What's your story?

My hair story in short: January 2008, just out of the blue I decided I no longer wanted to perm my hair. I don't know if it was out of sheer tiredness of the perming process or just straight laziness. How ever, I didn't purchase a perm for my hair and this went on for an entire year. Not really paying attention to or intentionally "going natural". Then, February or March 2009 it rained for 40 days and 40 nights (not literally but close) and I refused to look puffy yet another day. When I got off work I drove STRAIGHT to the beauty supply store purchased a perm and ran home to do my hair..thought I'd found heaven in that little jar:) When my husband got home he was rather upset, didn't know he was paying attention to my "unpermed" hair styles and was loving it. He continued to ask me to not get another perm and I continued to ignore him..one hair stylist pushed me over the edge by her lack of "hair care" and I said you know what, I'm tired of salons and I think I'm damaging and possibly over processing my hair with these perms..and there was born my final decision that I would never get another perm. That was April 16, 2010, so as I share my story today December 24 (Merry Christmas eve) I am 8 months perm free..not chemical. I have color sparingly on my hair to cover this mean old gray, so that's why I say I'm not chemical free. I am loving my curl pattern and can't wait to become totally perm free. I think I'm finally on board for a new and healthier me, inside and out:)

I remember my paternal grandfather scolding my mother for relaxing my hair because I was the only of his grandchildren with 'good hair.' After my divorce I was so stressed that my hair kept breaking in various spots of my head, forcing me to wear styles that concealed breakage. I finally decided to stop relaxing a week after my 28th birthday just to see what it would look like. I transitioned for a year and BC'd in October. I am LOVING my curls!!!!

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, at the age of 29. After chemo was over and I lost all of my relaxed hair, I said. I'm going to give this natural hair thing a try. I haven't looked back!