I'm natural now!!! My journey with lots of PICS!

AJellyCake

Well-Known Member
Yes! I’m natural now! I’ve actually been natural for a couple of months , but I was just too busy to share my journey. I am just so grateful to LHCF and everyone in the transitioning without BCing thread. :bighug: I loved seeing other people’s journeys when I was transitioning! So without further ado, here we go.

My last relaxer was in March 2011. I usually would relax at 8-10 weeks post. That time around, I decided to forgo the regularly scheduled relaxer and wait longer (I didn’t know it was “stretching” back then :)). I started my HHJ in May by deciding to forgo heat and trying more protective styles.

Here is my first protective style, a loose French braid updo.
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This was my flat ironed hair at the time.

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That first week without heat was painful! I had always had my hair laid and fried. I tried doing braidouts and twistouts. I never thought I would make it through that first week.

Then I decided to go a month with NO HEAT! I flat ironed again in June and it was sometime around then that I decided to try this transitioning thing out. :)
My go-to styles were sock buns, buns, and twistouts.

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This was my length check in November 2011 and December. (Lol can you tell when I got my iPhone? :grin:)
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In December, I straightened my hair for the first time in six months! I could not believe I’d gone that long without flatironing my hair! I wanted to see if I had made it to BSL, and I had! :yay: I actually didn’t straighten it all the way because I was afraid of damage.
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In March 2012, I made it to MBL. I wasn’t straightening my hair, but I could pull it in the shower and feel it. I had a major setback in March due to my relaxed hair tangling! It was like Velcro! :nono: So awful. I cut these giant tangles out and wore my hair in buns for the most part.

Here are my ear curls in March 2012.
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In August 2012, I was sooooo tired of transitioning. It wasn’t fun anymore. I chopped at 16 months post! It was so amazing! :reddancer: Even though I’d been able to see my texture growing, nothing prepared me for how light, free, and BIG it was without the relaxer! I loved it, even though I had to get used to it. The hardest part was just the loss of length. I couldn’t pony tail it. I couldn’t bun it! Ugh. I soon figured out how to work with it, though, and discovered I actually could make a bun if I started from a puff.
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I cut it again in August to help shape it, and then I trimmed it in September. I also did my first two-strand twists and natural twistout (it was right after trimming, so I wasn’t trying to be very neat).

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So here’s my natural hair these days. The nape is about APL stretched. If it’s not in a wash n go (this one was with no gel!!!) or a puff, it’s usually in a bun. I will dust in a few days, and then I’m sprinting to MBL in 2013!!
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Thanks for reading! HHJ and HHG!
 
I'm happy for you! I really commend all long term transitioners because it was giving me hell. After 5.5 months I got tired and chopped :lol:

Your hair is beautiful! If you haven't already, you should join the MBL 2013 challenge!
 
Your hair looks beautiful and healthy and I'm glad you are happy with your decision to go natural (coming from a happily relaxed head!)
 
Congrats! Your curls are beautiful!:love:
I am transitioning and patently waiting for my new growth to get long enough so I can be natural
 
This was very inspiring, especially the part
In August 2012, I was sooooo tired of transitioning. It wasn’t fun anymore.

I've been transitioning for 7 months and it's really not fun anymore especially since I had bangs with my relaxed hair so now a lot of those strands are too short to be included with a bun and don't stay slicked down with any gel so my hairline is one frizzy mess. I've been thinking about relaxing for a few months now but may I will hold out.
 
Thanks for the love, everyone! It means a lot!! :grin: :grin: :yep:


This was very inspiring, especially the part

I've been transitioning for 7 months and it's really not fun anymore especially since I had bangs with my relaxed hair so now a lot of those strands are too short to be included with a bun and don't stay slicked down with any gel so my hairline is one frizzy mess. I've been thinking about relaxing for a few months now but may I will hold out.

@bhndbrowneyes Congrats on starting your transition too! I actually had this exact same problem, and maybe it was at this point. My edges wouldn't lie down for anything! All of my attempts to smooth them into a bun just made them coil up on my hairline. If you let them keep growing though, they will become easier to smooth down. I think around 10-12 months post, they weren't as fuzzy looking all the time. To be honest though, I also stopped caring about that as much and just let them have a little fun. I also stopped brushing my edges and only used my fingers; this kept that hair from separating and frizzing a lot.
 
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