For clarity, it has been one year since I transitioned to natural hair. I didn't do the big chop until last year in October. I remember thinking about how I wanted to do something different to my hair but I couldn't figure out exactly what I wanted to do. This is coming from the woman who has had many of hairstyles, hair colors, big chopped to get locs and big chopped again just to have a short afro mohawk.

I've always rocked short pixie styles or I'll let my hair grow out long. My hair grows extremely fast no matter what I do to it (thanks God). I get so many compliments on my natural hair and really, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, because I'm so tender-headed and my hair is so thick. But that thickness of my mane is actually what makes my hair stay poppin and my curls are always moisturized.

So in July of 2018 I decided to go natural. But this time, I thought I'd transition into it which means just letting the perm grow out. That didn't last long because the two different textures of hair (permed ends and natural roots) were always a struggle to deal with. Then in October I attended a natural hair event and one of the panelist answered a question about transitioning hair and she said basically, "It's just like in life, why hold on to dead weight.....cut it off." You would've thought the floodgates of heaven opened up but instead that internal light bulb came on and I did the big chop as soon as I got home from that event. So my roots had a good four months of growth already so I wasn't totally bald when I did the big chop.

Check out my slide show of my one year natural hair journey below:

As you've seen in the pictures above, I've mainly rocked my #twa with finger coils in the beginning, then twist-outs and onto now perm rod sets and braid-outs. I really enjoy my wash days and taking the time to really care for every strand of my hair. This is something that I've never done before. I used to spend about 10-15 minutes on my hair tops. I don't mind the long hours and my arms being tired because the results of my hair afterwards are rewarding in and of itself.

Here is a one year length check and a tutorial of me deep conditioning my hair during my wash day routine:

If you have been following me, then you know that 98% of the time, I use all of Mielle Organics products on my natural hair. To say I love this brand is an understatement. The brand came down for Essence this year and of course I took that opportunity to stock up on my favorite products, some products I haven't tried yet and their new line, Moisture Rx. Everything in the pop-up store was on sale for $5. I waited almost patiently, all year for Essence just to take part in that sale. Of course, I'll post another blog soon about their new collection.

Oddly, I haven't worn a protective style yet such as braids because I don't want to risk stressing my hair out at this point and I don't feel like sitting for hours, letting someone else do my hair. I have been watching some YouTube videos to learn how to do it myself, so you may be seeing me rock some box braids this winter or maybe next summer, who knows?!?!

No matter what hairstyle, hair type or hair texture you have, be confident in who you are. My natural hair journey for me could be different than yours. Regardless of the differences, make sure you celebrate your mane no matter its shape or length. I don't get into the technical labeling of my hair (ex., low porosity, type 4c, etc.), I just do what works best for my hair and that's what's important. I have to thank the natural hair community because of them, I learned how to properly care for and style my hair through watching tons of vloggers.

If you're #teamnaturalhair what's some tips that you can share with the natural hair community? Post your response in the comments.