THE HECK is this?! lol. Looking like Aunt Jemima. Then, I eventually learned to love it and sometimes had my moments…
Moments like missing my straight relaxed hair, which would end up in me getting it flat ironed, a lot. WARNING! Don’t do this. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS. You’ll have to pretty much start over your journey because the curls you once had become straggly, half curly half straight and…you just don’t want to have to deal with that after the years of dedication and commitment.
To my ladies out there…transitioning and going natural definitely takes some getting used to, like anything else you’re not familiar with. It takes courage and confidence too because you’re going from being comfortable with yourself and your hair as you once knew it, to something new, which becomes a bit uncomfortable. But, I promise you, you will get used to it!
Five years later, and I’m still loving and learning my natural curly hair. What I love most about my hair is the versatility. It allows me to be so many people at once with the various hairstyles I can do!
Hair Care Tips
Throughout this journey I’ve learned the products that don’t work for me and the products that do (at least for now, since our hair loves when we mix up the products after a while).
Check out the video below showing my current hair care routine using products from Cantu, Carol’s Daughter and Camille Rose (all products used are linked in the description area on Youtube).
If you’re new to this journey, welcome!! I encourage you to stick through with it. You wont regret it. If you’re now a veteran like myself, kudos to us queens strutting around confidently with our curly fros aka our crowns! We did that! Let’s continue to love on it and let it bloom in all its glory.
Where are you on your hair journey? What products work for you? Comment below, I’d love to hear!
