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Starting your natural hair journey can be daunting which can make it difficult to embrace your new hair texture.
You’re still in the early stages of trying to figure out how to work with your new hair texture, how to style it and what products to use. Depending on if you big chop’d or transitioned from relaxed to natural – the whole process can be overwhelming and you might not always feel pretty or 100% yourself during the beginning stages. Don’t worry! That’s normal for most people – it always takes a bit of time to adapt on this new journey of accepting your crown! With time you’ll begin to love it and figure out a hair regimen that works for you.
Photo Credit – Cottonbro (Pexels)
HERE ARE 5 WAYS YOU CAN EMBRACE YOUR NATURAL HAIR JOURNEY:
1. Stop COMPARING your hair to others:
This is one thing we’re all guilty of! Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with watching and learning from fellow naturalistas but the problem starts when you’re constantly comparing your progress with others. Just remember, that although you may have a similar hair texture, everyone’s hair is naturally different and unique to them. There are so many factors that are at play such as hair porosity, genetics, nutrition…The list goes on! Remember, to be kind to yourself if your hair isn’t growing at the same pace as others. You have to take time to listen to what your hair likes/dislikes and adjust your regimen accordingly to suit your hairs needs.
2. Stop being a PRODUCT JUNKIE:
It’s great to see there is such an array of hair products on the market for natural hair. This was unheard of 10 – 15 years ago when we were slapping on blue magic, pink’s moisturising lotion and dax on our scalp and ended up thinking we were taking care of it! We now have black women developing products that cater to our hair needs and can finally buy a variety of products from mainstream stores as opposed to constantly going to the black hair shop.
Just be careful not to buy every single product that’s been released on the market. Just because it works for one person doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work for you. You actually have to pay attention to how your hair reacts to the products. Here are some questions to ask yourself when trying out new hair products;
- Does it penetrate through my hair shafts? Or just sit on top of my strands?
- Is it making my hair dry? Or do my ends feel moisturised?
- If you’re layering products, does it mix well or leave build up?
It’s important to ask yourself these questions and observe your hair to see if the products are actually benefiting your hair or hindering your progress.
At the beginning of your natural hair journey, your likely to become a product junkie – buying pretty much everything that’s been marketed to you or because a fellow naturalista has raved about how great the product is. The biggest scam on the market is x product is going to grow your hair overnight! The quicker we start to listen to our hair and understand what it likes = more money saved on wastage of products that just end up sitting in our shelves or cupboards.
3. EXPERIMENT with different hairstyles:
Going natural doesn’t stop you from trying new styles. It’s okay to experiment with braids, clip in extensions, drawstring ponytails or wigs depending on your preference! You’re not a sell out because you don’t wear your hair in its natural state all time. We all have different lifestyles and sometimes popping on a wig might be the best way to protect your ends or keep your hands out of your hair.
Our only advice would be to use wigs or extensions that match your hair texture! Why?! So you can get used to your hair in its natural state and learn to love it sooner rather than later. It also leads to less breakage if you’re trying to blend type 4 hair with silky straight hair. The journey is about growth and health, not manipulating your hair into damage!
4. UNLEARN negative self-talk:
We’ve lived in a world where we’ve been told straight hair is pretty and afro hair isn’t. What makes it worse is that in this day and age we are still battling with concepts that natural hair isn’t professional in the work environment.
It’s crazy how the hair that grows out of our head and have no control over how it grows is deemed to be so negative! Well I’m here to tell you – it’s all LIES!
- Sis, your hair is beautiful
- Your hair is gorgeous
You are a QUEEN and your CROWN is part of who you are! We need to unlearn these negative connotations and speak positivity and life into ourselves! Affirm your hair daily! They don’t call natural hair our crown for nothing! We’re queens so rock that FRO, KINK, COIL or CURL with PRIDE!
5. Be PATIENT:
Have you ever heard the saying Rome wasn’t built in a day?! Yep – it’s a phrase repeated over and over again but it’s true. You have to be patient with this journey, give yourself time to educate yourself and it’s okay to get frustrated, embrace the mishaps and learn from them. It’s all part of the natural hair journey. You’ve got this!
OUR FINAL WORDS ON THIS TOPIC:
Your hair is beautiful and unique…if you’ve been altering your hair’s natural state it will take time to adjust. But with the right hair regimen, hair products and consistency it’ll become easier. Take your time and trust the process!!!
HOW DO YOU EMBRACE YOUR NATURAL HAIR? AND WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR A FELLOW NATURALISTA?
We’d love to hear from you in the comment section.
0 Comments
Mimi
Some great tips as it’s as much a journey of acceptance than anything else
NaturalistaVibes
Thanks Mimi & YES it’s definitely a journey of acceptance.