In Your Bag Or Your Feelings About Your Natural Hair Journey?
As Biggie once said… “It Was All A Dream” when you would read Essence Magazine, fantasizing about all the hot twist outs and blow outs you could rock to put on for the gram. Like Jay-Z said… “It Was All Good Just A Week Ago” – or a year or 2 ago, when you were clicking through your favorite natural hair bloggers’ tutorials on YouTube, taking mental notes on how to achieve that perfect curl pattern and texture style to make heads turn.
But a couple hundred dollars in product later, and countless hours of exploring different rod sets and curl manipulation regimens, you may be feeling India Arie vibes on the “I Am Not My Hair” tip, especially when your journey is nothing like the happy liberating process you thought it would be.
Hey girl, guess what? We’ve all been there, and here’s some Texture Motivation 101 to stay the course on your purposeful natural hair journey:
TOP NATURAL HAIR PAIN POINTS & SOLUTIONS
1. SHRINKAGE & HUMIDITY
One of the toughest challenges for a naturalista is shrinkage and maintaining the hairstyle due to humidity. In hotter climate, the humidity makes women sweat because of the heat. All sweat, like water, wets the roots and makes the hair swell – ruining the style you put so much work into. Florida in particular has a lot of moisture in the air – and regardless of the season, its hotter and more humid than what the hair desires. Plus, we know all too well that you can’t do much with your hair once it gets wet. Water changes everything.
Solution: Beat The Heat w/Twists
Just like anything you do well in life, preparation is key. Beat the heat and humidity by prepping your hair. I suggest putting it in twists or bantu knots, which helps because it’s like a set. Even if you like working out in the morning, you can put your hair in twists beforehand, and afterwards let the roots air dry before taking it out and finger styling it. You can also apply cream base, gel, or use just oils depending on how much product you already have on the hair. Just keep in mind…it takes some time.
2. UNMANAGEABILITY & BREAKAGE
The notion that going natural is less work is arguably the biggest fallacy in the entire hair care industry. You probably thought it was going to be more manageable, but found out real soon that it can actually be more #Werk. The work time depends on your length, texture and density.
So how can you get your natural texture to become more manageable with minimum breakage?
Solution: Deep Conditioning Treatments
I recommend using the BTX hair botox treatment or the keratin treatment to prevent your natural hair from being messed up by the humidity. The BTX Hair Botox is a deep conditioning treatment that coats hair fibers with a filler, such as keratin. The treatment fills in any broken or thin areas on each hair strand to make hair appear fuller.A keratin is a smoothing treatment that seals the hair cuticle with a coating of protein that eliminates frizz, and adds softness and shine.
You can prep your hair at night before bed, but in general you have to put in work. Commit to taking care of your hair, while investing in the right products and right treatment for your hair. Hey, the easiest hairstyle to manage is the bald head – and even that requires oils.
3. UNFLATTERY & HEAT DAMAGE
It’s very hard to get your texture exactly like Tracee Ellis Ross or the “natural hair blogger’s” curls you were inspired to go natural from. After transitioning, many women are not impressed with their hair in its natural state and begin to press it more.
For example – I’m natural but I like wearing high lift blonde hair. I’m not flattered by my natural curl, or the length. So, I’d rather see my hair straight, without a relaxer. This is cool, because as a naturalista we can always explore options to wear our hair curly or straight – depending on what is most flattering to us. But the risk to over-using the flat iron to straighten your hair is heat damage.
Solution: Temperature Control Flat Iron
Make sure you have a flat iron where you can control the temperature and see it to prevent heat damage. You don’t want to go any higher than 360 degrees for medium to course texture, so you don’t burn out your hair. It’s more than ok to go straight, but manage how much heat you apply, and at some point sooner than later, put that flat iron down!
HEALTHY MINDSET
Naturalistas, remember to stay positive and inspired by the most important reason for going natural. It all reverts back to the health of your hair. Remember how relieved you were to remove your dependency on that relaxer that was damaging and breaking off your hair. Remember how proud you were to join the natural hair movement which is the envy of the entire hair world. The beautification process with your journey starts internally. It begins with knowing who you are, and understanding how you should treat yourself and your hair to produce the best results in living your best life for the long term. Trust the process!
