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I had thought about and transitioned to natural hair on many different occasions. In fact the last time my hair was completely natural was during my sophomore in college (7 years ago). At that time my decision to go natural was influenced by the fact that I was a poor college student and couldn't afford to perm my hair at a salon every month or so. Eventually I got tired of pressing my natural hair (which I did myself) and I could never figure out how to style my hair in a way that looked like I knew how to style it. One day during my junior year in college, I was talking with a friend who had learned to perm her hair herself. Tired of my natural hair, I asked her to teach me how to perm my hair myself (at least it would be less expensive than going to a salon). In a matter of 20 minutes, I went from completely natural to permed. I even taught other friends how to perm their hair themselves.
(Before my transition - June 2009)
Ironically, five years later I attended the wedding of my friend who originally showed me how to perm my hair. One of the first things I noticed about her was how good she looked and how thick and straight her hair was. As one could imagine, I was shocked to learn that her hair was completely natural and she had actually transitioned a few years earlier. On her wedding day she even found a really cute style she could use. After that weekend I reflected and decided that having natural hair didn’t mean my hair had to look unkempt. It just meant I would have to really learn how to style it which would not be an easy task, but as evidenced by my friend, could be achieved with practice. I immediately jumped on YouTube, my guru, and found videos with transitioning styles (I wasn't ready for the big chop). Thankfully, there were so many helpful videos, but the videos that helped build my confidence the most were the ones by Nikkimae2003.
Today I am 5 months into my transition and while I sometimes still struggle with what to do with my hair, I am so overjoyed to know that I am part of a movement and community of positive black women who are proud of their roots…just as I am.
(My first transition style using flexirods - September 2009)
*As you can see this was just a start
(My best look so far has been the strawset - October 2009) |
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