Charelle (GOC Tenth Wave) is back to share her HairStory!!

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Describe yourself in 100 words or less.
I’m a vibrant, loving and spontaneous 24 year-old. I am an aspiring physician and I enjoy helping others and spending time with the ones I love the most.

What prompted your decision to go natural?
I’ve been natural for the majority of my life. I begged my mom to relax my hair when I was 11 because I wanted it to be straight and flowing. Unfortunately, 6 months later, a botched relaxer made all of my bra strap length hair fall out! This was quite a traumatic experience for me and my mom braided my hair until it grew back. The second time I got a relaxer was a couple months before my high school graduation, when I decided that it would be easier to go to college with relaxed hair. Two months after I graduated college, I decided once and for all to stop relaxing my hair because I wanted my hair to be healthier and grow as long as possible.

How long did you transition?
My last relaxer was July 2009 and I transitioned for about 1 year before I cut off all my relaxed ends. I didn’t feel that it was necessary to start from scratch and I experienced minimal breakage during my transition. I was just anxious to see my curls again! I straightened my hair once a week for the whole year so no one really could tell that I was transitioning. This is probably what I regret the most, too much heat! I also trimmed my hair once or twice a month.

When and how did you big chop?
I decided to big chop in September 2010, right before my second year of graduate school commenced. I went to my hair stylist and got a fresh cut and color. I also got my hair pressed and curled.

How did you feel immediately before and immediately after your big chop?
I felt great before and after my big chop. I felt that I was overdue for a new look and I couldn’t wait to wash my hair and see what my curls looked like.

How do you feel now?
I’m very happy with my choice. My hair is much thicker and healthier. Although, sometimes I’m a little anxious about it growing, I’m just tired of waiting! I also have a huge disparity between the textures of the front left and front side of my head. One side has beautiful curls and the other side is strangely straight. This makes wash and gos nearly impossible. I’m hoping as my hair continues to grow, things will eventually even out.

What is your current regimen? Go to products?
Currently I wash my hair once a week. I use TreSemme Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner and deep treat with Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque. I then detangle with my Denman brush and Kinky Curly Knot Today or sometimes with Mixed Chicks Leave-In Conditioner. I then apply Kinky Curly Curling Custard, wait for it to dry, and style accordingly. I also use Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Jojoba Oil to seal in the moisture. I recently bought Dabur Vatika Coconut Oil, so I’m excited to try that too.

What are your favorite styles?
Right now, I can never go wrong with a Curlformer set. I love how soft and light it makes my hair feel. I also like experimenting with twists, twist-outs and twist-n-curls too. I haven’t perfected them yet, but I’m hoping that I will in the near future.

What are your hair plans/goals?
My number one goal for my hair is to stop using my flat iron so much. I’ve worked my way from once a week to once a month, and now I’m attempting once every two months. I didn’t realize how addicted I was to my flat iron until I tried to stop using it. I’d also really like to see my hair get to mid-back length (MBL). Lastly, I would love to perfect a twist-out and twist-n-curl. My attempts at both of those over the past couple of months have been horrid! *lol*

Do you have a hair crush? If so, who and why?
I’d have to say my hair crush would be you Shelli! When I came across your page, I knew you would lead me in the right direction. I love especially how shiny and moisturized your hair always looks.

Who is your favorite natural blogger, YouTuber and/or Fotkier and why?
My favorite natural blogger would be CurlyNikki of course, for obvious reasons, and Hairscapades!! My favorite YouTubers would be Amoremusica and Allthatsgold. They have such thorough tutorials and have documented their entire hair journey from TWA to bra-strap length and beyond, such inspiration!

Anything else that you would like to add?
I’m working on creating a Fotki and maybe a Tumblr to document my experiences. However I’m much better at writing things down than using the web (I’m kinda old school) so it’s gonna take some effort!