When did you have your hair "epiphany"?

[MsLizziA]

I was sitting her thinking that at one point in my life, i was never this consumed in hair and it was due to the fact that i thought i know what i was doing so getting real knowledge on hair wasn't necessary to me.

How arrogant right? erplexed

Well the green light when off in my head when i self- relaxed my natural hair that i had been growing out for a year and it all just fell out . Stupid and dumb decision. So i guess you can say that the green light went off in my head about getting serious with my hair when i didn't have any more hair left .

Yea i can look back on it and laugh now but when it happened, not so funny.

That's when i decided it was time to join some hair boards, read some blogs, check some youtubes and get serious if i was going to wear my natural hair because i had no clue what i was doing when i BC'd the second time.

At what point did you decided enough was enough whether your relaxed or natural?

 

[MsLizziA]

bumping....

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I was looking at my stiff thinning, breaking, shedding relaxed barely APl hair 5 years ago....looked through my old picture books at how thick and long my hair was naturally and decided enough was enough I was going natural.

I was determined and it never even occurred to me to look for boards....I leanred everything through trial and error and just taught myself to do a whole buncha looks on my own.

Last year through researching some products I stumbled upon this site and here I am!

 

[luvn_life]

I was talking on the phone with my sis for like 3 hours and somewhere in hour 1 I was like yeah I would never go natural because the transitioning process and I don't have time for that. By hour 3 I was looking at alot of beautiful natural head fotkis and I just blurted out let's go natural... And my sis was like OK... That was on August 6 of last year and we haven't looked back since.

I am super glad I made the decision too. I am soooo happy that I will be natural so that I can be an example to my kids that your natural hair is beautiful.

I am not trying to down any relaxed hair. But that is just my reason. All healthy hair is beautiful.

 

[melissa-bee]

When the hair i thought i had couldn't be seen in my shadow on a sunny day.

 

[MsLizziA]

I was talking on the phone with my sis for like 3 hours and somewhere in hour 1 I was like yeah I would never go natural because the transitioning process and I don't have time for that. By hour 3 I was looking at alot of beautiful natural head fotkis and I just blurted out let's go natural... And my sis was like OK... That was on August 6 of last year and we haven't looked back since.

I am super glad I made the decision too. I am soooo happy that I will be natural so that I can be an example to my kids that your natural hair is beautiful.

I am not trying to down any relaxed hair. But that is just my reason. All healthy hair is beautiful.

Wow it was just that easy? She just agreed like that? Musta been nice to back one another on that decision or have some one just willingly go through it with you

 

[afrikurl]

I have always been obsessed with hair styles. I remember when I was 4 or 5 and Nintendo had just come out. We got one for christmas and I didn't touch the thing for at least a week. I had new dolls that had hair.

My healthy hair epiphany came by accident. I straightened my hair for a friends wedding. I decided not to go to the sylist who I would visit randomly. She was unprofessional, rough with my hair and I would find small patches that apparently singed while pressing. Well I messed up more than her because NONE of my hair would revert. For two weeks I wore a pony tail that I hated, then one day, I asked my husband to take me to his barber to shave it off.

I thought he would have a negative reaction but he said, if this will make you stop complaining about your hair, let's go. I found the hairboards about 7 months later while searching for a natural curly looking wig. google took me to NC, whic led me to fotki and LHCF and PJism

 

[ceebee3]

I was just tired of wearing my hair in a bun so I went online looking for styling tips.

I never know how to do my own hair and I felt it was time to learn, my search led me here.

 

[Junebug D]

Epiphany... Which one?

The "I need help because I don't know what I'm doing" one? The "natural is right & righteous" one? The "I don't need hair to be beautiful" one? The "Do you" one? Or the "None of this even matters" one?

 

[OriginalMe]

Freshman year of college in 1997. My hair was in decent condition, I just wanted to be free and stop conforming to society's idea of beauty. I havent had a relaxer since.

