On going natural…
I went natural 22 days ago because I was tired of putting chemicals in my hair and I wanted to be free from keeping up appearances as Carnisha with the long hair.

A one-word description of her transformation…
Refreshing… Since I went natural I feel more comfortable in my own skin, because I am no longer hiding behind my hair!

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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.

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I am originally from New Orleans, but I currently live in Richmond, VA…by way of Hurricane Katrina. I’m a single mom to my 8-year-old son and an engineer, who designs plumbing systems for a local A/E firm.

On going natural…
I did my own relaxers, trims, highlights/colors, roller wraps, etc. so I wasn’t a slave to the salon. At the time, I thought that I took great care of my hair simply because I swore by magnetic rollers, didn’t use flat irons, maybe bumped it with a curling iron once or twice a week, bunned, and deep-conditioned often.

However, the hair around my temples was/is fairly thin and I always seemed to reach a terminal length 2-3 inches past my shoulders.

Be it short or long, all I really wanted was thicker hair. So, I stopped getting a relaxer in early March ’09. I did a mini-asymmetrical chop in April, but soon became tired of catering to my relaxed ends. My birthday was approaching and after having been downsized by my former employer, I just wanted to shed the old and start anew. I called a girlfriend of mine to come over one evening and help me with my big chop, 2 days before my 31st birthday in June. The following morning, I ended up going to a stylist to get it trimmed and faded and, soon after, I debuted my fresh teeny weeny afro at both my birthday gathering and my trip back home to New Orleans to visit family and friends. Now I’m coiled, spoiled…oh, and back to being employed.

A one word description of her transformation…
Vibrant… Becoming natural has been the catalyst to my appreciating more features and aspects unique to me and the black community.

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