Now and Then: Shontae

Shontae was one of 5 winners in our recent "Now and Then" giveaway.

"Becoming natural has been the catalyst to my appreciating more features and aspects unique to me and the black community." ~Shontae



I am originally from New Orleans, but I currently live in Richmond, VA...by way of Hurricane Katrina. I'm a single mom to my 8-year-old son and an engineer, who designs plumbing systems for a local A/E firm.

On going natural...
I did my own relaxers, trims, highlights/colors, roller wraps, etc. so I wasn't a slave to the salon. At the time, I thought that I took great care of my hair simply because I swore by magnetic rollers, didn't use flat irons, maybe bumped it with a curling iron once or twice a week, bunned, and deep-conditioned often.



However, the hair around my temples was/is fairly thin and I always seemed to reach a terminal length 2-3 inches past my shoulders.

Be it short or long, all I really wanted was thicker hair. So, I stopped getting a relaxer in early March '09. I did a mini-asymmetrical chop in April, but soon became tired of catering to my relaxed ends. My birthday was approaching and after having been downsized by my former employer, I just wanted to shed the old and start anew. I called a girlfriend of mine to come over one evening and help me with my big chop, 2 days before my 31st birthday in June. The following morning, I ended up going to a stylist to get it trimmed and faded and, soon after, I debuted my fresh teeny weeny afro at both my birthday gathering and my trip back home to New Orleans to visit family and friends. Now I'm coiled, spoiled...oh, and back to being employed. :)

A one word description of her transformation...
Vibrant... Becoming natural has been the catalyst to my appreciating more features and aspects unique to me and the black community.