*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally

Tamika was originally featured on December 14, 2009. We followed up with her to get an update on her regimen and find out things are coming along.

Introduce yourself!
T: My name is Tamika and I’m from the DMV lol. I live in Maryland. I do a lot haha. I work in retail at Urban Outfitters, I am the Personal Assistant to Kas of Kas Collection Inc, as well as the Lead Assistant Designer within the company. I model here and there as well.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
T: I decided to go natural because I was tired of putting chemicals in my hair. I wanted the versatility of being able to wear my hair straight or naturally curly. I transitioned back in October of 2008, and just grew my relaxer out.

In what ways (if any) has going natural affected you?
T: Going natural really hasn’t affected me in any big way honestly, but I am very strict when it comes to my hair now, and who I let style it. I’m a bit over protective when it comes to my hair lol.

How would you describe your hair?
T: If I had to type my hair, it would more than likely be a 4b. My hair is very thick, but not hard to manage at all…It does have its days though styling wise lol, sometimes it doesn’t want to cooperate.

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*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally

Introduce yourself!
B: My name is Brittanie! I’m originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana but I’m an army brat so I’ve lived all around the globe. I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia. I work as a producer at a radio station in the greater Atlanta area. I’m also an independent documentary filmmaker, and freelance writer and videographer. (And I’m a recent Temple U grad! Go Cherry & White!)

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
B: The decision to go natural for me was really out of financial necessity at first. I’ve been able to do my hair since a young age, but with university and other responsibilities came more time and money constraints. I couldn’t pay anyone else to relax my hair, and I honestly didn’t feel like doing it anymore myself. I also had close friends experimenting with their own natural hair so I thought it was a better time than ever to give it a go.

When and how did you transition into natural hair?
B: A month after completing my sophomore year of undergrad I BC’d. My hair was probably about an inch long.

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Introduce yourself!
S: My name is Sa Rah, I’m 21 and currently a student. I was born in France but I grow up between France and Geneva (Switzerland). My parents are from Algeria, North Africa. My hair attracts a lot of curiosity! People ask, “Where is she from? I’m Arabic! Algeria is a BEAUTIFUL country! There are so many different beauties because there are several ethnicities in the same space. The desert is exceptional! There are also the mountains, the beach…

What is the natural hair scene like in Algeria?
S: Because there are so many different ethnicities hair textures vary, maybe 50% “wavy hair” and 50% “straight hair”. In my family I’m the only one with frizzy, blonde hair. The last one to have hair like mine was my father’s grandma. In Algeria girls want to look like white people. When I was younger Algerian guys would call me “poodle” or “Bob Marley” in the street… It doesn’t help when you’re trying to stay natural.

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*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally

Introduce yourself!
A: My name is Alicia. I currently live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I’m a high school student currently in the 11th grade.

What is the natural hair scene like in Edmonton?
A: I’m sure it’s different all over Canada, but here in Edmonton the natural hair community is insanely small. We have a very large Caribbean and African community, but the natural hair phenomenon has not caught on yet. Everywhere you turn you’ll either see a weave or a wig or a relaxer, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just what I’ve noticed.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
A: In junior high, I was bullied hardcore over my skin color and my hair texture. So to relieve some of the bullying I decided it was a good idea to get my hair relaxed. When got my first relaxer in the 7th grade I thought my hair was going to flow down my back and be just like all the other girls’ hair. But was I ever wrong. My hair ended up being dry, stiff and kept getting shorter and shorter due to breakage. Every morning after I did my hair, I looked down and the bathroom floor covered in broken off hair. So after 2 years of trying my hardest to make it work, I finally realized it was never going to. After much research and deliberation, I finally got my Mom to cut it all off in February 2010.

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*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally

Introduce yourself!
A: My name is Ashley, but I’m also known to some as DeepImpact403 or NaturallyMeAshley. I’m a country girl for life, coming to you by way of my hometown of Center, Texas. I’ve been a Houstonian for over 10 years, so I’m reppin’ “Tha H” as well (H-Tahn Bay-beh)!!! I’m a middle school STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teacher here in Houston.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
A: I was always known as the girl with the long, pretty hair and I got tired of always wearing straight hair during college. I was the girl that would always have some type of chemical burn from relaxers, no matter if my scalp was irritated or not. I would often find myself trying to wear styles that looked natural, such as having my hair braided while wet and then wearing a braid out after it dried. Eventually I began to see more and more women wearing natural styles and after saying that I was going to do it for while, I finally committed to doing away with relaxers three years after I graduated from college.

When and how did you transition into natural hair?
A: I began my transition in 2008 when I got my last relaxer. At first I thought I was just going to wear my hair straight as I transitioned by getting it flat ironed every couple of weeks…yeah RIGHT!! Once I realized that this was very unrealistic, especially considering the thickness of my hair, I decided to get some kinky twists that March. I wore the kinky twists for about two and a half months and decided to take on some transition styles during that summer from June to August. First I wore a rod set which I loved, and then a modified twist out (some of my ends were still relaxed). Throughout that summer, I got some of my relaxed ends cuts off little by little so my big chop wouldn’t be so drastic. At the end of July, I was ready for the big chop since I was basically 90% natural, but my stylist told me the back section of my hair was much shorter than the front and that I needed a little more time so I wouldn’t lose inches of natural hair just to even out the lengths. My last transition style was a sew-in that I wore from August to September 18, 2008. On that day, I wore my shortest length ever, a TWA that was about 3-4 inches in length. I experienced my big chop!

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