 

[MrsIQ]

About 3 years ago, I was thinking back on when my hair was thriving. It was during the summers when I was in high school. I washed it 2-3 times a week (swimming) and threw it in a bun or phony pony until the next wash. I also grew out my permanent color at that time. I stretched the whole summer, but went back to burning, overprocessing, coloring and not moisturizing as soon as school started.

Funny how we take care of our hair sometimes without even knowing it.

 

[ChanelNo5]

My epiphany actually came much later in my HHJ.

I grew my relaxed hair from SL to a beautiful healthy BSL when I first joined LHCF. I was applying all the right techniques, using great products, and stretching anywhere from 12 weeks to 6 months.

Then disaster struck . I went to my trusted stylist for a routine touchup and she let her 16 year old assistant rinsed and neutralize me. My first wash after the touchup, my entire nape fell out. Literally you could part my hair up to my ears in the back and it was broken off down to the new growth. The rest looked like it had been put through a shredder.

I was absolutely devastated. I couldn't wear my hair down at all.

I had no choice but to pick up the pieces. I put in a sew-in, wore braids, and stretched for 7 months. I found a new stylist that came highly recommended. I had a few grievances like the fact that she used no-lye, combed the relaxer through almost half-way because I like to stretch , my hair was bone straight. These should have been my clues to seek assistance elsewhere but due to my diligent care after a few touchups my hair was actually coming along.

Would be believe lightning struck twice!! Within weeks my nape was gone, and it was worse than before! I was so upset I never even went back to tell her.

I did what I had to do and went for another braided stretch. At 10 months I was ready to relax. This time I went to LHCF recommended stylist. When we spoke on the phone I told her the situation. She was nice and understanding and told me I didn't have to relax I could just get a blowout. Nah, I quickly shut that down.

The night before my relaxer I had a long talk with God about the whole ordeal and prayed for Him to see it resolved.

I get to the salon she assesses my 10 months of newgrowth.

Her: You don't have to relax, I can just blowdry and flat iron it for you.
Me: Nah, the kinky natural look really isn't my style.
Her: But it would look just like a relaxer and be so much healthier.
Me: But what would I do when it's time to wash? My hair is too kinky (flashbacks to MBL bushy presses as a child). And plus I really don't want to do a big chop.
Her: You wouldn't have cut your hair, just do minor trims until it grows out completely natural. However, you would have to maintain it with visits.
Me: NAH
Her: Just think about it you're already 10 months post. That's a long time. I tell you what, I'll base you and let you sit and watch me do her hair (pointing to a client under the dryer). Just think about it.

****EPIPHANY****

Her client comes from under the dryer with about 6-8 thick kinky braids about 5 inches long each. She starts from the nape and begins to blowdry using the stretch tension method and a brush, then she flat ironed it. Those kinky braids turned into one of the most luscious heads of MBL hair I had ever seen in real life.

I felt like I was in the twilight zone . And get this.....her hair was BLONDE. Caramel brown with blonde highlights. Absolutely beautiful.

We talked while she worked. I asked her client a multitude of questions which she happily answered.

The clincher: When she was done I asked her client if I could touch it. She obliged.....it was soft as mink.

I was sold. She did my hair the same, and my stretch is now a transition. It was just as straight as if I were relaxed yet thicker and heavier . When she was done I felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. I felt free. I am going natural. I would no longer have to be concerned with chemical damage, touchups, and bunning after 6 weeks post. And I can still wear my hair straight.

(Disclaimer: I am 13 months post with relaxed ends. If I want straight hair I go to the salon, otherwise I am in braids. I have not delved into natural styles yet, but the more it grows the more I'm warming up to it.)

I guess I wrote this novel for all the die hard straight hair relaxed ladies who may have a tiny flicker of curiosity about going natural, but won't consider it because of their texture. No judgments.

Just think about it.

