Courtney's Natural Journey

Hello Root of the Natural subscribers!  Today I would like to introduce to you my little sister Courtney K.   Courtney just got her Big Chop done on Friday, December 16^th and has graciously agreed to share with us her experience.  Thanks Courtney for joining us!

ROTN:  So Courtney, what made you decide to stop perming your hair and begin your transition?

Courtney:  Mostly, I hated the smell of relaxers…  HATED it!  I felt like I smelled like rotten eggs for days afterwards!  Also, my hair looked so flat and lifeless for the first few weeks after a relaxer.  I also started to hate the idea of putting so many chemicals in my hair.   I knew it wasn’t healthy, because I had so many broken hairs around the edges.  Relaxing my hair just didn’t feel right to me anymore. 

ROTN:  How long did you transition and why did you decide to go to the next level and do your Big Chop (BC)?

Courtney:   I transitioned for about a year.  While the relaxer was growing out, I would get my hair blow dried and flat ironed and I knew that I wasn’t doing myself any favors with all that heat.  My hair would be straight for a couple of days, but by the end of the week the two different textures would come through and I looked ridiculous.  I didn’t want to keep dishing out my money to get it done when the style wouldn’t even last through the week. Cutting the relaxed ends off seemed like the best decision for me.

ROTN:  What did you do to prepare for your BC?

Courtney:  I did a lot of research and used my big sis as a sounding board.  I would spend hours on YouTube and hair blogs learning about products and asking questions.  I wanted to make sure that I had a good variety of products beforehand so I wasn’t scrambling after my cut.   I made sure I had a shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, styling gels, wide-tooth comb, boar bristle brush, pomade, oils, moisturizers, plenty of plastic and satin caps, and of course headbands.  

ROTN:  How did you feel on the day of your BC?  What was going through your mind?

Courtney:  I was extremely excited and not scared at all.  I was so ready…I just wanted to get it over with.  I had all my products lined up for weeks and I  wanted to start using them!  Although my hair had never been cut above chin length, I wasn’t worried about having short hair.  If I didn’t like it, I knew it would grow back eventually.  

ROTN:  What were your thoughts after seeing your BC? How did you feel?

Courtney:  I fell in love!  I was no longer hiding behind my hair.  It think it really brought out my facial features and made me look more mature…I felt fancy! Ha-ha!  It literally felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders because my head has never felt so light.  I love being able to see my natural curls...this is the real me. 

ROTN:  What were the reactions of your family and friends?  How did their reactions make you feel?

Courtney:  Half of my family loved it, and the other half hated it.  I think those that hated it were so used to seeing my hair straight.  They didn’t even like it when I would cut my relaxed hair.  Long and straight is their ideal.   It’s a big change, and it’s a lot for some people to get used to. (That’s their problem though). 

ROTN: What advice would you like to share with someone who is transitioning and thinking about doing a BC?

Courtney:  Take your time and educate yourself on hair.  If you can, talk to someone who’s done it before.   I think being able to talk to Rachel about it made things much easier for me.  Also, there's a ton of information available online.  I would say, take all of the advice with a grain of salt.  No one’s hair is the same, and just because something did or didn’t work for one person, doesn’t mean you’ll get the same results.   Most importantly be honest with yourself and love yourself.   You’ll get a lot of opinions, but the only one that matters is your own. 

ROTN:  Thus far, what is your favorite product?  What products are on your radar?

Courtney:  I’ve been sticking with a wash and go style, and I love Kinky Curly.  I can’t wait to try the wash and go using Bee Mine.  I’ve heard great things about it.

Courtney, I really want to say thanks for taking this time to share with the Root of the Natural audience your Big Chop experience.   Your hair is beautiful and I’m glad you decided to begin your natural hair journey.  You know I’ll be following you on your journey and will continue to document your milestones.  

       2 weeks before BC                                Courtney's hair 12/19/11

As always…Thanks for reading my blog and please subscribe :)

Peace & Blessings

Natural4Rachel

My Winter Hair Regimen?

