Picking up where I left off with the features, I present to you Ms. Emerald Shaw, a make up Goddess and transitioner I met while I was a Plurker.  Hailing from my hometown of Detroit and relatively a newbie, Emmy took up the natural journey last year and has not turned back since.

M. Michelle: So what made you want to go natural?

Emmy: Following my last relaxer I got my hair in micros and a few weeks before I took those out I made the decision. I didn’t like the fact that I had to cut my hair because there was so much damage.  Last summer I educated myself about hair and wanted to learn more about my hair and why it was the way it was.  And then there’s a deeper reason why I decided to go natural. I was going through a lot of stuff last year and I was in a few situations where I simply didn’t feel like me. I decided that i never wanted to alter myself for the sake of others, and as a symbol of that I never want to chemically alter my hair again. I want it to grow and flourish the way it was intended in hopes that I as a whole will follow suit.

M. Michelle: How long had you been perming beforehand?

Emmy: I’d be perming my hair forever.  *lol* I think I had my first perm when I was six or seven, possibly five.

M. Michelle: Wow! Six or seven? That’s early as all get out.  I have heard of perms that early, but never known anyone personally who’d gotten one so young.  Looking back, why do you think that was an option your mom turned to?

Emmy: I’d guess that she didn’t know any better. I’m not sure how old she was when she got her first relaxer, but I know her mother was a cosmetologist. Maybe it’s what she was taught, or maybe throwing a Just For Me in your daughter’s hair was just the thing to do in the 90′s. Before then she always put my hair in cornrows.  Having mentioned that, maybe she just got tired of braiding my hair all the time. *lol*

M. Michelle: What products do you use now?

Emmy: I’ve been using Dr. Miracle Shampoo lately and very now and then I’ll buy a packet of Dr. Miracle Deep Conditioner. I like the tingling sensation. I use shea butter in my hair rather than hair grease, and if I need to get it to lay down I use Jam. I try not to use a whole lot of product, especially since all of that isn’t natural.  Recently I began using Aphogee’s Balancing Moisturizer, Aphogee’s Deep Moisture Shampoo and Aphogee’s Provitamin Leave-In Conditioner.

M. Michelle: Do you follow any regular maintenance routine?

Emmy: Yep. I wash either Saturday night or Sunday morning, throw it in either 4 pony tails or some lil rascal braids so it can air dry, the I have my mom press it out Sunday night and shea butter it up before bed. Depending on the how I want to wear it the next day I’ll put it in rollers for the night.   Every once in a while I’ll do a mayonnaise treatment instead of using a deep conditioner.

M. Michelle: Are you heat style free now?

Emmy: Pretty much. I have a CHI iron but I don’t use it often. I have a curling iron as well, but I only use it in emergencies.  *lol*  I try not to use heat other than the pressing comb.  I stopped blow drying because I wanted to limit the heat.

M. Michelle: Other than braids, how do you normally style your hair?

Emmy: Most of the time I roll it at night, take the rollers our in the morning and then just play with it until it looks decent. Other than that I brush it all to the back and wear a knit beret over it. For the past two days I’ve been throwing it in a pony tail.  In general it’s pressed out on Monday morning and I’ve been putting it in a pony tail.

M. Michelle: Do you use any heat protection products when you straighten your hair?

Emmy: Yes.  The Aphogee Leave-In serves and a heat protectant, and in addition to that I use CHI Silk Infusion.  I like the CHI a lot because it protects from heat damage but it also keeps my hair from reverting back so much during the week.  Even in the heat and humidity

M. Michelle: Other than braids, have you experimented with any other styles?

Emmy: Not as of yet.  I thought about getting a sew in, but I’m scared. *lol* thought about kinky twists too, but I don’t think they’d look as good on me as braids do.

M. Michelle: What makes you scared to get the sew in?

Emmy: Mostly because I don’t want it to look silly. I feel like if I get a full sew in it’ll look uber fake because there would be no natural part in the hair and I wouldn’t be able to part it myself.  If I get a partial, I’d have to flat iron the portion of my hair that doesn’t have weave sewn in every single day. I don’t wanna have to apply that much heat to one section that often.

M. Michelle: What, if any, stigmas did you have to bypass in making your decision to go natural, and how did you do it, especially living in the Hair Capital of America? *lol*

Emmy: I don’t think I was really affected by any. I was never one to be all weaved up so I wasn’t bothered much about the societal things.

