Talk Kinky to me: Natural Hair Care tips
So you’ve made the decision! You are going natural. Everyone is doing it! You’re ready to embrace your African roots, the kinky curls and become a Naturalista. You're hoping to have hair like Tracee-Ellis Ross @traceeellisross and the host of bloggers like @naturallytemi whose hair takes on a fabulous life of it’s own; some days perfect coils and others a wisp of untamed alluring madness, that all in all makes you say, why did I ever put relaxer in my hair?
Decision made! Time to go natural. But where do you begin? Do you do the big chop and get rid of all the relaxer or do you gradually go through the transition phase?
You are finally happy that you are no longer putting the "creamy crack" chemicals into your body. You are heading down the natural path…but are you really?
Even though you have halted relaxer use, you find yourself still going to the hairdresser bi-weekly to give your natural hair the free-flowing Brazilian blowout.
Not because your desire is to necessarily appear as though you have a relaxer still--you want to rock the Afro - but you are scared of the frizz, the work required for upkeep, what products to use, how to manage the 2 textures of natural and still processed and the concerns go on.
The anxiety of upkeep is getting to you - and quite frankly a bit overwhelming for someone whose last priority is haircare amidst family and work demands.
Not to mention the stares you are sure to get at work - or even from loved ones - of your hair looking "too ethnic" or "too unkept".
As your hair is growing out you realize it is not the super soft bouncy curls you see on other natural ladies and when you look in the mirror at your hair all you can picture is a cat who just got it's hair wet.
So you need help. And you need it quick!
My hair regret #1:
If I could rewind time, I would have gotten a bowl of popcorn and watched a series of YouTube videos on natural hair care. The one thing I had been avoiding as I was not a YouTube video junkie.
It would have saved me so much stress and prevented me from having broken, dry, damaged hair for the 1st 2 years of being natural had I learned from others who had been in my shoes. So my advise to you, visit Youtube.
Let me note that I have 4C texture hair. As you may know, natural hair is categorized by the curl pattern that you have. Mine is the kinkiest of the varied curl patterns. Therefore, when watching blogger videos on hair care, try to find videos from those that you can visually tell have similar texture and curl pattern to your hair for best results.
If you have tight, coarse coils, chances are that products or techniques used on springy, softer curls won’t have the same type of effect on your hair type....and vise vera so be mindful of which hair care videos you spend most of your time watching.
BASIC NATURAL HAIR TIPS
1. Maintain moisture in-between washes as needed with the following quick and easy process:
1.Purchase a small spray water bottle (a staple to every natural hair care regiment)
2. Create a liquidly mix of water with 1 or 2 of youR fave leave-in conditioner products (see list below for suggestions).
3. Keep a separate bottle of natural oils handy.
4. Deep condition your hair once a month with a creamy deep conditioner and place a plastic cap on your hair for a few hours prior to continuing with your wash routine.
Once you lightly spritz hair with your bottle concoction of leave-in then lightly seal in the strands with an oil such as a coconut, olive, Jojoba or Jamaican Black Castor Oil - or any mix of preferred natural oils.
Natural hair typically dries out quickly, so as needed, spray hair every 2-3 days to prevent dryness and then seal with oil.
Play with your ratio of products to get moisture without having hair that feels overly greasy or weighed down.
For my 4C texture, these are my favorite natural hair products:
Curl Definition (yep, that's the actual name of the brand). I use Step #1 and Step #2 of their line
DevaCurl SuperCream
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle
Cantu Natural Coconut Curling Cream
Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream
Pantene Gold Series Hydrating Butter-Cream
Raw African Shea Moisture (If your hair needs a deep conditioning due to extreme dryness)
Coconut oil, Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Grapeseed oil
As you should be aware, all hair reacts differently to various product so test out what may work best for your hair type. Once you find what works best, stick with it.