Wow...I was supposed to write this post last week.  My little Sis asked me, "What is your winter hair regimen?"  I had to ask myself.... What IS my winter regimen?  Do I REALLY have one?  That question is still up in the air.  Since my BC in September, I can't say that I've made any significant changes to my hair care regimen.  I believe the way I take care of my hair now is good enough for the winter months.  Even with relaxed hair I never switched my routine to coincide with the change of the seasons.  As far as cleansing and conditioning are concerned I shampoo, condition, and deep condition my hair once a week on Sundays.  Deep conditioning weekly is a new thing that I didn't do with relaxed hair. I usually apply my deep conditioner, put on a plastic conditioning cap, and sit under my bonnet dryer for 30mins.  Deep conditioning is very beneficial in moisturizing and strengthening your hair IF DONE CORRECTLY. After reading a recent FAQ in a CurlyNikki.com newsletter I may not be deep conditioning my hair correctly.  Below is the question and answer which leads me to this conclusion.  To read the FAQ in its entirety, click on the title link following this excerpt. 

I like sitting under the dryer. Is there any harm?

Yes, sitting under a bonnet dryer for long periods of time with conditioner in your hair can cause harm. The instructions on your conditioner tell you the safest way to use the product. Studies show that preservatives and other chemicals in cosmetic products can cause eczema and a type of alopecia called telogen effluvium.

We’re used to thinking of eczema as a skin condition that runs in families, but frequent exposure to cosmetic chemicals can cause a type of eczema called “acute contact dermatitis”. Symptoms of acute contact dermatitis include itching, bumps, tenderness, and dry patches. Studies show that acute contact dermatitis on the scalp leads to a form of short-term alopecia called telogen effluvium. The condition causes excess hair shedding for up to 6 months.

When you leave a conditioner on longer than the recommend time you may be increasing your exposure to cosmetic chemicals that have been linked to eczema, alopecia, and more serious health problems like cancer. Adding heat increases your exposure even more. 

FAQs- Deep Conditioning and Natural Hair Posted by CURLYNIKKI

OK... I sit under a bonnet dryer even though my deep conditioner does not require the use of heat. I've also sat under the drying longer than the specified conditioning time. Could this be the reason I'm battling a small dry, flaky patch in the front of my hair? I will follow the directions as written on my deep conditioner from now on and see if there are any changes. This may or may not be the sole culprit. Another reason I believe I could be having this dry, flaking issue is because I don't oil my scalp like I use to when my hair was relaxed. I use to oil my scalp once a week and I didn't have any issues with flakes. So, right now I've begun to apply more oil to the sections of my scalp that tend to itch and flake. I will monitor the condition of my scalp with these changes.

After washing and conditioning my hair I apply oil as a sealant. Right now my go-to oil is coconut oil. I like coconut oil because it is light on my hair and it doesn't leave my hair feeling greasy like olive oil tends to do. Don't get me wrong, I love and use olive oil as well. I read an article not too long ago on the benefits and the differences of natural oils we use on our hair. After reading through the oils listed, coconut oil remains my favorite. You can read this article by clicking on the title link below. 

Natural Oils in Hair Products

Posted by CURLYNIKKI

by Tonya Mckay via Naturallycurly.com

The second half of my "winter regimen" would be my protective style. Right now I'm still in the TWA stage of my hair growth so I don't have many options of protective styling that would hide my ends. The style that I've been doing which I consider protective is finger coils. I love finger coils because they are so easy to create and require minimal manipulation. You can see a picture of my finger coils in my previous blog. At the end of the week I separate and fluff my coils using my fingers to create what I call a coil-out. LOL... this is my take on a twist out or braid out. 

Coil-out

So, there you have it. This is how I am maintaining my curls through the winter months.  Now, will my regimen change when the weather gets warmer...I don't know.   That's a question I look forward to answering in the future.   

Thanks for reading my blog and please subscribe :)
Peace & Blessings...
Natural4Rachel

If We Knew Then....

Did the hair industry maximize on our past ignorance about the beauties of our natural hair? This was a topic of conversation that my mom and I had which ultimately boiled down to if we knew then what we know now.

Through the years my mom has rocked all the mainstream hairstyles that were hot at the time.  Growing up she would get a press and curl. Then in the 70s she had a fro.  Going into the 80s it was the jheri curl. From the early 90s until November 2010 she permed her hair.  Finally in October 2011 my mom did her Big Chop and is now wearing her natural curls.  My mom loves her hair!  She loves the simplicity and the versatility of creating awesome curls in her hair.  She feels that if we knew back then how easy it was for our hair to curl, and about the "simple" products (water, gel, etc.) we use today to enhance and maintain these curls, then black women and men may not have subjected themselves to chemical processes like jheri curls and perms. 

