<font color="red">What have you found the advantages and disadvantages of becoming natural are?</font>
Advantages: The large variety of styling options, no chemical damage to self (scalp, hair and nails when I didn't wear gloves), money saved on kits or professional relaxers, I truly think I look better with the hair God gave me, I am being a good role model for my daughter (I don't want her feeling that she has to "fix" her hair, and IMO it's not enough to just say it.)
Disadvantages: If I don't braid, twist or knot my hair at night, I have a helmet on my head in the morning.
<font color="red">Have people's attitudes towards your beauty changed?</font>
Not that I've noticed.
<font color="red">What made you decide to be natural?</font>
My daughter really. I was pressing her hair, and she asked me why she had to have her hair pressed. I went into this long story about how I used to have my hair pressed and my mom used to have her hair pressed and I understand that she doesn't like it, I didn't either.
I realized how foolish I sounded trying to convince my daughter that pressing is necessary because of a family tradition, an unpleasant tradition at that... I haven't pressed her hair since. I thought more and more about that chain of straightening in my family and decided I wanted to break out of it too. There were also the politics behind relaxing and a desire to be more healthful that led me to my decision to "go natural".
<font color="red">Do you think that you're views have changed since you have become natural? </font>
Definitely. I'm more conscientious during my decision-making processes. I try to make sure I'm acting upon my own decisions, not archaic tradition.
<font color="red">Are you more health-conscious now that you are natural?</font>
I am more health-conscious, but being natural is a result of my desire to live more healthfully, not the other way around.
<font color="red">Did you feel self-conscious during the transition?</font>
No.
