Transitioning Feature: Adrienne

I love doing features on my blog!I know that with 2011 just starting, a lot of relaxed ladies are starting the transition to natural hair. Now some ladies can do the big chop and sport it proudly, whereas other prefer to transition into natural hair to give themselves more length for when they do finally cut off those last few end of relaxed hair.

So, I wanted to do a feature on a tranitioner to help others out there doing the same. Adrienne has an AMAZING blog (which she will share with you below) that I follow and when I read that she was transitioning, I just had to have her featured here on BGBH.

Here is her story:

How long have you been transitioning?
My last relaxer was November 29, 2009 So I've been transitioning for 1 year and 3 months now!



When do you plan to BC/cut off the last of relaxed ends?
Hmm... Now that's tricky, I'm super excited about my curly roots but I'm not sure how I'll look with short hair! I'm leaning towards possibly doing 2 mini chops versus a BC... But who knows, my original plan was to BC in May 2011... Anywho I'll be sure to keep you posted!

What prompted you to start the journey to go natural?
My girlfriend was natural at the time and I always thought she had beautiful hair! She convinced me to see what my natural texture was like so I stopped relaxing my hair for a few months. I loved the texture but I wasn't sure I could handle the maintenance. Then after I got my last relaxer in November 2009 I hated the results and I decided then that I would be a Natural Girl!



What's your favorite/go-to style?
Well I'm pretty new to the whole natural thing. I kept straightening my natural hair for months to make it blend with my relaxed hair. Also most people seem to think that just because you go natural you get special powers and know how to bang out these fly hairstyles! Lol I just learned how to braid tight enough to give myself braid-outs! Quite honestly that's all I do, it's simple and it always looks great! I'm hoping to try bantu knots soon! ;D

What are your staple products?
I've been using Hello Hydration (Herbal Essence) shampoo and conditioner and Suave coconut conditioner. I also like to throw in a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the DC mix. My favorite product thus far has been the Olive Oil Gel! I use it for my braid outs and the hold and shine is amazing! I usually apply it with the Shea Butter Curl Enhancing Smoothie or whatever creamy curl butter I have in the cabinet just to give it some extra curl!

What have been the toughest parts about the transition?
The hardest part has probably been learning what my hair likes. I spent my time when I first went natural watching a billion youtube videos a day looking at women who probably didn't even have the same texture as me. Finding products that work is very hard, time consuming and costly. Another tough part are these darn relaxed ends! I hate having them hang off my braidouts but I'm still too scared to cut my hair.

What are you favorite blogs/sites/social networks to read concerning natural hair?
The MopTop Maven Her site is amazing she is truly my hair inspiration!
Curly Nikki The product reviews on this site is on point! Plus there is a forum so its just a lot of ladies lots of opinions and lots of hair!
Twitter's #TeamNatural community is awesometastical!

Where can we find you online?
Check out my blogsite
Like the Lez & The City Facebook Page!
Follow me on twitter @LezCity



Last parting words?
I love being natural and it's the best decision I could have made! Its easier to maintain than relaxed hair and I don’t have to worry if I sweat too much or get stuck in the rain! My friends don't believe me when I say that my natural hair doesn’t tangle! I'm excited to see when I'll finally cut off the relaxed ends... if its not May 2011 it will definitely be in December 2011. Overall, The best thing is I can do it myself!