Why Did You Go Natural: My Nappyversary Story

May 25, 2013, I remember it like it was yesterday. In fact it was today, but 2 years ago. I had been silently suffering from a very common medical condition that was causing me to lose massive amounts of hair. My hair has always been pretty thick, so I was able to camouflage the hair loss for a long time. But as with any thing that goes ignored it was only getting worst. I consulted with my doctors, as well as did my own research on remedies for hair loss concerning my medical condition. All of the medical data showed that the damage was irreversible and the progression to complete baldness was very likely. At the very least I would suffer from Alopecia.

I was losing hair when I combed, when I washed, and massive globs ( no exaggeration) when I permed ( relaxed) my hair. The thought entered my mind to just stop perming it, but as quickly as it came up, that Lye-er in my head would say “ girl you know your hair is nappy you better perm them naps”. So, I continued to struggle with the thought of being bald or having nappy short hair ( which is what I thought would happen to my hair without a perm) for about another year. Only relaxing it every 12 weeks which is 7 weeks longer than the cycle I had been on for 30+ years. The struggle was real, and all the while I was losing more hair literally by the day. The center crown of my head was shorter than the tip of my finger. Hiding it was getting harder because my hair was getting thinner and in very many spots I had nothing to cover.

At a funeral of a beloved family member I ran into an old friend that I had not seen in 20 years. Her hair was bushy and beautiful! I asked her the common black girlfriend question. “What kind of hair is that?”  her reply floored me. It’s mine, I’m natural. Her hair was healthy and curly! And I knew her hair was just as thick and nappy as mine. So I asked what she was using and how she achieved the style. She explained that she used Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding, and that this style was called a wash n go. She told me how she washed her hair in the shower applied this product and let it air dry. I was in awe, this seemed so easy, this was it the end of my creamy crack, fried dyed and laid to the side love affair. Just that one hit was the last bit of encouragement that I needed to jump off the decades long mindset that even the fear of baldness could not break.

You know that didn’t happen for me right, lol. Her regimen worked for her but not for me. She was fully natural and had been for years. I was just beginning. It was a struggle but I kept the thought of her full head of thick hair in my mind to encourage me to stay the course.

So now what? I start researching products, styles,and terminology to get the best understanding of what I needed to do. I decided to transition because as I eluded to above, “ I didn’t want to be bald headed with short nappy hair” the fear was still very close to the surface.

I come from a long line of fierce “ Kitchen Beauticians” and I also graduated from cosmetology school, ( although I never took the state board) so styling my hair was no big deal. Yup, that turned out not to be the case 🙂 . My hair was not as easy to manage as I though it would be. I would watch the YouTube vloggers and try a style and it just never seemed to work for me. Their hair always seem to be loser, tighter, shinier, something was different.

I started to wonder, what about their hair was so different, and I realized it was the starting product. The condition of their hair was much different than mine so the results were different. So I began to build on the wash day routine. For me this is the basis to any healthy hair journey. Finding the right regimen is paramount to a loving lasting relationship with your hair.

I mentioned before that I transitioned, what I did was a series of about 3-4 mini chops every 8 weeks until I was fully natural. To be successful at transitioning you have to treat all of the hair as if you are fully natural. So this means limit the harsh gels and shampoos, deep condition often, an find a great leave-In or daily moisturizer to combat dryness. If you wear protective styles limit them to 6-8 weeks. Any longer is not protecting its damaging.

During my transition I used the co-washing technique for about 4 months. Only using shampoo once a month, and deep conditioning every other week. This allowed my natural hair as well as my permed hair to stay well conditioned and manageable and not drying either out. If you are transitioning there is a very important point on the shaft called “ the line of demarcation “ this is where the natural hair meets the permed hair. It is the weakest point of the shaft and it’s where the hair will snap off. Just know the natural hair is stronger than the permed hair, treat all of the hair as if it’s fully natural and you have to protect the line of demarcation, to have a smooth transition.
If you are fully natural and your mane is just not making the moves you desire, consider changing or developing your hair care regimen. I have an epic post on hair care regimens for ever Curly Girl. I cover every thing from my own personal Lazy Girl products an tips, to hair porosity, and even what foods you can eat to optimize your hair journey. Click the link to see the post.

In honor of my 2 year Nappyversary we did our very first official photo shoot! So in a departure from the norm, all of the photos are from the shoot! I hope you like them! on Pinterest there will be a my Nappyversary board as well as on Facebook.  Please tell us your thoughts, and ask your questions. See you around on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!

Stay Happy & Nappy!

see below for more pic and the outfit details.

Mesh Sleeve Shirt is from Torrid , Window Pane Knickers are from Ross, The sandals are from Lane Bryant.

This is look is head to toe Lane Bryant, with the exception of the Betsy Johnson bag that I got from Marshals for less than $15!

The pumps are from Lane Bryant, The Blazer is from my closet, and The sheer side leggings are a few months old I don’t remember where I got them. But I’m almost certain they came from Torrid or Asos Curve.

This is my first outfit post so bare with me on the dets…but I’ll get better 😍

Love Ya!