Category: Natural Hair

I have a love hate relationship with natural hair care, and if you are transitiong it only gets more complicateed. I will be offering tips, sharing photos of styles, and highlighting other sites that have helped me learn to love and embrace my natural hair!

My Natural Hair Story

Ironically, my decision to wear my hair naturally wasn’t inspired by the recent movement. For me it was very simple, I was driving one day, and this girl was walking along the sidewalk with a friend. As she walked, her hair was effortlessly bouncing along with her. It is difficult to explain, but imagine as if she had run her fingers through her (smooth, but not bone straight) hair, and the hair remained lightly lifted by the air haha…I know, like I said I’ll probably never be able to explain it…

The point is, I remember it being shoulder length and FULL. I knew for a fact I couldn’t remember seeing anyone with hair like that –ever, so I asked my mom how to get that look. She quickly answered, “Oh she’ probably natural.” Two years later,  I’m that girl! I love ever inch of my full head of hair, as well as the flexibility to wear it in an afro puff, rod curls, blowout fro, pompadour, or whatever the heck mood I’m in.

For me, going natural wasn’t a grand declaration to be made, I just wanted my hair to do that bounce thing. I patiently transitioned, and the fact that I wear my hair in cornrows really helped. As much fun as I have styling my hair, it is really important to protect natural hair. I consistently read about the importance of wearing protective styles to maintain  length and healthy condition of the hair. Check out the following link for THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF PROTECTIVE STYLING.

Enjoy!

SUCCESS!! Wash, Condition, Blow Dry: Under 2hrs!!

Hi guys!

I haven’t done a natural hair care maintenance post in a while, so I wanted to share this wonderful experience with you all!

I washed, conditioned, and blow dried my hair for the first time in forever and set a personal record –under 2 hours! It is my fastest time ever, so I want to walk you guys through my exact steps. Hopefully it will be helpful, especially since this is the best process to prevent breakage!

1. I combed out my hair with a wide tooth comb. As I combed it out, I secontioned the hair and  braided it into about  10 plaits.

2. Next, I added shampoo to my scalp and the braids prior to getting in the shower.

3. Once in the shower, I washed my hair while it remained loosely plaited into braids. (Don’t braid the braids too too tight or else it may be difficult to get to the scalp!)

4.  After a rinse and another round of shampoo, I added conditioner to my plaits. After letting it sit for the recommended time, I combed out each braid one at a time (conditioner still on) to ensure it was fully detangled –followed by replaiting the braid and moving on to the next one.

5. I then rinsed my hair and wrapped a towel to capture some of the excess water.

6. Then, I lightly sprayed It’s a 10 on my hair and Patene’s Oil CreamMoisturizer lightly on my scalp.

7. Next, I blow dried each plait individually with a wig brush. Blowing drying it sections at a time was the easiest way to prevent any tangling issues.

In just under two hours I was done!!

I have attached a gallery to this post so you guys can walk through the process with me. Enjoy!

Transitioning Tips

Some prefer “The Big Chop”. Some prefer to transition. I fell into team transition. Here are my tips on how to make the process a lot easier!

The sites below have a million recommendations, but here are a few tips I learned along the way regarding transitioning:

1. At the earliest stage of transitioning, like when your relaxed hair is still long, the best thing to do is comb out your hair while it’s still dry with a wide tooth comb before washing, plait your entire head (maybe 6 or 8, the site said 16-20 but I thought that was way too many. I do 6.), and actually wash your hair in the braids. I know it sounds crazy! Some people are like how can it really get clean if it’s in a plait…but whatever haha just trust me on that one, you can’t rip your hair out if it’s in plaits. http://www.blackhairinformation.com/styling/wash-your-black-natural-relaxed-or-transitioning-hair-in-braids-and-make-detangling-a-thing-of-the-past/

*I’ve never tried the diluting the shampoo thing but all the reviews rave about it! –>http://www.happycurls.com/v2/smf/index.php?topic=7379.0

2. No blow dryers! It’s really important to let it air dry or sit under the dryer (still plaited). Both hair types (relaxed/natural) are really fragile at this time.

3. Don’t use a wig brush on your hair while transitioning. The biggest help to me of late has been my super thick wide tooth comb. Each tooth is like a fifth of an inch wide and the teeth are even kind of fat. The good thing about this is that it kind of runs past tangles, so you aren’t ripping your hair out.

4. I used to think my hair had to be completely detangled and combed out before flat ironing, but now, I save the knots for after I have straightened my hair. It’s kind if hard to explain, but basically once it’s dry, I flat iron it and if I come across a knot, I don’t mess with it until the hair around it is completely straight. It practically slides right off! http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Long-Hair-if-You-Are-a-Black-Female

5. Take your vitamins –just get a really good multi-vitamin that focuses on hair.

6. Drink a lot of water. 4 bottles a day.

7. Eat a lot of natural/fresh foods: veggies, fruits, etc http://www.livestrong.com/article/91018-vitamins-black-hair-grow/