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| Image via Create Her Stock |
So often, we get frustrated with our natural hair for a number of reasons, leaving many of us on the verge of giving up.
What we often don't realize is that our natural hair doesn't have to be this huge burden.
I get it: our natural hair can become a bit much sometimes. But you have to admit, sometimes we do too much that's not really necessary, hence the picture below:
I get it: our natural hair can become a bit much sometimes. But you have to admit, sometimes we do too much that's not really necessary, hence the picture below:
Honestly, having natural hair is no different than having relaxed hair, aside from the completely different textures. You'd still have to wash it, deep condition it, and style it. I know ya'll remember all those hours spent in the hair salon getting that blowout!
I find the notion that having natural hair is "too much work," or women "don't have time" really has a lot to do with our approach to being natural.
Are you walking into it thinking you need 50 million products for wash day? Are you walking into it with no real goal in mind? Are you comparing your hair to others?
Natural hair doesn’t have to be the bane of your existence and it definitely doesn’t have to be this laborious task that you
dread all the time.
There are ways to make your natural hair work for you, and
I’m here to help some of you ladies who may either be intimidated by “what goes
into being natural,” and those of you who have grown weary.
Here’s a few quick tips on how to make your natural hair
work for you:
- Set a Goal: The first thing you should do both when deciding to go natural and when you find yourself in a natural hair rut is to set goals. What is it that you’re looking to achieve? Do you want long tresses? Or are you focused on the overall health of your hair (as we should be)? It’s important to establish goals for your hair so you know how you need to move forward. Otherwise, You’re just going through the motions, which can cause frustration since you’re not seeing whatever your desired end is.
- Love and Embrace Your Texture: One of the biggest mistakes naturals make is coveting the style of other naturals. The one thing you should have embedded in your mind is that ALL textures are beautiful, no matter how curly, wavy, or kinky it is. Learning to embrace your natural hair texture saves you lots of time, money, and disappointment, which leads me to my next point…
- Work With it & Not Against it: It’s important to work with your hair and not against it. You can’t have a kinkier texture and expect your hair to hold up to the same styles as someone with a looser texture, and vice versa. It just doesn’t work that way, and your hair is going to do what it wants to do. You just have to go with it. Learn your hair: learn what it likes, what it doesn’t like, what methods work and don’t work, and go from there.
- Find Products that Work for You: It's important that you find hair products that work for you. In the same token, hair products can be expensive! If you're looking to find hair products I suggest signing up for subscription boxes, like CurlKit, CurlBox, or Cocotique. Check out my recent post on how to save money on natural hair products! One of the reasons we get frustrated with our hair is because we can’t find the right products that work with our hair. The important thing is to find something that works for each integral part of your regimen (cleansing, conditioning, and styling/moisturizing), and stick with it! Find shampoos that leave your hair feeling moisturized and not stripped. Find conditioners that give you enough slip to cut down on detangling time. Find styling products that give you moisture and crazy definition. Subscription boxes are a great way to get a variety of what's out there without going broke.
- Create a SIMPLE Regimen: Once you’ve found products that work, you should definitely create a very simple regimen. I cannot emphasize this enough because to be honest, sometimes we do way too much when we don't need to! When I first went natural, I did the same thing thinking I needed to have this extensive regimen, wash on certain days, etc...You definitely don’t have to be completely anal or systematic about your hair care regimen, but having a general idea of how often you’ll be washing your hair and what styles you’ll be rocking throughout the week definitely eliminates some time and frustration. We all have busy lives, so time tends to escape us all. In that case, create a regimen for your hair that fits into your schedule! It doesn’t have to be something super complicated or completely drawn out. For me, I know that by the time I get home from work, relax a little, work on the blog, cook, and relax with the hubby, I don’t feel like sitting for 15-20 minutes to twist up my hair for a twist out. I also know that I don’t have time every week for a full-out wash day (shampoo, condition, deep condition), nor does my hair necessarily need it every week. Because of that, I rock the same low- maintenance style throughout the week (occasionally, I may feel like seeing my hair out, so I’ll do a flat twist-out), and I usually just co-wash in between wash days since co-washing is usually super quick.
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