I started life as a curly, but my mother didn't have a clue. My oldest two siblings both have straight/wavy hair, and my older brother was a curlie too. The difference being that my mother would just keep his hair in a cute little afro and cut it when necessary. I on the other hand was subjected to four rather tight plaits from ages 2-10. Why you may ask? My mother didn't know about conditioner,and by didn't know, I mean didn't use on her hair or my hair. You guessed it. I had frizzy, out of control, tangled tresses in no time. My dear mother would always say "you had such pretty hair when you were born, but I don't know what happened."
When I was 10 my mother and aunt decided that I should get my hair pressed. I went to my mother's hair dresser, who was kind enough to deal with my "bad hair". She was gentle and the process went well aside from my fearing 3rd degree burns. My hair was like I'd never experienced it before. It was silky, tangle free, but most of all it was long. I loved riding my bike with my friends while the wind blew through my hair. The curse was lifted! I had beautiful hair again. Well, the euphoria was short-lived as I soon discovered that if I got my hair wet, it would turn back into a horrible, frizzy pumpkin. During the summer, my mother would spend over three hours giving me braids. I hated it! My head would hurt (did I mention gentle is not first in her vocabulary) and my eyes would water. Instead of the usual month that my sister could keep her hair in braids, I could barely last two weeks before I was clawing my scalp. See, Mommy dearest used to put Sulfur-8 (shudder) on my scalp when she washed it and every week it was up. The problem? My scalp hated it and rebelled severely. I looked forward to the changing seasons just to get my "good hair" back.
Now, my mother had a tradition. When a daughter reached 16 years of age, they could get a relaxer. My sister did it and I refused, until I was 17. I wanted to see if I could make my hair curly again instead. Let me tell you I knew nothing, but I tried. Between heat damage and a lack of good products (or the money to buy good products myself), my efforts were in vain. Hoping for a better way of life, I surrendered to the creamy crack, extra strength. Why? Because my second stylist (the 1st one refused to do my hair because she was getting slower and knew she'd never finish in time with all my hair), told me that I had that "good grade" of hair, so I needed the strongest relaxer or my hair wouldn't relax properly. I was terrified, but instead of running and screaming, I took a cue from my mother, who said it was okay. I couldn't believe my hair when I saw it! It was healthy, thick, shiny, and straight. Plus, it was easy to comb, brush, wash, and maintain. I was in hair heaven. Then, the skies opened up and fire came down on my poor head or at least it felt like it. I burn pretty much every time I got my hair done. At first, I blamed myself, but I was being careful, so I didn't understand. I went away to college in a different state, and ended up changing hair dressers twice (not by choice the other one went to another salon without warning). Now my I loved both women because I stopped burning. I only singed a little at times. They used the relaxer for sensitive scalp, and I was in heaven again. The second stylist was a whiz with a flat iron. Since the relaxer was weaker, I found I could wear my hair curly or straight. I loved it! What I didn't realize was that this was the beginning of what would become my natural journey. I once broached the subject to my natural hair stylist (the 2nd one), and she did her best to discourage me.
Four Years Later...
I was in hair hell. It took me around four hours just to wash, blow dry, and flat iron my hair. My skin was in trouble (more on that later),and my hair styling sessions often ended in tears of frustration. One day I put mousse in my hair, wrapped it in an old cotton t-shirt turban, and promptly forgot about it. When my mother reminded me about my hair, I removed the turban to find curls underneath. My mother asked me why my hair couldn't be like that all the time, and I knew the time had come to kiss relaxers goodbye.
The Transition Condition
I would love to say transitioning was easy, and for the first four months, it was. Months 4-7 were the hardest because tangles were everywhere and protective styles Did Not work for me. My hair just wouldn't cooperate. It was also in month four that I discovered the source of my troubled skin, formaldehyde (apparently I'm allergic) in the form of formaldehyde releasers. I was devastated because I thought my journey would have to end. Then, I read up on Shea Moisture products and realized they were both affordable and formaldehyde and sulfate-free. I will probably mention that brand a lot because it's my go-to brand for skin and hair care. I would also love to tell you that my fingers never itched for the scissors but I'd be lying. I learned to adjust my routine to the seasons and my hair grew like a weed. Finally, one year, one month, and two days after I started, I finished my transition to natural with an unforgettable haircut. I cut the front and my sis cut the back. I realized that I was putting off the big chop, not because my family would have a cow ( I thought they would but they didn't), but because I was afraid that I would no longer be beautiful without my hair. Sad, right? It took me a while to realize that I am more than my hair.
Why I started Curl Chaserz
I began with a blog on tumblr called WondErfully Made (werwonderfullymade.tumblr.com). I wanted to share my journey, meet/inspire other curlies, and provide a voice for curlies like myself. It can be difficult to find the right products if you're a sensitive-skinned curlie. Compounding that issue is the fact that I and curlies like myself don't seem to be properly represented on most blogs and sites. What do I mean? They either address curlies with African-American hair or mulatto/bi-racial backgrounds. The truth is...I don't really fit either of those categories. I know all curlies can learn from each other, but I feel like the child with her nose pressed against the glass on the outside looking in. I hope that this blog will provide a voice for sensitive-skinned and/or multi-ethnic curlies who feel lost.
