I stopped relaxing my hair in 2008 after experiencing some thinning near my crown after my first and only full sew-in the summer before. I guess the braids were just too tight for my tender head, but I decided then that I was going to take much better care of my HEAD, my scalp. And, as an actress, I wanted the option of wearing my natural texture (look at all of the black women in commercials for tooth paste, skin care).
Hair is dead. You can do all sorts of things to hair, and it will keep on growing, its what you do to your scalp thats gonna effect your hair more than anything, so I decided it was time to do what I had wanted to do for many many years: give up relaxers. My stylist at the time had been natural for almost a year She was rockin fros, straight styles, and color without her hair falling out. I kinda figured it was just because she was a pro, and that I couldn't possibly get my hair as straight, as I did with relaxers, on my own, but I was ready to give it a try anyway. And she had 'converted' so many others who simply wanted stronger, healthier, no-big-risk-of-falling-out-when-ya-color hair. My stylist could always hook up my hair, but could I do it myself when she moved out of state? I searched for vids and info on youtube for a long time, and didn't find much of anything. Plenty of hair vids for natural styles, just not straightening. Only about 10% of them were good, informative, and not full of useless 'extra' information. And only about .05% of those dealing with getting the straight look. So here I am! I dedicate this vid to all the women out there that are tired of scheduling their relaxers around bad weather, of trying not to scratch their heads 24 hrs before the big day, that want color but are worried about their hair falling out when its time to relax, the burning, the smell, the fear of going blind if you get some into your eye, and then some. To the women that simply want healthier scalps. ;)
Its funny, most people flat iron their hair right after they relax and blow dry to get it straight. I use my flat iron just as much as I did when I relaxed, only now, I don't relax!

It stirs up envy, fame does. People you run into feel that, well, who does she think she is, Marilyn Monroe? They feel fame gives them some kind of privilege to walk up to you and say anything to you, of any kind of nature — and it won't hurt your feelings — like it's happening to your clothes not you.
-Marilyn M.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson