10 Things You Should Know About Your Natural Hair

I'm not a natural hair enthusiast, neither am I one to be. I'm simply a black girl with type 4C hair looking for beautiful healthy hair to call my crown.

I honestly can't remember the last time I put a relaxer on my hair as it's been ages but I do remember when my natural hair journey began. A journey that has been both tasking and all worth the while.

 I know we're very aware that when it comes to the maintenance of natural hair there are so many possibilities and endless outcomes to what we can and can't do to the hair. Today I want to reveal some rules that I have learnt to live by in order to achieve healthy beautiful hair.

I like to call them the UNSPOKEN RULES OF THE NATURAL HAIR GENG.
I'm sure you're wondering why they are unspoken. Well, in my opinion, I got to discover most of them on my own and then others are rules I feel we all have to live by.

PROTECTIVE STYLES ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS 

Protective styling is a concept that reduces ongoing manipulation of your hair, encourages growth retention, and protects the ends of your hair strands, reducing knots and tangles. Don't go too tight, too small, or too long on protective styles.

Wearing protective styles can help you keep your hair from getting tangled.  You can wear braids, twists, knots, or other styles to keep the hair healthy and tangle-free but make sure you take your hair down every once in a while so that you can allow your hair to breathe.  If not, you risk taking out your edges.

MOISTURIZING IS YOUR OXYGEN

It took me a while to realize that I naturally have very dry hair and with this knowledge I had to begin co-washing (conditioner washing), using a leave-in conditioner that works for my hair, rubbing different kinds of oils ( avocado oil, olive oil, jojoba oil ) and just trying to keep the moisture in and maintain it. Mind you it's wise to be careful the kind of things you put on your hair to "moisturize" it. 

Sometimes not all kinds of oil are good. For example, Shea butter, which can be said to be heavy oil.

Heavy oils may weigh the hair down and your hair may not absorb it, so your hair is not getting the moisture it needs. So don't use too much of the heavy oil.  Thickness does not always equal moisture and let's not forget, do not OVER moisturize. 

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE SPRAY BOTTLE

At least 10 out of 15 naturalistas I know have a spray bottle. It's not only having a spray bottle that matters but the contents of the spray bottle as well. I would advise you to ensure your bottle has at least one essential oil, one heavy oil, a leave-in conditioner, and at 70% of water. 

The spray bottle is a natural hair necessity, especially when you're combing your beautiful mane, or you're getting your twists and cornrows done. It's quite essential because the contents of the spray bottle don't just add moisture to your hair but also promote hair growth and overall healthy hair. You can find some DIY spray bottle ideas here http://www.naturalhairforbeginners.com/2018/06/spray-bottle.html

EXPERIMENTING HAS BOTH ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Trying out a new hair routine? Dyeing your hair? Changing your hair cream? Getting a new conditioner or shampoo? This is experimenting with our hair.

We don't know the outcome, we don't know if it'll be good or bad or if our hair is gonna get damaged but we do it because we want to know what's best for our hair. I just want us to understand that when we experiment there are consequences and like or not we have to live with them, whether good or bad but this should never stop us from experimenting to find the best routines or products to use on our hair. 

WHAT WORKS FOR MARY MAY NOT WORK FOR ELLA

I can't emphasize this point enough.

We need to learn that not everything that worked for your sister's hair or your friend's hair will work for yours as well. This also goes for routines and products we see online or that are recommended to us. This is an advantage of experimenting, you get to learn more about the type of hair you have, what your hair likes, what is good for it, and what works best for you.

So don't be quick to judge various products and hair routines you take up. They might have worked for the girl next door but might not work for you. Don't worry its not the end of the world, keep searching for your perfect routine and products.

WASH DAYS ARE ESSENTIAL

We already knew this but I wanted to remind us. In all honestly, I've heard different opinions on how often to wash our hair but I strongly believe it all depends on the person. The person in the sense that, you know the nature of your hair and what's best for it. 

Personally, I wash my hair every two weeks. I have some friends that wash theirs once a week, I have others that wash every three weeks. We're all different and that's a good thing. It means we're learning the language our hair speaks. Don't forget to get your hair into a protective style like a braid or some twists when you're done washing.

YOUR HAIRDRESSER MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK

Sisters oh Sisters, experience is truly the best teacher. I got to understand that my hairdresser mattered when I took the risk of getting braids with a hairdresser that hadn't made my hair before. She was a good stylist quite alright but she wasn't the best stylist with Natural hair and all my edges we're gone by the time I loosened those braids. My hair even began to break unnecessarily.

So my advice is, it's best to stick with a stylist you know can handle your hair. Someone that does wonders with your natural mane, that doesn't pick too hard nor too little at your hair and that understands the ways of a naturalista.

TRUST YOUR FINGERS (DIY's)

Personally I wish I knew this from the start. Till this day I can't twist my hair , I can't braid it .....we thank the Lord I know how to comb it properly. Most naturalistas I know are skilled at styling their hair by themselves and it's an amazing feeling just knowing what works for your hair and how to do it yourself. 

This comes in handy when you just had a wash day and you want to get your hair in a protective style , maybe some large twists or some sexy looking cornrows. Who better to do it than the owner of the hair itself. So try and learn a thing or two about getting your hair done by yourself. 

HEAT IS YOUR FRENEMY

I've heard so many myths about what heat does to natural hair but till today I'll only believe the ones I've experienced personally.

Yes, heat causes hair damage but it's not just any kind of heat. It's excessive heat that causes hair damage. 

There are some benefits to occasionally straightening your hair with heat. It can help you prevent single strand knots, decrease breakage during styling, minimize shrinkage and the list goes on and on.Minimal straightening with heat can be beneficial to your hair but if you overdo it, it can lead to devastating effects on your hair.

NEVER SLEEP WITH YOUR HAIR ALL OVER THE PLACE

The way you take off your make up after a long day is the same way you put your hair in a protective style before you sleep. This should become a habit of yours ( that's why DIYs are essential)

Keeping your hair in a braid or a bunch of twists has numerous advantages such as minimizing frizz , locking in moisture , and most of all preventing breakage of the hair. I'll also recommend you sleep with a silk bonnet or if you can't get that a silk pillow case will do as this locks in moisture and prevents breakage unlike cotton pillowcases and bonnets.

These sets of rules have been my guide during my natural hair journey and I hope they can become yours as well because we all want healthy beautiful hair to call our crown and what better way to achieve that than by knowing the in's and out's of our beautiful manes.

Don't give up this amazing journey you're on , for the best is yet to come.Lets not forget that your hair is just like your favorite pair of earrings the only difference is that you wear your hair all the time , 24/7 365.

I've gotta ask.

Do you have any rules you follow for your hair?

Feel free to tell me in the comment section below.