Faith,
Styling my hair has been a learning process that is far from over. First of all, i have been basically natural forever. I did get a relaxer once, during my first year of college, but it made my hair dry and break and I never went back forthe touch up.
I grew up doing the hot press and curl (kids in high school used to make fun of me when my hair wasn't bone straight) and continued until I discovered braids. I braided back to back from Jan 98 to Dec 99. I wanted to start wearing my hair then, but I had a mishap. I resumed wearing braids from May 00 to Dec 01. But in Jan 02 I decided to take the braids out and work with my hair for a month. Well one month has stretched into 11 and I am happy that I took up the challenge.
I used to think that I could only style my hair with the heat of pressing comb or a blowdryer, but I challenged myself to use blowdryers and curling irons only when I straightened my hair for a trim. I have only straighted/trimmed twice this year, Jan and March.
When I first took out the braids my hair was VERY hard to manage. (I didn't do much for it while it was in the braids.) I hated shampooing because it meant an hour or so of detanging and clipping out knots. When my hair was like this I wore it pulled back and twisted into a french bun. The french twist was kinky and the ends were tangled under that bun! I wore my hair like this every day from Jan to March. I braided or twisted as best as I could to airdry and straighten it before smoothing into the french bun.
Then in April I found the hair boards and began using the ACV tanglebuster routine. This is when things started to change. When I pulled my hair up and let it dry in a ponytail I started to notice that parts of it would get shiney straight.
Then it May I started to use less shampoo and more conditioner more frequently and the hair at the temples started to go from frazzled and wirey to curly, right out of the shower.
From May through August I did wash and wear styles--usually a high or low ponytail and temple curls. Then in Aug. the back started to get curly. (I used to sit with my back to the window at work. So I think that eight hours of sun was drying out my hair.) When the back started to curl I began wearing the top pinned down with curls at the sides and back.
Now most of my hair is curly with the exception of the top section. That part is still undefined and a bit wirey and kind of dry. It doesn't seem to absorb moisture as much as the other hair. Last week I discovered that if I slick my hair back and bun it after conditioning/leave-in and cover it with a scarf overnight, I get a smooth wavey, professional look in the morning.
So this fall/winter I think I'll be doing the smooth wavey ponytail look. I am on the look out for some hair jewelery to liven up the bun. Also my back and side curls dry smooth, shiney and bouncy, so I'll do the high ponytail look with the side curls too. As my hair gets longer, and hopefully all of it falls into defined curls, I hope to experiment with flexi rods, twist outs and roller sets.
So basically my hair styling without heat has been through trial and error and working with its existing limitations. I think it is harder for transistioners to deal with the changeableness of natural hair because they are used to seeing their hair straight all the time. Since I don't have that reference point, and people were used to seeing me with unstraight hair, I think it was easier for me to be patient with how things developed as I began learning how to take care of it.
I think that it will be easier for you to develop great styles because your hair is much longer than mine and it probably will be in much better condition that mine after you take the braids out. Let me know how things work out.
You should check out MotownGrl's web site. She just became a member of LHCF and has documented her styles on her web site.
P.S. Last year between braiding I had my hair straightened and styled in an updo at a salon. It looked great and lasted for about two weeks before I took it down to wash. The messier it got, the better it looked. I may start treating myself to this look once every couple of months.