I think that over the generations we've let society dictate what was beautiful for our hair and we moved to the beat of their drum. We haven't heard natural is beautiful in a mainstream way since the 70s and if you were born after that time you may have never heard it.  For a lot of ladies wearing your natural hair wasn't an option. Having manageable and straight hair was ingrained into our heads.  I got my first perm between the ages 8 and 10, so before I did my BC in September, I couldn't remember how my natural hair looked.  That's almost sad when I think about it.  This is what my mom decided for my hair and I had no choice at that age. This was a decision based on society's concept of beauty. 

We, meaning people with ethnic hair, were always looking for the quick/permanent "fix" to our nappy hair.  We were never really encouraged to take care of our hair because it wasn't considered "good hair."  It was looked upon as more of a burden.  In my opinion, because we were not taught to appreciate our natural hair we succumbed to chemical processes, and the hair industry (which is not dominated by African-American owned businesses) profited from our lack of knowledge.  Taking care of your natural hair can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.  As I stated in my previous blog, our hair is very versatile.  In my opinion it is more versatile than chemically processed hair.  We can wear it curly, braided, straight, blown out, twisted, pinned up....whatever we feel. Now there are more products available that are better for your hair (organic and non-organic).

Today, we are more accepting of ourselves and doing what we want and what's best for us. If people want to chemically process their hair that is fine.  If they want to wear their natural hair, that is fine too.  I am happy that we can make more informed decisions about our hair.  We can teach the generations after us about their hair and let them have more choices as well.  So....If we knew then what we know now (my mom and I) we may have never chemically processed our hair.

As always, thanks for reading my blog and please subscribe :)

Natural4Rachel

Have You Ever Said...

I LOVE MY HAIR! Yes....Since I've been natural I know I've talked about how much I love my hair on more than one occasion.  When I really think about it I don't think that I expressed that same love for my hair when I wore it relaxed. I liked the styles that my hair was in from time to time but I don't ever remember saying I loved my hair.  The love for my hair goes beyond a particular style.  I love my hair's natural state.  I decided to write this post because my mother and I were talking about an oil treatment we used on our hair and we were very unsatisfied with the results and how it made our hair feel.  Then, in the same breath, we expressed how much we loved our hair. As we talked we began listing the reasons why we loved our hair. So....wrote a list about it.... wanna hear? HERE IT GOES!

Why do you love your hair?

• Versatility: My hair does pretty much what I want it to do.  Although I am still in that TWA stage I can still rock various looks (wash-n-go, finger coils, afro, frohawk, etc.).
• Ease of styling:  I can experience what I call the instant hair-do.  When all else fails I can add a little water and my hair curls right up.  I love being able to have curls without chemicals or a curling iron.
• The Feel:  I've developed the hand in hair syndrome.  My hair feels so thick and soft, and I enjoy pulling on my curls and watching them bounce back into place.
• The Adventure:  Learning to take care of your natural hair is an adventurous experience.  I always hope to do what is best for my hair and I enjoy learning from other peoples experiences. I watch a lot of YouTube channels and read various blogs. Not everything I see and try works, but it was fun giving it a shot.
• Added confidence:  When my hair was relaxed I seemed to have cared more about what people thought of my hair.  Now that I am natural I can honestly say I don't care what people think anymore. 

My Hair Today:

Finger coils

Thanks for reading my blog and please subscribe :)

Peace & Blessings....

Natural4Rachel

You Are Not Limited...

As the second month post BC quickly approaches you would think that I'd get bored with rocking my TWA via wash-n-gos or finger coils.  Those who know me know that I like to switch up my look, so it may be a little surprising to find out that I am not in the least bored with my hair.  This is because I love to accessorize. ACCESSORIZE...you know!....to add something to something else to make it more useful, attractive, or effective.  Any accessory is just the little touch needed to help spice up your hair and/or outfit.  I love adorning my hair with bejeweled clips, flowers, hats and headbands.  Now that winter is approaching it is time to pull out my slouchy hats and ear warmer headbands. 

Although accessories give you that little added touch it can be a big subtraction from your pockets.  Accessories are not cheap so to remedy this addition and subtraction problem I've decided to make my own accessories.  As I stated in a previous blog, I am the DIY kind of girl. Check out the winter accessorizes I made. Enjoy!

As always.....Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and please subscribe :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Peace & Blessings...