 

[Sugar]

A long time ago I asked God to show me how to have long, healthy hair. I found LHCF and BHM in 2005...but became fascinated with the Weave and Lacefront sections on BHM and forgot about growing out my own hair.

In May 2008 when I decided I wanted the Rihanna bob I started trying to figure out which hair to buy to accomplish that goal. At some point a light bulb came on in my head and it occurred to me that if I took off what ever spare hair I was wearing at the time my hair would be the perfect length for that bob.

So I took out my weave or took off my wig...can't remember which...and was faced getting rid of the rest of the damage that hair color had done to my hair in 2006 (I spent 2 years cutting it little by little). I cut 2, 3, even 4 inches in some spots and started all over again...but this time I took up residence in the BHM growth section and over here.

Now I have happy, healthy hair and its all mine :trampolin

 

[Tif392002]

good thread, .... i had been wearing sewins for over a year.(not properly tho) never washing, never deep condtion, never moisturising, just take down and install again/// the length must was fooling me , cuz sure i was retainging, but let me tell you......... man lol , when i had my hair epiphany in aug 2009... i realized i had retained about 12 inches of fried, ugly, thin, dry, brittle, unhealthy hair, edges was gone too...i immedialy went online, found you tube first, thats whn i decided to go natural, then after that looking more into going natural i found this place. wonderful, i glad i woke up, cuz i dont want to be stuk wearing weaves whn i can grow my own hair with knowledge that i just WASNT aware of before.

 

[GaiasDaughter24]

I have NEVER been good to my hair. I LOVED heat and weaves and my trusty pink, jet black and blonde hair dyes. I've always (unknowingly) stretched relaxersout of pure laziness.I would pull my hair into a phony pony and I LOVED the way my new growth would wave. I've always loved natural hair I just though ti would work or me. 4 yrs ago when I first married my husband I nursed my sister-in-laws hair from BEYOND dry and damaged to very healthy BSL. I saw this and STILL didn't think it would work for me since she's in the 3's and I'm a 4 (I've learned better now, of course )

July 2009 I (unknowingly) stretched my relaxer to Oct. 21, 2009 for my daughters birthday. When I relaxed the new growth my hair had FINALLY passed my shoulders again!!! I was shocked!!! All I did was wash/condition or (unknowingly) cowashed everyday and throw it in a phony pony./

After my daughter's birthday I said I was over the weaves and ready to grow my own hair. The plan was to not relax my hair again until March 2010. I (unknowingly) bunned for the month of novenber. I believe I was looking for hair care for my daughter (her hair was DRY) online and stumbled on this site. I saw all the beautiful naturals and decided I want to go natural. I've always LOVED natural hair but the natural hair I remember having was dry, thick and hard to deal with. I always co-washed my hair and as I learned more I realized that THAT was why my hair retained so much in such a short period of time.I decided right before Christmas that I would transition. The plan was for a year but by Febuary I was getting antsy to see what my hair looked like Au Natural.

I BC 2/1/2010 and I LOVE it!!! I will never go back to the way I treated my hair before. My DH's and DD's hair has taken off as well.

 

[sozinzcomet]

It came to me that since I had my bra strap length hair hacked off in bootcamp, it never grew back. I was stuck at shoulder length for 5yrs. I thought to myself that if I stick to one product line that my hair would grow. That didn't work cause the product line I was using was all protien. (optimun breakage defense poo&con) I googled how to repair damaged hair and I found Macherimour yt videos. I joined her old site and then was led here. I must say that lhcf is my fave hair site. This site has the veteran status!

 

[Solitude]

I've always been into products, beauty, and stuff like that, but my epiphany came when I was sitting with a friend in the law school courtyard. We were watching some of our classmates, many of which had long hair, both natural and relaxed. I was saying that it doesn't make sense that some people have long hair and some have very short hair, that it just wasn't fair. A lot of our classmates with longer hair were very light-skinned. My friend's basic response that it's mixed/very good genes that produce long hair. I was stunned.

