I knew I had a problem, I was addicted to weaves. My solution? I cut off all my hair and started to grow my natural afresh. Natural hair is high maintenance, don’t let anyone tell you differently. Transitioning to natural hair can be time consuming and expensive because it takes a lot of trial and error to find the product that works best for your hair. Here are some great tips to transition to healthy hair.
The beauty of cornrows
The frustrating stage of hair is when it is too short for a ponytail. To manage my locks, l turned to cornrows until it grew to a length that was easy to style. Most natural hair sistahs set aside a day just to take care of their hair. Wash-and-go just does not cut it. Keep your hair supple by putting them in neat braids or cornrows. Once you undo these plaits for a wash, you may find your hair completely unmanageable. If you have pre-historic kinky hair like me, washing your hair will cause extreme shrinkage and tangling. To avoid this, invest in a wide-tooth, unbreakable comb. Stay away from the fine-tooth plastics, they pull out hair! If your hair is severely matted, I strongly recommend detangling your hair with your fingers before going near a comb.
Once you are ready to shampoo, divide your hair into 4 equal parts and wash each section separately. I know this seems like a lot of work, but it prevents tangling and it will keep hair on your head instead of in a comb.
Pre-pooing
I just got wind of this phenomem and I am officially a believer. Pre-poo is a product much like a conditioner but it changes the porosity of hair and makes it ultra soft and easy for a comb to slide through. It is called pre-pooing simply because you can rinse your hair with the solution before you shamPoo your hair. You can also use it before a chemical treatment or right after you condition your hair. Pre-pooing is a must for anyone who does not want to deal with tangled hair. I use Porosity control conditioner by Roux.
Condition, condition, condition
Please invest in a good hydrating shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioner. I have discovered that my hair responds really well to products that have humectants and jojoba. Take the time to find out what your hair loves and splurge. Splurging does not necessarily mean spending more money on expensive high-end products - everyone’s hair different. The wildly famous Morrocan Oil for example does not have a noticeable impact on my hair, but I will vouch for products by Rusk and Kera Care. I recently got introduced to Jane Carter and I love her Replenishing Leave-in Conditioner, it detangles and seals in moisture in minutes.
Texturizing
Some people are militant about the definition of natural hair and they will give you a tongue lashing for applying any chemical solution to your hair. Don’t listen to them. Do what suits you. The texture of my hair makes it unbearable to leave it in its virgin- state so I made the decision to alter my curls slightly. I texturize my hair every 8 weeks. Texturizing is a chemical treatment but I like it because it retains the curl in my hair but still leaves it manageable. Once a month, I visit a hairdresser with strong biceps for a great blowout. I use Soft & beautiful’s texturizer for regular hair. The results, fantastic.
So there you are, take the first step to wean yourself off weaves and discover the beauty of your natural hair. When the occasion calls for it, add a few tracks to give volume or sass appeal. But don’t become a weaveaholic. If I can do it, so can you.
It’s not a matter of being militant. Texturizer is NOT natural hair. That’s a fact. A texturizer nothing more than a weak chemical relaxer. The tongue lashing doesn’t come from using texturizer, it comes from those using it and trying to pass off their hair as fully natural. That’s misleading and untrue…..I also think it’s important to note that these tips speak to one individual’s head of hair and not to what will work for all those who are transitioning or are natural. There is a wealth of information on natural hair and I would encourage anyone looking to transition not to rely on any one opinion but to do your own research and do what works best for you. Not what works best for one person.
Nissa, texturizing is not natural, i get that. which is why i said it is a chemical treatment. But I find that keeping your hair in its natural state may not yield the healthiest choice for everyone. For example, because of the coarse nature of my hair leaving it in the natural state leaves to more breakage. When I put it in single braids or cornrows, because of the tension, I lose a lot of hair around my temple. My hair line breaks, and the hair is no longer healthy. Which is why i opted for a healthier alternative - texturizing. It alters the curl of the hair. When it goes near water, it is nice and curly, but I also have the option to blow dry it straight. It is really about healthy hair.
Hi Amma
It is so true that transitioning to natural hair is extremely frustrating. I have done the big chop 3 times!!! Just like your hair texture mine is best described as “kpenkpeshie” very thick and kinky…. So after the last cut I decided to take time and treat my hair because I desire to keep my hair natural. I have learned so much about taking care of hair both perm and natural and so far I agree that natural hair is more time consuming. My hair has gotten very manageable soft and my natural curls have actually been defined by the products I use now so I thought I should share with those that choose to keep their hair natural. You’ve always advised to invest in a good conditioner BINGO that is the biggest hair secret by far!! So this is what works for my hair now:
1.Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap that’s the shampoo I use now they come in different flavors I chose peppermint this can be found in any organic aisle. All you need is a nickel size and it cleans your hair like magic.
2. Jason Restorative Biotin Pure natural Conditioner
3. Carols Daughter Hair milk co-wash cleansing conditioner (I think this is what actually makes my hair curly)
4. Spray bottle for water
5. Concoction: a mixture of pure unrefined shea butter (nkuto) mixed with oils(100% almond,coconut, castor,olive,vegetable glycerine oils) I mix all these together so this is my hair lotion I use and before I apply I spray my hair with water. I do this every 2 days.
I also have a separate mixture of these oils without the shea butter I treat my hair with every 2 to 4 weeks I apply it to my hair and keep on a plastic cap.
I don’t apply any kind of heat to my hair no blow drying etc
6. Vinegar??? : I clean my scalp with this applying directly to my scalp every month or two it’s really up to you.
Tips I learned Shampoo dries out your hair and its really meant only to clean your scalp so as you suggested to part your hair in 4 and shampoo your scalp as you rinse it will wash out the grease in your hair anyway please try this shampoo its really amazing!!! I condition my hair with Jason for a few hrs sometimes overnight it depends then I wash it out and shampoo before using carol’s daughter’s co wash. I blot my hair with a towel and apply my shea butter “concoction” *I soak my hair in conditioner so that is where majority of my bucks will go is to conditioner!!!. I hope this helps someone.
Golden, great tips. Will definitely try some of the products you listed. I know your struggles with natural hair and I am glad you found products that your hair responds to. You go girl