Epiphany Moment

The birth of my daughter sparked my decision. She was born with a head a beautiful thick hair and I had to learn quickly how to take care of it. As time went on, I saw how more wonderful her hair became and it made me wonder how my natural texture looked. I also want her to be proud of her hair and I couldn't honestly do that fully if I wasn't doing the same.

I am not the natural, my daughter is the natural one Tykeyla is 12 years old and what made me have her go natural........... Well she was 8 when she got her first perm and I took her to a beautician that I actually trusted well it was her 2nd perm and to my surprise I found out later that the beautician was "trying out a new perm on the market that day" and didn't tell anyone well it was styled pretty she had hair down mid back and as I was driving home I kept smelling something so when I got home I took a wif of her hair and I could still smell perm strong in her hair so I immediately got the neutralizing shampoo and washed the rest of the perm out BUT IT WAS TOO LATE the damage was done and as I was washing her hair it was literally coming out by the handfulls. I called a friend who told me to go and buy some IC products to stop the process and I did and it worked. So ... I cried... I was depressed.. and then... I got mad and I said alright NO MORE PERMS FOR HER EVER AGAIN.
She has been natural since she was 9 and I did transition her hair with braids and got pretty good at it. I had regreted ever putting a perm on her hair in the first place she had beautiful hair natural it was laziness and miseducation on my part on how to care for it like so many people on this site and on others.
She has 4a hair and she plays sports and we also exercise as a family and her hair would tend to swell up and then the next day I would flat iron it again and it was recently that I said ok no more heat and I was told about this site. And since I have used the leave in on her hair and she retains moisture and does not get the excessive scalp itch she used to get. We are on our way to beautiful healthy NATURAL HAIR.
She said she never ever wants a perm again and I wanted to know how to properly care for her hair so that I could teach her and so that she will have the CONFIDENCE that she needs to EMBRACE her hair in its natural state and realize and recognize that yes her hair is different from the other kids at school BUT that different is good. I would love to win the Jessicurl giveaway since I am really learning new ways of caring for her hair but even if I don't the wealth of knowledge and information that I get from this site and others to help my daughter to be comfortable with her hair and for her to see that her hair is BEAUTIFUL just like it is well that is just PRICELESS!
p.s. curlynikki thanks for the hair consult you put me in the right direction

My mom made the decision to perm my hair at the age of 8 because she said I was so tender headed but in reality she didn't have the tools and knowledge to take care of my hair like we do now. It was a lightbulb moment for me. My dad has nice soft curly hair, my mom went natural before being natural was cool (I'm talking late 80's/early 90's only because of a jheri curl oops), and my daughter has awesome curly hair. So it just hit me that maybe I might have some decent hair as well. It actually hit me as I was getting permed and I decided that that was going to be my last perm. I LOVE my hair now and wish I would have did this sooner.

What sparked your decision to go natural? Was there a light bulb moment for you, or was it more of a gradual process?

My hair/scalp has always been to sensitive for relaxers, however I was in denial about this fact for about 18 years or so. About two years ago, I just made the decision I wasn't going to perm anymore. I wore braids for about a year and a half and gradually cut off my straight ends. I've been completely natural for about a year now, and my only regret is that I didnt do it sooner.

What sparked my decision to go natural was after years and years of people (especially my mom) telling me that I had beautiful hair and that I didn't need a relaxer. I didn't believe them until one day I just decided that I was past the age and stage of my life where I cared what other people thought of my appearance and decided that I wasn't going to get any more relaxers so I could see what others saw. I am very happy to say that 2 years later they were right, my hair in it's natural state is BEAUTIFUL and I will never go back to a relaxer again.

My decision to go natural was basically unexciting. I was bored with straight hair and wanted to wear more textured looks. My stylist told me the styles I was looking at were not possible with relaxed hair. So I decided to stop relaxing. Then I started looking around on the internet and talking with the few naturals I knew at the time. And I really became interested in all the products and plethora of styles I hadn't heard of. I transistioned for 7 months. It wasn't really planned. I usually wore braids in the summer. I also wore strawsets and braid outs. And when I went home for Christmas break I washed my hair and cut the straight pieces. I had my mom kinda shaped things up for me. I was a salon girl while relaxed so the benefit of being natural is doing my own hair and more of a personal investment. So next month will be 7 years and no regrets.

