Jasmyn, it sounds like you’ve had quite an adventure reaching your current natural status. But you’re there and it looks fab on you! Congrats! To see more of Jasmyn, visit her blog or her fotki.
My name is Jasmyn. I’m a 20 year-old college student in Washington, DC. I’ve had a relaxer since I was 14.
Transitioning
Transition time
I transitioned for a year. I got my last relaxer early August 2009, and I did the BC August 9, 2010 (8/9/10, I picked the day on purpose!).
Your favorite products
The only product that I can say is my favorite is Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner. During my transition, I used Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner. HEHH really blew my mind by how awesome it felt!
My current products are Shea Moisture’s Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Volumizing Conditioner, and Moisture Retention Shampoo. I also have unrefined shea butter, Cantu Leave-in, olive oil, Mane n Tail Deep Conditioning Conditioner. I made a vegetable glycerin mix (water, vegetable glycerin, tea tree oil, and sweet almond oil) and I do apple cider vinegar rinses, too.
Newly BC'd!
What you love most about your hair
I love that it’s pretty low maintenance. I was never good with wrapping my hair every night when I was relaxed. I still don’t like doing my hair every night, but flat twists are quicker and easier for me than wraps. I also love the length. It seems like it was made for my face. I’m glad I transitioned for a year!
The manner in which you BC’d
So, there’s a long and grueling process with how I decided to BC. While transitioning, I was obsessed with it, but I didn’t know how to do it. I was going to go to a natural hair salon I’ve never been to and tell them to do it. Then I was just going to go to a barber shop and have a guy do it (so many naturals actually recommended this process). However, I got lucky and the stylist that used to cut my relaxed hair also cut natural hair! And she was able to do so on a Monday (those who frequent salons know that nobody is open on a Monday)! So I would up going to my trusted stylist and having her do my BC. It was a great decision because she prepared me for what to expect and made the whole experience very comfortable, and I got free samples of Mixed Chicks too.
Natchal!!
Any opposition/problems you faced along the way
No oppositions at all. Everyone loved my hair! Problems? Plenty. Tangling relaxed ends were the worst experience ever. What was worse, in my opinion, was damage done to my hair by the hands of someone else. I’ve had three incidents where that has happened. My friend burned me while flat ironing my hair (that was the last time I flat ironed my hair). My mom cut off a nice chunk of my hair while trying to take a sew-in out, and a hair braider did my kinky twists too tight, resulting in super thin new growth, especially at the edges I was originally trying to grow back in the first place! From now on, I’m doing my own protective styling.
Teresa, glad to see you embracing your natural hair at such a young age. I wish I had done the same! You look fab!!
Before BC
Transition Time:My name is Teresa and I’m 19. I transitioned the first time in April of 2010, and I had maybe 6 inches of hair it grew to be chin lengthened when straight, and I got a perm(sorry) in May. I then transitioned for like two months and I missed my natural hair so much that I decided to BC, and cut it even all over the July 31, 2010.
My favorite products: Water, because my hair is really wavy/curly so I don’t need much. I like the IC gel a lot, and I really wanna try Mixed Chicks.
What I love most about my hair: What I love most is being natural. I like that I’m seeing my true hair. I am a very eccentric person and I just feel that curly hair is really the perfect style for me.
The manner in which you BC’d: I just got my dad to get the clippers out and cut all of the perm out of my hair. My hair grows really quick when it’s natural so I wasn’t worried about having a short hair cut.
Any opposition/problems you faced along the way: No, I’m one of those type who really doesn’t care what people think. If I wanted to be bald tomorrow nobody could stop me.
I really like to see people accept their natural hair. It doesn’t matter if your parents, or your significant other doesn’t like it, ultimately it is up to you. As a teen its hard for people to accept my hair, but my boyfriend loves it (lucky me), and if you can have the confidence to rock everybody will love, and if not who cares lol.
After BC
Candice, I loved reading this. I loved the complete turn around and how you are embracing your hair. It’s easy to say “love your hair as it is” but a lot harder to actually do it. I’m glad you have so much support. Your fro is adorable and so are you! (Emphasis per Kcurly)
Sew In
Hmmmm… where do I start? I guess I should start off by saying that I never was quite into the the whole natural thing. I didn’t think the look fit me, I know I didn’t have the patience (and still don’t, although I am working on it) to do my hair, and I didn’t really have problems with relaxers or weaves so I didn’t feel the need for a change.
I didn’t start getting a relaxer until I was about 10 years old. I had beautiful thick hair as a child, but I guess I didn’t appreciate that. I was tired of wearing ponytails and I wanted my hair long and straight like the other girls so I convinced my mother to put a relaxer in my hair. When I first got the relaxer I started doing my own hair and putting it into one ponytail in the back and breaking my sides. I was damaging my hair, but I was too young to realize the ultimate effects. My mother hated to see my hair going bad after spending many years keeping it healthy, so then I started wearing braids and cornrows and such. Once I felt that my hair was healthy again after wearing braids I would turn back to the relaxer and turn right around and break my hair again. It was a vicious cycle of continually damaging and re-strengthening my hair for several years.