Natural4Rachel

Slouch Hat

Ear warmer headband

Mushroom slouch hat

Ear warmer headband

Winterizing Your Hair Care

"Experts say harsh winter weather and a change in temperatures can be hair's No. 1 enemy. Here's why -- and what to do."

 

By Colette Bouchez          Reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson Mathis, MD
 

WebMD Feature

 

"From hat hair to static electricity, split ends to dry frizz, when winter weather hits, a bad hair day can last an entire season. In fact, even if you live in a moderate climate, experts say you're still susceptible to hair-raising changes as the seasons pass."

Read the full article here.

DIY

Last week I was leaving the restroom and a woman I'd never met before stopped me to tell me how great my hair looked.  She was more excited about my hair than I was.  This made me feel good because I was working on Day 5 of my style:  a wash n' go that transformed into finger coils by the end of the week.  She loved it so much and asked if it was professionally done.  I explained to her that I got my BC done professionally but I usually do my own styling.  For the most part I go to a professional for a cut or trim.  I attribute my ability to style my own hair to my mother.  Growing up we rarely went to a salon.  If we did, we'd pay close attention to how the style was done and then we would try to mimic the style when it was time to do our hair again.  My mom was never afraid to try it herself and she transferred that to me.  I'm not afraid of my hair.  I would say that we have that DIY (Do It Yourself) mentality. Beyond hair, my whole family is the DIY family.  

I feel it is important for me to pass this on to the next generation and that would be my son.  If I had a little girl I would do the same, but I think this is equally important for my son.  Although I don't have a lot of hair to deal with I hope to teach my son how to take care of the hair he does rock.  I wash his hair at least once a week or more depending on how hard he plays indoors and out. I wash his hair with Carol's Daughter Tui Moisturizing Shampoo and I condition with the Tui Hair Smoothie.  I oil his hair as needed with the Carol's Daughter Lisa's Hair Elixir and use the Carol's Daughter Marguerite's Magic as his daily hairdress.  Yes, I know Carol's Daughter can be expensive but that is what I use on my hair at times too.  I figure if it is good enough for me and safe for my child then it is good enough for my child too. In the mornings I begin by spraying his hair with plain water or my water mixture (water/Aloe Vera juice/olive oil) and then I will proceed with the oil and hairdress.  My son is young and may not appreciate how I am taking care of his hair now but I hope that this habit/routine will one day be instilled in him.  I want him to take pride in the way he looks and take care of himself.  It really bugs me when I see parents looking dressed to the 9s and their child is looking raggedy.  This goes for hair as well.  I hate seeing the parents hair (mom's in particular) fried, dyed and laid to the side and then her daughter's hair is looking like "who done it."  If you can do your hair you can do your daughter's hair!  If you know you can't do your daughters hair find someone who can do it for you or even teach you how to do it yourself.....OK, that was my personal opinion/rant and I'm not going to apologize for it.  

The point I am trying to make is to take care of your child's hair the way you take care of yours.  If your child sees you appreciating your hair and also taking the necessary steps to help them, then hopefully they will grow to love and appreciate their own hair as well.

Below are pics of the products I use on my hair and my son's hair.  

Carol's Daughter Products

Ingredients for water mixture

Tui Moisturizing Shampoo
8.0 fl oz

regular price: $13.00 

Qty.

Tui Moisturizing Hair Smoothie
8.0 oz

regular price: $20.00

Lisa's Hair Elixir
8.0 fl oz

regular price: $20.00

Marguerite's Magic
8.0 oz

regular price: $17.00

Water

Free

Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Juice

16.0 oz

suggested retail price: $4.75

Olive Oil

price depends on the brand and amount you choose.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and please follow :)

Peace and Blessings......

Natural4Rachel 

How Many Days Do You Get?...

My Answer:

Well...for the past 2-1/2 weeks I have achieved 5-7 day hair.

Who cares?:

Many naturalists do, and now I do.......

It's funny because I never gave much thought about how long a hair style would last me when I had long, relaxed hair.  If my hair began to act up I would just snatch it back into a ponytail.  I probably wore that ponytail for another week or two or more...(eewwww!).   Now that I think about it, I wore a lot of ponytails and flat twists back into buns/ponytails (low maintenance). 

