A Natural Story

I love me some Shoni! This lady is insightful, unique, and has a beautiful head of hair! Check her out on her blog and YouTube. She also has a great video about why she went natural. 

How long have you been natural? How long did you transition?

I went natural in college way back in 1997 before the word “transitioning” was common vocab, and before natural hair sites and groups existed. My change from relaxed to natural was abrupt. I decided to go natural because I was tired of being a slave to the salon, having to go back ever 6-8 weeks for touch ups, and running the risk of getting burned by chemicals, curling irons, or even over-heated hood dryers. I also developed a strong urge to feel my real texture without the straight ends getting in the way. Six weeks after my last touch-up, I went to some random salon on a weekday afternoon and just asked the barber to cut it all off. It was shoulder length at the time and I went down to a half-inch of hair. For the first several years, I alternated between TWA and locs.

At the time, I didn’t think I could wear my natural hair loose and long unless I had a texture like Diana Ross or Lisa Bonet. Fast forward to 2006 when I made the jump from locs to loose, and I’ve learned so much about ways to care for my hair. I love my natural hair!

What have been your biggest obstacles to overcome?

Immediately after that first big chop, I felt an odd mix of elation and anxiety. On the one hand, I was thrilled to have taken the plunge, so to speak, and I really liked the way my little fro brought out my facial features. It made me feel unique and forced me to stop hiding behind my hair. But on the other hand, I was overly very concerned with the opinions of others — parents, friends, potential boyfriends, hiring managers, etc. So my biggest obstacle, without a doubt, was overcoming the fear and moving to a place of truly being comfortable with this new hair. It’s an odd world when we have to become comfortable with the hair we had since birth.

What are your favorite styles to wear?

After my chops, I absolutely loved wearing my hair in a tiny little afro. It’s so EASY! But now that my hair has grown out, I am a huge fan of creatively sculpted updos — the type which could look different depending on the day and where I place my bobby pins. Twists outs are cool, but I find I can do more with banded stretched hair.

What are your favorite products?

Tough question! As much as I try to keep it simple under my sink, I have a huge stash of great products right now. At the foundational level, raw organic shea butter and aloe vera gel are my must-haves for day-to-day styling, plus I combine them to use as a face moisturizer. For cleansing, I typically use either Chagrin Valley shampoo bars, Dr. Wood’s liquid black soap or I co-wash with Suave Coconut conditioner. As a product reviewer for NaturallyCurly.com, I was recently introduced to Sunny Isle JBCO’s whole line of products, and I really like all their stuff. For conditioning, I typically use SheaMoisture Deep Treatment Masque as a leave-in. I style with DTM or use some combination of Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade, Kinky-Curly Curling Custard and something buttery.

Any advice for the newly natural ladies out there?

Wear your God-given natural hair with confidence. Use all the resources at your disposal, such as blogs, YouTube, meet-ups and message boards, to help you in your journey. Remember, this is not meant to be a sprint, but rather a lifelong marathon toward healthier hair and an overall improved lifestyle. Keep going, keep learning, and do what works best for you. Even if the whole world is telling you avoid plain ‘ol hair grease, if it works well for you, you should do it!

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Lovely Nola, thanks for sharing! I agree with a lot of what this lady has to say! See more of Nola on her website.

How long have you been natural?
My last perm was April 2009, so almost 3.5 years now!

How long did you transition?
I tried transitioning for four months but my hair tangled a lot when I was transitioning to the point where I was breaking combs, so I did the big chop in September 2009.

What have been your biggest obstacles to overcome?
Patience! July 2010, I made a huge mistake and got a texturizer because I wanted my curls to fall and fall they did- until they were nonexistent and my hair was just one limp puff! I cut all my hair off again November 2010 and have been going strong ever since!

I’m not sure if this was really an obstacle, but it took me a long time to get use to really seeing my face. I recognized that I had spent years hiding behind my hair and after I did the big chop my face was exposed. I now really appreciate that time, because it made me more confident.

What are your favorite styles to wear?
Honestly, less is more for me. I really try to focus on making sure that my hair is conditioned and I never sleep without my satin pillowcase! The most styling I do day-to-day is adding bobby pins or a headband. I just got a two-strand twist out for a wedding I was recently in, but other than that I don’t visit the salon except to get my ends trimmed 3-4 times a year.

What are your favorite products?
I wash once a week with Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo. I follow up with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner and then add EVOO or RD Hair Serum Leave in Keratin Repair.

Any advice for the newly natural ladies out there?
Just try it! The ability to not think twice about rain, swimming, working out, or humidity is amazing. My Sundays are also no longer consumed by my hair. Going natural has also been much cheaper than getting relaxers every six weeks and I know my hair is healthier overall.

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Whoa! This beautiful mane has floored me! Love it!

How long have you been natural? How long did you transition?

I’ve been natural all my life but I never cared for my hair. Being that I always wore it straight it was heat damaged I slowly began to protective style and clipped my damaged ends as my hair grew out.

What have been your biggest obstacles to overcome?

My biggest obstacle that I had to overcome was not straightening my hair and learning how to style my hair in its natural state. At the beginning of my journey it was very difficult for me to style my hair because I never wore it in its curly state. But as time progressed I reached out to Youtube guru’s for help in styling my natural hair.

What are your favorite styles to wear?

