Sixteen going on natural

[Sylvia]

Hey. I am sixteen and after years and years of my mom messing with my hair and going through the jerri curl, smoking hot flat irons, underprocessed relaxers, over processed relaxers, and my hair just plain falling out, I think its time for me to go natural! I want some more info about transitioning and going natural from people who have tight afro type 4a/b hair. My natural texture is very very tight curls and I am scared that if I go natural, it wont look good! I am due for a relaxer in 4 weeks, so I want to make my decicion before I break down and go for a touch up.

any help would be appreciated. Thanks ladies

 

[pink_flower]

Im not natural but just wanted to say Hi and congrats on going natural. You will get a lot of advice here

 

[brittanynic16]

I am napptural and I am happy that you are doing natural. There is great advice on Nappturality.com. But, that site is being updated so it is not up right now. I would be happy to give you any advice or help. I also what you to know that you will look wonderful natural. You were born with your hair the way it is for a reason. Because that is how GOd wanted you to be and there is no way you can look funny with what God gave you.

 

[L80sbabygirl]

Hi Sylvia, I think it's a great idea if you want to go natural. Like brittanynic16 said, nappturality.com is the perfect site to go to for information. I think it depends on long you want to transition. I'm a big fan of cutting it all off b/c I feel you get to know your natural hair texture in all its stages. But if you're more comfortable letting it grow out, don't mind dealing with two different textures or don't feel short hair suits you, then a longer transition might be for you. I agree with brittanynic16 about your natural hair looking right. I assume you might be talking about styles also? There is much you can do with natural hair and just like straightened hair, the right styles will look the best. HTH.

 

[bettydavis]

Welcome Sylvia! There are lots of naturals here on this board, me being one of them, you'll find alot of support here. I would encourage you to do the transition if your hair has been breaking off from relaxers. I personally transitioned with braids for over a year, but you can also do a big chop and start from scratch if you have the courage.

 

[kelendra_cole]

[ QUOTE ]
brittanynic16 said:
also what you to know that you will look wonderful natural. You were born with your hair the way it is for a reason. Because that is how GOd wanted you to be and there is no way you can look funny with what God gave you.

[/ QUOTE ]
brittanynic16 is absouletly right!!! you will LOVE your natural hair and more important be proud of it and I think... NO WAIT I know!!! this site will give you EXCELLENT advice and information. trust me when you go natural you will not want to go back!! you made the right decision coming here!

 

[sweettrini]

Hi Sylvia,

Congrats on thinking about going natural!!! I wish I'd had your courage when I was 16 to even THINK about going natural. I'd be a lot further along in my hair journey now if I'd done this a while ago. I have 3c/4a hair and I am currently transitioning from relaxed hair to natural (or possibly texturized - who knows? ) Going natural can be a very challenging but also rewarding experience. You have to decide if you want to big chop (BC) or transition slowly. Some people wait until they have 2-3 months of new growth and then cut it all off, some wait 1-2 years before they cut off the relaxed ends altogether to keep some length throughout the process. You have to decide what you're comfortable with, but either way I'm sure you can find a style that compliments you, either by playing with different looks on your own or by seeking professional help by way of a natural hair care salon. If you decide to transition, patience will truly be a virtue. You will have to baby your hair and keep it moisturized to minimize breakage due to the two different textures. You can try braidouts, twistouts or braids to ease the process. I've been transitioning for 11 months in May and I haven't regretted it. HTH !!

 

[L80sbabygirl]

Off-topic, but bettydavis looking at your hair journal, I think I've finally found my hair twin!

 

[deeplyrooted]

congrats on your decision, Slyvia.

you're in good hands here. you'll find some lovely transitioning styles in many of the online photo albums here.

in fact, the feature of the month, hairlove, has been transitioning for a loooonnnnngggg time, so i know you'll find a lot of helpful hints here. good luck, and stay the course.