My decision to go natural was made on my own. I suffered from the typical horror story dealing with chemical relaxers AKA The Perm...LOL. I was trying out a new hair stylist and my hair ended up being overprocessed, which resulted in my hair breaking and falling out in patches and clumps. So, I did the fastest and most logical thing to get my hair back to healthy and that was to cut it all off, at least all the permed parts. Since then I haven't looked back, and have been natural. The transition I am in now, is really being "natural". I have been wearing braids and weaves since the incident becuase I just don't know what to do with my hair. I'm tired of this phase in my life and want to be free to truly rock my hair naturally. I really want to be 'happy to be nappy' or free to be naturally me...LOL [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

My decision to go natural was mostly sparked by curiosity. I had been relaxing for six years and before that my hair had always been blown out or stretched. I was 17 and had no idea what my own hair looked like when left alone.
There was also a side of why should I invest so much time and money for my hair to end up looking bad? I had just started another cycle of breakage after two years of nice hair. My family tried to scare me off telling me it was gonna look bad, but I was like it looks bad anyway, might as well make it free.

My decision to go natural was both a lightbulb moment and a gradual process. One of my majors in undergrad was African American Studies and because of it I gained so much knowledge of self and our past as a people. It wasn't until I got to college that I began researching our history and realized how rich it was albeit sad sometimes. Even after getting in touch with where I came from I still made excuses as to why I couldn't go natural yet. I made several attempts but always went back to the creamy crack.

While in college met my hunny [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] and his circle of friends. I had never been around such a conscious group of locd and natural haired, down to earth folks in my life. I attended a university where not a lot of the people looked like me or them. They all attended an HBCU. But it was after getting to know these people, befriending these people, and considering them family that I began taking a look at my hair/self and thinking, " I have to stop making excuses!" Everytime I would say I'm not relaxing my hair anymore my sister and best friend would be like, "Yeah , Okay!" lol I told myself I'm going to graduate from school and be in my sisters wedding and then its a wrap...NO MORE CREAMY CRACK! I kept my word that time and never looked back. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

What sparked your decision to go natural? Was there a light bulb moment for you, or was it more of a gradual process?

What sparked my decision to go natural was my favorite aunt/ big sister, whenever I went to the hairdresser she would always say can't they do something different with your hair. It's too straight and I don't like it. She would say I think you look better with your hair curly. After hearing it for the millionth time lol I finally decided to give it a go. At the beginning I wasn't too sure about it. My wash and go didn't turn out the way I had hoped. I had some curl definition on the sides but the back was not curling. I still continued in my journey to care for my hair in its natural state. So in response to the second question it was more a gradual process. I began do look at videos on youtube and that's how I learned the things I know now and came across such wonderful blogs. Funny thing is now I do not like my hair straight. I LOVE my curls!! I discovered curls I didn't know I had. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] It is a lot of work and a bit more expensive but I wouldn't go back to my old ways.

It never crossed my mind...then my sister went natural, did the big chop and everything, as her hair began to grow I started to notice a little "hater" in me regarding her fro. Then all of a sudden she had this big foxy brown fro and i said its time. The funny thing is...my hair did not grow in the kinky texture she has to achieve the fro. I'm more curly than kinky. And even though i didn't have her dream hair, my own dream hair is FABULOUS. I love it more and more as it grows and gets stronger. I'm actually sitting under the hair dryer doing my very first henna treatment while reponding to this post. Going natural was one of the best decisions I've ever made for my hair. I just love it!!!

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I had always been a press and curl girl until 4 yrs ago when I moved to Phoenix. I thought relaxing would be easier than taking 6hrs to wash, condition, flat iron/press my shoulder length thick hair. I regretted my decision the first day when I realized the additional moisture and upkeep needed to keep my hair looking nice. Then came the damage... hair turning reddish, breakage, thinning.. plus I didn't know how to take care of my relaxed hair myself since I was 26 when I got my first relaxer! So this past January I became fed up! I was living in Hawaii and had started wearing wraps on my head so I wouldn't have to do it after hours on the beach. No one there even knew my hair was long because I kept it covered. So one day after trying to detangle my half permed half natural mop on my head, I just starting cutting it off. I new husband started freaking out when he saw me with the scissors (Brittany Sprear's flashback!), but then started helping me cut it so it could be even. I had a few inches of natural growth already, so the posted pic is the very next day. Now I love it and so does my hubby, it's so easy to maintain and I haven't even put heat in my hair since, not even to blow dry. No more excuses for swimming or working out to not mess up my hair!I now have 5 inch (when stretched) two strand twists that I redo every other weekend. I love it because I now live in Palm Springs where its always warm and I can just cowash, add a hair flower and go! Aloha!

