Category: natural hair

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.

Transitioning into Natural Hair

Posted on by Michelle

Once I finally decided that I was “going natural” and needed to grow out my relaxer, I looked for information on styles that would help with my transition.  The last time I applied relaxer to my hair was in July 2008.  It was now October and my new growth was coming in thick and wavy.  At the time, all I did was wear my hair straight.  This was harder and harder to accomplish the more my natural hair grew.  I looked to the internet and found tons of videos on how to do different styles while transitioning.  I figured why not just start doing my hair as if I were already natural.  That way, I would have some idea of what to do when I cut off the relaxed ends.

Braids with Perm Rods on the ends
Previously, in August ’08, I went back to a darker hair color.  With that out of the way, I began focusing on teaching myself how to style my hair without using any heat.  This was all very new for me.  Some styles turned out great and others were complete disasters.  In the months before my “Big Chop“, I taught myself how to Flat Twist, Roller set with perm rods and even do my own braid extensions.  Some days I just wore it up in a bun to give my hair a break.  
Now when I look back on my transition, which ended up being for 9 months, I realize that my plan worked.  I use these styles all of the time.  I don’t do extenstions anymore, but I enjoy wearing my hair in small individual braids from time to time.  
The “Braid-out” with Satin Scarf Headband
My advice to Transitioners; “Do your hair as if you are already natural,”.  Once you decide to go natural, you might as well start your journey and begin using products and techniques that will help you later on.  Not only will you know what to do once you do the Big Chop, but you’ll have some idea of how you’ll look wearing your
natural hair.

What finally made me decide to go Natural

Posted on by Michelle
My hair in Aug. ’08
After using a relaxer to straighten my hair for 20 years, there I was trying to decide if I should go Natural.  For me this would mean “re-learning” how to do my hair.  The last time my hair was Natural, my mother was still doing it for me.  I even called to ask her about my hair texture back then.  It wasn’t so thick and crazy that she didn’t know what to do with it.  I also remembered how long it was. 
Then it was like a light finally went on…my hair was long back then.  I also thought that it was pretty sad that I couldn’t even remember what my own hair texture was before the relaxer.  So, that was it, I had my mind set on growing out my relaxed hair.  I figured, I spent twenty years wearing it straight, so why not spend the next twenty natural?
Of course I had to talk it over with my husband.  He and I have known each other since High School and this would be new for both of us.  For weeks I kept asking him if he was okay with it.  Finally he just said, “I didn’t marry you for your hair!”  He was behind me 100 percent.  Even now, when I look at how fast it’s growing, he keeps saying how he knew all along that it would be healthier if I just quit putting all that harsh stuff in my hair. 
My hair in May 2010
So there you have it.  The last time I used a relaxer was in July of 2008 but I didn’t actually decide to go natural until October of the same year.  I waited until May of 2009 to chop off the relaxed ends. 
To watch my video on how I did it, check out my YouTube channel, mitchellzee

Stay Relaxed or Go Natural?

Posted on by Michelle

So there I was without a flat iron and wondering how on earth I was going to start growing my damaged hair longer.  I was already certain that my hair was suffering because of the lighter hair color I decided to use for two years.  What else was I doing wrong?

I jumped on Google and did a search on growing african american hair longer.  I found a site called “growafrohairlong.com”.  I read about how the site’s founder, Robin Woods, grew her hair to about waist length by using the “Crown & Glory” method.  She talked about using braids as a protective style to help retain hair growth. She also gave suggestions on how to care for the hair like, how to comb it and deep conditioning.  The thing I remember most was how she explained that she only did a relaxer 2 times per year.  Say what!  She would go 6 whole months without a relaxer!  That seemed like an extremely long time to me considering the longest I went between relaxers was 8-10 weeks.                  
My hair after my 1st pregnancy
I found out that this method was called “relaxer stretching”. Basically you use a relaxer less frequently to give you hair a chance to grow.  To me that really made sense because I remembered how long my hair was after my first pregnancy.  I stopped doing any haircolor or relaxers during that time because I didn’t want it to effect my baby and my hair flourished as a result.
While I researched it more I kept seeing all of this information about, “going natural”.  I had no idea what that meant at the time so I was fascinated.  It seemed like there were so many women out there who just decided to let go of the relaxer altogether.  Then I started to see all of the cool hair styles that you could do if your hair was in its’ natural state.  I really wanted to go natural and grow my hair long but I wasn’t sure how I would look.  And then there was my hubby…what was he going to think.  So, I was at a crossroads.  Would I go natural or keep it straight?
Next time, “What finally made me decide to go Natural”

Why I Went Natural

Posted on by Michelle
My hair was neck length to shoulder length and back again for as long as I could remember.  My husband kept telling me that the reason for this was that I kept cutting my hair so often. To that I would say, “I have to cut it. Look at all these split ends!”. 

My hair was relaxed and had been since I was 11 years old.  I never even considered that there was any other way.  Once I saw new growth, I went out for another relaxer. Of, course I was doing it all on my own; Haircolor, trims and applying the relaxer myself.  My hair was in a state but I always knew how to mask the damage so that it looked presentable. 
I never thought about the exact cause for my lack of hair growth.  I honestly thought that having long hair was not possible because of my ethnicity (ridiculous, I know, but it was how I thought then).  I didn’t start to question it until I watched my husbands hair grow to nearly Mid Back Length in as little as a year and a half.  I asked myself what does he do?  The answer?  Nothing!  He washed and conditioned each day (his hair is straight and will get greasy if he doesn’t) then applies a leave-in.  Then he would put on a hat or put it in a ponytail.  That’s it!  Then I thought, “What do I do to my hair?”.  Let’s see there were relaxers, haircolor, blowdrying and using heat daily.  No wonder why my hair was so damaged!
Then, out of nowhere, my flatiron broke.  I am still not sure what was wrong with it but it just quit working.  My first thought was to replace it, but then I thought that it was some kind of sign (I’m funny like that).  I decided to hold off and began searching for an alternative.  Little did I know that this would be the beginning of my natural hair journey.
Next time…Stay relaxed or go natural?