going natural Archives - Page 4 of 5

I Did My Own Big Chop

Posted on by Michelle

My hair after 9 months of Transitioning;
Relaxed ends and lots of new growth

I have been doing my own haircuts and trims ever since I graduated from high school. Still, I wasn’t sure if I could successfully do the “Big Chop” myself. I transitioned for nine months so it was very easy to see where to make each cut. I guess I was mostly concerned that I would end up with a fro without the right shape. I had never worn my hair shorter than ear length so the shape of my hair was going to be pretty important to me.

For awhile I considered going to my Dad or Brother who are both trained barbers. I even asked if they would be willing to do it when the time came. I could tell that my Dad was not going to give me a buzz cut because he’s so used to seeing me with longer hair. My brother however had done the Chop for a few other ladies who were starting their journey so he was up for it. Before I made my decision though I decided to check out some videos on YouTube to see how other naturalistas got it done. It seemed to me that having someone do it at a salon meant getting a little more length taken off than I wanted. This was because of the shaping that was done after the relaxed pieces were cut away. That’s when I decided that I would just do it myself because then I would only have myself to blame if I there were any mishaps. Anyway, I could always have my brother fix it if it came to that.

My hair the day after the Big Chop

During my transition, I made it a point to cut off a little each month so that I wouldn’t have very much relaxed hair left to part with. I started out by putting my hair into small sections and cut the first piece right in the front. No turning back! My fro was bigger than I expected which was a plus. The following day, I used some Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-in Conditioning Cream, aloe vera gel and shea butter on my wet hair to encourage my first little curls to come into view. I was so proud of my new hair and how the cut turned out.

1400 YouTube Subscribers!

Posted on by Michelle

Many of my friends and family are amused when I tell them about my YouTube videos. Most of the time I don’t even want them to watch because I feel a little silly. All I talk about is hair so I figure they won’t really get why I do them anyway. As for my YouTube family, there is still so much I want to share.

My first video was just to show others how I transitioned from Relaxed to Natural Hair. I was so happy to see all of the positive comments and decided to do update videos to show my progress. With each video, I received questions which ended up leading to another episode.

The first time I saw that I had subscribers on my YouTube channel I was shocked. I didn’t really think that I had much more to offer than any other Natural on YouTube. This is what sort of kept me going though. Ever since those first two subbies, I’ve been posting more and more content on my hair journey. I checked to see how many I was up to today and saw that I have a little over 1400 subscribers! I know that there are “Hair Gurus” out there who have waaay more but I am blown away by that number. These are all people who for one reason or another genuinely would like to see more content from lil’ ole me!

I wish that I could post more often but my dinosaur of a computer is a real drag when it comes to video editing. Hopefully I’ll be able to push out a couple of vids here soon to feed the masses. In the meantime, I just hope that my place in YouTubia is a help to someone out there who is looking for more information on how to go natural.

CLICK HERE to see my Channel, “mitchellzee”, on YouTube

Rockin’ My Fluffy Fro

Posted on by Michelle

Early on in my natural hair journey I started trying styles that I could do at night. I was finally understanding that my hair would thrive if I could just stay away from the flat iron every morning. Little did I know that there would be a lot of trial and error. The braid-out style has always kept me guessing because I could never get it quite right. Either I chose the wrong products, separated the sections too much or it simply wasn’t dry in time.

I’ve come to realize that every braid-out I do is different depending on so many different factors. So instead of cringing at the first sign of poof, I’m learning to just go with it. In the end, the technique is altering my tight, curly fro and stretching my hair. This helps with tangles and those nasty little single strand knots. While I am pleased when the style results in lots of definition and curl, I’m also learning to accept the big fluffy look I sometimes

get. Most importantly, I rock it in public so that others can see that big hair is beautiful and it’s here to stay.

YouTube is a Natural Girls Best Friend

Posted on by Michelle

I’m a YouTube fanatic! I love it so much I even started making my own videos. Before I decided to go natural, I discovered tons of videos where ladies would explain what they did for longer, healthier hair. When I noticed how damaged my own hair was, I turned to the internet for an answer. All of these videos kept popping up. Some were about the best flat iron to use, while others showcased hair styles that required little to no heat.

Not knowing where to begin, I used the YouTube search bar to locate videos on growing african american hair longer. I found a video by Saleemah Cartwright, founder of Hydratherma Naturals. It was a picture slideshow of her hair from completely shaved to length down her back! I later found MacherieHair’s video (no longer posted)on how she does a silk wrap after doing a rollerset for straight and bouncy hair. This one was a shocker! In the beginning her hair is completely wrapped in saran wrap. Then she starts to comb it out…whooaa! Her hair was long, healthy and full of body. So that was all it took…I was completely hooked. The videos about growing healthy hair led me to where I am today.

The Natural Hair community on YouTube is growing larger by the minute. I joined in the Fall of 2008 and can see that there are a lot of new naturals hitting up the site. It’s fun to share our experiences and give advice to those who are starting their journey. It’s a great resource for naturals because you get to see how others care for their natural hair. Since everyones’ hair texture is unique, you get a better idea of how a style or technique may work for you.

I still check out YouTube videos when I’m looking for a cute new style or to watch product reviews. I stop by each day to respond to comments and questions from my own subscribers. You can check out my YouTube Channel here. See you on the Tube!

My Favorite Transitioning Style

Posted on by Michelle

Once I decided to go Natural, I considered how long I should go before doing the Big Chop. At only 3 months post relaxer, I was certain that I wanted to grow my natural texture out a lot more before this step. Normally I wore my hair straight but I was beginning to see how damaging all of the heat was. The next best thing was Rollersetting.

My Hood Dryer

I personally had never Rollerset my hair before. I had seen it done in the salon but that was about it. From what I could see on YouTube, there were a lot of ladies who did it each week instead of using flatirons and blowdryers. I also kept hearing about how handy it was to have a hooded dryer at home for this style and to do deep treatments. I figured I would give it a go.

I went to my local Sally’s beauty supply and purchased the Ion hooded dryer with multiple heat settings for about $40. When I got home, my husband thought I had gone mad. I explained that it was an investment and that I would get a lot of use out of it.

My Curly Fro

As for the rollersetting, I really didn’t know how it would turn out but it was worth a try. I watched plenty of videos before going for it. I used the small grey perm rods so that the two textures of my hair would blend together better. The end result was a cute and curly little afro. The style often lasted a whole week which meant less stress on my hair.

It’s almost 2 years later and I still rollerset my hair. I didn’t realize it then but it’s a technique that can also be used on Natural hair. I’m glad that I learned how to do it during my transitioning phase because now it’s one of my staple styles.