{Naturally Me: The Transition}

Hey ladies!

Ive been posting around the boards lately so I figure that an introduction of sorts would be nice, so here I am :.) My name is Mo and this is my first official journey to natural hair. I say "official" because I transitioned unintentionally for about a year before my wedding in June 2009...not really going natural, I was really trying to grow out my short cut for the big day. For the most part I wore braids and weaves and quickly noticed how fast my hair was growing without the relaxer but since I had no idea of how to care for my hair (having worn short hair for years), I ended up relaxing it again December 2008 and immediately regretted doing so. The hair that had become so healthy started to break off every time I combed my hair. It was a combination of heat damage, lack of moisture and not knowing what the hell I was doing!

By June my hair was coming out so bad that I ended up cutting it all right after the wedding because I knew that I needed a fresh start. Right around then I decided to go natural but didn't officially begin the process until October of last year and here I am. Four months into my transition that was initially supposed to be a year long journey but I know that I wont make it. The new BC date is early May and I have to say that I'm extremely excited about it! So excited that Ive chronicled my journey on YouTube as a way to keep me on track, heres my first video:




This video shows my most recent progress:



Loving my journey and glad to have found this forum.

Your relaxed hair days sound a lot like mine, breakage followed by braids with lots of growth but then Id relax the strong healthy hair and get weak breaking hair. A vicious cycle and I'm happy to be off that roller coaster. Good luck with your natural hair journey, it'll be fun.

Thank you! I realized that I dont have healthy relaxed hair...it thins out and eventually breaks. Really looking forward to becoming natural.

Ok I am beginning my journey!!! Very excited!! I just recently started trying new things with hair (besides a relaxer since 13). I just recently had my first sewn in weave late 2008...enjoyed that made my hair grow extremely fast but I continued with the relaxer then I chopped off my hair with the current pixie cut summer of 2009...

Wanting to see the natural state of my hair...I am here for the change and I want to continue with sewn in weave for the transition style....

Congrats on your transition EagerCurler! I think that as far as protective styles go, sew ins are the best for growth since your hair is completely protected. The winters here in the Midwest are extremely cold but once the weather breaks I plan to get another sew in before doing my BC.

Congrats to both EagerCurler and Hair2Me for transitioning to natural hair. Continue to keep us posted during your journeys.

I used weaves the entire time I transitioned and it definitely grew my hair out. I continue to transition and love it. I did my first cassia treatment yesterday and am officially a cassia head. I'll probably continue to do it once a week if not a gloss in between treatments for added moisture. I probably won't BC until June and then it's weaved up for the summer. I hate doing my hair during that time of year.

How long have you transitioned? I was thinking about having braids done after my BC as well for vacation.

Thank Hair 2 Me and HamptonsFnst!!! Im sooooo excited for this!! I've been not applying heat to my short cut and planning on putting in a natural looking sew in u know!!!

P.S. Is Cassia a product of some sort...?? Im really new and dont know all the products I should use...

From what I understand cassia is used to strengthen the hair, its almost like a mask...I'm not sure so I googled it, found this online.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-99190.html

hi mo!
nice videos [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] may is right around the corner! good luck!
i have never had short hair so can't bring myself to bc. i'll live through you bold ladies [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I love the way the wet roller set came out!!! I have yet to try that style, but will definitely try it now. I like those curls better than the braid outs and twist outs, personally. I think I just found another style. I do liek bantu knots as well, but they take a very long time to air dry..
Thanks for sharing

Thank you Mrs.Renaissance! Ive always worn my hair short, so you would think that a BC would be no problem, but for whatever reason, Im nervous as heck! I think its the fear of the unknown. Right now I have about 2-3 inches of new growth, depending on where you look. My BC may come later than I anticipated...

Hey Laleepop14, thanks! I tried the braid out and it would end up looking fuzzy so the roller set has been my staple style. I haven't tried the Bantu knots, don't think my hair is long enough yet, but I love the look of them.

Hi Hair2Me,

Sorry it's taken so long for me to respond. I've been transitioning for about 17 months and hopefully by June I'll be prepared to BC.

To answer EagerCurler's question about cassia obovato, it's a natural plant with the same conditioning properties as henna without the reddish tint. Check this link out for more info: www.hennaforhair.com

Congrats and good luck Hamptonsfnst! I may end up transitioning longer than I anticipated