My favorite styles to wear will always be wash n’ go’s. I love my curls and I love wearing then out ! I style my wash n’ go’s with Eco Styler Olive Oil for now, I love the hold it provides while giving my my curls a fluffy bounce unlike the gels I’ve used in the past .

What are your favorite products?

My favorite products are Organics Olive Oil Shampoo and Replenishing Conditioner ,Garnier Frutis Sleek and Shine, EcoStyler Olive Oil, Africa’s Best Protestant and Cantu Shea Butter.

Any advice for the newly natural ladies out there?

My advice will always be to have patience. When your goal is solely to have long hair it will feel like forever, focus on how well your hair is being cared for and enjoy your hair at all lengths !

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Thanks to the beautiful and stylish Nneka for sharing her natural hair story! You can check her out at her blog Darker than Brown. She’s also got a Facebook and Twitter. Annnd if you’re lucky enough to be in the New York area you can check out her meet up group. 

My name is Nneka and I am the owner of Darker Than Brown.  I reside in the lovely state of New York, and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I am currently, on my second natural hair journey, and I’ve never been this content. The journey started with healthy hair, and gradually went to healthy diet. Other than that, I’m just like you all out there, happy some days,and sad on the others.

Kcurly: What have been your biggest obstacles to overcome?

I have had two main obstacles to over come, myself and breakage. Every forum, blog  and Youtube video  I watch/read,  all have women who love and  seem to embrace their natural hair instantly.  After a year and a half, I stopped wearing weaves and wanted to give wearing my own hair a try. I was fearful of what others would think. I had it in my head that this unkempt hair was not to be seen outdoors. So I wore a hat, literally everyday and everywhere.

One day a six year old asked “why do you always wear that hat”, and all I could think of was “I like it”. However I didn’t like the hat, and that had me thinking. I credit the Darker Than Brown meet up group with  helping me find the confidence I needed to proudly wear my hair. I am the owner/host so I felt I HAD to come with my hair out. At every meet up the women wear their hair so  proudly.  Then my new arrangement was to wear my hair out once a month for the meet ups only! However before you knew it,  I threw the hat away, and it’s been me and my hair ever since. My second obstacle is breakage, it has been a my Achilles’ heel! No matter how I try, or what I do it is there. Very often I ramble on my blog about it, I should rename  it the “Breakage of Darker Than Brown”.

 Kcurly: What are your favorite styles to wear?

My absolute favorite style to wear right now is a flat chunky twist, with curled ends. I set flexi rods on the ends, to get the curled look. The results are always big fluffy hair, and if the weather cooperates, I walk around all day with it. The reason I love this style, is it frames my face nicely. I also wear a lot of  updos, my dream is to one day achieve a great pompadour. However for now I like my old fashion pin a tuck styles.

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Thanks for sharing your story and your lush hair, Winsome!!

How long have you been natural? How long did you transition?

I have been natural for 6 years, I stoped relaxing right after my 21st birthday. I’ve always loved how black models on TV or in magazines only had big kinky or curly hair. So I always wanted that look so one day I just quit. I didn’t do the big chop right away, my hair stylist wouldn’t let me. But when I finally did I felt free. I had about 3 inches of hair on my head but I was happy. Since then I have inspired a lot of people in my family to do the same.
What have been your biggest obstacles to overcome?

Finding time to style my hair everyday used to be a challenge, now I try to find products that will keep my hair looking done for more than a week. I can deal with washing and styling once a week anything more than that is just a chore. I’m a busy girl I need low maintenance hair and for me natural hair is anything but that. I’ ve been using signaturetexture from www.signaturetexture.com. It keeps my crazy hair in check. I don’t have wash and go hair. If I don’t slab on tons of heavy conditioner it won’t curl up. if I don’t style it, it just doesn’t work. I don’t like walking around with a huge fro I live in Florida that does not work out here. The weather is just too hot and humid.I have a mixture of textures so my hair has a mind of its own, so styling is a must.

What are your favorite styles to wear?

All the way out, Half up half down, then after a week of the same style I ponytail it until my next wash.

What are your favorite products?

I use signaturetexture I like it because it’s heavy enough for the kinky areas of my head and it gives hold to the kinky curly areas too, my perimeter is kinky but it gets no shrinkage, it tends not to curl up that much. The areas that get shrinkage, curl really well with this product. Having a mixture of textures is really tricky. For Shampoo and Conditioner I use Aussie Moist. I love it. Since I have tried this shampoo and conditioner I’ve been hooked. After years of being natural and trying any and everything (including lotion) now I use 3 products and that’s it, I really like a routine that doesn’t take much. SignatureTexture works as a moisturizer, a sealer, a curl definer, it adds shine, and it last for days with a touch up or 2 in some areas. I love Aussie because the price is good and you get a lot of product, I can find it anywhere. The conditioner is extremely heavy I use it as a gel, If I am too lazy to put on signaturetexture, but it will only last 1 day as a gel.

Any advice for the newly natural ladies out there?

Do what works for you. Try different products until you find the ones that suits you. Its OK to be a product junkie until you find what you truly want. These days less is more so find what you love and stick with it. I think your hair will love a routine. The same way hair becomes happy when you find that one great stylist I think it gets happy and good behaving when you start giving it styling products that it becomes used to.

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