I get tons of messages from Mane and Chic readers that tell me Mane and Chic inspired their transition. I’m always very humbled and touched that this blog could actually make a difference. All of your kind words and positivity inspire me. If it weren’t for me writing this blog, I probably wouldn’t have been able to follow through with my transition, though things were not always easy.

Here’s a post I wrote back in  November of 2007…

I’m a little over nine months into my transition to natural. I can’t lie to you, I’ve played with the idea of getting a relaxer. It’s so hard. I heard relapses are normal, but I’ve also seen a lot of people regret going back. I made this blog to document my journey and I think I’ve really reached a turning point. Should I keep growing? Cut it? Relax it? I made a commitment, so I’ll try my hardest to stick with it. Did I say it was hard? I’m not going to do it. I don’t think. No, I’m not. OK.


This is for the transitioning women that are feeling a bit discouraged. I experienced the same emotions that you’re experiencing. It’s not easy. Now I can say it was a mental challenge more than anything else. I grew as a person because of my transition. If you arm yourself with information and perfect your styling techniques, it can be a breeze. Well, maybe not a breeze, but if you know what you’re doing then it will make your life easier. When I started this blog I had no idea what I was doing. There weren’t any hair bloggers with my hair type and I definitely had not seen anyone document their entire transition. I was so lost. Lucky for you there is a proliferation of natural hair bloggers to help and inspire your transition. I found the most important element in transitioning is to have a team of women sharing with, supporting and encouraging each other. 

I was so into the Law of Attraction. I’ve seen it work in my life in terms of relationships, money and jobs. Back in 2008, I figured I’d give it a go in my hair care regimen.

Here’s what I wrote…

I’m reading The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel. It’s my follow up read to The Secret Rhonda Byrne. If you believe in visualization techniques and the law of attraction, you should definitely read both of these books. The Master Key system is like a 24 week class in one book.


You might ask how this relates to hair. Well, it does. Many women who grew their hair long have used visualization techniques to reach their goals. This isn’t the only reason I decided to follow this philosophy, I use it in all aspects of my life. It’s basically “mind over matter”, if you can have a thought of something, a dream and you have blind faith that you can make it come true… well, then it will come to pass.


I’m just starting the exercises, and WEEK 1 consists of sitting erect in a chair completely still for 15-30 minutes. How perfect is this exercise? It needs to be done free of being disturbed and quiet. What better way is there to do this than while you’re sitting under a dryer deep conditioning your hair! You have to do this everyday for a week or until you’ve mastered it. I’m starting tonight.


What happened (2010 update)?

I couldn’t get through the book. It was very dense and required a lot of discipline to get through each exercise. I will finish it one day. That being said, I do practice visualization techniques when it comes to my hair and my life. I meditate. Sometimes I draw pictures of myself with my hair the way I want with symbols of my life goals being reached. When I was transitioning, I pictured myself with natural hair and that all worked out. I strongly suggest using visualization techniques especially when you’re feeling discouraged or fed up with your hair. It also helps to collect images of women whose hair you admire that also have a similar hair type to your hair type. I find the more clear the vision, the easier it is for it to come to fruition.

What do you think about using visualization techniques where your hair is concerned? Have you done it? Does it help you?


Please share in the comments.

Do everything in sections. It will be easier to style, detangle and apply product in sections. When applying deep conditioner in these sections, you’re ensuring that you reach every centimeter of your head.

I part my hair in six sections. The first part goes straight down the middle of my head from my forehead to the nape of my neck. The next part runs from the left front of my ear to the right. The next from the back left of my ear to the right. That leaves me with 3 even sections on the right and 3 even sections on the left. I co-wash, wash, detangle, oil, deep treat, braid, roller set, twist and trim my hair using this 6 section foundation.

I used to do four sections while I was transitioning and when I went completely natural, I realized that I needed more sections because I have at least two different types of hair on my head that are polar opposites. The crown section of my hair is naturally frizzy and the curls are not defined. This section is also very dense. The hair at the crown of my head makes up 90% of my hair. You could literally take the front section and nape of my hair and multiply by three and you might get close to the amount of hair in the crown section of my hair. The back, sides and nape area of my hair are smoother with well defined ringlets. Sectioning allows me to segregate the sections because they need to be treated differently. The crown area requires a lot more attention: more moisture and more smoothing to ward away frizz and one strand knots. I strongly suggest this method for transitioners, as it helped me successfully transition from relaxed to natural for over a year and a half while retaining most of my hair. I still attribute much of my length retention to using the sectioning technique.

Originally posted 11/18/08, updated and revised.