2. Avoid using shampoo each time you wash your hair
Shampoo strips your hair of it's natural moisture. Those with natural hair should use the co-washing method as often as possible and leave the shampoo treatments for cases such as after a pool day or when the scalp has too much product build-up.
Co-washing essentially means you are washing your hair with conditioner that is meant to cleanse but also moisturize at the same time. Many brands have products specifically labeled as "co-wash".
3. Finger detangle your hair
Avoid using combs as much as possible and instead use your fingers to detangle your hair as that allows you to easily feel the knots without braking your hair with a comb.
Be sure to divide your hair in 4-8 sections and move from one section to the next for easier detangling.
If you do feel that you prefer or need a comb at times, be sure it is wide tooth or try out:
1. Denman Brush
2. Tangle Teezer Brush
4. Keep ends trimmed & limit heat
Having natural hair makes it harder to notice when it is time to get them clipped.
Being diligent about maintaining moisture will help to ensure healthy hair and cuts down on ends that look or feel dry and crunchy.
You may hate me when I say this but try to get a trim every couple months to prevent split ends and to aid in a healthy growth process.
I know! We hate losing length but getting frequent trims will actually allow your hair to grow at a steadier pace thus giving you more inches in the long run.
I straighten my hair once a year for my birthday fun and in the process I cut my hair but in between I also clip my ends every few months.
I only straighten hair 1x a year as heat to natural hair is rather damaging to your curls. So get the cuts but limit the heat.
5. Protective Style 1: Just Wig it!
One easy protective style is finding a wig that works for your needs. Go to your nearest beauty supply store and free of charge, try on various wigs until you find one that you can wear on days when you are not ready to be brave with your hair out or when you prefer to switch up the look and save time in the bathroom.
I have also found that the brand Outre online has good wig options.
Be sure that during your time of wearing wigs that you maintain moisture in your natural hair and continue with your conditioning regiments.
Just because your natural hair is not on public display does not mean that it should be neglected.
Protective Style 2: Weaves/Hair Extensions
While wearing weaves is quiet popular for those with or without a relaxer and are a great method of giving your hair a rest, I would air on the side of caution when choosing this method.
Be sure that your weave/hair extensions are not sewn in overly tight as this will cause breakage and possible thinning of your hair.
I recommend removing any weave/extensions after 6 weeks in order to give your hair a rest from the weight of the added hair and to properly deep condition and wash.
During this 6 week period, be sure to moisturize your scalp to the best of your ability to prevent your natural hair from getting dry and brittle.
Protective Style 3: Two-strand twist or braid up-do
After two-strand twisting your hair do not unravel them. Simply pin the individual twists back in a low or high bun or other creative style by using some bobby pins. By not covering your hair with a wig or weave, this will allow your hair to properly breath but without the daily work of re-styling.
As opposed to wearing a weave, this method is certainly easier to implement your moisture treatment regiment every 2-3 days or as needed.
Be You
Alright, beloved. Whether you decide to remain chemically straight or venture into greater volume with a natural Afro and implement some of the tips and tricks above, the choice is yours.
Choose based on what makes you feel like a woman, like yourself, rather than feeling the pressure to conform to methods that society deems as most ideal.
Either way, always remember that you are beautifully and wonderfully made; you are fabulous!
Only you can decide how to best demonstrate your own sense of identity and beauty. Only you should decide kinky, curly or straight.
To further help you through more of your natural hair journey, I highly recommend reading the short and easy book by Nikki Walton, Better Than Good Hair.
Love Model & Naturalista, Kamla-Kay :)
~ Want to see more pictures of my natural hair and protective styles? Visit @KamlaKay @PrimeAngles and say hello.
~ Would love for you to leave comments below and tell me what products work best for your natural hair or what hair struggles you are having to see if I can further help.
* Disclaimer: I am not a licensed beautician, hairstylist, hairdresser etc. This article is my own personal journey to having natural hair. Ideas and treatments can be used/implemented at your own free will & discretion