 

[carameldiva]

No one knows how their own hair will look underneath that perm. Give it a shot you may be pleasantly surprised, I know i was. I love my natural hair. I have been natural for almost 10 months now. I have 4.5-5 inches of natural tightly curled/coiled hair. I love it is so beautiful- i rinse daily in the shower, detangle in the shower w/fingers, apply my leave-in conditioner(parnevue leave-in), shampoo once a week with biotin shampoo, i condition w/ queen helene cholesterol,i oil my scalp every other day with light essential oils such as wild growth hair oil, vitamin e oil, sweet almond oil, etc. I moisturize with shea butter. Any questions let me know.

 

[carameldiva]

oh and here is my vitamin regimine in case it helps:

Centrum Advanced Liquid- 1 tbsp daily
Cod liver oil-1 softgel-2xdaily
Super B-complex with vitamin c and flic acid-1 tablet daily
Mother Nature's Best Hair Growth Herbal Formula-2/2x daily
L-lysine-1 tablet daily -1 hr prior to meal or on empty stomach
Biotin-600 mcg-2/2xdaily
Evening primrose oil-500 mg-2/2xdaily
vitamin e with selenium-400iu-e-100mcg selenium-1/2xdaily
msm-1000mg-1/2xdaily
flax seed oil-1000 mg-1/2xdaily

 

[Ayeshia]

Congrats!!!! I went natural by doing the bc and my hair is thanking me for it everyday. Please dont feel uncomfortable about your natural hair...you would never feel this way of relaxers were never invented. Embrace and enjoy!

 

[DragonPearl]

Welcome Sylvia! It's normal to be afraid. We have been taught to fear our hair in its natural state, but many naturals have gone through the fear and found out that the fear was unjustified. Your beauty does NOT depend on having straight hair and there are so many styles you can do with your natural hair.

I transitioned for 7 months, wearing my hair in a very simple style (usually 2 buns) that required very little daily styling, in order to minimize breakage. I slept with these 2 buns, and I woke up with them. They were my hair uniform.

I hardly ever used a comb or brush, unless I was washing my hair, and I started to wash my hair in sections. Dealing with 2 textures was always a challenge, and I still experienced some breakage, and after I did the big chop, I found my hair easier to deal with.

You can do it! Stick around and feel free to ask for advice.

 

[bettydavis]

[ QUOTE ]
Salsybabe said:
Off-topic, but bettydavis looking at your hair journal, I think I've finally found my hair twin!

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? Hotshot also said I might be her hair twin too, we should really compare notes cause I'm still trying to figure out how to manage it!! Your decription sounds similar.

Sorry to hijack your thread Sylvia..

 

[Cindy70]

Sylvia, congratulations on your decision to go natural. I did the BC last month and I'm so glad that I did. I also have 4a hair and it isn't as hard to manage as you might think that it would be. Just wait and see, you'll love being natural too.

 

[rai]

Hi Slyvia,

I am a napptural and I second everyone's advice about nappturality.com. OFF TOPIC: When is that site coming back up? I miss it.

Anyways, 2 years ago I cut off all of my hair until I had about 2 inches, but then I put a texturizer in it. Then I wore braids for about 1 year,and when I took out the braids I decided to cut off my texturized ends. I guess I did not consciously make the decision be a napptural again (I got my first perm at 15), but now that I am, I am LOVING it. I know you are young, so you probably want to make sure you have many options to style your hair. And guess what?? There are!!! You can braid it, twist it, wear it in an an afro, press it, bantu knot it, shake n go it, updo it, etc...

Please don't be scared to be yourself. You are beautiful, and I'm sure you will not look weird. One of the things I've learned about hair, is that it is all about confidence. Oftentimes we do a new style in our hair and we don't like it. This is not because the style doesn't look good (although, I admit this might be the case

), but rather because we are insecure about how we look. But give the style a week or two and we love it because we get used to it. So give your hair a chance. Remember, it's all about you and if you act like you love it, then everyone else is bound to like it.

Rai

 

[silvergirl]

Hi! Just wanted to say congratulations on deciding to go natural an good luck on your journey!

 

[alliyah4eva203]

congrats on your decision

 

[Isis]

Congratulations and welcome too!


