Taking A Look At My Natural Curly Hair Journey
Wow, it’s been two years. Two years and three months since I went natural. My hair went from being a damaged mess to a huge healthy fro. Most days I’m amazed by how much it’s grown. Repairing my damaged hair to its natural state has been quite the journey. I learned a lot about myself through all of it and I’m finally ready to share how I did it. Let’s dive into how I grew my baby fro into the massive curly wild child it is now.
I started with a dry cut.
In the beginning, I held onto my length for as long as possible. I tried perm rods, braids, protective styles everything. NOTHING worked. My hair was extremely damaged from coloring and excessively applying heat to it. It was lifeless. After a night out with my friends, I decided that I had enough. The next morning, I went to my hairstylist and asked her to cut it ALL off. She cut off the majority of my damaged ends and put it in Flexi rods. It resulted in this super cute haircut. This was the start of my natural phase.
2. I said goodbye to heat and color.
After getting my haircut, I decided I would live a heat-free life and refrain from coloring it. I’ve been a blonde and a redhead before. I’m convinced coloring my hair did a lot of the damage. I still haven’t put heat on my hair. (Except for using cool heat when I do deep conditions or get braids.) If and when I do decide to color my hair, I’ll be going to a stylist that specializes in coloring for naturalistas.
3. Deep Conditioners & Treatments Are Your Friends
I’m almost positive that doing weekly deep conditions and treatments nursed my hair back to life. I also started adding oils (avocado, olive oil) to my deep conditions and sat under a hooded dryer for 15-30 minutes. My hair felt noticeably softer and moisturized after.
4. Play Around With Protective Styles & Wraps
I quickly realized I could NOT maintain that Flexi rod hairstyle. Instead, I would wash, deep condition, apply a leave-in, and curl jelly. Afterward, I’d leave it in a wash and go OR put it in a wrap. Wraps saved my life. In addition to wraps, I did a lot of protective styles. *A note on protective styles. Be mindful of how often you’re doing them. Pay attention to whether or not it’s helping or harming your hair.*
5. Get A curly Cut.
Getting a curly hair cut changed everything for me. I didn’t have the best first experience. However, after some searching, I found an excellent stylist. I went to her every 4-5 months for trims and her hands transformed my curls. Little by little she cut off the dead ends and now my curls look incredible. Also, she did an excellent job of shaping my curls. I’ve gotten a total of 4 curly haircuts. Once I started getting trims consistently, my hair started to grow like a wildflower. (I’ll be making a separate post about what to expect and how to prepare for your first natural cut.)
6. Keep your hair moisturized.
Personally, my hair cannot get enough moisture. I normally lock in my moisture by adding an oil into my deep conditioner. If I put oil on my curls after it’s styled, it NEVER absorbs it. Figure out what works for you.
7. Don’t go crazy with the products!
Baby when I tell you I bought every product under the sun! The coins, I spent. SMH. Do not do what I did. Stick to a few products in the beginning and slowly start experimenting with more.
8. Avoid manipulating your hair if you can. Also, ease up on the tight ponytails, buns, rubber bands, or metal clips.
The less I touched my hair, the better off I was. I also noticed that when I put it in certain clips, my hair would snag off. Be mindful.
9. Keep your hair covered when you sleep.
Silk bonnets and scarves are your friends.
10. Be Patient and gentle with your curls!
I cannot tell you how many bad hair days I’ve had since going natural. It will happen. Be patient with your hair as it grows. Pay attention to what it may need and most of all, leave it alone! My curls thrived the most when I would leave it alone.
This is what my curls look like today.
Some days I wear it super defined. Sometimes, I pick it out and wear it as a huge fro.
& there you have it folks. That is exactly how I started my natural hair journey. Next up, I’ll be sharing my favorite products, routine, tools and more. If you’re just starting out on your natural journey, please be patient with yourself. It’s a big adjustment. Stay focused and committed.
Love,