Now that my hair is short and natural there won't be any more snatch backs for a while.  My ultimate goal is to avoid getting caught up in that routine again. Right now, for ME, 5-7 days out of a style is pretty easy to achieve because my hair is short.  During the first two weeks of styling my hair I barely got 2-1/2 days out of my style (wash-n-go).  Initially my hair was dry after my BC.  I was obsessed about retaining moisture so I added more oils and styling products to my hair throughout the week. By the time day 3 came, and for the rest of the week, my hair was greasy to the touch. 

The hair fairies may have felt my need because they sent me a YouTube video that changed everything... How to Maintain Wash and Go for 5 Days or More "Natural Hair" by Naptural85.    Her description states," This is an easy and quick technique that leaves curls defined, detangled, and separated throughout the week."  Below is what I pretty much I got out of the video and I'm sure you have already clicked on the above link by now...LOL!

• Spritz water into the air and let it fall gently onto the hair. (You don't want to spritz too much water and not directly onto the hair.) 
• Place a cap over your hair.  Depending on how long and thick your hair is will determine how many caps you need to completely cover your curls.
• Follow up with your satin scarf or bonnet over the plastic cap(s). This ensures your plastic cap(s) don't slip off while your are sleeping.
• The next morning when you remove your scarf or bonnet, you will notice extra moisture in your plastic cap. This is the reason why you only want to spritz a little bit of water on your hair at night.  The water under the cap plus the heat from your head makes the moisture multiply as you sleep.
• Depending on how you like to style or manipulate your hair, you already have that little bit of moisture to get you started.

Another benefit of the water, that Naptural85 mentions in the video and that I see when I do this technique, is that my curls are supple and bounce back after sleeping on them.  Without water my hair dries and mattes down to my head.  I do experience a little shrinkage depending on how much water I use.  At this time shrinkage is not an issue for me and I don't mind it. 

Doing this nightly moisturizing technique has given me the moisture I was looking for and thus lessened the need for me to add a lot of extra product throughout the week.  With that said less is more.  The less product that I have built up on my hair adds more days to my style.  I love it when I can say that I am having a good hair week.

For ME, the bottom line is...moisturizing my hair at night with water spritz helps to maintain my style throughout the week. 

Now remember, what works for me may not work for you...

My mother is a prime example.  She feels water spritzing her hair at night does not help her maintain her hair style (wash-n-go).  She told me that the water spritz pulls the curl definition out of her hair and makes it feel like mush.  Mind you, our hair textures are different so this could be a factor. Whatever the case we both tried the same technique.  I like it and she doesn't.  Again, do what works best for you.

So...How many days do you get out of your hair style?  What technique do you feel helps you maintain your style (wash-n-go, twist outs, braid outs, etc.)?  Share your thoughts in the comments. Let's do this together.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post :)

Peace & Blessings.....

Natural4Rachel

So What Happened Next...

In Review:

I got my Big Chop!  ...and the lessons to be learned are "every persons reason for going natural is different just like every persons hair is different" AND "what works for me may not work for you."

LOL!...Ok, so on with the story!

In preparation, prior to my BC, I watched many YouTube videos that included style tutorials and product reviews.  I knew it would be a while before I could style my hair in twist, protective styles and other fabulous coifs of the sort so I payed close attention and took notes on the products of interest being used and the reviews given.  I know taking notes may sound a bit crazy but it helped me organize and remember all these products that were flashing before my eyes. 

.....so my BC is done and I think you know what happened next.....The next day I was in the stores searching for the beginnings of my hair arsenal.  (Also the beginnings of a product junkie in the making...I'm not ashamed...LOL!)

From the videos I watched I was interested in the following products listed below.  Since I am still a natural newbie and haven't used these products enough, I will not be providing any reviews at this time.  I would like to use a product a few times and take notes on my experience before I present my 100% honest opinion of the product.

1. WATER-  I don't really consider this a "product" unless I decide to use store bout water...LOL!  This is a very import part of my arsenal.  If I didn't have anything else I will always have water.  
2. Spray Bottle-  These come in handy for administering the water and any other liquid solutions may concoct to moisturize and condition your hair. 
3. Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque - After washing and conditioning my hair I used this as a deep conditioning treatment.
4. Shea Moisture Curling Enhancing Smoothie - I use this as a leave-in moisturizer before applying the Eco-Styler Olive Oil Gel.  Many naturalists I viewed gave their opinions about the importance of applying a moisturizer under any particular brand of gel you decide to use.
5. Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel  - This is used as my main styler and it also is used to slick back and clean up my edges. 
6. One 'N Only Moraccan Argan Oil Hair Treatment - I purchased this to use as a sealant.  I was interested in using Argan oil.  Apparently this product does not contain as much Argan oil as I would have preferred (realized that after the fact).
7. One 'N Only Argan Oil Styling Cream - I purchased this and still haven't used it...LOL!

