So, most of you who I talk to on a regular basis know that I’ve been going natural for the past 14 months.  Going natural basically means no longer using any chemical relaxers in my hair and letting it grow out, well, naturally.  A chemical relaxer would relax the curl, allowing for straight hair and to manage new hair growth, I used to get a re-touch (aka touch-up) of my hair every 10-12 weeks.  However, I got tired. Tired of relaxing and essentially damaging my hair not to mention paying for it.  Dependent upon the salon/stylist, I could spend anywhere from $60-120 every 10-12 weeks and without a consistent stylist administering it (all my transition between NJ and NC didn’t help), I was just damaging it even more.

So last October (2010), I decided enough is enough and that I would go natural.  I wanted the flexibility to wash ‘n go (wear it curly) or straighten it at the drop of a dime (the “old fashioned” blow dry and flat iron way) without using any chemicals, whatsoever.  This process is a big step for me though, as I’ve had relaxed hair since I was 7 years old with a pretty decent length to it.  Going natural would mean learning a whole new way of styling and maintaining my hair and to be quite honest, I had no idea it’d be this difficult.

When you transition, there are two main ways you can go about it — (1) chop all your straight hair off and start from scratch (also known as the big chop) or (2) let your hair continue to grow without relaxing it and slowly cut off the straight hair as the new natural curly hair grows in (also known as transitioning). Given my length, I chose option number 2.

So for 14 months, I’ve been managing two different types of textures; curly roots and straight ends, which has been such a challenge. (Especially as time went on).  But as of FRIDAY, December 23, that will no longer be the case, because I’m cutting it off!

Well, not everything, but I’m making a major move here and cutting off the majority of, if not all of, the straight ends (definitely not the curly – only the straight). After looking through numerous hairstyles and cuts, and consulting with my mom, trusted-NJ stylist Lisa, and my fabulous friends (Kristin, Sinthya, Leslye, Randi and Vivian) who know how hair obsessed I am, I’ve finally decided to channel my inner Rihanna and get what is called a graduated stacked bob.  Unfortunately, her eyes, her voice and her skinny lil body are NOT included.

Love, love, love!