I thought about going natural for many years before I actually did it. My final straw was right after spending $185 at the hair salon to come home with flat lifeless hair. That night i took a pair of scissors and cut away. That was 6 years ago and I have not looked back since.

There was no real aha moment for me. About five years a go I moved to a new city where the cost of living was higher than I was used to, and I couldn't afford to maintain my relaxer by going to a professional stylist. And I didn't feel comfortable relaxing my own hair. Before I knew it, a year had gone by without getting a relaxer and I just decided to not go back. I'm still learning how to take care of my natural-do, but I'm enjoying the journey. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

My decision was borderline. I'd been tired of the results of relaxers for some time. I was tired of my scalp getting burned. I was tired of my hair never being as healthy as I knew it could be. I was tired of paying more... and more... and more money to stylists for results that I was less...and less...and less impressed with. Finally, due to a window of unemployment, I couldn't afford the relaxers anymore. So, I just kept my hair in a french twist and just let it grow. The difference in the health and thickness of my new growth after just a few weeks was what did it for me.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]My decision to go au naturel came when I got pregnant with my second child about 10 years ago. I had been relaxing my hair since I can't remember when and suddenly found myself desiring to wear an afro of all things. It wasn't so much that desired to go natural I just wanted to wear my hair in an afro. So I tried perm rods but found that they made my curls tighter than I wanted them to be. I then decided to wear it in knots. I would wash and twist it and wear the knots for about two days. When I took them down and fluffed my hair I found that it gave me the look I was going for.

In the process of wearing this afro I stopped relaxing my hair. I noticed that while my hair was growing out I liked the way it looked! I liked the waves that I saw and decided to just let it grow out and go all natural just to see what it would look like. I have to tell you that the length of my hair was to below my shoulders and I DID NOT CUT MY HAIR off to grow it out! When friends commented that I needed to get a touch-up I let them know that I was "growing my hair out". They were stunned at the thought of me cutting off all my hair and to be honest with you so was I! So I didn't! I grew it out for about two years doing the knots and the afto routine. I used no heat on my hair during this process and only co-washed my hair with conditioner. Every now and then I would use my shampoo that I got from my dermatologist for dandruff (it's a great clarifier) but for the most part I only used conditioner. I did not experience any breakage during this process either and the only hair loss that I did have was the normal shedding.

I would rinse my hair nearly everyday with conditioner. Once I was out of the shower I would twist my hair using some sort of hair oil or moisturizer. I would wear the knots for two or three days and then take them down and voila! My hair was a huge beautiful shiny afro! Just what I wanted.

Now ten years later I am still sporting my natural curls and loving it. I love the looks I get from people when I walk into a room and I don't look like anyone else in there (it helps that I'm 5'7" with an ecclectic style and personality and wears 4" heels nearly everyday). I love the fact that wearing my hair natural gives me so many options of what to do with my hair. If I want to wear it straigt I can! If I want to set it I can! If I just want to pull it back into a bun I can! Although one should never say what they will never do I'm pretty confident that unless I'm being held hostage in a foreign country and told to relax my hair I will NEVER relax my beautiful curls again!!

An episode of hell date sparked my interest in going natural, lol. I have since forgotten the girls name but she had a fiya fro. I thought about it for a couple of months and November 2007 was my last relaxer. I transitioned until August 1, 2008 and have been au natural ever since. And even though there are "those days" I absolutely love my God-given hair.


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What sparked me to go natural was a hair salon visit! I had a 7:00pm appointment and did not get into the stylist's chair until 10:00pm! Needless to say this was on a work night. I didn't get out of the salon until 1:00am and had to get up at 5:00am for work! I immediately thought that there had to be something better than this!!!!

I was telling my story to my co-worker the next day, who wears her hair pressed (which I didn't know...thought it was relexaer). She said to me that I should go natural...she was natural...I was like well, I'm not sure that I want to press my hair...she mentioned that I could be a curly girl... So, I went home, did my research that night and immediately decided that I was going natural!!!!!

I transitioned for 3 months, cut it all off, got in my car, and drove over to my parents and showed them the new me!!! I felt as if I was soaring! I haven't looked back since and am extremely thankful to have found an entire new community to be a part of! It's so refreshing!!!!

