Q. Where are you from and how is the natural scene there?

A. I currently live in Charlotte, North Carolina and the natural scene is slowly becoming more visible.

Q. Did you transition to natural hair? If so, what were your experiences?

A. I’ve been natural for the last six months, transitioning for eight months before deciding to chop my relaxed ends off. I didn’t wear weaves or braids during my hair transition, I just dealt with the two textures and wore roller sets.

Q. Did you have any support?

A. When I was transitioning I didn’t get much support -- people questioned my decision to go natural. Others even took bets on when I was going to give up and relax my hair (I just laughed). My best friend was my biggest supporter throughout the process, because she always wanted to go natural.

Q. In your opinion, what has been some of the best things about having natural hair?

A. The best thing about being natural is the versatility and it's nice not to deal with a burnt scalp from having hair relaxed every month. When I’ve had a hard day I can come home, hop in the shower and just stand underneath the water (which is so calming and relaxing). Now I don’t have to worry about the next steps from blow drying, flat ironing or sitting under the dryer to style my hair - I can just wash my hair and go!

Q. How do you maintain your hair daily?
A. The less I play in my hair the better it does. To maintain my hair, I wash when I feel it is needed, which isn’t a lot since I don’t use a lot of product. For treatments, I deep condition every Sunday and once month a protein treatment, along with clarifying my hair. I put a mixture of castor oil and shea butter on my ends a couple of times per week. For styling I wear braid outs. I braid my dry hair and spray it with a little water for definition.

Q. If you were stranded on a deserted island and had to choose three items for your hair, what are three things you would have to have for your hair?

A.The only thing I use consistently is my shea butter/castor oil mixture for my ends. I would also like to bring my V05 Moisture Milks along so I can wash my hair.

Q. What advice would you give someone who was thinking of going natural?

A. Transitioning is the “hard” part - so many women come up to me and mention how many times they’ve tried and failed to go natural. I think failure comes from fear, if somone truly wants to be a natural they won’t fail because nothing will stop them.

Relaxers are like a drug...it’s a process and takes time to get over them. You’ve been using something for so long it’s hard to live without it. You will go through withdrawal and that’s the make or break time. It’s the time when some people relapse. I recommend sticking with it, as the rewards are great and you will love your hair!

Q. Any final thoughts?

A. Thank you MG for letting me share my story and keep up the great work!

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