1. What's your name and where are you from? 

My names Alejandra. I was born and raised in Bronx. New York. 

2. What is your hair type?

My hair type is 3B.

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I’ve been natural ever since I was a kid, but ended up suffering heat damage from straightening too often. I eventually decided to stop applying heat so often back in 2012 and have kept up with my regimen since then. 

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

I would have to say the maintenance was the biggest challenge for me when I made my decision. From making sure to deep condition once a week or use a protein treatment at least once a month. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but once I got the hang of things I was good to go. 

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

As far as my weekly regimen I’ll co-wash one week and shampoo wash the next. I make sure to deep condition once every week as well after all the manipulating my hair has gone through.

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

I’ll usually just take my style down, apply my favorite oil to the ends of my hair and I’m out the door. 

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

Twist and refresh! Lol if I feel my style can use a bit of loving I’ll just re-braid it or re-twist for the night. If not then I’ll just pull it up into a pineapple and protect the style with my satin bonnet. 

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

I use it very sparingly. I went from straightening my hair once every 2 weeks to now straightening once a year or every 8 months depending on how I feel or if I’m getting that "straight hair" itch. 

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

My name is Daye and I'm from North Carolina, USA.

2. What is your hair type?

I'm not really into hair typing because I have a mixture of curls between 3c, 4a and 4b. Yikes, right? :) 

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I wish I had some profound story about why I decided to transition to natural, but I started this journey in 2011 after getting a head injury and putting a relaxer on healing wounds was out of the question.

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

The most challenging part about being natural for me is letting go of damaging habits. I loved my Dominican Blowouts and even after starting the natural hair journey, I still damaged my hair with heat, which resulted in a whole other transition which I started in 2013. It was hard to let go of the heat and learn to love my curls and the shrinkage that comes with it.

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

My regimen varies from style to style but my go to are perm rod sets. For that, I rod my hair once/twice a week using foaming lotions and hair milks. I co-wash, rather than shampoo, once a week to eliminate product build up, but retain moisture and about every other week, I do a combination of deep conditioning and home made protein treatments.

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

In the mornings, I shake, fluff with a pick, and with some moisture on my hands, I finger coil the frizzy curls and separate the big ones.

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

At night, I tie a scarf around my edges, with the curls pushed towards the top of my head, and put a bonnet around the curls. For some reasons, pineapples do not work for me, but this works perfectly. I'm able to get about 4-6 days out of my sets. I actually got 8 once.

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

I use indirect heat (steamers, hooded dryers) regularly. There's this misconception in the natural community that heat is bad and that's not the case. My hair has low porosity and the indirect heat lifts my cuticles to help moisture penetrate the shafts versus just sitting on top. 

So if you feel like you have dry hair? Try sitting under a hooded dryer or use a steamer when you condition, if you don't have either but a plastic cap/bag around your hair and take a shower... As far as direct heat (curling irons/wands, blow dryers, straighteners), I only use those a few times out of the year. I've managed to figure out roller wraps and can straighten my hair with just the heat of a hooded dryer.

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

I'm Shawnta and I'm from Louisville, Kentucky, USA  

2. What is your hair type?

My hair type is 3B 

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I went back natural in 2012 it was the best thing I could've done! I went back to being natural because my relaxed hair was becoming extremely thin and damaged. 

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

Having patience. Natural hair takes a lot of time and dedication.  

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

My weekly regimens varies. But I always use the same techniques which is finger detangling, deep conditioning,co wash, style 

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

In the morning I moisturize with water and Rosemary essential oil.

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

I pineapple my hair at night and sleep on a satin pillow case.

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

I haven't used heat in 2 years. 

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

I'm Mary. I'm from the DMV area, Maryland, USA.

2. What is your hair type?

My hair type is a 3c 4a mix of curls. 

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I big  chopped on August 12, 2012. I went natural because I was just over relaxers and I wanted to start a "healthy hair journey" but I didn't want to do so with relaxers. I had already started "stretching" my relaxers so I figure why not just do without them all together. I made the choice and haven't looked back since.

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

Getting used to my natural texture was a challenge at first but I just learned to embrace it 

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

I wash my hair every 8-10 days. I co wash and clarify once a month. I always deep condition. Rotating between treatments for moisture, protein, and elasticity. Then proceed to style with my favourite oil, and gel combo.

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

In the mornings I normally fluff and go. I always smooth my edged before heading out to give my styles that extra sleek touch.

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

My night time routine is super easy, I swear by my satin pillowcase it literally saves my styles!!!

