In the beginning I tried...

to fall in love with my natural tresses worn in its natural state, but doing so proved to be at times difficult.  After my pregnancy my hair had grown much longer and trying to maintain it daily with a newborn, work, school, and maintaining a family, etc... was a bit much.  I didn't know how to get my hair to look and feel soft when dry as it did when wet.  When wetting my hair in the shower, I could and would run my fingers through my strands.   That was, at the time, the only time I  loved my hair.  It was how my hair looked and felt after it dried that I wasn't too fond of.  It would feel dry and brittle.  Forget trying to run my fingers through it.  I didn't know how to style it in this state, thus I did what I knew how to do and that was to press it straight.  Thanks Mom!  You are my rock!
 





Hair blowdried then straightened

I wore my hair straight for a little over two years.  Spring, fall and winter seasons were the best times of the year to wear my hair straight, however, it was during the summer months wearing my hair straight was troublesome for me.   

In the south our summers are both hot and humid!

Trying to maintain my pressed tresses worn down during the summer was brutal.  My hair would frizz something fierce and unless I had my A/C on full blast at night, I would wake up to "sweated" out edges and roots.  There were times in the morning I just didn't have time to "re-straighten" my hair before heading out to daycare and to work.  So, I created the up-do style below as my signature style to help me through the summer months.  Even with the humidity, I didn't mind a lil' frizz when sporting this style.   As long as my look was "contained" I was okay.

Staple up-do for summer months. 

Finally, it was during one hot and brutal summer with temperatures hitting in the triple digits I said
ENOUGH! No more styling with heat.  I had to learn how to take care of my natural tresses without using heat. So, I began washing my strands and applying a hair oil I found within an east indian grocery store to my wet hair.  I would apply oil to a section of hair then create single twist strands pinned elongated (as flat as I could get it) going to the back, side, front of my head.  I still didn't know how to "style" it without heat, so once my hair dried, I would wear a headwrap or my favorite cap (during fall and winter) before heading out.  I also did this because even with the oil from the indian store my hair still didn't feel quite right to the touch.

I had a colored scarf for every outfit worn.

Wearing my favorite Page Boy Hat of that time.

Although I didn't wear my  natural tresses "out", I was still on the right path for me.  I loved the sense of freedom I felt from not having to depend upon "heat" styling my hair. I now could begin to embrace and truly fall in love with my natural tresses. I truly felt free!  I loved not having to worry about the weather, especially when it rained.  Chuckle! I loved not having to wake up in the morning early to heat up my irons.  I L.O.V.E.D. IT!  However, even still with this new found freedom, I was in search  for something more.