La Cienega~A diva in Transition

What made you decide to go natural ? What's your story?


I've had relaxed hair for about 4 years.The reason i had relaxed my hair in the first place was just for a change of style. I was tired of braids and cornrows and wanted to try something new. During my first 2 years with relaxed hair, i was heat-free and as a result, my hair was over shoulder length, thick and healthy. As i started using heat (blow drying weekly with no heat protectant), slowly but surely(over 2 years) my hair got damaged and broke off to about neck-length. As if that wasn't bad enough, i started self-relaxing, and since i didn't know what i was doing, after a year i had about 4 demarcation lines in my hair ! (patterns of well processed and under processed hair).
I began my healthy hair journey summer 2009 and decided that i would just take special care of my hair and hopefully it would get stronger, however, it kept breaking off easily on those numerous demarcation lines.
January 2010 is when i finally decided to let it all go and start fresh. I decided i was going to do a big chop and go natural again.
At the moment, I'm 2 months into my transition, i have 4 more months to go. I plan on big chopping in June :)
I will be rocking a coloured twa for about a year before i start growing my hair out again (i take this experience as a chance to finally experiment with hair colour, something i would never do with relaxed hair).


Have you told anybody? (friends,spouse,family members) What do they think? Is there any negative feed back?

I've shared my plans with my family and close friends, and I'm glad to have received nothing but support from them.


What styles are you currently using to transition?

Currently, I'm using my trusty-curly half wig :)
i love her !

What products are you using to moisturize your hair while in transition?

To moisturize my hair these days all i use is Aussie Moist conditioner. I works great for my hair, and my new growth loves it!


There are alot of challenges that come with transitioning ,what are some of yours?

So far, i haven't faced any challenges with this transition, perhaps its because its not my first time .. When i began my healthy hair journey i did a 6 month stretch which went really well (again, thanks to half-wigs, i didn't have to manipulate my hair daily)


Do you plan to BC? (Big Chop) if so ,When?

I do plan on Big chopping in June, and I'm so excited.


What are your long term goals for your hair?

For now( starting in June), i would like to enjoy my coloured twa's and fro-hawks.
In the future, lets say about 10 years from now, I'd love to have at least MBL natural/afro hair.