I’m truly excited for everyone who is curious to go BACK to natural. I say “back” because not everyone came into this world with relaxed, silky straight hair. That’s for another post though. I get an array of questions when it comes to natural hair and it’s care so this will be me tackling some of those questions. Let’s dive in:
1. “Having Natural Hair Is Easier Than Relaxed Hair, Right?”
Wait? What? Who would say such a thing? PLEASE don’t think this. Only the strong ones will survive the natural trial by fire, and here is why:
- There will be days where you will get frustrated with your hair.
- You won’t be able to comb through it.
- Your hair might even become dry, brittle, and resemble a cotton ball or a tumble weed.
- The style you want will become the style you can’t achieve
Eventually, your hair will reach that “awkward” length. You will miss those oh-so-smooth edges. Getting your hair bed ready becomes a one hour chore and not a simple five minute hair wrap. The creamy crack will tempt you and haunt you in your dreams. By the way, this is all from my personal experience. My freshmen year of college, people knew me as the light skinned girl with the curly hair. After a year, I relaxed my hair in 2008. In 2010, I cut all my hair off, and ten months later I relaxed again. I relaxed my hair because I was not educated and informed on what to do and what not to do to my hair at that point. So, I became frustrated. I relaxed my hair AGAIN, and immediately I felt like “WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO?!” (enter sad face here). Lastly, I transitioned from October 2010 to June 2011. I researched, followed blogs, and did everything I could do so I could achieve healthy hair and maintain length. I haven’t looked back since.
2. “How Do I Become Natural?”
First of all, there is no way to strip a perm. Baby, the damage is done. There are two ways to be natural: 1. the obvious BIG CHOP, the act of cutting all relaxed hair off and 2. Transitioning, the act of halting relaxers, growing your hair out, and slowly trimming off the relaxed ends. You will continue to do that until you feel comfortable to cut the rest of the relaxed ends completely off. Whether you do one or the other, it will be a complete emotional roller coaster along the way. When you cut your hair, it is more prone to becoming dry. Extra care is needed to keep it moisturized and looking healthy. If you transition, you might find it difficult to keep both textures of hair. You will have your coily/kinky/curly hair coming in from your roots with your straight, relaxed hair on your ends. To keep your hair looking healthy and presentable, you will need to blend both textures using twist outs, braid outs, and flat twists. I, personally, kept my hair rolled using perm rods, styled in buns, or covered with fashionable hats/caps during the winter months.
3. “You’ve said MOISTURIZE a thousand times…How do I do so?”
One way to keep moisture in your hair is to avoid any shampoos that have sulfates in them. Sulfate dries your hair out, and we want to keep as much moisture we can in our hair. Non-sulfate shampoos will be labeled as “Sulfate-free” on the bottle. Also, many naturals/transitioners do the LCO or LOC methods. LCO=Liquid, Cream, Oil. LOC= Liquid, Oil, Cream. To use these methods, you will apply these products the way they are listed. For example, Liquid first, Cream second, and Oil last. Liquid can be water or a mixture of water and a leave-in conditioner. Oil can be any type of oil/butter you prefer. Types of oils/butter: extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, grape seed oil, Jamaican black castor oil, Shea butter, argon oil, the list goes on. Creams include any puddings, leave-in conditioners, and hair milks. The Shea moisture products are awesome especially the curl milk and curl smoothie. Products are available at Walgreens, Wal-Mart, and Target. I ,also, use Hawaiian Silky’s 14 in 1 moisturizer purchased at Wal-Mart and/or Sally’s Beauty Supply. Many items such as oils can be found in the food aisles of your favorite grocery store. Hair Tip: African American hair is different when it is in its natural state of curly, kinky, coily. The constant folding of the hair allows cuticles to be more open, and moisture is released easily. It is important that after applying a liquid to the hair that you seal your ends with oil, butter, or cream. This way your hair can retain moisture throughout the day.
4. “What hair blogs and websites did you look at?”
I suggest that you Google! What I did to keep myself on track was to set a hair goal. I decorated my room with pictures of my natural hair inspirations like Tracey Ellis Ross, Nikki Mae, and Chime Edwards so I could stay focused and determined whenever I felt the struggle to go back to the creamy crack. Here are some good websites, Instagram accounts, and facebook groups you should definitely check out. ALSO, YOUTUBE IS YOUR FRIEND! There are plenty of people on there with styling techniques, advice, and concerns just for you!
Websites: curlynikki.com, collegecurlies.blogspot.com
IG: @teamnatural_, @felicitystarr, @eclark6, @lhdc2011, @chimeedwards
YouTube: haircrush, eclark6, nikkimae2003, kimmaytube, honeyk2010, thestrawberricurls, and blackonyx77
Facebook: #TeamNatural, Natural Hair Rules!!!
I really hope this has helped someone. Do not feel discouraged throughout the journey. I am 2.5 years natural now and I don’t regret it at all. I’ve grown to love my hair. It is who I am. Every little girl and every woman should feel the same way. Love who you are. If it is relaxed, curly, kinky, coily (even if you are wigging and weaving it out), LOVE YOURSELF. The sexiest thing a woman can wear is her CONFIDENCE with high self esteem. Don’t worry about being ridiculed by your peers and society for your hair. Be who you want to be and ROCK what you want to rock! If you have any questions, please feel free to comment.
Peace, Love, and CURLS
Ressie
IG: CurlyNaturalista
The post Hair: To Be Or Not To Be (Natural)..That is Definitely The Question appeared first on Savagely Yours.
