About Me....My name is Constance Marie. I went completely natural on April 5, 2010 after transitioning for 10 months. I must admit that I LOVE being natural and I wish I would have done it sooner. I enjoy being natural so much that I started blogging about my journey after becoming natural on my blog at http://elegantnatural.blogspot.com.

Where do you live? How is the natural hair community there?

I live in Tuskegee, Alabama—a predominately black town—and the natural community is average here. I see more naturals on the campus of Tuskegee University, however; the residents in the city seem to have a majority of relaxed/chemically altered tresses.

When and why did you decide to go natural?

As aforementioned, I did my Big Chop on April 5, 2010. I went natural because I realized that I needed to accept myself fully and stop conforming myself for others. Once I embraced my God-given beauty I have really moved forward in life with confidence and I love it.

Were your friends and family supportive of your decision?

My sisters and parents were very supportive of my decision. Two of my sisters were already natural and recently, my other sister just did her big chop. My mother has also stopped getting relaxers. So we are truly a family going natural:-)

My current hair routine....My current hair routine is fairly simple. Every Sunday I will either co-wash or shampoo. Then, I apply a conditioner for my leave in (this method was suggested by Teri LaFlesh of “Curly Like Me”). I will then twist my hair. After my hair is completely dry I will oil my scalp with essential oilsand apply EVOO throughout my hair—while it’s still in the twists. For the rest of the week, I simply sleep with a satin bonnet and oil my hair every other day. Very simple.

Do you have any hair goals? What steps are you taking to achieve them?

My hair goal is to obtain significant length in 2-3 years, maintain my thick hair, and have healthy/strong hair. The steps I am taking to achieve these goals are having little to no manipulation of my hair. I never comb/pick my hair. I only detangle it once a week and this is done while the hair is soaking wet with conditioner. I never use heat or a blow dryer on my hair. I also use a very limited supply of products because I do not want to overload the hair. Also, I only use oils on my scalp. I avoid sulfate shampoos or any other products that may dry out my hair and make it prone to breakage/damage. I also make sure to seal my ends with a shea butter/EVOO mixture I made.

Describe your favorite natural hair style.

My fave style is twist-outs.  I put the twists in once a week after co-washing or shampooing it. After I apply my conditioner as a leave-in, I begin to individually twist my hair throughout my head. After the hair is completely dry I take the twists out while sealing my hair in ends, simultaneously. I then separate the twists for fuller look. To maintain the style for the remainder of the week, I sleep with a satin bonnet. The next morning, I take the bonnet off and gently tug the hair to re-shape it.

Curly girls have more fun because....we are embracing the natural beauty given to us. By doing this, we show that we can appreciate the uniqueness given to us by our Lord and choose to not conform for others.