It’s been almost 6 years since my first Big Chop, and I have some things I wished I knew when I first started my natural hair journey. Like most of us naturals and transitioners, I did my research, but it is as they say, “Sometimes, experience is the best teacher.” Here are 4 things I wish I knew when I first went natural:
1. Thin tooth combs are okay if they work for you
This statement goes with the whole idea of doing what works for you and your natural hair. When I did my first Big Chop in March of 2011, I stuck to the rule that you had to use wide tooth combs because thin tooth combs could pull and cause damage to your hair.
In June of 2016, I did my second Big Chop, and I’ve been using both types of combs to detangle and style my hair. I haven’t had any issues with the health or growth of my strands.
2. You don’t need to try every natural hair product
I am a self-proclaimed product junky. Well, I’ve actually recovered, but I was when I first started my natural hair journey.
In the beginning, I felt like I had to try every new product on the market. Once you find the products you like, you can stick with those.
3. Your hair must have a balance of protein and moisture
Protein overload and moisture overload are real! After doing too many protein treatments too close together, my hair became straw-like and started to break off.
The causes of the condition included homemade mixtures and store bought products made with ingredients like eggs and mayonnaise. After stopping all products with protein in them for a period of time, I started to experience moisture overload.
My natural hair had a very mushy feeling to it, and I had to do 1-2 more protein treatments for my hair to become healthy again. The moral of the story is, never do too much of one thing, once I discovered that healthy balance my hair thrived with no issues.
4.Trim your natural hair as needed
After my first big chop, I believed that I had to trim my hair every ‘X’ amount of weeks. This meant I would often trim perfectly healthy hair at times.
Now, I trim my hair when I actually see that my ends are damaged. Putting my hair in mini twists allows me to easily see the damage and trim it off.
Even though I wish I knew these things, I know that part of the beauty of your natural hair journey is learning new things. What are some things you wish you knew when you first went natural?
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