Now and Then: Chantel
Chantel was one of 5 winners in our recent “Now and Then” giveaway.
I am from Mobile, Alabama, currently I am a student at Auburn University. My major is apparel merchandising and design production, I plan on becoming a retail buyer/fashion journalist.
On going natural…
I got my last perm two weeks before my graduation in May 2008. I big chopped November 25, 2008 so my nappiversary is just around the corner. I had healthy hair with the perm, but I always wanted to know what my “real” hair looked like.
This might seem strange to some, but I have very few pictures of my hair in its natural state before I started getting relaxers. My mom did a quick comb and rinse of a baby perm when I was three just to loosen my texture a little bit, and I’m assuming when I got a little older she started doing the complete process.
Her reason was that she didn’t know how to manage my natural hair and my grandmother didn’t want to press my hair every two weeks like it needed to be. I always loved locs and wanted them at a young age but my mom said when I turned 18 I could do whatever I wanted with my hair. So I did and I’m never going back, my naps are way more fun 
A one-word description of her transformation…
Invigorating… No one can tell me that I’m not beautiful now that I can show them the real me as God intended it to be.
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BGLH now has a forum! Check it out HERE.
great post; its very interesting that your mum wouldn’t let you do what you wanted withy our hair until you turned 18…
there’s a real market out there for natural/healthy haircare products, books, instructional dvds, etc… should really got on that b/c there’s alot of money to be made…
also like the look of the new site!
Love your hair and your style Chantel!
Oh cool, she’s from my hometown.
It’s weird hearing stories of people relaxing their really young children’s hair. I can at least remember what my hair was like when I was younger. Most likely because I was seriously tender-headed, so I remember the pain.