The majority of all shampoos on the market today contain harsh cleansers. Now there are some with natural cleansers that are less likely to rob your hair of it’s vital oils, you just have to know what to look for and what to avoid. The number of chemicals in shampoo and other bath and body products is frightening. Your skin is the largest organ on your body. Whatever gets put on your skin gets absorbed into your body, into your bloodstream and into your organs, as has been proven by many studies. Essentially, whatever is toxic to put in your mouth is toxic on your skin as well. Here’s why you should think twice before you use a highly chemicalized shampoo.

Alcohol, isopropyl (SD-40)

• extremely drying and irritating solvent
• dehydrator that strips moisture
• natural immune barrier, makes you more vulnerable to bacteria, molds and viruses
• made from propylene, a petroleum derivative, and is found in many skin and hair products, fragrances, antibacterial hand washes as well as shellac and antifreeze
• can act as a “carrier,” accelerating the penetration of other harmful chemicals into your skin/scalp
• may promote brown spots and premature aging of skin
• may cause headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis, anesthesia and coma
• fatal ingested dose is one ounce or less

FD&C color pigments

• synthetic colors made from coal tar
• containing heavy metal salts that deposit toxins onto the skin, causing skin sensitivity and irritation
• absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and death
• animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic

Mineral oil

• coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores
• interferes with skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders

Propylene glycol (PG) and butylene glycol

• petroleum plastics which act as surfactants (wetting agents and solvents)
• easily penetrate the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure
• used to make extracts from herbs
• strong enough to remove barnacles from boats

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)

• detergents and surfactants that may pose serious health threats
• used in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers — and in 90 percent of personal care products that foam
• animals exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and even death.

Have you ever heard the saying “Death begins in the colon”? Well, if that’s true then it must also be true that a healthy colon will lead to healthier skin and hair. The colon is the key to health and it has been said that the root of nearly all of the body’s illnesses stem from an unhealthy colon. A clogged colon blocks the ability of the body to absorb nutrients from foods you consume; thereby causing possible malnutrition of the hair. Here is a rundown on how having a healthy colon can lead to a healthier you and more specifically, healthier hair.

• The average human carries anywhere between 5 and 25 pounds of waste in their bodies at any given time, depending on diet and weight.
• When the colon is clogged, toxins are harbored that harm the body. Many scalp related diseases are directly the result of toxemia.
• Cleansing should be performed through oral means regularly and occasionally by enema or colonic irrigation. At many spas colonics or colonic irragation procedures are called “Colon Hydrotheraphy”, it is an internal bath that helps cleanse the colon of poisons, gas and accumulated fecal matter. The process involves a steady, gentle flow of water in and out of the colon. The colon hydrotherapy procedure takes 45-60 minutes and typically costs between the range of $70-$100 per session.
• With a proper diet, those opting for colonics should only need to have a colonic seasonally or even as little as bi-annually, for those who are maintaining a high-fiber diet. For the first treatment however, one should go through a series of colonic irrigation cleansings, since waste is impacted in the colon and must be gradually loosened.
• Once one has cleansed internally, cleanliness must be maintained to avoid the buildup of toxins reoccurring.
• Detoxifying herbal teas such as saffron are gentle and can be drunk to remove toxins from the body. Saffron has the effect of carrying toxins from inside the body out through the pores of the skin.

A e-mail from a maneandchic reader:

I transitioning it will be almost two months since my last relaxer. I must admit; I am getting antsy. My hair is in that stage where I am not sure what to do. I am trying not put a mild relaxer in it. Did this happen to you?

I did feel that way sometimes, but I stuck with it and now I would never go back. My advice to you would be to look at all the featured curls on Mane & Chic. Start collecting your own photos of naturals. Start seeing yourself with natural hair. I can’t say enough about the power of visualization. If you can see yourself with natural hair, then you’re halfway there. It might help to find girls with the same hair type as you. I have categorized my Featured Curls by hair type. If you have Type 3 hair click here for inspiration, Type 3-4 click here, and Type 4 click here for inspiration. You might even start cutting out hair in photos from magazines and pasting them on your picture. You might think you’re too grown to do all o’ that, but it works and not just for hair. There are so many hair styles you can do with natural hair. When you start looking through photos it can really inspire you to try something new with your hair. I experiment with my hair a lot! It’s fun. Just stop thinking of your hair as a burden and love on it NOW! I really liked my transitioning hair when I was 1 year into it. I wish I knew then what I knew now I probably could have transitioned a lot longer. I think every woman that wants to go natural, should try it at least once. It’s something to be admired because you really have to have a lot of discipline to see it through. A lot of people would say it’s just hair, but I found so much more.