Then I turned to weaves. During my first year of college I kept my hair in braids because I knew being away from home would definitely cause me to make my hair worse since I wasn’t familiar with any stylists in the area where I went to school. My second year I got a little bit more comfortable and wore my hair out relaxed and guess what happened… Not surprisingly, I damaged my hair again!!! That’s when I just started wearing sew-ins. That way I didn’t have to do anything with my hair and I could have it any style I wanted, pretty much. After I started getting sew-ins, I stopped getting relaxers.
Because I wasn’t going natural on purpose, I’m not completely sure of the exact date I stopped getting relaxers. I know it was somewhere between May and July of 2008. I rocked sew-ins like it was nobody’s business and I didn’t see the need to relax my hair if I wasn’t going to wear it out.
My friends have tried to convince me to wear my hair natural and be liberated, I just wasn’t falling for it lol. I loved my sew-ins and no one could tell me anything different. Over the course of my last year in college I started contemplating going natural more and more, but I wasn’t thoroughly convinced and happy with the idea and I felt that you had to be 100% sure that going natural was something you wanted to do. A lot of things kind of swayed me from going natural: I felt that I didn’t have the face structure to rock an afro or a short ‘do (I felt my face was too fat and my forehead was too huge lol). I also felt that my hair was too nappy and coarse to go natural and it was going to be unmanageable. I always joked that my hair was like someone straight from Africa and I always referred to Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg’s hair in the Color Purple to describe my hair. And then I just felt that I wasn’t pretty enough to wear my hair natural.
I know, I know all that sounds absolutely asinine, but that’s honestly how I felt. Well, I just completed my studies at Florida State University and now I’m preparing for grad school. This is a huge step in my life and I’m excited. So I made up my mind today, why not wear my own hair. Of course, not being able to really afford getting another sew-in kind of pushed me over the edge as well lol. But in all seriousness, I lot of the reasons that I didn’t want to go natural was I didn’t know how people were going to perceive me and what they were going to think. I have always had a problem with what people thought of me, but now I definitely have to get over that and be completely happy with who I am and not care what they think. I’ve hidden my beautiful natural hair under weaves for too long now. My relaxed hair was completely cut off in December of 2009. It wasn’t exactly a BC because I had grown most of the relaxer out between July 2008 until then. So I have a lot of natural hair to experiment with and play with and I’m excited to see the results of what I do.
Right after sew-in...Natural!!
I’m happy. I don’t care too much what others will think. I have a loving boyfriend who is excited to see the change, I have friends and family who have taken me as who I am so I know a hairstyle won’t change their minds about me, and tons of friends who are natural who are dying for me to join them. This will be a process, I will admit. I know it won’t be easy, but going through life and even completing undergraduate work in college, I have definitely learned that lesson.
Congrats to Kim on her BC! You can check out more of her at her blog, dedicated to locs (Kim’s future goal), at http://irocklocs.blogspot.com. If you’re into locs, as I am, you’re in for a treat! Kim, you look GAWJESS!!
Relaxed
Transition time - I only went three months without a relaxer before I got tired of dealing with two textures and ready to take the leap!
Favorite products - I don’t know that I have favorites yet because I just just BC’d on Friday (Jun11), but I’m currently using Organics Uplifting Shampoo & Hair Mayonnaise. I’m also using a shea butter mixture a friend gave me as a “Welcome to the Natural Side!” gift. I’m pretty frugal and plan to use what’s in my house before I venture out, but I am researching and surfing blogs to find the right products.
What you love most about your hair – I love the feel of my kinky curlies! I can’t stop touching my hair!
The manner in which you BC’d - I went to a barber and he just took the clippers with a long guard and started cutting!
Newly Natural!
Any opposition/problems you faced along the way – My husband is not the most excited about the cut, but it’s growing on him. Since I’m a school teacher, I haven’t been back to work yet, so I don’t know what the reaction will be there.
Gabrielle, thanks for sharing your journey! I think a lot of black women feel the same way: that perming our hair is just something we do, that it’s a given. I’m glad you had, for the most part, good support. You are beautiful and your natural hair only magnifies that by 100! (Bolded areas per Kcurly)
Hi!
I’ve been reading your blog/lurking for awhile. I recently BCed and thought I’d share a bit. 
I’ve only been Natural for a month, but I’ve transitioned for seven months.
