With anything in life there will be setbacks, whether you are natural or relaxed you will have internal and external forces that may be keeping your hair from being as healthy as it can be. Couple that with problems in styling, hair health and management, and you could easily find yourself wondering what you are doing wrong and how you can get out of this downward spiral.
If you are like me then you won’t even notice the problem until it’s too late so being aware in the beginning stages of a problem is critical so that you suffer minimal damages to your tresses.
Setbacks are expected in the trial and error phases we encounter while going natural. Whether you transition or big chop there will be pitfalls that find you grasping for solutions. I get it, you panic as you are not sure what’s causing the problem but staying calm, focused and smart will get you through the setback and back on track to healthy, happy hair.
Setback #1 – Not knowing what to do when first going natural – It can be startling at first going natural, for one thing, you are going to see some remnants of your relaxed hair whether you big chop or transition.
You will probably have to deal with scab hair which is an unscientific term used to describe the newly grown hair after one stops chemically relaxing. This hair is extremely dry, unruly and weak. Because of its fragile nature, being gentle is a must and using the correct tools will lower your breakage.
I wasn’t even aware of these two terms nor the hair that was emerging after I stopped relaxing my hair. It was shocking and upsetting because most women think the hair will start growing out strong, healthy and their true natural texture and when it doesn’t it can create a setback in your attitude and desire in moving forward.
There is so much information but it can become overwhelming if you don’t know what direction to take because quite honestly, many natural hair experts are saying the opposite of others so who’s right? Sorry, but trial and error is the only way to determine what works for you and what techniques will become yours.
Setback #2 – The expense of the product junkie – Going natural has created many a product junkie that probably didn’t know she even had this tendency within herself. For one, most of us have our beloved products from our relaxed days so we were not buying every new item that is on the shelf.
You may have had some items under your bathroom sink but not nearly as many as you do now. Going natural is a new experience and since we have NO clue what products will work for us we must try a lot to figure it out.
It can be expensive, at first but only if you let it. You do not have to buy the most expensive items on the market and now things are easier because there is a wide variety of items to choose from that are even at your local Target, CVS or Whole Foods.
These products are easily accessible online as well and you can have essential or carrier oils* in bigger bottles from Amazon to your door within two days!
Cut e off like mi
I have a little heat damage in the back so I just regularly condition and wait till the pieces get longer before I cut them slowly over time.
Smart!
same here!!! got a blowout for the first time since I been natural and I have heat damage, just that one time set me back. yes that’s a very smart way to get rid of them.
I love this article – thanks!
I’m relaxed and I’ve experienced these problems in slightly different ways
Really? I’d love to know what. Share.
When I first started my relaxed hair journey I couldn’t figure out how it was different from what I was previously doing. It took some searching and reading to start finding protective styles, products, etc. that worked for me that help repair some of the damage from relaxers. This made me realize the I couldn’t use some of the same products I used before. Breakage had always been a huge problem for me but after reading some blogs and hair journey stories I’ve began to develop some ways to deal with it. Breakage and shedding has been a main cause for not retaining length for me so sometimes I feel as if my hair isn’t growing. And since I’ve started my hair journey I’ve been texlaxing and sometimes I’m not happy with the two different textures of my hair.
I have been natural fora yesr now and I have no edges I recently wore my hair out and had to keep a band around my head to hide my edges. I would like some tips on hiding this without scarfs and bands. I realize that once my hair starts to get longer I will be able to hide this flaw. I have always had this problem but I do see some hair in those spaces.I plan to stay natural and would like to able to enjoy my twa. Right now I have a protective style and my hair is doing well. This is not my first attempt at this and I think I will keep it this time around. Please give any tips on helping me with this. Thanks bronx natural
Every time I butt-up on ‘Setback #5’, I take my bottle of ‘confidence spray’, spritz it on the part of my head that annoys me (or my whole head if it’s a REALLY BAD DAY), pat it down, close my eyes, open them again and once again I’m in love with my hair. It sounds silly but, for me, it really works.
P.S. My ‘confidence spray’ is just made up of water, glycerin and IC leave-in hair & scalp thingy lol.
Ahhh thank you for the 411
Your welcome, I’m reading it too!