It’s Love at First Sight
For some, it is. But for many, the journey starts out like this…
You begin your transition.
After 2-3 months, you start to feel curls growing out of your scalp. You can’t keep your fingers out your head and begin to imagine your head full of curls.
You start to wonder…
- How will my hair hang?
- Will my texture be coily or curly?
- Where does my hair fall on the hair type chart?
You get impatient and grow tired of managing two textures and chop off the remaining relaxed ends.
Then you look in the mirror and think…
What. In. The. Hell. Have. I. Done?
It’s totally natural (no pun intended) to initially fall in love with what you THINK your hair is going to do, and then suddenly realize it doesn’t hang, curl or fall the way you’d hoped.
Trust me. I get it.
That’s why they call this a natural hair journey. It’s physical AND mental.
The faster you learn to love YOUR hair for what it does (instead of comparing it to other’s) the easier this journey will be.
Don’t worry. It may take a few months to get to that head space. 🙂
It’s Easier to Grow Your Hair Long
In the words of Tamar Braxton…
Lies you tell!
For some naturals this is certainly true, but if you don’t take care of your hair, you could experience worse damage than with relaxing.
Many naturals go through seasons with their hair. I sure did.
My first season was amazing. I spent hours upon hours absorbing as much info as I could on YouTube.
I bought almost every top conditioner, moisturizer and shampoo on the market.
I was ready, hunty!
For the first two years, my hair thrived and grew like a weed!
Toward the end of the second year, I entered my lazy season.
All that pampering I did in the first two years was like a distant memory.
I didn’t deep condition as often as before, and I frequently wore wash and go’s too long, thus leaving me with a tangled puff and knotty ends.
Time to grab the scissors…
Again!
*snip, snip*
For certain textures, growing natural hair takes more work. You have to be consistent with your hair care routine.
- Keep your tresses moisturized
- Seal in moisture
- Trim raggedy ends when necessary
- Wear protective styles to give your ends a break from the elements, manipulation and clothing contact (yes, clothing can cause split ends)
As your ends get older, they become more delicate. The longer your hair grows, the more you have to nurture your ends.
Natural Hair is Low Maintenance
If you wear your hair in certain styles such as TWAs, buns, or other protective styles, then yes, that may be true.
But if you wear your hair out a lot, and you have a texture that tangles easily, then it’s important that you re-twist and moisturize your hair regularly so you protect your ends.
In many ways, natural hair is more work. My wash day is literally a wash DAAAY. 🙂
But it’s all good. I wouldn’t change being natural for the world.
I have learned what my hair needs and likes, and when I’m not being lazy… I love what it’s capable of!
Your Hair Will Grow on People
I know how much you would love to convince your mom, best friend, boyfriend and God knows who else how BEAUTIFUL natural hair is, but you have to face that fact that not everyone is going to fall in love with your natural mane.
Remember, this is YOUR journey and not everyone shares your vision, passion and perception of natural hair.
If people don’t like your hair, that’s THEIR problem, not yours.
The message on the shirt below should become your motto!
I went through the exact same things. The first 18 months to 2 years, I was really excited, read everything I could find, bought every product and the growth of my hair took OFF! Then, for whatever reason, I let life get in the way and I got LAZY. The next thing I knew, I had to take some steps back and regroup. Consistency is sooo important.
Shampoos are main that damages our hair
Fast Shampoos or with Fortified Aminos Scalp Therapy Shampoos that accelerate hair growth. no-sulfates if you can find it.