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

A. I’m from Baltimore, Maryland where the natural hair scene here is very popular.

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

A. I didn’t transition to natural hair. When I made made up mind to become natural, I cut off all of my relaxed hair. So far, it has been a very positive experience, since I haven’t received any type of backlash or shunning — at least to my knowledge.

Q. Did you have any support?

A. Thankfully, I received a lot of support from my mother, sister, brother-in-law and nieces, all of them are also natural. There support was beneficial, as they continually encouraged me to take this step and to see it through. It was little more complexed for me when I have been dating. Since certain men, have mentioned that they prefer me with longer straight hair. While my longer hair did look nice, currently my hair is much healthier in its present natural state.

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

A. The discovery of my beauty, instead of the discovery of my flaws has been truly eye-opening. Really it has been the transformation to this newly found freedom and the release from many fears, such as avoiding rolled down windows in the car, the fear of being caught in the rain, being afraid of sweat or the humidity from showers, sleeping uncomfortably to preserve my relaxed hair style.

Q. How do you maintain your hair?

A. I wash my hair once or twice per week with KeraCare shampoo and conditioner, apply a leave-in conditioner (such as Dr. Miracles leave in conditioner) and lastly add a gel activator, such as Let’s Jam Protein Styling Gel Mega Hold or a mousse to bring out my curls. I deep condition it once a month.

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

A: Below I have compiled a checklist to help others that are considering going natural.

• If you decide to transition from relaxed hair to natural hair — do it for yourself and not your friends, or anyone else.

• Research, research, research!
• Find a good stylist in your area. That will definitely help you to stay natural and to stay the course for a long time on your hair journey. If you want to style your own hair, then research different products (this will help you to take better care of your mane at home.)

• Find what works for you. If someone is in love with a certain product and you find it doesn’t give you the same results, simply move on to a different product. Concentrate on finding the products that work best for you.
• Keep your hair conditioned, moisturized and tied up at night with a satin scarf, so that your pillowcase doesn’t break your hair off.
• Lastly, realize that you are beautiful with your natural hair. This is the way God made you to look. He did not make any mistakes, when he decided that every other race would have straight-ish or silky-ish hair and we would have hair that feels like wool. Once you go natural, you come that much closer to being in the perfect state that we were intended to be in.

Q. Any final thoughts?

A. One of the best things about the natural hair journey has been getting rid of the many fears some women have just settled for over the years. Enjoy your freedom!