5 years ago, I got tired of being a naturalista. I’d been natural my whole life. Bantu Knots, flexy rods, pin curls, and twists were my nightly and morning regimen. And frankly, I was sick of all the time I spent on it.

Many natural black girls understand my woes. Unless we’re wearing a protective style, we can rarely post an #IWokeUpLikeThis selfie without first teasing and manipulating our hair. At 18, I didn’t want to deal with it anymore. So I chopped it all off and I rocked a perfectly convenient, beautiful buzzed cut.

People thought I was so bold. Some applauded me for not being “another black girl with a weave” (eye-roll), and praised me for embracing my features. Little did they know, I was just too busy to bother with it.

As a girl who is currently pursuing three careers at once, I’m busyAF. That extra 30 minutes some of my natural diva friends take in the mornings to fix their hair, I’m cranking out a blog post. That evening time before naturalistas go to bed, when they break out the flexy rods and hair clips, is spent driving home from my late-night classes and falling into my bed to sleep for a few hours before I wake up and head off to my 9 to 5.

For chicks who have a main job and a side hustle, hair sometimes has to take a back seat.

That buzzed cut worked for my lifestyle, up until a few months ago, when I started to miss having hair. Everywhere I turned, there were bomb black girls with amazing volume and texture. Beautiful naturalistas flowed down my Tumblr feed and Pintrest boards. Everywhere I looked, I saw Senegalese twists, poetic justice braids, curly fros, faux locs, and the works. Natural black girls were killing it all over the world, and I wanted to be a part of that.

So I had a hair transformation: I went from a 15 minute cut to 13 hour installation—from a free to a $350 style—from a 1/8 of a centimeter buzz to 14 inch; brown, red and blonde; beautiful faux locs.

Shae Hair Trasformation.jpg

And after several years of not having anything to flip, I flip my hair like Beyoncé in her “Run the World” video.

So for the busy black girls who want the natural look without the hassle, here’s the breakdown on your low-maintenance options:

The TWA:

Teeny weeny afros are cute and easy to keep up. Change up the shape, length, and parts in your hair for variety.

Box Braids, Faux Locs and Senegalese Twist

These are all good looks, especially if you want to add some hair-whipping length. I’ve been seeing a lot of women on Tumblr remix these timeless styles with pastel and bright colors.

One caution: Faux Locs are HEAVY (yea, I had to scream it). I love them like Kanye loves Kanye, but I can’t put my neck and edges through the torture more than once a year.

Wigs galore:

Ask any wig wearer how freeing it is to get up, clip on their wig, and go. Many of my friends swear by them. And yes, you can get a perfectly kinky wig. I’m thinking about trying a few out when I take these locs down.

The Buzzed Life:

Buzzed cuts will always be my favorite. No pain—no hassle. They are the ultimate #IWokeUpLikeThis look.

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