You may want to do a search and check out Nay's natural hair. She isn't transitioning but she(and other naturals on this board like Jessy55) demonstrates how one can grow their natural hair very long.

 

[CarolinaAfro]

Congratualations on your decision to go natural!!

Make sure you take the time to look at some of the natural members hair albums so you can see versatile natural hair really is.

 

[Bublnbrnsuga]

I would suggest you visit these albums on fotki:
cherish
2twisted
ravensholts2
They have 4a/4b hair and let me tell ya,their hair is off da chain beautiful!

 

[brittanynic16]

[ QUOTE ]
rai said:
Hi Slyvia,

I am a napptural and I second everyone's advice about nappturality.com. OFF TOPIC: When is that site coming back up? I miss it.

Rai

[/ QUOTE ]

Me too! They are making updates to improve the search feature and other things. From what I have heard they are putting a lot of money into it.

 

[babyblue]

[ QUOTE ]
brittanynic16 said:
I am napptural and I am happy that you are doing natural. There is great advice on Nappturality.com. But, that site is being updated so it is not up right now. I would be happy to give you any advice or help. I also what you to know that you will look wonderful natural. You were born with your hair the way it is for a reason. Because that is how GOd wanted you to be and there is no way you can look funny with what God gave you.

[/ QUOTE ]

what she said

when np comes back up check out the transitioning board and look at both the online album and the napptural gallery sections where you will find tons of transitioning and natural albums. Also u can do a search at this site for some of the helpful natural topics. good luck

 

[swayback23]

Yipeee!

 

[missykeyana]

Hey, congrats on going natural! I know that you will find it to be a rewarding journey. I encourage you to seek out napptural members both here and on nappturality. When the board comes up, check out the mentoring thread on the transitioning board. There you will find veterans who are willing to take a newbie under their wing.

Definitely check out some nappies' online albums. I have one here: http://public.fotki.com/Azure and the password is blue.

Hope this helps!

 

[hotshot]

being natural is fun and versatile. do you have pics?

 

[alma]

YAY! Congrats! I think its great that you want to go natural -its a beautiful experience.

[ QUOTE ]
rai said:
OFF TOPIC: When is that site coming back up? I miss it.

Rai

[/ QUOTE ]

I know! I'm missing Nappturality too -I hope it comes back soon!

 

[L80sbabygirl]

[ QUOTE ]
bettydavis said:
Really? Hotshot also said I might be her hair twin too, we should really compare notes cause I'm still trying to figure out how to manage it!! Your decription sounds similar.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures b/c I don't have a scanner, but I do browse hair journals a lot. Your hair seems the closest to my texture. My hair is very coily and has A LOT of shrinkage. It looks a lot shorter than it is. I think managing it is about finding the right routine for me, and I think I've pretty much found one that works. I wish I knew how to braid hair though so I could wear my hair different more often. Not sure if were asking about my hair regime maybe.

Sorry to get off-topic.

 

[soslychic]

[ QUOTE ]
There is great advice on Nappturality.com. But, that site is being updated so it is not up right now.

[/ QUOTE ]

So THAT'S what's up. I'm really missing that site. I think I'm going into withdrawal

I would also suggest that site for AWESOME information whenever it gets back up.

Anyway, I'm so happy for you! I'm 15 and transitioning and I can't wait to cut these relaxed ends off. I'm loving my natural hair underneath. I've decided to transition for about a year. Personally, I think big chopping is probably the better way to go, but I wasn't ready for that. I love how I look with shorter hair, but I don't think I could have taken it that short and kept my senses

But you do what's best for you. I'm transitioning with twist outs, braids outs, rollersets (but because of all the new growth, I havn't done one of those in a while) and right now I'm in braid extensions which I love.

If you take care of your natural hair, I'm sure that you will love it! Wish you the best!
I'm stil learning too, but I've learned a lot from nappturality and from this site as well so if you have something that I may be able to help you with, pm me anytime

 

[Sylvia]

Thanks gals for being so supportive! But my biggest worry is that I wont be able to manage it because with my relaxer I just brush and go. I also would want to wear it straight sometimes, but I dont have the money to be goin to the salons. any advice?