All of these products (minus the One 'N Only Argan Oil Styling Cream) were the makings of my go-to TWA (tiny winy afro) style: The Wash-n-Go.  I have taken note to provide a video of how I do my wash-n-go in the future.

Lets go back to the aforementioned product junkie comment.....So What Happened Next, Next.....The next week I was back in the stores purchasing other products to try. I purchased most of the Kinky-Curly hair line.  (I'm still not ashamed!)  I do have a lot of products that I purchased while I was still transitioning and then there were other purchases after Kinky-Curly but I'll save those for other posts.

So as always........

Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog :)

Peace & Blessings...

Natural4Rachel

Here are some pics of the products mentioned:

Water: Free

Spray Bottle: Varies by store. I got this particular bottle from Sally's for between $2 and $3. I could have gotten a cheaper bottle from Walmart.

Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie & Deep Treatment Masque: I got these from Walgreens at $9.99 ea.  Keep your eye out for sales.  You can find them BOGO free and/or BOGO 50% off.

One 'N Only Moraccan Argan Oil Hair Treatment & Argan Oil Styling Cream:  I got these from Sally's for  $9.49 ea/3.4oz Hair Treatment & $9.49ea/10oz Curl Cream.  AGAIN... watch for sales and if you have the Sally's Beauty Club Card you can get it for $8.49ea.

Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel:  I got this from Sally's and it is marked at $4.79 and $4.29 w/Beauty Club Card.  This goes on sale quite often so I did not pay this amount.  I've heard people mention getting their 32oz tub for as little as $2.99 on sale.

Kinky-Curly Knot Today, Curling Custard & Spiral Spritz:  I got mine from a specialty beauty supply called Hair Prosperity.  You can also find  them at your local Whole Foods Market if available. 

                                                                                 Knot Today:  8oz - $12.00

                                                                                 Curling Custard:   8oz - $17.00;  16oz - $29.99

                                                                                 Sprial Spritz: 8oz - $12.00

                         

A Quick Introduction...

It is always polite to introduce yourself so here I go...

I am Natural4Rachel and this is my very first post. (Audience:  Hi Natural4Rachel!....LOL.) Intro sound familiar? Ok, enough with that...

I have been wearing my hair natural for exactly 1 month and 8 days.  I did my Big Chop (BC) on September 30, 2011. I can say that this was the best decision I made for ME regarding MY hair. I absolutely LOVE MY HAIR and I am excited about this new "journey". When you follow the curl you never know which direction it is going to take you. There is no turning back for me. 

So why did I go natural you ask?  Well my story is really simple...I think part of it was born out of pure laziness and the other part was my mother saying, "Let's stop perming our hair."  My simple answer was okay and this turned out to be more of a challenge. It was a good challenge because I didn't feel a need to perm my hair. I just monitored my new growth and became more and more excited with what I was seeing.  I transitioned for 7 months and during this time I discovered the vast natural hair community via YouTube.  I've learned so much watching fellow naturals posting their vlogs, and I am still learning.  Watching these video helped fuel the fire and gave me the confidence to do my BC.  I was also tired of trying to maintain two different hair textures.  So.....it did my BC and I'm not looking back. 

You see, every persons reason for going natural is different just like every persons hair is different. So like countless naturals have said and continue to say "what works for me may not work for you." With that said, the purpose of this blog is to share my natural hair experience with anyone who is interested.  As with my hair journey this blog, and maybe a little vlogging, is a new endeavor. I am by no means a natural hair expert nor am I trying to be. I just hope that what I post can inspire other naturals or soon to be naturals just like I was inspired by others. As a community you learn from each other.  If one little comment, picture, video, or even another persons comments help or inspire someone else, then this blog has served its purpose.

As for a particular format of this blog....I don't have one yet :)  Let's do this together and learn along the way. We will just follow the curl and see where it ends up.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my blog :)

Peace & Blessing...

Natural4Rachel

Here are a few pics of my journey thus far:

Last perm  (Feb 2010)                     Day of Big Chop

Big Chop (Sept. 30, 2011)

1 Month Post Big Chop