Getting to Natural

The road has been long and should I say Messy - but I am here and attempting to go curly.  Its not easy to deal with ones natural hair. Its a chore but its always a personal decision.  Family members will be against it and friends may even complain. However, it has become my choice.  I am doing this for me.  I have always worn my hair both curly and straight.  I have had it cut short and worn it long.  Its just finally when I made a decision that I would not put in another relaxer that eyebrows began to rise. First my oldest child = ) she is a beautiful black woman that would not be without a relaxer, then my best friend - my sister, she would never go more than that 6 weeks without one.  She also hits the salon weekly.  I cant be so bothered, I am not one to stress my life with added appointments.  Being a mother, wife and full time employment is enough.

Transitioning

I am center and the two lovely young ladies at my sides are my daughters

Trying to decide how to start and where to begin. I am African American but my hair is mixed.  Its a head of biracial hair and I was so sick of people always saying "but you have good hair."  Good hair is what? Hair that was relaxed from about age 13 so that it was manageable.  Now I find that its annoying. Its curly in some spots and wavy in others, did I mention the straight ends? I am always battling my hair in some form or fashion.  Don't get me wrong. I like my hair but honestly I don't know it (natural state).  So, aside from my ramblings on - I will now explain why I have decided to go Natural. I am beginning to notice my hair turning gray in the front.  I want to get my hair dyed. Yes, vanity does kick in after age 40! (smile)
I want to dye it and not add a rinse as my sister has done for years. She continues to wear a rinse and has her hair relaxed.  I can't do that.  Its just too much work.  Lets start at the beginning - someplace about age 15 I started doing my own relaxers as the beauty salons always burned me.  I was sick of it being "my fault" that I had blisters and scabs after a relaxer.  So I did it myself.  I basically would separate my hair and add the relaxer, smooth it out and wash.  It was only to relax my frizz,  and allow my hair to lay better. 
Fast forward, I have two daughters and someplace around age 15 I allowed them to be my hair stylist.  They did my relaxers and colors.  I wasnt as careful as perhaps I should have been with my hair.  In my quest I have gone to a hair salon and gotten a beautiful hair cut and the Brazilian Keratin, I loved it but again.. so costly and time consumming.  I need easy and therefore, I am back to just being me! I had my daughter do a texturizer before going on a cruise.  I was very afraid of what my hair would do.  It was great but now I am trying to deal with my hair as it is.  Curly, frizzy and a mess! LOL - Trying different products which I will review one by one.  I will update you on each encounter.