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

I use heat very infrequently at the most , I'll straighten twice a year. 

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

My name is Marcia. I was born and raised in Louisiana but currently reside in Texas. 

2. What is your hair type?

My hair type is 3c.

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

In 2009, I decided I was tired of my straightened hair. I wanted the curls that I had as a little girl back. Prior to beginning my natural hair journey, I was not aware of the term "natural hair." I did not know I had to stop relaxing my hair (transition) or chop it off (big chop) until I came across Taren Guy on YouTube. I did much research but still was hesitant. It wasn't until 2011 that my two close cousins told me that they were making the decision to return natural and it was then much easier to take the journey with them. I did my first big chop in 2011! Nothing's been the same since lol.

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

The first year after big chopping was the hardest. Learning new styles, trying to perfect twist outs, was no walk in the park. It took about 3 years to finally get a perfect twist out. 

Family def had alot to say and I continued to tell them that once it would grow that they would like it. Having the support is important but I always tell ladies to do what's best for you. Forget what everyone says or think, you know?!

I've had several big chops since my first, so I obviously did not care about how others felt about MY hair but he support would have been nice. 

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

I shampoo AND condition once weekly! Yes, I shampoo! Co washing is good for those who wash there hair more then once a week but I use shampoo to keep my scalp clean! Conditioner does not do that as I was a co washer for a couple of years. In my opinion,  hair should be shampooed once a week, as this provides a clear and healthy scalp for hair growth. Sometimes using conditioner to wash hair can result in product buildup on scalp, preventing hair growth.

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

Honestly, Mondays through Fridays I'm rocking two French braids and I bobby pin them up so that they aren't hanging on my neck. I have to do this for work everyday! Also, less hair manipulation, which can also result in hair growth! Weekends I let my hair breathe. I usually wash and go or shingles. I use Tresemme dee cleanse shampoo and  Tresemme Naturals conditioner. Camille Rose Naturals Curl Love for moisture and sometimes I add Camille Rose Fresh Curl to the ends of my hair. And finger foil the ends. I let air dry for 30 and then maybe diffuse or just use Afro pick once it's 90% dry for fullest. I also make some of my own products. I use the hair butter I make to rebraid my braids everyday during the week. I also make a hair oil that I apply to scalp twice a week (another reason I like to shampoo).

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

Monday through Friday I'll throw on a satin scarf. When I my hair is out, I will use pineapple method.

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

Yes, when I decide to diffuse and I flat iron my hair about 3 times a year. 

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

Hello everyone, I’m Rochelle Ward and I hail from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten.

2. What is your hair type?

My curl pattern is an S, so my hair type is 4A although the top of my head produces a much looser curl.

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I was always natural except for six years of my life. My hair was straightened when I was about 15 years old. At the time, I was comfortable wearing and styling my hair in its natural state. So why did I change it? That year my Christmas gift was a trip to the salon. So it was done. Five years later, as a junior in college, I big-chopped during a summer program in New York City. It was hot and I had no time for my hair.

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

It was not challenging for me. Even though I didn’t have the knowledge I have now about proper natural hair care, my hair was my own and I simply dealt with its stubbornness. One minor irritation was finding styles for my TWA before the social media sharing phenomenon.

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

It used to be co-washing at least twice. And if there is product buildup, I detangle, section my hair into plaits moist with conditioner and oil and wash my scalp with shampoo. Now it is changing as I experiment with other products like Bentonite Me Baby by Alikay Naturals.

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

In the mornings, I dampen my hair with water and apply a leave in conditioner and grape seed oil and give my edges some love, a bit of product and a gentle massage. Or I do nothing at all.

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

In the evenings, if my hair had been loose during the day or in protective style, I detangle, moisturize my hair, and always sleep in a satin bonnet.  Sometimes, I style it then and there for the next day.

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

I unintentionally use heat as there is a lot of sunshine year round.  Intentionally, the most heat I would use is warm water.

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

My name is Carlencia Gray and I am from Galveston, TX, USA. 

2. What is your hair type?

My hair texture is a mixture of all in the Type 4 category: 4a, 4b, 4c.

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I decided to stop relaxing my hair in 2012. During an attempt to stretch my relaxer I noticed my natural texture and became curious. I fell in love with it and never relaxed again. 

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

I would say figuring out what worked best for my hair was the most challenging for me. But over time and I discovered a regimen and which products work great for my hair.

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

Every week I shampoo, deep condition, and then I moisturized using the liquid/leave-in, oil, and cream method before styling.

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

I typically just fluff my hair and go. If I add anything to my hair it would be coconut oil for added shine and softness.