Relaxed
Transition:
So my last relaxer was sometime in August, but my last trip to the hair dresser was in October, so I count it from there. I wish I had had a deep story to tell (Like I wanted to “find” myself or something like that) but it was really because my edges were falling out. While I find nothing wrong with a pretty shaven head, I’d like it to be a choice. Not only that, I have always been scared of flat irons. I would flinch and pretty much just stay tense the entire time. I’ve never even used one by myself and I’m 19. It just wasn’t in my future. I goggled “how to take care of hair without heat” and found out about the natural movement. Looking around, I thought, “…Why did I perm my hair?” I seriously thought that was what all (every last one of us) black woman did. That perming was just our “thing.” I found out that I was wrong. And that natural hair wasn’t anything like I had imagined. It’s so cute!
I transitioned mainly with ponytails/buns, but I tried braidouts every once in awhile (hit or miss) and bantu knot outs. The main reason I chopped my hair off was not the battle with the two textures, but because the ponytails were pulling my hair out. Plus, my thin, busted ponytail wasn’t worth holding on to. It was hard because I was the girl in my family with that nice hair, but I realized that I will still have that nice hair and more of it.
Transitioning (Braidout)
About my hair:
It really isn’t anything like I imagined. I looked at all kinds of pictures and youtube videos, but you never know until you cut it. Even my mom was surprised. She said that, out of all the things I’ve tried with my hair, this was the style that suited me the most. It’s going to take time to figure out, but it’s coily and wavy and I just love it. I couldn’t wait to show it off to friends and I can’t wait to go back to school with it. Plus, washing my hair every day is the beans.
Products:
Well, I’m still testing, but so far, I really like shea butter. I also use jojoba oil, organix shampoo and conditioner, and the conditioner is very nice. Kinky Curly’s Knot today is great for detangling, better than I had imagined. I do use a spritz of water, jojoba oil, and nourishing hair cream from Jane Carter Solutions (it was too light to me to use as a real moisturizer, so I just use the remaining as a spirtz). I’m still looking for a good shampoo and daily moisturizer.
Any oppositions/problems you encountered along the way?:
I actually had a pretty good time. Only my aunt was a bit wary of the whole thing. She asked me if I wanted a “fro or something.” At the time I was like, “…No?” Now it would be a huge yes. She did ask my mom if she was going to make me do something with my hair, but now that it’s cut, there’s not much she can do. My mother was very supportive and my friends are very excited (I’m prepared for a lot of hair touching).
Newly Natural!!
I’m very happy with my choice, and I enjoy playing in my hair for the first time. If you’re on the fence, go for it. You can always go back, but I promise you it’ll be a lot of fun.
Congrats Sahara, I am really diggin your newly natural hair! Way to ignore the “haters” and naysayers! And extra props for keeping it simple! (Bolded areas per Kcurly)
Relaxed
Transition Time
I randomly decided to go natural one day before doing research. I started getting braids because I was tired of relaxing my hair. Although it was “healthy” I had a dry scalp and I burned EVERY time I got a relaxer. So with that frustration I began transitioning in November of 2009 with micro braids. I wore them for 3 months and then wore box braids for 2 months. On March 27th I BC’d and my stylist had my hair feeling really good, however, I wasn’t confident enough to rock my 2 inch TWA. I got box braids put in the next day.
Microbraids
One day at work I stumbled upon the natural hair community on YouTube and got HOOKED! I wore my braids for a month and a half and got anxious. I had my friends come over and we took them out. I was so nervous because my girls were like “Um maybe you should go get some more braids.” But I was determined, so I kicked them out and washed my hair with some products that I saw reviewed on YouTube. The next morning I did a wash and go and I was in love. In all I transitioned for about 5 month.
Your favorite products
Right now I am using Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner. I use a moisturizing Keri Care shampoo, Giovanni Leave-in, EVOO, and 100% Shea Butter. I like to keep the products pretty simple because I think one of the benefits of being natural is spending less money.
BC!
What you love most about your hair
I love my texture and the way it feels. I have “hand in hair” syndrome and I put cornrows in for a week after rocking my TWA for a week just to give my hair a rest, but I missed my hair so much I wasted my money and took them out.
Cornrows
The manner in which you BC’d
My stylist was really freaked out by my decision to go natural, but I didn’t care. I told her I was getting braids the next day and she seemed to be relieved. I think that played a part in my lack of confidence in rocking my original TWA.
Any opposition/problems you faced along the way
Most of my family is supportive minus my sister and son’s father (High School sweet heart). I have always had pretty thick skin so I just disregard the negative comments. My family has always seen me with long, thick, relaxed hair and so they feel like this is pretty drastic. I am doing this for me and I am enjoying every minute. I like that I am unique and I feel that my look attracts a different kind of man (in a good way). I had some “hating” co-workers, but I did not care. I get a lot of compliments from women and young girls.
