Transitioning To Me

{Source}
So much going right with this picture!

One of the biggest things that I've noticed about myself during my transition thus far is that I have become more accepting of myself. In the past, I have taken so much pride in my hair that my entire mood for the day circled around whether I was having a bad hair day or not. If I was having a bad hair day, everything else would fall to pieces. I wouldn't feel like dressing cute and girly as I usually do. I wouldn't want to spend time primping and slapping on just the right amount of make up to accentuate my features. I wouldn't care if my nail polish was chipping to the point of almost non-existence. I wouldn't even have enough confidence to hold my head up high when I was walking down the street. My hair was my shield and the entirety of my confidence.

The moment I decided to go natural, there was definitely a shift in how I viewed myself. After watching a lot of others on youtube, I knew that the transition wouldn't always be a smooth process. I knew I would have countless bad hair days simply because one of the two textures on my head didn't want to cooperate with the other. Since I couldn't go an entire year moping around, I knew I couldn't hide behind my hair anymore.

At first, this was kind of a scary thought. For as long as I could remember, my hair had been my pride and joy. It was what I got the most compliments on. As time went on, however, I have become more and more comfortable being myself without relying on my hair. I take more pride in other things about myself, and I celebrate and appreciate the features that I was born with. I knew that there was a mental component to the transition to natural hair, but I just didn't expect that it would mean transitioning to me. The last piece of the puzzle is living with the hair that I was created with and I can't wait to see it!

8 Months Post Relaxer!!!

{Source}
Nothing like a little CURLSpiration!!

Last Saturday marked my 8 month post relaxer mark. Looking back at some pictures I took during the first few months of my transition, I can certainly tell the difference in the length of my natural hair. In short, it seems to have grown like a weed! (Pictures to come soon hopefully). One of the biggest things that I've noticed in these 8 months is that my natural curl pattern is slowly but surely starting to rebel against my transitional styles. Usually, my signature twist-rod sets will look like a fresh set for at least 4 days. But now, my new growth starts to revert only after two! My hair still looks decent and all, but when I put my hands in my hair, I can definitely notice the difference between my new growth and permed hair.

I'm really happy with the amount of growth that I have seen over the past 8 months. I now have about 4 inches in the majority of my head (the front of my hair seems to grow a bit slower so its shorter in that area). It still a bit short for my liking at this stage of the game, but it's definitely good to see that my hair is growing. 

I can also certainly tell that it is time for another trim. For me, the more new growth that comes in, the more tangled my relaxed ends become during my washing process. It seems that the only way to rid me of this problem is to trim about an inch or two off. I think that this coming wash day I will do a bit of a trim on my hair, in addition to a clarifying wash and a hot oil treatment.

Well, that's all for now. I am certainly loving my hair at every stage of the game. Can't wait to see my hair in it's full natural state!

Until Next Time,

Quirky Girl

Dear Hair Diary: I Love My 8month post Curly Fro!

{Note: From time to time, when I'm feeling a particular way about my hair, I will post a journal entry in my hair diary. This is the first of those posts! Enjoy!}

My twist-rod sets usually last anywhere from a week to a week and a half. The current set I'm rocking (done last Thursday) is no different. When I woke up this morning, I started my usual routine. I let the steam from the shower give a little moisture to my hair. Once out of the shower and fully dressed, it was finally time to get my hands in my hair (which has become my FAVORITE part of the getting ready process these days). 

I slathered on about two quarter-sized amounts of my favorite oil to moisturize, seal, and impart some shine (I believe my hair does better with oil based moisturizers but I'm still experimenting with that slightly...). A finger fluff here, a little shake there, and I was ready to place my hair accessory on for the day. I chose a blackish silver stretch band that I had picked up from Forever 21 a few days ago. Since I had a lot of damage on my front hairline from my perming days, I try not to use accessories that place a lot of stress on those places. The band that I chose for the day was a little tighter than I would have liked for everyday use, but I figured since I would only be wearing it for the day that it wouldn't be that bad. A few more finger fluffs and I was ready to go. Very little manipulation to my hair (which is ideal for me while I transition) and a total styling time of about 5 minutes. Not too shabby if you ask me. 

Throughout the day, whenever I caught a glimpse of my hair in the mirror I couldn't help but smile. I absolutely LOVE my hair. It was curly, full, and luscious! While my hair is not completely natural yet, I can't wait to see how awesome my curly fro will be. If I'm loving the results now with half curly, half relaxed hair, I can only imagine the results of maybe a bantu knot out on my fully natural hair.

Here are a few more views of my hair today:

Yowzers my lashes look long here! Believe it or not, all I did was put on mascara (one that I've been trying out). Yep, I think that one's a keeper!

The final overall look.