Is Maintaining Natural Hair Hard?
No, Maintaining Natural Hair is not hard. Natural Hair does take longer to wash, detangle, and style than relaxed hair. Also if your hair was relaxed as a young child, it will take some time to learn to manage your natural texture. As long as you are patient and ok with experimenting and making some mistakes, you can develop an easy natural hair routine.
I got my first relaxer when I was only 5 years old. I had no clue
Christines’s Natural Hair Journey and Experience with Maintaining Natural Hair
Starting her Natural Hair Journey
When I was a little girl, I used to dread the days that I would have to get my hair done. During that time, the trend was straight hair, greasy braids, and barrettes as far as the eye could see. My mother’s weapon of choice was two boxes of Just for Me relaxers – one for my sister and one for me
I remember looking at that little girl on the box as her smile tried to convince me that I would get the acceptable “after” look that every little black girl should strive for, but I wasn’t born yesterday. I knew that as soon as Pandora’s box opened, it would unleash four hours of crying, hiding, chemical burning, and the strong smell of vaseline. After years of flat iron smoke and tears, I decided to find another way out.
One day, I saw a natural haired girl on America’s Next Top Model and she was beautiful. I wish I could remember her name, but I was determined to get that look. When I turned sixteen, I cut off my hair and started to embrace the beautiful curls I had hidden for years. Now, almost nine years later, I don’t regret a single choice that I made about going natural.
With all of my years of research, experimentation, and destroyed combs, I feel qualified to provide you with some tips on how to maintain your naturally curly hair. How you care for your hair will depend on several factors like porosity, texture, curl pattern, density, etc. My hair is categorized as 4C, so the tips and methods in this article will be for that hair type specifically. I do want to mention that one person is not just assigned one hair type. For example, some people can be a 3C in the front or a 4B in the back. However, all of these combinations are unique, therefore your hair needs will be unique. But don’t worry, that’s all apart of the fun.
Keeping it Clean
It’s so important to know when and how to wash your hair. I can tell my hair needs to be washed because it will feel very dry, it will smell kind of sweaty, and it will be very itchy. Some people have to wash their hair several times a day. But due to my porosity, I can’t wash my hair every day because it takes too long to dry and it won’t maintain the style that I want. I just wash my hair once a week, or twice a week if I’ve been extra active. After washing it, I take the time I need to for detangling. For my hair type, detangling is best done when wet.
Detangling is best done with a comb, but I recommend fingers if you’re a beginner. Fingers are great because it encourages you to be more careful, you can feel your growth more accurately, and you can feel how dry your hair is.
Moisturize! Moisturize! Moisturize!
Moisturizing is one of the biggest hurdles for any natural, but it can be overcome. The best thing you can do for your hair is wearing protective styles. Before putting my hair into a protective style I use the LOC method (liquid, oil, and cream). After my hair is sufficiently combed through, I apply water, tea tree oil, and hair lotion. After that, I lightly comb through my hair again and then I style it however I need to that day.
Daily Maintenance
Despite how soft my hair may be at this point, it’s important to keep myself from touching it. If you touch or manipulate your hair too often, it can cause breakage and dryness. If I know that I’m going to have a busy week, I sufficiently comb my hair and put it into a crown/halo braid and I won’t touch it for two to three days.
I keep my hairstyle looking fresh by wearing a bonnet or a silk headscarf. Now, if I have a church event or a date, I’ll go ahead and twist my hair the night before and then do a full twist out for the next morning. Once the day is over, I moisturize and braid it up all over again to keep it safe.
If you find that you have little time, I recommend headwraps. It gives an exotic, African look, and it’s versatile as well; you can dress it up, dress it down, or just wear a head wrap around the house. It keeps debris out of your hair and helps retain moisture.
The Struggles & Blessings
Despite all of the joys of having natural hair, I have had my share of issues. Some people do find natural hair to be unprofessional. They find it to be wild, untamed, and out of the ordinary. Fortunately, we are in a time where natural hair is being normalized and people are starting to ask questions. Some people are eager to learn about your crown of curls, I recommend being patient with those that don’t know.
I remember being told by my mother that I would never get a boyfriend with my hair being natural. It scared me so much that when I was asked out on a date by a guy I really liked, I went to the salon and paid $120 for a lady to wash and straighten my hair. It rained the next day and my hair was ruined, so I tentatively twisted my hair. He told me that I looked beautiful and that he loved my hair. Three years later, we got married. That day, I learned to be confident about how I looked that day. I also learned that you need to surround yourself with people who love you for you.
If you’re interested in doing the Big Chop, I hope I’ve encouraged you to follow through with it. If you’re already a natural and just want to hear my testimony, I hope I was able to encourage you. You were fearfully and wonderfully made, so embrace your natural hair.