I will admit that I didn't know a ton of black women with "long" hair but I knew enough to realize that there had to be more to it. Why would God just pick one race of people to have short hair? I never had trouble growing my hair past my shoulders, but it usually ended up heat damaged and I would trim/cut it into a cute layered bob. I always took care of my hair, and I always loved it, but I never really believed that I could grow it long.

I decided that, rather than argue with her, I would be the example. I had found LHCF a couple of months before, but wasn't really that into it. After that, I became determined to grow my hair.

Since that convo, my friend has gone natural and we love to discuss healthy hair care. She encourages my progress. (BTW, she had been a member of BHM for a long time, but only utilized the weave care sections before. I don't think she's an active poster.)

 

[Kimdionneca]

My mom always said my hair was long when I was little, but she meant like SL which is long to her I guess, and in all the few pics she has of me it was never really long. She would press it a lot. I always wanted Mid back or hip length hair. I got a relaxer in 7th grade and then a Jerry curl and I could never retain length. I went back to relaxers when I was twenty. When I saw Wanakee I thought she was the exception and there were only a few girls who could have hair like that. I bought her line, but did not really understand it or follow it, and when I didn't have hair down to my but in a month I was done.I have kept relaxing until a little before April of last year.

I had some problems with my hairdresser. Well that's when the light bulb went off! after that day I never let her touch my hair again, and I began really taking the LHCF serious and following the advice I got from different ones and although my hair isn't long yet, It is definately not broken like before. Some of you may have seen my pics from back then. And I have been able to keep what I have grown. Thank you LHCF ladies!!!!!

 

[MsLizziA]

im loving these stories

 

[Sondice]

Back in January realizing that relaxed hair CAN be healthy and long. Its all about taking your haircare in your hands. I had a virgin relaxer after almost 2 years or being natural. I'm in love with my hair. Its growing, thick, no breakage,

 

[julzinha]

I was thinking about college and how I really wanted to wear my hair out. And then I googled growing long black hair and this board was what I found and it has been amazing.

 

[luvn_life]

Wow it was just that easy? She just agreed like that? Musta been nice to back one another on that decision or have some one just willingly go through it with you

She kinda wanted to do it... That was the whole situation. She was saying that she wanted to go natural and I was like NEVER!!! Then I was like OK... So I was the skeptical one LoL. But yeah we both never looked back. Not even once. And yeah it is really good to go on it with her.

 

[MsLizziA]

She kinda wanted to do it... That was the whole situation. She was saying that she wanted to go natural and I was like NEVER!!! Then I was like OK... So I was the skeptical one LoL. But yeah we both never looked back. Not even once. And yeah it is really good to go on it with her.

Do you have a fotki?

 

[Whimsy]

I guess this qualifies as an epiphany...

After my first BC I was natural for a lil over a year, then I texlaxed again...after a few months being texlaxed, when I had to get a touch up, I really didn't want to. But, I did because I was starting to get a lil breakage at the line of demarcation.

At my next touch up, August 7, 2007, I was getting the relaxer put on my new growth, and just decided I'm never doing it again. It just didn't feel right anymore and just wasn't for me.

I knew then that I was 100% ready to transition back to natural....and STAY natural for good.

 

[MsLizziA]

I guess this qualifies as an epiphany...

After my first BC I was natural for a lil over a year, then I texlaxed again...after a few months being texlaxed, when I had to get a touch up, I really didn't want to. But, I did because I was starting to get a lil breakage at the line of demarcation.

At my next touch up, August 7, 2007, I was getting the relaxer put on my new growth, and just decided I'm never doing it again. It just didn't feel right anymore and just wasn't for me.

I knew then that I was 100% ready to transition back to natural....and STAY natural for good.

