Don’t Be Afraid Of Shrinkage!
If you are someone who loves length like I do (and are equally dramatic), shrinkage is the bane of your existence. I constantly stretched and blew out my hair to get the most out of my length only to have it shrink up in the presence of any type of moisture.
I had to accept that shrinkage was going to happen no matter what, and instead of running from it, I should rock it. There are so many cute afros, buns, braids, half up half down styles I could do while my hair was curled and coiled up to my neck.
Shrinkage is another part of being natural–and to be honest–it actually allows more versatility. Don’t hate it, embrace it!
Start With The “All Natural” Stuff First
For as long as I can remember, my bathroom counter has been covered in all types of hair products. When I went natural, I swapped out most of my stuff for products that were meant specifically for natural women.
Little did I know, the natural hair community was about to declare a one-sided war on all harmful ingredients known to man. Silicone, alcohol, sulfates, TEA, you name it–each product I owned had it.
I used them anyway. And guess what? My hair was awful for half of the year. I eventually threw away everything and began using natural products like shea butter*, sweet almond oil*, aloe vera gel*, etc. and it worked wonders for my hair.
I really wish I had known all of this before spending my money on products that would eventually harm my hair!
Natural Hair is as versatile as you want it to be
I started off wearing wash and go and buns. That’s it. What else was there? I had no clue. Then I stumbled upon the wonderful world of YouTube and jumped down a rabbit hole of natural hair videos.
I saw flexi rods*, perm rods*, kinky* clips ins, halo braids, box braids, Senegalese twists, blowouts, ombres, there were endless possibilities! I realized that relaxed or natural–hair is hair and you can do as much or as little as you want with it.
If you’re newly natural, I understand that this is a major change from what you’re used to but don’t be afraid to work with all of the beautiful curls, kinks, coils, and waves that you have! Adjust it to your preferred styles and tastes and rock it.
Sharon Bell says
I wish I knew about TRANSITIONING vs BIG CHOP when I first decided to go natural
Kim CookinSista Reynolds says
Natural hair requires work. Unkept does not equal natural.