When I was 10 my mother and aunt decided that I should get my hair pressed. I went to my mother's hair dresser, who was kind enough to deal with my "bad hair". She was gentle and the process went well aside from my fearing 3rd degree burns. My hair was like I'd never experienced it before. It was silky, tangle free, but most of all it was long. I loved riding my bike with my friends while the wind blew through my hair. The curse was lifted! I had beautiful hair again. Well, the euphoria was short-lived as I soon discovered that if I got my hair wet, it would turn back into a horrible, frizzy pumpkin. During the summer, my mother would spend over three hours giving me braids. I hated it! My head would hurt (did I mention gentle is not first in her vocabulary) and my eyes would water. Instead of the usual month that my sister could keep her hair in braids, I could barely last two weeks before I was clawing my scalp. See, Mommy dearest used to put Sulfur-8 (shudder) on my scalp when she washed it and every week it was up. The problem? My scalp hated it and rebelled severely. I looked forward to the changing seasons just to get my "good hair" back.
Now, my mother had a tradition. When a daughter reached 16 years of age, they could get a relaxer. My sister did it and I refused, until I was 17. I wanted to see if I could make my hair curly again instead. Let me tell you I knew nothing, but I tried. Between heat damage and a lack of good products (or the money to buy good products myself), my efforts were in vain. Hoping for a better way of life, I surrendered to the creamy crack, extra strength. Why? Because my second stylist (the 1st one refused to do my hair because she was getting slower and knew she'd never finish in time with all my hair), told me that I had that "good grade" of hair, so I needed the strongest relaxer or my hair wouldn't relax properly. I was terrified, but instead of running and screaming, I took a cue from my mother, who said it was okay. I couldn't believe my hair when I saw it! It was healthy, thick, shiny, and straight. Plus, it was easy to comb, brush, wash, and maintain. I was in hair heaven. Then, the skies opened up and fire came down on my poor head or at least it felt like it. I burn pretty much every time I got my hair done. At first, I blamed myself, but I was being careful, so I didn't understand. I went away to college in a different state, and ended up changing hair dressers twice (not by choice the other one went to another salon without warning). Now my I loved both women because I stopped burning. I only singed a little at times. They used the relaxer for sensitive scalp, and I was in heaven again. The second stylist was a whiz with a flat iron. Since the relaxer was weaker, I found I could wear my hair curly or straight. I loved it! What I didn't realize was that this was the beginning of what would become my natural journey. I once broached the subject to my natural hair stylist (the 2nd one), and she did her best to discourage me.
Four Years Later...
I was in hair hell. It took me around four hours just to wash, blow dry, and flat iron my hair. My skin was in trouble (more on that later),and my hair styling sessions often ended in tears of frustration. One day I put mousse in my hair, wrapped it in an old cotton t-shirt turban, and promptly forgot about it. When my mother reminded me about my hair, I removed the turban to find curls underneath. My mother asked me why my hair couldn't be like that all the time, and I knew the time had come to kiss relaxers goodbye.
The Transition Condition
I would love to say transitioning was easy, and for the first four months, it was. Months 4-7 were the hardest because tangles were everywhere and protective styles Did Not work for me. My hair just wouldn't cooperate. It was also in month four that I discovered the source of my troubled skin, formaldehyde (apparently I'm allergic) in the form of formaldehyde releasers. I was devastated because I thought my journey would have to end. Then, I read up on Shea Moisture products and realized they were both affordable and formaldehyde and sulfate-free. I will probably mention that brand a lot because it's my go-to brand for skin and hair care. I would also love to tell you that my fingers never itched for the scissors but I'd be lying. I learned to adjust my routine to the seasons and my hair grew like a weed. Finally, one year, one month, and two days after I started, I finished my transition to natural with an unforgettable haircut. I cut the front and my sis cut the back. I realized that I was putting off the big chop, not because my family would have a cow ( I thought they would but they didn't), but because I was afraid that I would no longer be beautiful without my hair. Sad, right? It took me a while to realize that I am more than my hair.
Why I started Curl Chaserz
I began with a blog on tumblr called WondErfully Made (werwonderfullymade.tumblr.com). I wanted to share my journey, meet/inspire other curlies, and provide a voice for curlies like myself. It can be difficult to find the right products if you're a sensitive-skinned curlie. Compounding that issue is the fact that I and curlies like myself don't seem to be properly represented on most blogs and sites. What do I mean? They either address curlies with African-American hair or mulatto/bi-racial backgrounds. The truth is...I don't really fit either of those categories. I know all curlies can learn from each other, but I feel like the child with her nose pressed against the glass on the outside looking in. I hope that this blog will provide a voice for sensitive-skinned and/or multi-ethnic curlies who feel lost.