M. Michelle: But you permed up until this year.

Emmy: Well yea, but I mean once I made the solid decision nothing was going to deter me from that. Sure, society played a part in why I kept relaxing my hair but more so I think I did it because I didn’t know anything else.

M. Michelle: So what are you hair goals, if you have any?

Emmy: I just want to grow it as long as I can.  If I can get it down my back I’d be super dee duper happy. I wanna be able to wash and go without lookin weird.  But the main goal is to help it grow as long as it wants to.

M. Michelle: Do you have an idea how much new growth you have?

Emmy: Since I’m not working with two textures of hair anymore its harder for me to tell, unless I have it braided. But if I had to guess I’d say it’s doing a few millimeters per month. It seems to grow a lot faster when it’s braided. Probably because it gets a break.  When it’s braided I usually have anywhere between 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch or so by the time I take them out.

M. Michelle: Are you clipping the ends regularly?

Emmy: Yes and no.  *lol*  Whenever I’m taking braids out I make sure I cut a little while in the process of cutting braids out. When not braided, I don’t trust myself enough to do it. But since I am employed now, I’m going to start going to a salon regularly so that someone can do it properly for me.

M. Michelle: Okay so, what made you decided to grow your hair out, versus simply keeping it braided or doing a big chop?

Emmy:I actually did keep it braided for about a year. I would have the braids in for two months, out for a month, and then back in for another two months. I didn’t want to do the chop because I was very scared of having a TWA. There are some people who can rock it, but I didn’t think I was one of those people. Plus I kinda feel like the big chop is a punk move. *lol* It takes guts to do it, but I think you have to put a lot more work in if you don’t do it.

M. Michelle: That’s not necessarily true. There are trials and tribs with working with a TWA, considering you’re still learning your hair and it takes a lot to manipulate and style short, textured hair.   A lot of people chop and get a weave or extensions

Emmy: My friend Liz did that; chopped and got a sew in.   I’m sure there’s some rough moments working with a TWA, but, I don’t know, I can’t imagine it being harder than two textures. *lol*  I don’t know, that’s just how I felt.   I wanted the challenge and I felt like not chopping would give me that.

M. Michelle: What are your current frustrations?

Emmy: Basically having to do with growth.  My hair is not growing as fast as I want it to, though my view of fast may be unrealistic.  *lol*  The front/top of my hair is shorter than the back and the hair on the left side of my head has always grown longer than on the right. Working in a doctor’s office everyday its better to have your hair pulled back, so I throw it in a ponytail, but with some hair being longer than others, its a process to get it into a decent pony tail.

M. Michelle: Are you a member of any hair care forums or groups or do you have any favourite sites?

Emmy: I’m not a member but I do browse them from time to time if I’m trying to find info on a product. My biggest resource is YouTube actually. There are soooo many natural hair chicks on there with product reviews and style tips.

M. Michelle: Aye.  I have yet to watch any myself.  I’m a reading kinda girl.*lol*

Emmy: *lol* I’m more of an auditory learner so the vids work well for me. I think you might like Blaqueindigo‘s videos. She talks about lots of different things, but she has a few hair videos. Those were what sparked my decision.  Or at least got me thinking “Hmm, what if i went natural…?”

M. Michelle: If you could change any part of the beginning of your transition, what would would you do differently, if anything?

Emmy: You know, I don’t think I would change anything. Well, maybe I would’ve tried more products at the beginning, but other than that I don’t think I would do too much differently. Considering how damaged my hair was at the beginning, I cant complain about all that I’ve done thus far.

M. Michelle: Any advice for others who would like to “go natural”? Any ways to make the process easier?

Emmy: Educate yourself thoroughly.  That helped me a lot. Learn about the history of hair in your ethnic background and research productions, methods and options in getting/keeping it healthy. Above all, understand that this is a long term commitment. Understand that the decision to go natural is like a proposal. Make sure you know what you’re getting into so you don’t end up in an ugly divorce.

~@~

Emmy’s Progress in Pictures

(click each image to enlarge)

Would you like to hear more from Emmy? You can contact via her Website at www.theneverlove.com.

###

Thank you so much for allowing me to share your transitioning story with my readers, Emmy.  I wish you much luck as you grow and learn your hair and yourself.

Healthy Hair Wishes,

NOTE: All pictures used are property of the individual persons featured, unless otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.