Natural Hair...

I'm natural.

Been natural since January 16, 2012.

Now my becoming natural was a process.

A long one, but let's start at the beginning.

This is my most professional portrait.

Well most professional in which I'm not wearing my academic regalia.

For years I looked like the above. Well maintained, sitting 9 am appt with my hair dresser, Renee, in a suburb of Omaha.  I drove to Bellevue faithfully to get my every 12 week relaxer and every other week roller set.

I was a believer in all things Mizani.

And yes…I think selfies are everything.

These photos are actually from the beginning of my transition, but this was how much length I had. 

Let's parlay back to my deeply entrenched relaxer days shall we!

 

Back when the roots were chemically straighten!

I took my hair very seriously!

I never put heat on it myself and I didn't do anything to damage it. The best pics were the ones I took on my laptop after these hair appts. I clearly lacked not for thinking my hair was a complete slay.

Roots were so straight and hair was so regularly laid that I was asked on more than one occasion what I was mixed with?!?!? O____O 

The assumption that I couldn't be all Black with this hair was annoy, but your girl's had was bawse.

When I started transitioning, Renee just gave me roller sets and I rocked those.

Transitioning: The Early Days

The beginning of my curl pattern!  I was super geeked at this point but I still had no idea what my hair would actually look like.

Another transition style still early on.

Eight months into my transition my lab moved to North Carolina and that means I left my hair dresser. My mother wanted me to get one more perm before I left but I was way too in love with my texture for that. I tried extensions but that isn't for me. My scalp almost got infected and I basically had flu like symptoms for a week. It was awful but I looked cute!

This lasted a whole week O__O

After that I decided not to get my hair done by anyone but myself of the natural hair salon.

Yup….pulled my hair so tight you'd have thought some lye had rested upon my scalp but it has NOT!

Though beautiful, it didn't last long. 

My normal go too style eventually became 

Yup….conditioner as a styling product on wet, detangled hair and swooped back into a low bun.  

It was boring but it was definitely my style. Obviously, I intermittently got roller sets and even got my hair straighten but it wasn't something I liked. For some reason the longer I was natural, the less interested I was and am in having other people do my hair. 

The last time I got it straightened while transitioning

Finally, it was time for ML's graduation and I decided I was done transitioning. I'd planned to go 1.5 years but I ended up going 16 months.

Transition life!

Big Chop with Karma!

Laid

for

the

gods

and

baby

Jesus!

Easy breezy beautiful!

Karma, my stylist, handled the big chop and style and I loved it!

Technically this is the end of my transition but I'll show you some pics of what else I've been up to hair wise intermittently on here. I love all things natural hair and I love doing mine. Currently, I'm a once a week hair styler and I'm doing LOC regiment with great results.

The last time had it straightened was April and it was 3 inches from bra strap length.

I plan to straighten it for medical school interviews. That's the only time its straight. Period. Full stop.