My Naturally Curly Hair Journey

My hair now

My hair is naturally curly and wavy. I made the decision to start getting relaxers in the 5th grade, approximately the year 2001. I begged my mom to let me relax my hair so I could "fit in" and play like the other kids. It's a little hard to run and play with a press and curl in Alabama heat and humidity. My mom finally agreed and my hair shrank from a thick, curly, soft mass to a thin, soft, greasy mess! I continued to relax my hair for about 3 years. Around the summer before eighth grade, I made the decision to stop getting my hair relaxed. This was around 2004.

I didn't know how to go natural and nobody else was doing it at the time. I was a pioneer and I didn't even know it! I did a lot of braid outs before I knew they had a name, but I straightened my hair almost everyday! I didn't even know that heat damage was a thing. My original transition did not include a big chop. I just trimmed my ends and gradually grew my relaxed hair out. By the time I figured out what heat damage was, my hair was a dry thinning mess!!

Freshman Big Chop

My freshman year of college, I big chopped. I went from collar bone/shoulder length hair to about an inch and a half of hair! At first I was in shock, but it grew on me. I fell in love with my short hair. My hair grew fast and got thicker. It has never been quite as thick as it was in child hood due to several determining factors: stress, nutrition, proper care, etc.

During my junior year of college, I gave birth to my handsome baby boy, and for the first time, my hair was as thick, long, and luscious. I had probably reached bra strap length or longer! I was excited, but with a newborn, my hair care regimen was pitiful to say the least. A few months after my son was born, I found out his father was cheating on me while I was pregnant. I was beyond devastated. So, I decided that I needed to transform myself. Big chop number two came about.

Post-partum big chop

I cut about six inches off (to this day I don't know why I cut my hair and kept that relationship)!!! My hair continued to grow, but my stress levels were extremely high. Between having a small child, undergrad, and a long distance relationship, I struggled to manage everything going on in my life.

Then in August of 2013, after leaving my son's father/fiancee, I colored my hair. It was a huge decision because I used a permanent color. I knew that moisturizing was my new best friend, but I was still under tremendous stress. The color caused my hair to become thin and brittle. There is a very visible difference between my virgin hair and my color treated ends! I've had to trim and clip fairy knots and tangles from wearing my hair out too often, from not properly securing it at night before bed, and from several bouts of improper moisturization.

My hair now

Pictured to the left is my hair now. I am working very hard now to remember to properly moisturize my hair, twist or braid before bed, eat healthy, drink water, exercise, and take my multivitamin supplement. I started taking It Works! Hair, Skin, and Nails supplements mid-September, and I truly can say that those supplements are the best that I've ever used! They taste great and they have 5,000 units of Biotin! For more details on the Hair, Skin, and Nails supplements, visit http://shantawilkerson.sharewraps.com or the Beautiful Outside website. My journey has been long and filled with ups and downs, but I am very happy with my hair today! I love the me I see when I look into the mirror, and that's what it's all about!