The remarkable thing about the entire situation is that I have inspired so many of my friends to do the same...my entire church community has been following in my footsteps!!!!! Every week, someone has BC'd, or is asking me questions!

And the irony of the entire situation???? My co-worker has stopped pressing her hair and is a curly!!!!!

I love it!

My decision to go natural was kind of forced on me. My husband is in the Navy and in the spring of 2006 we moved from Charleston, SC to Groton, CT. I knew no one in the area that could do relaxers well. So, I took a chance on stylist and the results were a complete disaster. I guess she mixed the chemicals weird because my scalp was on fire within 5 minutes of putting the chemicals in. She convinced me to leave the mixture in just a little bit longer to "make sure the hair is nice and straight." I was almost in tears the burning was so bad! Finally, she took pity on me and rinsed the mixture out and styled my hair, all of which was very painful. Within two days my armpit length hair started falling out by the handfuls! I went to see a doctor and it turned out that I had chemical burns all over my scalp. I had to get my hair cut down to a pixie cut to deal with the massive breakage. I was devastated and cried as I watched my hair fall to the floor as it was being cut. After about 4 months (and several wigs) my scalp finally cleared and I vowed never to get a relaxer ever again! I spent the fall and winter months of 2006 wearing nothing but wigs. I was so ashamed of my hair loss and really didn't know what to do with the new hair growing in. In the January of 2007 I went into micro braids and began the long hard task of growing my hair back out. Earlier this year I finally came out of braids and cried at what I saw. I had my hair again! Healthy, chemical free and I LOVE IT!!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

What sparked your decision to go natural? Was there a light bulb moment for you, or was it more of a gradual process?

My decesion to go natural was pretty muched forced on me. I'm a new mom, single, losing my job, with a car note and mortgage. I had to find a way to cut costs so hair care was out. No more going to the salon for a press and deep condition, no more braids, no more luxury. I thought I was missing out until I started trying to find cheap ways to a healthy 4a hair. I found it on CurlyNikki's blog.

I'm not a perm girl, haven't been in about 6 years. Perms destroy my hair. I was just a press girl. Having wavy hair or embrassing my curls wasn't something I thought I could have. I thought I had to have "good hair" in order for my hair to have that wet wavy look to it. Boy was i wrong. I never knew how girls were getting their hair to curl and be thick, plus growing too. So when I discovered CurlyNikki's blog site I was hooked on trying to find something that was ceap and could work for me. My son is now 1 and I just wash my hair when I give him his bath. Before we get out I had some good conditioner to it. While I'm drying my son off and putting him in his PJ's I'm leting my hair dry some. After I put him to sleep I hair a Jamacain Black Castor oil to the roots and some raw Shea Butter to the ends. I twist them in 5 sections, wrap and sleep, after I make some bottles for him to drink the next day, lol.

I happened upon curlynikki back in September of 2009 and I haven't looked back. I have had to use cheap conditioners because I can't afford the good stuff that the other bloggers use. My bottle of conditioner costs about $1.99. My Shea Butter I get from Little Ethipoia in Los Angeles for $5 a pound, it's going to take me months to go through it. I found the castor oil on eBay and got it for a cheap price. I would love to try something else but I just can't afford it.

(Oh and about 4 years ago, all of my hair fell out when i was admitted into the hospital for the 3 herniated discs in my back, the medications took my hair out) So I've been growing my hair ever since then trying to get my length back to bra length. I'm only around chin length now. I hope that going Natural will help me with growth as well.

I have learned to embrass my curls and although it started off as a change because of having no money and a serous lack of funds, I am happy to be nappy. I won't let that jerk that tried to kill me and my son effect the love I have for my son and now myself. Being able to look in the mirror now and seein ME is truly a blessing and I don't need validation from someone that was physically abussive to me and my son.

I made one of the best mistakes in my life, by getting a wave nouveau. I yearned for the nouveau because I saw one of my hairdresser's clients with one, and her hair was beautiful. However....the nouveau completely destroyed my hair!! It shed so badly that I wore wigs and weaves for months thereafter. My hair length went from being to my shoulders to being up to my ears.

When I visited my family down south, my cousin's hairdresser gave me a fabulous short haircut that I rocked for a few months and once the perm began to grow out, I vowed not put any more products in my hair, and I have been natural ever since.

That was 3 years ago, and it has been one of the 'best mistakes of my life'.