November 25, 2012

• What I Have Learned On My Hair Journey

  So, it’s been 4 months since I began my natural hair journey.  As you know, I’ve been doing the Curly Girl Method.  For a while I was following it to a tee.  However, I’ve learned that each person’s hair is different and you have to do what works best for you.  Here’s what I’ve learned:
  

  1. Just because a product works well for someone else does not mean it will work well for me:  In the beginning I was watching many YouTube videos and the sworn testimonies of others about different products.  Garnier Fructis Pure and Clean was one of those products.  My hair looked like a hot mess.  I wanted to give it a chance and stuck with it for about a week.  It just wasn’t for me.  Lesson learned:  Just because it makes the YouTube Queen look like Halle Berry doesn’t mean I’ll be quite as fortunate.
  2. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it:  My staple products are VO5 Champagne Silk as a prepoo, Tresemme Naturals Jojoba and Coconut conditioner as a cowash, Suave Naturals Coconut conditioner as a leave-in, olive oil as a sealant, L’Oreal Frizz Taming Creme Serum, and Eco Styler gel with Argan oil.  However, boredom temporarily makes me lose my sanity and search for a new product that doesn’t perform nearly as well thus sending me back to my staples.   Lesson learned:  If something is working well for me, I must stick with it no matter how enticing new products look in their pretty packages.  **Bonus Lesson:  Just because the YouTube gurus told me to avoid protein conditioners did not mean they were right.  My hair LOVES the product and without it…my hair looks a hot mess.  I’ve learned to follow my own plan!!  
  3. Sometimes less is not more:  In the beginning I was scared to use a lot of conditioner as a leave-in as instructed.  Why?  I was scared the white film would not disappear (in the case of the Tresseme Naturals my fears were confirmed but that’s a prior story).    Anywho….I learned as I went along that it was okay to douse my hair in Suave Naturals Coconut and as a result my hair started to grow more quickly as a result increased moisture.  Lesson learned:  I need to learn to step past my fear to see the true potential for my natural hair.
  4. No I don’t have to follow a method to the tee for it to work for me: The Curly Girl Method states to put conditioner on your fingertips, distribute it evenly to the other hand and massage your scalp beginning on the sides, move to the front, continue to the middle and end in the back of your hair.  It also said to rinse your hair by leaning back and letting the water run through your hair so as not to disturb the curl pattern.  Okay, I did this for months until I got tired of it.  What did I do?  I started pouring the conditioner in my hand and slathering it through my hair wherever I wanted to start (usually the front) and then scrubbing my scalp.  I also run my fingers through my hair as I rinsed.  What happened?  No disturbed curl pattern and my hair looks even better.  Lesson learned: Stepping outside of the box helped me see more clearly and develop better hair. 
  5. Scab hair sucks: When I started this journey, the parts of my hair had been most damaged by my prior relaxers was growing out wiry….really wiry.  I started researching and found the only thing I could do was moisturize and be patient (up to a year’s worth of patience to completely heal my scab hair).  My hair is starting to develop a curl pattern in that area but not as fast I’d like.  Lesson learned:  Patience will have to be my virtue on this one.
     
  6. I love wash and go: I never could have fathomed the freedom of wash and go.  No more hours flat ironing or curling my hair.  No more washing my hair and sitting under a hooded dryer for nearly two hours for my hair to dry only to have to follow that up with styling.  No more damage of a relaxer.  Now my hair routine from start to finish takes about 15-20 minutes.  Let FREEDOM ring.  Lesson learned: Letting go of the norm (relaxing my hair) freed me from more than just spending loads of time doing my hair.  It freed me from the bondage of caring what other people think.  I LOVE my natural hair.
  7. I am more confident with natural hair: Going natural was the best thing I could have done for myself.  Being a heavy-set woman and going extremely short is not the thing to do for most women.  I knew my confidence level would have to increase and increase quickly.  Don’t get me wrong I was very afraid of 1.) going natural and 2) looking like a fat boy.  But going back to my roots and performing the big chop did something in me I could never have realized: my confidence level soared!  I started receiving numerous compliments.  Was that as a result of the new hair….maybe but I think it’s more of my increased confidence of finally accepting myself for who I am and what God gave me.  Lesson learned:  I really do love myself.  

  • 1:59 pm
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