Sound like my story lol

 

[MsLizziA]

more stories please

 

[shasha8685]

My first one came 2 years ago when I was looking at all my broken hair in the bathroom sink.....and the bathroom floor......and the massive hairballs I saw on the carpet in my room. Obviously, I wasn't doing something right. I could see that the relaxers every 4 weeks, the washing once a month, using heat everyday, and calling oil sheen moisture were really having an effect on my hair. That's when I began doing a search for how to fix dry, broken hair and I came across a bunch of hair forums, this one included. For eight months, I didn't even go near a relaxer. I kept my hair braided up and began to learn what worked for my hair. I began to notice that my hair was regaining the thickness it once had.


The second one came about a year and a half later. By this time, I had relaxed and cut my hair. I had went into the salon and was getting a touch up. I could tell it wasn't going to end good when my relaxer started burning. I immediately told the assistant that my relaxer was burning and she asks "Do you want me to wash it out or leave it in?" erplexed My hair was overprocessed and lifeless. I decided then and there that I will be the one solely responsible for my hair--from relaxers to washing to styling (except braids-I can't do those yet). I also thought back to when my hair was healthy. Back then I stretched every 3-5 months because that's when my mom would buy a relaxer. I washed and conditioned my hair frequently and didn't really manipulate it too much. I decided to go back to that method of hair care and I haven't looked back since.

 

[MsLizziA]

My first one came 2 years ago when I was looking at all my broken hair in the bathroom sink.....and the bathroom floor......and the massive hairballs I saw on the carpet in my room. Obviously, I wasn't doing something right. I could see that the relaxers every 4 weeks, the washing once a month, using heat everyday, and calling oil sheen moisture were really having an effect on my hair. That's when I began doing a search for how to fix dry, broken hair and I came across a bunch of hair forums, this one included. For eight months, I didn't even go near a relaxer. I kept my hair braided up and began to learn what worked for my hair. I began to notice that my hair was regaining the thickness it once had.


The second one came about a year and a half later. By this time, I had relaxed and cut my hair. I had went into the salon and was getting a touch up. I could tell it wasn't going to end good when my relaxer started burning. I immediately told the assistant that my relaxer was burning and she asks "Do you want me to wash it out or leave it in?" erplexed My hair was overprocessed and lifeless. I decided then and there that I will be the one solely responsible for my hair--from relaxers to washing to styling (except braids-I can't do those yet). I also thought back to when my hair was healthy. Back then I stretched every 3-5 months because that's when my mom would buy a relaxer. I washed and conditioned my hair frequently and didn't really manipulate it too much. I decided to go back to that method of hair care and I haven't looked back since.

I remember them days boy!!

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

After being natural for about 3yrs, I was taking very poor care of it. I'd wear wigs, would shampoo, no conditioner, no DC I was terrible to my hair. I loved natural hair, but felt that I "couldn't do" my hair, so why bother.

A girlfriend of mine was like, "you are so beautiful without those wigs. Next time we go out, you should wear your hair. I want to see your hair" She was such a good friend for trying to encourage me, but I just wasnt' ready for it.

Shortly thereafter, I found this site. I first hopped on the MN and I was using that for about a month or so lol. I learned about co-washing..and my fascination grew! What really turned things around for me was reading Chicoro's book, "Grow It". It really was there when I had the lightbulb moment and felt that I really could have healthy, long, natural hair.

 

[sydaree]

My husband and I went "organic" last October and I thought about it then, but was afraid of how I would look with natural hair and what people would think. Then about 3 weeks ago, I watched Chris Rock's Good Hair and was deeply offended by people's reactions to our natural hair during a prank on an Asian beauty supply store. People are paying thousands of dollars for European and Indian hair, but they wouldn't pay a dime for our locks. I found that disturbing. Then, I found LHCF about a week ago and I spent hours searching the site, getting advice and loving the look of our lovely kinky locks. So, I just did it. Had the BC done on Friday. My husband was against it at first, but now he calls me bald and beautiful ;-p.