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

I place my hair in about 4-6 ponytails then cover with a satin bonnet.

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

Yes. I only straighten my hair twice a year. But I do use a soft bonnet hair dryer to dry my hair every time I style it. My hair is way too thick for air drying in a timely manner. 

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

Shawn Clarke, Maryland, USA.

2. What is your hair type?

4a/4b

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I completely bald big chopped on July 17th 2012.

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

Family members' opinions.

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

Pre-poo with oil mix (castor oil, lavender oil & lemongrass oil), shampoo, deep condition (30min to 1 hr), leave-in conditioner, coconut oil or argan oil then apply styler and two-strand twist 

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

If still in twists, I spritz with water and re-apply coconut oil to freshen the twists and place in an updo .

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

Spritz with water and apply a moisturizing product (ex: Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie) and place hair in pineapple

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

Yes, maybe twice a year. 

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

My name is Millicent Swift and I’m located outside Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

2. What is your hair type?

Although I don’t usually hair type, I believe that I have a combination of 4a, 4b, & 4c. Like most naturals, my sides, crown and the top front section of my hair are all different textures. 

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I actually went natural for several reasons. I received my last relaxer on December 4, 2010 and I did my Big Chop on June 1, 2011. Around that time, I didn’t know much about what it meant to “go natural”.

When I got old enough to start styling my own hair (high school-college) I started to use a lot of heat on my hair daily to achieve a certain look. Using so much heat of course led to extreme breakage and shedding to where my hair (what started between mid-back & waist length) eventually fell above my shoulders by 2010. In the effort to grow my hair back, I knew that I had to do something different.

Also in the summer of 2010 I tried using a perm rod set on my relaxed hair and once fluffed out, I fell in love with how big the hair was. Curiosity to what my hair would look like if it wasn’t relaxed came to the forefront of my mind and stayed with me. I wanted to know my true texture and to why my mother was so quick to remind me to retouch my new growth once it started to grow in. I wanted a fresh start and a new me.

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

The most challenging thing for me was dealing with some of the negative backlash that I           received from those closest to me once I did it. I did not tell several people about my plans to go natural, I just did it. People were used to seeing me with long relaxed hair for nearly 20 plus years of my life and in a blink of an eye, it was all gone. Although I had convinced myself already that chopping my hair off was the right thing, I felt as though it was my responsibility also to show others alike that natural hair could be beautiful. So I researched and literally studied YouTube tutorials for hours at a time to learn how to care for my natural hair and here we are. 

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

Recently I’ve been doing the L.O.C. Method (liquid, oil, cream). So Monday-Friday my hair is usually in about 12 plaits/braids and then Saturday-Sunday I usually wear the hair out free, making Sunday my wash day to do it all over again. When I’m not doing the LOC Method, I’m usually rocking a protective style of some sort to where I won’t have to touch it for several days. 

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

Once I take my bonnet off, I usually touch up my edges with some hair gel and maybe spritz some water on top.

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

I ALWAYS wear a satin bonnet to bed, so that’s about it. Regardless of the style I’m wearing, a bonnet usually goes over it.

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

I usually never use heat until recently last month in January when I decided to get my hair professionally flat ironed for the first time in 3-1/2 years. I usually wear my hair in protective styles 80% of the time, so I wanted to do something different for my birthday this year for 2015.

1. What's your name and where are you from? 

JoAnna, New York City, USA

2. What is your hair type?

4A

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it? 

I made the decision to return natural the day I relaxed my hair after transitioning for 7 months. Overall, being natural was more cost-effective, I was bored with straight styles and I wanted a new look.

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural? 

In the initial transitioning process, it was caring for both hair textures.

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

I pre-poo my hair with coconut oil by Applying the product directly on my scalp in sections, massage using the tips of my fingers and finger detangling to remove shed hairs. I usually cowash. If I have product buildup, I use a clarifying shampoo and follow up with my staple conditioners. I always wash with my hair in sections. The last step is the L.O.C method. With my hair still in sections, I unravel each twist and apply a leave in, oil and twisting butter. If I am doing a wash and go style, I do not use the L.O.C. Method. I skip the oil and cream and only apply the leave in. It depends on my mood if I apply gel afterwards. 

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

My hair is mostly in a protective style. If it's not taking down twists for a twist-out, it's just to spritz my hair with a leave-in or water,conditioner and oil mix.

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

I use an oil to massage my scalp (castor or coconut oil) and spritz with a leave-in. I sleep with a satin scarf on my head.

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all? 

Only when I get a trim twice a year.